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English Language Center
Spring 2015 – Issue #2
English Language Center Insights A newsletter for and about our students and faculty March – April 2015
Spring at last!
(Almost) every year, students enrolled in spring courses in the ELC get to witness the glorious transition from a Minnesota winter to a Minnesota spring (and sometimes back and forth again)! This year we were lucky enough not only to experience some warmer weather together, but also to test our mettle with some very surprising, and poorly timed snowstorms. But we made it!
Written by Katie Subra Your warm smiles kept us going through the dark days of winter and amidst a multitude of flu germs! With finals and summer break just around the corner, we hope you’ll take a moment to look around and thank some of those across the campus community who helped you along the way. ELC teachers and staff certainly appreciate your role in making it a great semester!
Double Teacher Feature!
Student Writing
Students interview two of the ELC’s beloved graduate assistants just before they depart
Students from levels 1-2 submitted writing about selfiesticks and the benefits of extracurricular activities
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Pages 3-5
Word Games, News, and Shout outs! Be sure to check out the final pages for language practice and important messages
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Spring 2015 – Issue #2
Double Teacher Feature This semester we must say goodbye to two wonderful graduate teachers. Learn more about their goals and reflections on their time in Winona.
Zichan (Cherry) Zhang
Xueyuan (Bella) Yang
Interview by Khalid Alyami & Abdullah AlDharfan There are two Chinese teachers in the ELC. They were at the same university in China before coming to U.S.A. They were studying two years in China. Their majors are English Language and Literature. The first month for them in Winona they studied in ELC. Their Goals: Cherry's goal: go back to China to teach and tell them about her experience. Bella's short-‐term goal: She wants to teach at institutions. Bella's long-‐term goal: She wants to be Program Coordinator and build relationships between Chinese university and American university. Their thinking about the ELC: The ELC it is doing a good job to get international students prepared for their regular university study. The teachers are professional. They care about the students. They will graduate in May. Good luck!
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Spring 2015 – Issue #2
The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities Written by Han Wu
Do you have much free time? You do not know what to do in your free time? Let’s attend some extracurricular activities. The campus provides many activities for students every day. You can choose them depending on your interests. As students, we don’t need to just study or stay at home, we also could have colorful life. There are three benefits of extracurricular activities: get joy, improve ability, and develop relationship. You will get joy if you attend some activities in your free time. Some scientists say people will be so happy when they do something that they are interested in. Some students think it is difficult to select from many activities, so they don’t know which they should join. The best solution is choosing the activity, which you think can bring you joy. For example, in my free time, I attend Yoga class on Tuesdays. I feel pleasure and relax when I do Yoga. I also like to attend ELC activities. Although I have never skied and skated before, I am excited and happy when I do that because I think sports are interesting. You should choose the activity that you are interested in. When you attend the extracurricular activities, you could improve your ability. You should attend the activity many times, because
improving ability takes a long time. The university provides a lot of special activities for students, like how to be a leader, discuss the speech skill and simulate a debate. You can choose these, which you think you should improve. You could improve your ability if you strict to attend activities. Developing relationship is also the benefit of extracurricular activities. From the research, people feel along easily who don’t like join the activities. Some people like stay at home in their free time. Thus, they have few friends and afraid to talk with people. They look unhealthy and lonely. However, if you join some activities, you will make more friends and know more people. And you can know different cultures from your friends. You will not feel alone if you have well relationship. So, taking part in more activities helps you to develop your relationship. You could get joy, improve ability and develop relationship through participating in extracurricular activities. Don’t stay at home. Don’t stay alone. Don’t only study, sleep or play games. Furthermore, you will not feel bored, afraid, and lonely when you take part in activities. Consequently, let us join more activities; you will have a colorful, happy and healthy life. 3
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Spring 2015 – Issue #2
Level 2 and 3 Writing Students Discuss the Infamous “Selfie Stick” through Article Summaries Written by Ailen Menendez
Written by Kei Kita
In the article “Selfie sticks: Handy travel gadget or narcissi-stick?” Beth J. Harpaz discusses the differences between those nicknames and the reasons why people created them. Most of the tourists like taking pictures but a normal selfie picture do not cover their expectations. So people created the selfie stick that helps people take better angle pictures without asking a passer-by to do it. However people have good and bad perspectives about this stick. The bad reasons why people think that this stick is a narcissi one is because it decreases the social interaction, people don’t pay attention to their surroundings and, depending where we are, it can disturb or bother other people’s view. Although, it’s also good because with this you don’t need to bother or rely in others to take you a picture, is cheap, makes you feel confortable, gets all the view, is easy to manage, and prevent assaults and stress. So, to conclude, besides it has some bad connotations, it’s still a good invention that facilitates tourists’ life.
In the article, “Selfie sticks: Handy travel gadget or narcissi-stick?” the author Beth J. Harpaz argues that using selfie sticks makes travelers more comfortable and convenient than asking someone to take the picture of them. People easy to take photos by selfie sticks with controlling their angle without bothering other people and losing their important cell phone. However, some people have negative image toward selfie sticks. Kinling expresses that selfie sticks prevent travelers to communicate with local people. On the other hand, Garcia describes that when she asked a local person to take her photo during her travel, but she did not satisfied with the photo. So she recommends people to use selfie sticks now. A soccer stadium in London is prohibited using selfie sticks because they disturb other’s view. But, the Four Seasons Hotel started to borrow selfie sticks to their guests. Actually, selfie sticks are not expensive and easy to handle. A blogger, Stringer, said that she need a selfie stick now to complete her job. Another blogger, Marrs, talks that she became a fun of a selfie stick when she used it although she thought it is narcissistic. 4
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Spring 2015 – Issue #2
Written by Sungjin Kim Beth J, Harpaz reported at her article “Selfie stick: Handy travel gadget or narcissi-stick?” These days Selfie stick is sensational stuff in the world. Instead of favoring passer-by to take a picture, with this, you can make a photo by yourself. Of course, some people disgust this selfie machine because it deprives people who travel the local attraction of communicating resident and traveler using stick of hindering other traveler’s photo - angle view. Moreover they insist it causes people to absorb themselves too much. Namely it makes person to be inordinate egocentric. But given that other sides, by using this, we don’t need to bother, interfere other person who pass by them. Also we can control so easily ourselves with this. There are various of price ranges, so the more higher price, the more easier taking photo concisely such as connecting Bluetooth or phone to stick. In addition to, people don’t need to rely on others and interfere with other’s experience and time. Rather you can angle with convenient posture, and prevent you from making silly snap. At first, using this makes you awkward person, later you adjust to use amazing stick and feel cozy than before.
Photo taken with a selfie-stick by Yonghwan Jung during ELC Ski Trip at Mt. La Crosse
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English Language Center
Spring 2015 – Issue #2
Thank you to everyone for contributing and for an awesome semester! We will miss you while you’re gone, but you can always come back to say “Hello”. Have a great summer!
Don’t lose your English this summer! Practice word games, read books/newspapers, and find a conversation partner on your own. Try this “Travel” Word Search from JustWordSearch.com: