NPR Listening Answers

1.What has Nancy Kellaway noticed recently about the way people dress at the workplace?

The introduction to the interview states that Nancy Kellaway has noticed a return to "formal" dress at work. What she means is that after a trend of wearing more casual attire to work, which had been becoming more and more common, people are starting to wear more formal clothes again at the workplace. An example of is when she says that everyone was wearing a "jacket and tie" at a recent conference.

2. Based on your understanding of the listening, what has caused people to change the ways they are dressing at work these days?

The interviewer mentions "another impact that the recession is having on work behavior" when asking Kellaway about more formal writing in emails. The idea is that both the job market and the workplace are more competitive these days because of the economic recession, and looking professional might help someone get a job or keep their current job.

HW for Wednesday, July 20th

1. Workbook, Activities 10-11 (p. 34-35)
2. Grammar Review Handout
**When you finish, check your answers on side 2; bring questions to class on Wednesday.

HW for Tuesday, July 19th

1. Workbook, Activities 6-8 (p. 33-34)

HW for Monday, July 18th

1. Choose Presentation Topic; Complete Presentation Outline
**Students: Please take time to write a complete outline for Monday. If you have any questions about your topic, feel free to contact me.

2. Grammar Booster (back of Summit)
a. Activity A (p. G6)
b. Read Grammar Box on p. G7
c. Complete Activity C (p. G8)

HW for Thursday, July 14th

1. Workbook, A ctivity 4 (p. 32)

2. Summit Web Activity: Exercise 1

3. Finish "Appropriate Dress" Summary sentences from class (last class activity)

4. "School Uniform" reading + blog response.
a. First, read the article "Can a School Uniform be Hip?'
b. Read the question below.
c. Read other students' responses.
d. Answer the questions (post your response on the blog.

Questions:
1. Do high school students in your country have to wear school uniforms? If yes, describe these uniforms (for men and women). Did you like wearing a school uniform?
2. What is remarkable (amazing) about the fact that every graduating senior at Urban Prep this was accepted into a 4 year college?
3. In what way are school uniforms important at Urban Prep?
4. After reading this article, do you think that schools should require that students wear school uniforms? Why or why not?

HW for Wednesday, July 13th

1. NPR Work Attire Listening Activity (handout from class)
Click on Work Attire to listen to the story. Listen 2 times. Then answer the questions.

2. Workbook, Activities 1-3 (p. 31-32)

Homework for Monday, July 11th

1. Reading "Paul Newman" (p. 34) + activities a and b + sequencing activity (side 2) (handout)
2. Activities B,C, and D (p. 37)
3. Optional HW: Internet Activities (ex. 1 and 2)
Exercises 1 and 2

4. Blog Response: Please explain what you think the following proverb (well-known folk saying) means. Before you respond, read what other students have saidd. Please give a thorough (complete) response!

"In this world generous people have no money and those with money are not generous."
-Iranian Proverb

HW for Wednesday, July 6th

**sorry i forgot to put this on here last night. (JR)

1. Activity E (p. 32--Summit)
2. Workbook, Activities 11-12 (p. 25-26)
3. Vocabulary Sentences (handout) (vocabulary from p. 30)

HW for Tuesday, July 5th

1. Review Grammar (act. D, p. 31)
2. Activity E (p. 31)
3. Workbook (act. 8+9, p. 24)

Enjoy the weekend!

HW for Thursday, June 30th

1. NPR Listening Activity: Click on "Financial Lessons" to listen (and read) the story. Note: the listening is slightly different from the article.

2. Activity 6 and 7 (Workbook)(7 is collected)

3.Activity F (Summit) (p. 29) (collected)

HW for Tuesday, June 28th

1. Workbook, Activities 1-4 (p. 21-22)

That's it!

Homework for Wednesday, June 22nd

1. Add details to presentation outline.
2. Workbook, Activities 18-20 (p. 16-17), activity B (p. 18)
2. Summit 1, activities B and C (p. 25)

Homework for Tuesday, June 21st

1. Workbook, Activity 14 (collected)
2. "Beethoven" Article (p. 20--Summit) + Reading Questions (Handout)
3. Student Song Response
-->Listen to the songs that other students have posted on our blog. Choose two songs that you like and post a response to the following questions about those 2 songs:
a.Which two songs did you really like? Whose songs were they?
b.What did you like about these songs? (use vocabulary from class)
c.Do you think these songs in any way reflect (relate to) your classmate's personality? Please explain.

Homework for Monday, June 20th

Summit HW:
1. Activity E (p. 19) (collected)

2. Read G4 (second half of page); Do Activity D (p. G4) (collected)

Other HW:
1. Choose a favorite song of yours. Describe the song to your classmates; explain why you enjoy this song so much. At the end of your comments, post the url link to your song. You can read my example below.

2. Complete the presentation outline from class (handout). Make sure that you answer the questions thoroughly (with details!).

Have a good weekend!


The song that I'd like to talk about is called "Concrete Jungle." It's a reggae song by the famous Jamaican band The Wailers. Bob Marley was the lead singer of the band, and he is probably the most famous Jamaican musician ever. I love this song. The song describes living in the ghetto (poor neighborhood) in Kingston, Jamaica. The beat is very rhythmic and steady (constant). I also love Bob Marley's voice. In it, you can hear the pain and struggle of the ghetto inhabitants (people living there). The lyrics are also great because they are so real; that is, they perfectly describe the challenging, unpredictable environment in which the people live where there are no trees but only concrete. For example, when Bob Marley sings "no chains around my feet, but I'm not free," he expresses the frustration of having few opportunities to work, be happy, and have good life because of the difficulty of living in the ghetto. This is a very powerful song! Go ahead and give it a listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDMxLbMcjxY

Homework for Thursday, June 16th

1. Activity F (p. 17)
2. Workbook, Activities 9-11 (p. 13)
3. Workbook, Activity 12 (p. 14) (collected)

HW for Wednesday, June 15th

1. Listen to two of the songs below (Music for Monday) and describe each song using "elements of music" vocabulary from p. 16. Post your response as a comment on the blog.
2. Activity E (p. 17) (Summit)
3. Workbook, activities 5-8 (p. 12).

Music Samples for Monday, June 13th

1. Jazz Sample

2. Reggae Sample

3. Hip-hop Sample

4. Country (old-time!)

5. Rock

6. Pop

Homework for Thursday, June 9th

1. Paragraph about personality.
Make sure you paragraph has the following: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, a concluding sentence.

2. Study for the test; practice for the oral quiz.

Homework for Wednesday, June 8th

1. Workbook (Act. A (p. 8)
2. Grammar Booster Activity A (p. G1) (Summit)
3. Listening Activity about Lance Armstrong. Click on the link below and listen to the news report 2 or 3 times. If you like, you can read the story while you listen. When you finish, answer the 4 questions below on a separate sheet of paper. I will pick up your answer tomorrow in class.

Click here to listen to the story

Questions about the Lance Armstrong story:

1. What wrongdoing (illegal activity) has Lance Armstrong been accused of?

2. How did Armstrong respond to these accusations?

3. How have people's opinions of Lance Armstrong changed since the accusations were made?

4. In your opinion, do you think Lance Armstrong is guilty? Why or why not?

HW for Tuesday, June 7th

1. "Maintaining a Positive Perspective" (p. 8)
a. Read the article on p. 8 again.
b. Answer the questions on the handout (A and B).
c. Answer the questions for activity C (p. 8).
2. Workbook, Activities 10-14 (p. 5-6)
**Activities 13 and 14 are COLLECTED HW; please write your answers on the back
of the reading handout.

Homework for Monday, June 6th

1. Writing Handout: complete steps 1 and 2
2. Workbook: Activities 7-9 (p. 4-5)
3. Study for the gerund/infinitive quiz.
4. Complete a personality test. Here are the directions:

a. Go to the following website and click on "Type Test":
Click here to take the Personality Type Test

b. Take the test. When you finish, click on the four letters that represent your personality. Read the preferences for your personality type(scroll down to find these: facts, careers, hobbies, etc.). You can use a dictionary if you don't understand all of the vocabulary.

c. After you read the preferences, answer the following questions by posting a comment below (you must be logged in to do this!); please use complete sentences.

-->Do the interesting facts about this personality type describe you? Give examples to support your answer.

-->Are you interested in any of the careers listed as common careers for this personality type? If yes, which careers?

-->How accurate is the list of hobbies listed for as being popular with this personality type? Do you do any of these activities?

HW for Thursday, June 2nd

1. Summit 1, Activity D (p. 5)(collected)
2. Workbook, Activity 6 (p. 3)
3. Gerund/Infinitive Handout (from class) Homework #1 and 2
4. Sentence Stress Practice: Content vs. Function Words
Go to the following links and complete the practice exercises:
a. Syllable and Sentence Stress Listening Practice
b. Sentence Stress Practice

Week 2 Announcements, HW, and Activities

Hi! Welcome to the Integrated Skills Level 4 Blog.

Homework for Tuesday, May 31st

For Tuesday, May 31st, your HW is to take a "Stress Test." When you take this test, you will find out the possible cause of stress in your life. Here are the directions:

1. Go to the following website and click on "Stress Test":
Click here to take the Stress Test

2. Take the test. Remember to read the "analysis" (explanation) of your response. Don't forget to use a dictionary if you don't understand all of the vocabulary.

3. After you read the analysis, answer the following questions by posting a comment below (you must open a blog account to do this!):

Does the analysis (explanation) of your response accurately (correctly) explain the cause of stress in your life right now?

What else is causing stress in your life right now?

What do you when you feel stressed out?

Homework for Wednesday, June 1st
1. Workbook, activities 1-5 (p. 1-3)
2. Summit 1, Activity D (p. 5)