Yongin University Fall 2013 Final Exam Schedule

Please click on the link and choose a time for the final exam, available only on December 12, 2013.

A Moment of Grace

I had an unfortunate event happen today in one of my most enjoyable classes. I apparently wasn't very clear in giving students instructions. I wanted them to make questions for the test. Up to this point, I haven't seen a lot of deep conversations about the questions I've made. I think my questions are too difficult and they don't seem to be all that interesting to the students. This was not an easy task in any of my classes, but there were clearly some communication barriers today. I typed questions on Powerpoint and then told students these would be the questions on the test. Upon further reflection in my next class, I quickly felt remorse for handling the situation in the way I did. So I decided the students and I need a second chance. Here are the questions the students chose. 1. What do you want to do this evening? 2. How about watching a movie this Saturday? 3. What do you expect your life to be like after you get married? 4. What are you planning to do this summer vacation to prepare for your future? 5. What are you going to do after graduation? 6. What are your plans for summer vacation?

명지대학교 영어회화1 Teacher Chat 2 예약

1. Click on the blue "Book now" link below. 2. Click next to your preferred time. 3. Click the red "next" button. 4. Click the red "next" button again. 5. Click the red "done" button. 6. Check your e-mail for the confirmation. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to contact me. If for whatever reason, the link doesn't work, simply text me your name and e-mail address and I will sign up for you.

Linking Story #4A (Because)

Linking Story #4A (Because) Hi, my name is Josh. I’m so sad right now because it’s Saturday night and I’m at home. Why am I home? Let me tell you the story. First I called my girlfriend because I wanted to go on a date with her. But she said, “I’m so sorry, I can’t go on a date because I’m studying the Talk Sheets.” Then I called my best friend because I wanted to play basketball with him. But he said, “I’m so sorry, I can’t play basketball because I’m practicing the MLU Dialogues.” Next I talked to my roommate because I wanted to go to a PC room with him. But he said, “I’m so sorry, I can’t go to a PC room because I’m reading the Reading Smart articles.” Finally I called my parents because I wanted to go to a restaurant with them. But they said, “We’re so sorry, we can’t go to a restaurant because you need to study the Talk Sheets, MLU Dialogues, Reading Smart articles, Linking Stories, Key Words, Dictation, and Oral Summaries. Actually, we want you to come home right now!” So that’s why I’m at home on Saturday night...because I have to take the Annyeong English final exam. I’m sooooo sad. Why is Josh sad? Why did Josh call his girlfriend? Why can’t Josh’s girlfriend go on a date with him? Why did Josh call his best friend? Why can’t Josh’s best friend play with him? Why did Josh talk to his roommate? Why can’t Josh’s roommate hang out with Josh? Why did Josh call his parents? Why can’t Josh’s parents take him out for dinner? Why is Josh at home on a Saturday night?

Linking Story #2 (Or)

Bethany wanted to get home quickly after a long day at school. She had to choose the subway or the bus. It was a hard choice. Bethany thought, “Do I want the soft seats of the bus or the hard seats of the subway?” Bethany liked soft seats. But then she thought, “Do I want a long walk to the bus stop or a short walk to the subway station?” Bethany was very tired. She didn’t want to walk far. Then she thought, “Do I want a cheap subway ticket or an expensive bus ticket?” Bethany had to buy some expensive books for her university classes. She didn’t have much money. Finally, she saw her friend Becky. Bethany said, “Where are you going, Becky? To the library or to your home?” Becky said, “I’m going home. Do you want to travel with me or travel alone?” Bethany thought, “Travelling alone or travelling with a friend is an easy choice.” So the two girls rode the bus together. They had a great time. What two types of public transportation did Bethany have to choose from? What two types of seats could Bethany choose from? Where were Bethany’s choices in terms of walking distance? What were Bethany’s choices in terms of the cost of the tickets? What did Bethany ask Becky? What was an easy choice for Bethany?

Linking Story 1: And

Adam was a university student who liked to play soccer and meet girls. On Monday, he went to the university and talked to many different girls. He liked Amy and Abigal the best. He talked to Amy in the morning and he talked to Abigal in the afternoon. The next day he called both Amy and Abigal. Amy said, “Let’s eat pizza and watch a movie.” Abigal said, “Let’s eat sushi and go to the singing room.” Adam planneda date with Amy on Friday and a date with Abigal on Saturday. Adam was very excited, and he called his friend, Wayne. Adam said to Wayne, “I’m going to date Amy on Friday and Abigal on Saturday.” Wayne said, “Wow. I think you have a big problem, Adam. Amy and Abigal are roommates.” 1. What did Adam like to do? 2. Which two girls did Adam like best? 3. Adam talked to them at different times. When (i.e. time of day) did he talk to each person? 4. What did the first person say she wanted to do? What did the second person say she wanted to do? 5. What exciting news did Adam tell Wayne? 6. According to Wayne, what was Adam’s problem?

Practical English Final Exam Details

Dear Students, Here are some details on what will be on the final exam. Vocabulary: Similar to the Mid-term exam Reading Smart A. The questions will be the same as when you did your homework. However you will want to memorize the sentence and not just the letter (i.e. A, B, C, D) that will be different. B. You can download the rest of the Reading Smart stories from the Annyeong English website. C. This test will not be timed. You can read it as quickly or as slowly as you wish. D. You will also have the questions in front of you so that you can answer the questions as you read the article. E. Only those articles which we discussed in class will be on the final test. F. Study: Re-read (다시 한번 읅으세요) the stories and compare your answers with the PPTs on the KNU website (If there is no PPT don’t study that reading story). Linking Story A. The script for each dictation is below. B. I will give you the questions on paper before I start reading the story to you. C. I will read the story myself instead of using the MP3 file. D. You will be expected to answer each question using complete sentences and the appropriate conjunction (접속사). You either get this question right or wrong. The answers are in the story so all you have to do is memorize the sentence from the story. E. Study: Read the three linking stories and answer the questions. They will be the same on the test. Dictations A. Each sentence will have the same number of words (i.e. 10). B. I will read the sentences myself instead of using the MP3 file. C. I will read each sentence twice. D. You should write the complete sentence. E. There will be no short sentences on the test (i.e. 4 words). F. Study: Check your answers with the answers I have given on the PPTs on the KNU website. If there is no PPT you don’t have to worry about those dictations. Novel A. I told you in class to study the back of the book. But this seems to be too difficult. You told me in class that you wanted to have multiple choice (선다형 문제). So you only have to answer those questions with A, B, C or D. B. There will only be questions about the chapters we talked about in class. C. Study 1. Read the summaries I included in PPTs I presented in class. 2. Be familiar with the names of the characters in each story and the story itself. 6. Speaking Test a. This will be the week after your writing test (15th or 16th week). b. There will be no test on the MLU Dialogues because we didn’t talk about them very much in class. c. You will meet in my office with a partner for 10 minutes. d. You will have a conversation with you based on the Talk Sheets. e. I will have a sheet that either has some questions and no answers or no questions but answers. Linking Story 1 (And) Adam was a university student who liked to play soccer and meet girls. On Monday, he went to the university and talked to many different girls. He liked Amy and Abigal the best. He talked to Amy in the morning and he talked to Abigal in the afternoon. The next day he called both Amy and Abigal. Amy said, “Let’s eat pizza and watch a movie.” Abigal said, “Let’s eat sushi and go to the singing room.” Adam planneda date with Amy on Friday and a date with Abigal on Saturday. Adam was very excited, and he called his friend, Wayne. Adam said to Wayne, “I’m going to date Amy on Friday and Abigal on Saturday.” Wayne said, “Wow. I think you have a big problem, Adam. Amy and Abigal are roommates.” What did Adam like to do? Which two girls did Adam like best? Adam talked to them at different times. When (i.e. time of day) did he talk to each person? What did the first person say she wanted to do? What did the second person say she wanted to do? What exciting news did Adam tell Wayne? According to Wayne, what was Adam’s problem? Linking Story #2 (Or) Bethany wanted to get home quickly after a long day at school. She had to choose the subway or the bus. It was a hard choice. Bethany thought, “Do I want the soft seats of the bus or the hard seats of the subway?” Bethany liked soft seats. But then she thought, “Do I want a long walk to the bus stop or a short walk to the subway station?” Bethany was very tired. She didn’t want to walk far. Then she thought, “Do I want a cheap subway ticket or an expensive bus ticket?” Bethany had to buy some expensive books for her university classes. She didn’t have much money. Finally, she saw her friend Becky. Bethany said, “Where are you going, Becky? To the library or to your home?” Becky said, “I’m going home. Do you want to travel with me or travel alone?” Bethany thought, “Travelling alone or travelling with a friend is an easy choice.” So the two girls rode the bus together. They had a great time. What two types of public transportation did Bethany have to choose from? What two types of seats could Bethany choose from? Where were Bethany’s choices in terms of walking distance? What were Bethany’s choices in terms of the cost of the tickets? What did Bethany ask Becky? What was an easy choice for Bethany? Linking Story #4A (Because) Hi, my name is Josh. I’m so sad right now because it’s Saturday night and I’m at home. Why am I home? Let me tell you the story. First I called my girlfriend because I wanted to go on a date with her. But she said, “I’m so sorry, I can’t go on a date because I’m studying the Talk Sheets.” Then I called my best friend because I wanted to play basketball with him. But he said, “I’m so sorry, I can’t play basketball because I’m practicing the MLU Dialogues.” Next I talked to my roommate because I wanted to go to a PC room with him. But he said, “I’m so sorry, I can’t go to a PC room because I’m reading the Reading Smart articles.” Finally I called my parents because I wanted to go to a restaurant with them. But they said, “We’re so sorry, we can’t go to a restaurant because you need to study the Talk Sheets, MLU Dialogues, Reading Smart articles, Linking Stories, Key Words, Dictation, and Oral Summaries. Actually, we want you to come home right now!” So that’s why I’m at home on Saturday night...because I have to take the Annyeong English final exam. I’m sooooo sad. Why is Josh sad? Why did Josh call his girlfriend? Why can’t Josh’s girlfriend go on a date with him? Why did Josh call his best friend? Why can’t Josh’s best friend play with him? Why did Josh talk to his roommate? Why can’t Josh’s roommate hang out with Josh? Why did Josh call his parents? Why can’t Josh’s parents take him out for dinner? Why is Josh at home on a Saturday night?

A Shameless Time

Fulfillment in Teaching English

I'm looking for a job that fulfills me to the uttermost. Perhaps that is why I feel like I am sweating drops of blood to get my students to talk. And yet even after those drops of blood, I'm still not satisfied. Is the problem that I am in the wrong profession or that I'm thinking about it all wrong? My experience today, teaching children, suggested to me that it may be my thinking. I started off with some cognitive therapy and my classes seemed to go well. Students even seemed to respond well to the worksheets. Apparently students love worksheets. I think there could be a problem with me looking for fulfillment in teaching English in and of itself. To be honest, that isn't the reason why I started teaching English in the first place. Rather, I wanted to develop relationships with people of a different nationality and cultural background. My other challenge lies before me in working with another colleague this afternoon. It seems that if I think someone is better at doing something than I am that I erroneously assume that I am a bad teacher. I am determined not to be defeated with that type of thinking this afternoon. Meanwhile, I hope to learn some things from my colleague. Perhaps I can even make a list and apply them to my own teaching practices.

Collaboration and Research All in One

Tonight, I began reading, "Collaborative Action Research for English Language Teachers" by Anne Burns. I was encouraged to read that although she is writing from an Australian context that she addresses issues of a lack of motivation with students who were required to take English courses for reasons related to immigration. After having a paper published that I wrote with another professor, I decided to find out some more efficient ways for working with a colleague. In fact, I wish I would've read up on the subject before I actually wrote the paper with another colleague. We had a lot of frustrating experiences but it was still a good experience overall. Nonetheless, I hope to learn more about collaboration through research to have more positive experiences in the future. I'm hoping that this book will have positive implications for what I do in my current setting. I know that I have a lot of areas to improve in, especially regarding teaching, and I hope I can work with colleagues to learn from them and hopefully to even have them correct me in my teaching weaknesses. I also believe that the best way to improve the structures at a university are through research, rather than complaining, though the latter seems to take less energy (at least in our thinking) and probably more time than we realize.

Major English Homework

Today I gave the following homework in the "Major English" course that I teach: 1. Choose from the following passages in 1 John: a. 2:1-6 b. 2:7-14 c. 2:15-17 d. 2:18-27 e. 2:28-3:10 f. 3:11-24 g. 4:1-6 h. 4:7-21 i. 5:1-5 j. 5:6-12 k. 5:13-21 2. Choose a subject to talk about related to theology or Christian education. Here are some examples: a. The relationship between 확신 and faith b. The visible Church versus the invisible Church c. "Pastor, I don't believe in the Bible anymore." What would you say? d. Being the hands and feet of Jesus outside of the worship service. e. "Preach the gospel at all times. Use words when necessary." The most effective methods for telling the story of God. f. Authority without inerrancy? g. The future of the Church in the 21st Century. h. Church in Korea: from mission field in Korea to sending missionaries out to other countries. i. Where are the mission trips to the poor inside of Korea? 3. Homework for next time: I gave you a list of words from the handout in class. I want you to write out definitions of those words in English. It was difficult getting students to respond today, more difficult than last week. If you have ideas on why it was difficult, please feel free to post a comment on this post. I will hopefully have the syllabus finalized by the next time you come to class. Hopefully this will clarify any confusion you feel about this class. As always, feel free to e-mail me or post questions on this site. God's Shalom!

Free-Talking Critique

Free-talking Critique
Having free-talked for a whole semester, I'd like to know what you think. Here are some questions I'd like you to consider and give me your feedback. If none of the questions interest you, feel free to add a different question and respond to that question.

1. What have you told your friends/What will you tell your friends and family about free-talking this semester?

2. If free-talking isn't required next semester, will you still sign up for free-talking?

3. What did you like about free-talking this semester?

4. What could have been a more interesting way of free-talking this semester?

5. Did you find the subjects from the textbook to be interesting things to talk about?

6. If you could have chosen the subjects independently of the book, which subjects would you have liked to talk about?

7. Do you think there should be a correlation between class and free-talking?

8. What was difficult about communicating with Brent during free-talking?

9. Would it have been helpful to receive handouts of examples of expressions you can use during free-talking?

10. What do you think is the most difficult part about having conversation in English? How is that different from Korean?

Free-Talking/Class Make-Up

Here are the subjects you may have missed in class or free-talking if your class was cancelled. Please post a comment about the subject you are missing. You may respond to the questions below or say something else that is still related to the main topic. Please also respond to others as part of your time requirement.

1. People
A. Family
B. Your first girlfriend/boyfriend
C. Your hero
D. Your favorite movie star
E. Your role-model

2. Activities
A. Your job
B. Things you do with your friends
C. The last fun thing you did
D. What you do with your friends
E. What occupies most of your time

3. Travel
A. How to board an airplane
B. Your favorite method of travel
C. How you get from your hometown to Jeju Island (or another popular spot)
D. The process of traveling to another country from South Korea
E. How to book a trip with a travel agent

4. Food
A. Your favorite Korean food
B. Your least favorite Korean food
c. Your favorite non-Korean food
D. Your least favorite non-Korean food
E. Exotic food

5. Sports
A. Your favorite athlete
B. Your least favorite athlete
c. Your favorite sport
D. Sports you play
E. What comes to mind when you think of sports

6. Destinations
A. Places you've been in South Korea
B. Places you recommend to a foreigner
C. Places you've been outside of South Korea
D. Where you want to go for your honeymoon
E. The place you want to see before you die

7. Communication
A. How you use your cell phone
B. What you use your cell phone for the most
C. Your favorite means of communication
D. Your first love letter
E. How you keep in touch with people outside of South Korea.

8. The Future
A. Your dream job
B. Where you see yourself in ten years
c. What comes to mind when you think of the future
D. What color is your future?
E. What you dread the most about the future

9. Shopping
A. Your favorite thing to shop for
B. Where you shop the most
C. Reasons for shopping
D. What you dislike shopping for the most
E. What comes to mind when you think of shopping

10. Lifestyles
A. How you exercise
B. How you manage to be healthy in all ways (i.e. spiritual, mental, social,
physical etc.)
C. The most stressful part of your life
D. What you do to relieve your stress

11. Achievements
A. Your list of things to do today
B. Your greatest achievement so far
C. What you don't care about achieving that most of your peers want to achieve
D. What you want to accomplish before your life is over
E. What your parents want you to achieve but that you couldn't care less about

12. Consequences
A. The best choice you made that led to the best consequences
B. Your greatest regret
C. If you could do something over again, what would it be?
D. If you could change the past...would you?
E. The worst choice you made which led to the best thing in your life

English Conversation 3 Final Exam Instructions

1. Come with your partner to the classroom at the designated time.
2. Be prepared to have a conversation about your chosen subject in a particular situation (i.e. coffee shop, meeting a friend on the street, going to the 노래방 with your favorite foreign professor etc.).
3. Talk with your partner and include the foreign teacher (aka Brent Dirks, 도영웅, 브렌트 더크스 [Quack, Quack]) in the conversation.
4. Respond appropriately to questions asked by your foreign teacher.
5. Ask your foreign teacher questions that require him to respond truthfully.
6. Don't expect to finish your script.
7. The final is over the moment the timer buzzes.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the foreign teacher as designated on the KNU website.

Final Exam Instructions

1. Every student will talk with me for ten minutes.
2. There will be a timer that buzzes every ten minutes to tell us your time is up.
3. I will grade you based on a grade sheet rating you on the following categories for each question:
A. Grammar (50 points)
B. Pronunciation/Intonation (50 points)
C. Content (100 points)
D. Effort (100 points)
3. Memorizing sentences will be of some help to you.
4. You should also be prepared to have a normal conversation with the teacher.
5. That means you should be thinking about questions I may ask you.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Ocean's Eleven Character Hierarchy

Ocean’s Eleven Summary

This may be the most difficult movie we see this semester. It may also be the most exciting movie we see this semester. Perhaps the most difficult part is that there are so many characters in the movie. There is also a lot about American culture in this movie that may make it difficult for students of another culture to understand.
It may be helpful to adapt this movie to Korean culture, particularly as far as the roles of the characters are concerned. Here is a brief hierarchy of the characters.
1. Daniel Ocean is the leader. If this were a company, we might compare him to a CEO or director of an office.
2. Rusty is second in command. In the context of a company, we could call him the team leader who works under Daniel Ocean. However, Rusty sometimes takes initiative, like when he tells Daniel Ocean that he’s off of the job after a picture of him is published in the newspaper.
3. Ruben, the Malloy Brothers, Livingstone, Bashion, Yen, Saul and Linus all work under Daniel and Rusty. However, Ruben has enough experience that he uses his age and experience to boss some of the younger characters around when necessary. Even though these guys are “under” Rusty and Daniel their role is no less significant.
4. Terry Benedict has a different kind of role, since he is the owner of the casinos that the team plans on robbing, even though we only see one robbery in this film.
5. Tess’ role in the casino is that of a curator though it is somewhat mysterious in light of the fact that Daniel is trying to win her back while she is in a relationship with Terry Benedict.

Ocean's Eleven Character Sketch

1. Daniel Ocean: Leader
2. Rusty: Second in Command
3. Ruben: First person to be consulted by Daniel and Rusty about robbing casinos.
4. The Malloy Brothers: Real brothers who race a real pickup and a remote control one.
5. Livingstone: Former FBI agent who is the dispatcher during the robbery.
6. Bashion: Electronic genius who seems to be from the UK.
7. Yen: Chinese man who is the most flexible and who works from inside the vault.
8. Saul: “Grandfather” whom Rusty meets at the dog race to ask him to be a part of the team to rob the casino.
9. Linus: first seen by Daniel Ocean to pickpocket someone on the subway train.
10. Terry Benedict: Owner of the three casinos who is also living with Tess, Daniel’s former wife.
11. Tess: Daniel’s ex-wife who eventually returns to Daniel after she sees that Daniel loves her more than Terry does.

The Santa Clause Final Exam Study Sheet

1. Who is Scott Calvin?
Scott Calvin is a businessman who neglects his family until he is obligated to be Santa Clause as a result of not reading the card carefully that he found in the previous Santa Clause’ pocket.
2. Who is Laura?
Laura is Scott Calvin’s ex-wife.
3. Who is Neal?
Neal is Laura’s husband.
4. What is Laura and Scott’s son (Neal’s step-son) name?
Charlie is the name of Laura and Scott’s son and Neal’s step-son.
5. What is the difference between “seeing and believing” and “believing is seeing”?
If somebody sees before they believe then they have to have proof that something exists. But if somebody believes before they see then they know something exists because the idea is already in their heads.
5. How would you summarize this movie?
At first glance, this is just a classic Christmas story about a businessman who neglects his family for selfish reasons and then becoming Santa Clause changes everything. This is true, in light of the fact that Laura finally believes that Santa Claus is really Scott Calvin, or that Scott Calvin is really Santa Claus because the character playing both roles is no longer selfish but is interested in the best interests of all parties.
There is a deeper question which this movie confronts, that of whether or not to believe in Santa Claus. This comes out most clearly when Scott Calvin tells one of the elves that he sees the North Pole but he can’t believe it, to which the elf tells him, “Seeing is believing” and goes on to say that children knows it exists without even seeing the North Pole.
This movie uses the classic modern American fantasy of Santa Claus to perhaps speak to the busy fathers who have no time for their children, who may have lost their own wives because of their own selfishness or busyness. On a deeper level, this movie carries on the later tradition of Santa Claus being a good person who rewards children for their good behavior. Before buying into this type of fantasy hook, line and sinker, one would do well to consider the older traditions of Santa Claus which paint him in a much more negative light. Nonetheless, the story of Santa Claus as told through “The Santa Clause” does motivate the viewers to think twice about their own behavior and beliefs.

Anastasia Final Exam Study Sheet

1. Who is Anastasia?
Anastasia is the princess who is separated from her family because of the man who sold his soul to destroy the family?
2. Who is Demetrius?
Demetrius is the boy who saved Anastasia’s life and who eventually falls in love with Anastasia.
3. Why doesn’t Demetrius take the money?
Even though Demetrius was after the money in the beginning he eventually falls in love with Anastasia and it is enough to him to know that she has found her family.
4. Why does Anastasia choose Demetrius over her royalty?
She realizes that being royalty won’t bring as much happiness as being with the man she loves.
5. Although this movie is simpler than others we have seen in class, what is one deeper characteristic of this movie not so clearly evidenced in other movies viewed in this class?
This movie features the classic dualistic motif of good and evil.
6. How would you summarize this movie?
At first glance, this movie is a simple childhood movie about a princess finding her prince, which is based on a true story. One could watch this movie at that point and think this is a very simple movie. Perhaps one could even understand the context of this movie as a learner of English, including what people are saying to each other. However, there is a deeper message about dualism and the soul and perhaps even between the dualism between the spirit (aka soul) and matter. When Anastasia breaks the glass and he loses his soul his body disintegrates into sand. Nonetheless, the moral of this movie is that good always prevails and that even when one’s motives leave something to be desired one can change one’s thinking and follow suit by changing one’s actions.

The Simpson's Movie Final Exam Study Sheet

1. What does Homer say outside of the church as he is walking with his family to the front door?
Why do I have to go to church? Why can’t I pray at home?
2. What does Marge tell Homer in response?
Quiet. They can hear you from inside.
3. Why doesn’t Homer think the people inside the church are listening to what he is saying?
Homer thinks that the people inside are too busy paying attention to a God who doesn’t really exist to be listening to what he is saying.
4. Does Homer negate the existence of God or just the peoples’ ideas of God?
We don’t know for sure what Homer thinks about God. It seems conceivable that Homer believes in God to some extent since he expresses a willingness to pray at home. It would seem most plausible that Homer merely thinks the God the people in church believe in isn’t the God who truly exists.
5. What does Homer say to the people in the church when he walks in the door?
Homer says, “How are you? Peace be with you. Praise Jebus.”

Without understanding the idioms throughout this movie, this would seem to be a pretty simple movie to understand. It was interesting to watch this movie and see what students laughed at and what they didn’t laugh at. For example, when Homer is caught between a rock and a hard place, if the viewer knows what this idiom means, it’s a comical scene. However, there were other scenes that students laughed at, which seemed to indicate universal truths.
This movie seems to be much more family-oriented than most of the TV show series, at least as experienced by the teacher during his years of growing up with this sitcom. The most valuable parts of this film seem to be the emphasis on dealing with the environmental issues, Homer’s change in behavior and the triumph of the city over the US Federal Government. The movie concludes with Homer being reconciled with his family, apparently as a direct consequence to Homer risking his life and limb (body) for the sake of rescuing a “people I hate for reasons I don’t know”.