June 2014 ~ A Connected World

Sunday 29 June 2014

Happy Fasting to All Muslim in the World

source : tumblr.com

Happy fasting to my Muslim friends! Good afternoon everyone, at this time I would like to share you a little bit about Ramadan which started today in my place. So, what is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. During the blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking.

According to Wikipedia, Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, improvement and increased devotion and worship. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. The fasting (sawm) begins at dawn and ends at sunset. In addition to abstaining from eating and drinking, Muslims also increase restraint, such as abstaining from sexual relations and generally sinful speech and behavior. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities. Ramadan also teaches Muslims how to better practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity (zakat). Read more at : Ramadan (Wikipedia)

References :

Ramadan Intro

Ramadan (Wikipedia)

source : tumblr.com

Comma Rules in Writing

21:49 education, English, tips, Writing No comments

*click this image to enlarge*

Hope you will be good in using commas, especially in writing English. :)

source : www.myenglishteacher.eu

12 Verb Tenses - English Grammar Tenses

21:20 education, English, grammar No comments

12 verb tenses in a table. Learning what they can be used for. English grammar lesson.

Tenses are all used to indicate action that has taken place in the past, present, and future. The following two photos will show how and when you can use each of the tenses.

*click to enlarge the image*

Source : www.easypacelearning.com

Making Grammar Lessons More Interesting

17:19 education, English, grammar, tips No comments

Unless linguistics and language is a passion, most people neglect grammar and hate learning it.

As a matter of a fact, there are many different teaching methods which nowadays people do not focus on entirely teaching grammar. It is important to realize that students have different learning needs. Some will take a more logical approach, whereas others will be more inclined to simply use the language as they receive it. An effective teaching method is learning how to blend these two together. Some schools will focus entirely on language acquisition. They will forgot the use of teaching grammar techniques. However, when it comes to teaching in schools and other institutions this might be required. Sometimes the examinations which students are preparing will focus entirely on grammar and therefore it is essential to know how to get these points across to the students.

There are many different ways of making grammar a little more interesting. A variety of different games can be designed in order to help with this. The Internet is a brilliant resource when it comes to this, and is indeed a blessing to many teachers. Another important thing to remember is repetition. Repetition will often allow the words to sink into the students’ minds easier.

Here are four great ways to make grammar lessons more fun :First, using songs. If you are an audio learner, then music is a great way for you to learn English grammar. By singing phrases, it will become implant into the mind a lot faster. In order to do this, find a song that uses several tenses or different grammar points. Sing along and then, write up the song's lyrics on the board or paper. Sing the song until you get the tune into your head. Then make a game, say or sing a verse or phrase from the song, but change the tense. By this way, you will be able to practice with using the different tenses and verb forms, but in a much more light-hearted way. See our other articles “Classroom Songs: 16 Creative Ways” and “How to Teach Using Songs” for more ideas on using songs.
Second, make the grammar lessons into a game. There is no doubt that playing games will make learning a lot easier. Both adults and children love these. Perhaps even make it into a competition. This will often get the people motivated to get the answers right and therefore allow them to learn much faster. Among teenagers, this can be particularly effective, whether the class is divided into two or more groups. By turning it into a competition, everyone will become a lot more active and a lot of fun can be had by everyone.
Third, tell a story. Getting form a “story stick” whereby everyone contributes a line to the overall story. If there are any grammar mistakes in this, then leave it until the end. When the entire story is finished and written out on the board, come up to it and make the appropriate corrections. With participation from the class, have the entire text corrected. Ask the students questions as to why certain tenses are the way they are. Having something to focus on like this will keep the students’ attention and therefore allow for the understanding of grammatical structures to sink in a lot easier.

Last, if you are preparing for a college entrance examination or any other kind of test, then simply knowing grammar structures may be the key to passing it. If the learners have been doing grammar all along but still don’t understand the mechanics, then it is important to make sure that they receive a crash course in it. English grammar can be relatively simple when it is all laid out. Start from the beginning, take a few practice exercises and let it work your way up. It is also a good idea to create a “grammar book” whereby you can write down the various sentence structures and tenses, class by class, so that you will always have a reference. In fact, having a comprehensive reference for grammar is probably one of the best things to do. At the beginning of the course, it is a good idea to start simple and help you to work your way up to the more complex forms. A reference will allow them to be more solidly grounded and can be good for doing exam revision with.

For addition, lets take a look to this video guys ~

That’s it guys, I hope this post will be useful for you :) Share your ideas about making grammar lessons more fun. See ya !

Reference :

How to Make Grammar Lessons More Interesting

Funniest English Idioms

16:03 English, idiom No comments

Good afternoon everybody. How do you do? Well, at this time I wanna share to you 10 funniest English idioms.

source : http://busyteacher.org/

1. The lights are on, but nobody’s home : talking about a stupid person. For example, “Here she goes again. The lights are on, but nobody’s home.”

2. When pigs fly : (something that) will never ever happen. For example, “He will marry you… when pigs fly.”

3. To have Van Gogh’s ear for music : to be tone deaf. For example, “Oh My God, he sings very badly. He has Van Gogh’s ear for music.”

4. To pig out : to eat a lot and eat it quickly. For example, “It’s my birthday. Let’s pig out!”

5. Everything but the kitchen sink : almost everything someone can think of. For example, “The store sells everything but the kitchen sink!”

6. To put a sock in it : to tell noisy person or a group to be quiet. For example, “Put a sock in it! I’m trying to study.”

7. To have a cast iron stomach : to have no problems with eating anything or drinking anything. For example, “I want to have a cast iron stomach!”

8. To drink like a fish: to drink very heavily. For example, “She drank like a fish after the marathon.”

9. Use your loaf: use your head; be smart. For example, “Use your loaf. How could a dog pass through such a small hole?”

10. Finger lickin’ good: very tasty; delicious. “This meatball is finger lickin’ good!”

References :

#IOTW: FUNNIEST ENGLISH IDIOMS

POSTER: 10 Funniest English Idioms

My Hometown Culinary Trip part 2

22:29 Chinese Food, culinary, Dessert, Pontianak, Travelista No comments

Tau Swan is made from green beans that have been ground first then it soaked into the water a few hours. Later it is washed and lost upon the skin, then steamed and cooked. Tau Swan is also usually mixed with “ca kue” which made from fried wheat flour, so it feels more savory and delicious. Tau Swan is usually liked by young people and adults especially during the wet season whom seek a warm and sweet foods. Are you curious with the taste? Go immediately to the stand on Gajahmada street.

Tau Swan Yank Yank

This is video was taking on the side yard of the bank danamon. It opens around 6-10 P.M. The name of the stand is Tau Swan Yank Yank, you can enjoy the taste of Tau Swan with IDR 5000.

Five years ago, in fasting month, Trans7 cooperated with Tau Swan Yank Yank, introduced this food to Trans7's viewers on Friday at 14.30 P.M, aired in September 27^th, 2009 in "Koki Cilik" TV show. Tau Swan entered into the tips for food to break the fast segment.

I think it is all from me about Tau Swan. See you on the next culinary report. Thank you for reading ~

Which Came First - The Chicken or The Egg?

21:32 education, video No comments

My lecturers have been asked me and my friends about this question. Actually, I didn't know the 'right' answer. I just knew that if I asked "the egg or the chicken", then the answer is the egg. But if I asked "the chicken or the egg", then the answer is the chicken.

Then, here the scientific answer. Please watch it ~

Fun Educational Tool

21:16 education, ICT, video No comments

This video suggests us to change the learning process. It gives us new ideas for the development of education. It introduces us a good game that could be used as a learning tool. So, click play to the video and get more information. Enjoy!

*note : MindSticks is an addictive puzzle game that will help you have fun and spend time with benefit. Challenge yourself through more than 30,000 puzzles.

Teddy Love Story

22:21 Art, Love, Visual No comments

source : tumblr

This comic story is beautiful and sad because the Teddy helped the girl and she just left him due to his looks. He smiled at her and she judged him. It is not saying that she was required to love him; it is saying that some people deny those who help them and some are shallow who judge you based on your looks.

And the additional strip shows that some do not care. And there will be those who will pick you up when you need help, it may take time but there is someone who is waiting to hold your hand.

English is "Crazy"

06:49 education, English, video No comments

This video remains me with Linguistic lesson :D

Let's watch it!

History of English

06:44 education, English, history, video No comments

History of English (combined)

History of English Language (1943)

5 Sky Idioms in English

06:14 education, English, idiom No comments

source : as tagged

It's spring time, so check out a few English idioms related to the sky! Here are 5 sky idioms in English. :

HIGH AS A KITE - very drunk or drugged. For example: Oh man, I’m high as a kite!
GO SKY-HIGH - to go very high. For example: It’s so hot - the temperature went sky-high!
SKY’S THE LIMIT - there is no limit to what something or someone can achieve. For example: You can do anything - the sky’s the limit.
OUT OF THE BLUE - suddenly, unexpectedly. For example: One day, out of the blue, she announced that she was leaving.
REACH FOR THE SKY - to set your goals high. For example: Go for it! You should always reach for the sky, Mark.