Safety at Home Assignment

What do you think of this picture of a man riding a motorcycle with his children?
Do you think this picture was taken in the United States? Why or why not? Do you think this could happen in your home country?
Send me an email message with your answer!

What is on the bee's back?

This is a real picture of a real bee. There is something on its back. Discuss the picture with other students at your table. Try to think of answers for the following questions:

What is the object on the bee's back?

What is the purpose of the object on the bee's back?

Be prepared to discuss your answers with the rest of the class!

Cell Phones and Driving: New Laws in California!

Do you know about the two new laws that deal with the use of wireless telephones (cell phones) that will go into effect July 1, 2008? It's important to know the new laws, especially if you have teenagers under the age of 18 who drive. The California Highway Patrol has information about the new laws at http://www.chp.ca.gov/pdf/media/cell_phone_faq.pdf Read the information about the two new laws and decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE. If they are TRUE, write TRUE. If they are FALSE, explain WHY they are FALSE.

1) No one can use any wireless telephone or cell phone in a car anymore.

2) Drivers who are 18 years old or older can use a wireless telephone or cell phone while they are driving if they use a "hands-free" device.

3) Drivers who are younger than 18 are prohibited from using a wireless telephone even if they use a "hands-free" device or speaker phone except in the case of an emergency.

4) A law enforcement officer can pull you over if he or she sees you using a handheld wireless phone (no "hands-free" device).

5) A driver can use a handheld wireless telephone to make emergency calls to a law enforcement agency, a medical provider, the fire department, or other emergency services agency.

6) The total amount that you will pay for your first offense is $20.

7) A driver who is 18 years old or over can dial their handheld wireless phone while driving, as long as they don't talk on it.

8) The new law prohibits (makes it illegal) for drivers who are 18 years old and over to "text message" while driving.

9) You can drive and use a "hands-free" wireless phone if you wear a headset or earpiece that covers both your ears so you can hear well.

10)Older drivers are more likely to be involved in crashes than teen drivers because they can't see as well and they have slower reaction times.

Trying out MyStudyio.com

Try out this quiz about Xinrong!

Comparing Shenandoah and Beijing

The first two pictures on the left are of Shendandoah. The last two pictures on the bottom are of Beijing.




We have started to read Xinrong's story. In the first part of the story, we learned that Xinrong (Cindy) moved to Shenandoah, Iowa from Beijing, China. Look at the pictures of Shenandoah and Beijing and then some websites about the two cities by clicking on the link below.

The official website for the Beijing Olympics: http://en.beijing2008.cn/spectators/beijing/

An article about recent political unrest in Tibet and China.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-03-27-voa8.cfm

The official website for Shenandoah
http://www.simplyshenandoah.com/

Use the websites to help you write your paragraph comparing Shendandoah and Beijing.

Photos from New York City

The first photo is of me participating in a workshop and learning more activities for you to do when I get back! The last few photos are from the famous Times Square of New York City.

Simple Past Affirmative Questions!

Look at the pictures. Write simple past affirmative questions about the pictures in an email to ANOTHER STUDENT IN THE CLASS (not me). The other student will answer your questions and send the answers back to you AND to me (bbakin@gaggle.net) You should have at least one question from each of the four types of questions you learned about in class: Affirmative Question Action Verb, Affirmative Question To Be Noun Phrase, Affirmative Question To Be Adjective Phrase, and Affirmative Question To Be Prepositional Phrase.

Vocabulary hint: A "scaffold" is a platform that workers stand on. Most stand on the ground and go up. Some are suspended (hang) from the top of a building. You can see read a story and see pictures of another "window washer" at work at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/08/13/BU53607.DTL
(Click on the small pictures to enlarge them)