Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Fall ’10 Week 1: Introduction “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 )”

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

A new semester has begun!  I’d like to say “Welcome” to all my new students, I look forward to getting to know you over the semester!  Some of you may be nervous about this class, being taught completely in English by a native English teacher.  I know that this semester will be a challenge, but it will also be a great opportunity for you to greatly improve your English skills!

This week in class I will be giving an introduction to the class “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 )“.  This course will actually be taught over the course of two semesters, so you’ll have me as your teacher for this entire year!  During the first semester we will talk about the UK, Ireland, and Australia.  Next semester we will cover New Zealand, the USA, and Canada.  (This will be my third year teaching this class at HNIST!)

Every week I will post my presentation notes (my PPT slides) here on this website for you to view and download.  For some students, this helps them to study for the final exam without worrying that they were not able to write everything down during class.  So check back here every week for notes and other information that might be helpful for you to do well in this course!

The Webel family, 2010

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This post is for my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book One / Second Edition)

Week 14: Canada (Units 15-18 Canada overview)

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week there was a guest teacher, Erica!  Thank you very much for kindness as she gave a brief overview of some of the important information from units 15 – 18 concerning Canada!

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 13: USA (Unit 13 – Sports & Scenic Spots)

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 13  from the textbook which is about Sports and Scenic Spots in America.

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 12: USA (Unit 12 – US Foreign Policy)

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 12  from the textbook which is about US Foreign Policy.

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 11: USA (Unit 11 – Technology in America)

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 11  from the textbook which is about Technology in America.  We attempted to define “technology” and then we discussed briefly the history of technology in America  from the 19th century until today.

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 9: USA (Unit 9 – Social Movements of the 1960′s)

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 9  from the textbook which is about Social Movements of the 1960′s.  We took a look at what is meant by “social movement” and then we discussed briefly why the 1960′s were so active with social movements.  The remainder of the class dealt with the three main movements of the 60′s; The Civil Rights Movement, The Women’s Rights Movement, and the Youth / Anti-War Movement (aka Hippie Movement.)

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If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 8: USA (Unit 8 – American Education)

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 8  from the textbook which is about the American Education System.  We took a look at a brief history of education in America from the 17th century until today.  I pointed out that much of the info in the textbook is sorely out of date (most statistics were from the mid 80′s!) so we spent the remainder of our class time discussing the current status of things in today’s education system in America.

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If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 7: USA (Unit 7 – American Literature)

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 7  from the textbook which is about American Literature.  We actually didn’t discuss much American Lit in the lecture – I did point out some highlights and some things to note for the final exam.  However, most of our class time was used on logistics for the Mid Term Projects that are coming up.

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If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 6: USA (Unit 6 – Religion)

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 6 from the textbook and the lecture was an overview of Religion in the United States of America.  We covered religious diversity in America today, described the most popular religions in America and discussed current trends surrounding religion.

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If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 5: USA (Unit 5 – Economy)

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 5 from the textbook and the lecture was an overview of The economy of the United States of America.  We covered the fundamentals of the USA’s economy and discussed some of the unique characteristics that set it apart from other economies around the world, including China’s.

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If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.