Form 1 Weekly Homework

You must do the following homework every week.

1. Personal Vocabulary Book (Long)

This must be done once every week and passed up by the first English lesson each week.

You must write 15 words or more. They may be from an article in Young Post or another part of the newspaper or a magazine, or a passage from your text book or a story book you are reading or a news article or other interesting information from a website.

Using your dictionary, write the part of speech (as used in the article) and the meaning in English. Write a new sentence containing this word to show you understand it. You may copy an example from the dictionary.

Before each set of words write down where you found them. For example:
Upstream, pp. 14-15
[Words 1-10]
The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne, pp. 3-6
[Words 11-20]
SCMP Young Post, 11/9/07, p.5. Letter:"Save the Dolphin"
[Words 21-28]
Website: http://www.oocities.org/skssenglish/ProverbsPoster.htm
[Words 29 - 35]

If your article is from a newspaper or magazine, paste or staple it in your Vocabulary book. Underline (or highlight) the words on this paper.

You will get a mark out of 30 for your first 15 words. You will get up to 20 extra marks for any other words. So your total mark is out of 50. However, if you pass your book up late, you will lose 5 marks for each day late.

2. Journal (Short)

These suggestions can be done in your journals or on this website. If you write on the website, other students can read and comment on your work, but please write a brief note in your journal saying what you have posted on the website (and the date.) Your journal must be passed up by the first English lesson each week.

You can write about any of these topics:

• Something you have learnt in English class.

• An English book you have read. (Write about the characters, the story, the ideas, etc.)

• An English book you are reading now. (You can include comments about what you think - or hope - will happen next.)

• An English movie you have seen.

• A poem you like. Give reasons why you like it.

• A song you have heard.

• An interesting website.

• Something interesting that happened to you.

• Your opinion about something. (This can lead to an interesting discussion if your classmates comment and give their own opinions).

• A comment about an article you used for your Vocabulary book. Give the name of the article, a brief description of what it was about and a personal comment. For example you can say why you chose this item, or why you agree / disagree with the ideas in the article, or write about something in your own life that the article reminds you of, or why you would like / dislike having such an experience, or why you like / dislike the people described in the article. Use your imagination. Be creative.

You will be given a grade from A to D for your journal. However, if you pass your book up late, your grade will be lowered by one step for each day late.

3. Self-Access Logbook (Long)

Students are required to do at least 30 minutes of English learning each day, in addition to homework set by the teacher.

On three of these days you will do the online learning course, English Builder.

On each of the other four days you should do one or more of the activities listed below.

You must write a brief report of each activity in your Self Access Log Book. Do this every day, beginning on 1st October. [See below for examples]

Think about who your audience is. Remember that the website postings will be read by your classmates and other students. Try to make them interesting. Your teacher doesn't want to be bored either, so try to make your journal interesting for him or her.

A. Website Report

You can do this in your journal, but it will be more helpful to other students if you put it on the website.

Go to the English Corner Website and choose a game to play or an exercise to do. Write a report about what you have done.

a. Write the name of the activity and the path, so others can find it. e.g. Vocabulary - Word Games - Hangman.

b. Explain how to play the game or do the exercise, how well you did and what you have learnt from it. Include examples of the vocabulary, grammar, skills, etc. that you learnt.

c. Give reasons why you would recommend or not recommend this activity to other students.

B. Creative Writing

Try writing a story, a poem, a song, a play, a movie script or a comic strip, and post it on the website. Or you can write it in your journal, but then only the teacher will see it.

C. Photos and videos

You (or your group) can make a video on YouTube and post it here, or a slideshow of photos, with descriptive captions. This will make your group's webpage more interesting. You can use the Widgets on the EasyEdit Toolbar to do this.

D. Comments

Read 3 or 4 postings from your classmates or from students in other classes and post a meaningful comment on each one.

Make sure it is clear whose work you are commenting on.

Don't just write "That was interesting" or "I agree with you" or "The same thing happened to me" or "You need to improve your spelling". Give reasons, details and examples.

E. Vocabulary

You can count the work done in the Personal Vocabulary book as a piece of self-access homework.

F. Do you have any other suggestions?

Write your ideas in a comment to me and I will see if I can add it to this list.

For examples, here is a student's log for one week:

Monday 1/10/07: I did the first Listening Unit in Skill Builder.

Tuesday 2/10/07: I played a game called "Cat and Mouse" on English Corner Website, and wrote a report about it in my Journal.

Wednesday 31/10/07: Skill Builder - I did the first Reading Unit in Skill Builder.

Thursday 4/10/07: My group sang an English song on YouTube. You can find it in Group 2 (1A) on the Student Website.

Friday 5/10/07: 1. I did the first Speaking Unit on Skill Builder
2. I read Chapters 1 and 2 of "The Magic Faraway Tree" by
Enid Blyton, and put 10 words from them in my Personal Vocabulary Book.

Saturday 6/10/07: I read an article about sharks from an English paper called "English Street." I cut it out and underlined 12 new words, and used it in my Vocabulary Book.

Sunday 7/10/07: I watched an English movie called "Bruce Almighty" and wrote a report of it in my journal. I also wrote a comment on a story by 2BM32 (See 2B Group 2.)