Week 6

Your impressions of the United States sure have changed since you've been here! I remember when I lived in Barcelona, Spain. The people I met thought that most Americans carried a gun. They thought I ate hamburgers every day and were surprised that I was nice and kind. They expected me to not be able to speak Spanish and to be rude. I hope that I changed their impressions of Americans.

Our first essay will be about how you have adapted to your new environment. Our first discussion of this chapter was about animals and how they adapt. This week I want you to share with us what animal you would choose to describe yourself. I would have to say a duck for me. Ducks look so calm moving along the water on a pond, but really they are paddling hard under the water. I may appear calm, but I'm actually very busy with work and kids and life!

Week 5 question

This week we are writing our final paragraphs before we move on to essays. We are also working on developing more complex sentences with adjective clauses and phrases. Here's what I want you to comment on this week: Before you came to the United States, you probably had some impressions of Americans from the movies or from things you had read or heard. Now that you live here, tell us about one or two things that have surprised you. These would be things that are different from what you had expected.

week 4

It was so entertaining for me to read about your first days in the United States! Thanks for sharing those stories. In this chapter of the writing book, our topic is high school experiences. I want you to think back further to elementary school. What is the earliest memory you have of school? One of my earliest memories is in second grade when I was sent to the Principal's office. I had put the eraser end of a pencil into the classroom sharpener to see what would happen. The sharpener broke and the teacher was really mad and sent me to see the Principal.

week 3

Your newly created holidays were so detailed and creative. It was a pleasure to see what you care about and how you would celebrate it! By the end of this week, you will be writing a paragraph using clear, descriptive language. I would like for you to practice a narrative paragraph by telling us about your first 2 or 3 days in the United States. Remember to use chronological ordering.