Important Information on Grades

In case you weren't in class last week or lost your notebook, here are the exam dates and percentages.

• October 9: oral midterm (20%)
• November 27: final written exam (20%)
• December 11: final oral exam (25%)
• Continuous Oral Assessment (class participation): 35%

Notice that the oral sections have the highest percentages--that's because speaking is very important. Reading, writing, and understanding English is great--unless you can't communicate with people on the street :).

Our class rules

Hey, guys. These are some of the rules that we discussed last class. If I forgot something, please let me know! I will bring everyone a copy on Saturday, plus a copy for our classroom, which I hope you will all sign.

1.      Put cell phones on “silent” during class.

2.     Don’t eat in the classroom.

3.     Don’t use Spanish unless it’s absolutely necessary.

4.    Don’t sleep in class.

5.     Always do your homework.

6.     Be punctual.

7.     Play games at every class!

My favorite singer

Well, I like many types of music, but my favorite singer is definitely Regina Spektor. She is originally from Moscow, Russia, but now lives in the U.S., so we have a lot in common, although she's a little older (30). I like her music because it's really her music: she writes the melody and the lyrics. Plus, she plays the piano, so many of her songs are just her, without backup singers or instruments. I also like her because she has all kinds of songs: pop, rock, blues, jazz, classical, alternative, etc. And her lyrics are very meaningful--they're like poetry. My favorite song by her is "Après Moi", a song about fear and all of the other things that keep us down. It's a very unique song, especially because she sings some parts in Russian (yay!) and French. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTm0D2uBigI. You can find the lyrics here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTm0D2uBigI

If you like this music, you're in luck! Regina is coming to Santiago this October for her first ever concert in Chile!! You can read about it here: http://latercera.com/contenido/661_269522_9.shtml.

Now, write about YOUR favorite band or singer...in English! And yes, it is homework :). Remember to include....

• the name of the group or singer
• where they are from
• the names of the members and their age
• what type of music they sing/play
• why you like them
• your favorite song
• a picture and/or a video

Good luck! And remember, practice makes perfect.

Welcome!!

Dear class,

Welcome to OUR class website! We will use this website during class for a lot of things: homework, discussions, questions, and more.

I'm the moderator, but please give me your ideas for the site's design and the activities that we could use it for. This site is for YOU, so tell me what you want to do with it. There are only 2 rules:

1) Everything must be in ENGLISH!

2) Don't write anything bad (you know what I mean)

Now, let's go and make this a great website!