ELC Insights - Fall 2015 Issue 1

English Language Center Fall 2015 – Issue 1

Many of our students this semester spent the summer away from the ELC and many of them are returning students from the spring semester. At the beginning of the semester, this caused some concern for both the students and the teachers, but it didn’t take long for everyone to get back into the groove of things. Whether they were completely new to Winona or returning, this crop of fall ELC students have proven themselves to be hardworking and ready to pick up new good habits. We are witnessing students participate in activities, visit tutors, and make new friends from outside of their own culture. We hope you continue to cultivate and harvest your English skills and study habits to last you all winter long! *For a description of good student habits, see p. 4 writings – Abdullah & Tye -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ get into the groove of things: do things (particularly new things) easily and well – crop: usually plants, but in this case group of students – pick up: to acquire or learn – cultivate and harvest: to foster growth and gather

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Student Writing 2 Students from Writing classes share their opinions on everything from culture to good habits

Student Recipes 5 A look at two authentic dishes from Saudi Arabia and South Korea

Thanks & Game 5 Practice your English vocabulary skills with a word search about all things fall

Fall Back: Picking good language habits to prepare you for the future Written by Katie Subra


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Written by Kyungbin (Joe) Min Erich Nagourney, March 18, 2008, talks about Eastern and Western’s different expression when they feel, in “East and West Part ways in Test of Facial Expressions”. Eastern people do not express their own feeling, when they are in group. On the other hand, Western people express their own feeling without someone’s attention. On one study which gathered Western and Eastern children shows Western children don’t care about each other’s, but Eastern children care about their group. When this study that it is depend on culture is shown on “The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology”, it makes people get lots of question. However, researchers include Dr. Takahiko Masuda don’t know the exact solution. They still study difference and find that in 16-‐20C painting, Western pictures focus on subject, but Eastern pictures focus on the background. Also they study each side of taking a picture, Western people take a picture more focus on the subject than background. Krisit L. Lockhart studies different culture between Eastern and Western, and she finds the Eastern people want to be in same group, but Western people is more like do something by themselves.

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Written by Hoomiae (Mandy) Hong According to article ‘East and West Part Ways in Test of Facial Expressions’ by Eric Nagourney asserts that the western societies tend to easily express their feeling than eastern societies. Because the eastern societies importantly think group society while the western societies is more individual society. The researchers showed picture to two groups of children; one main character was smile and first time the researchers showed the character’s background people were smile but second time the background people’s facial expression were angry. And the groups of children express ‘how the main character looks happy’ using their finger. One of group is western kids group and they never change their fingers even the researchers showed second time picture. On the other hand, the other group was Japanese kids group, when researchers showed second picture, most kid changed their finger. Additionally the researchers noticed that the Japanese child tend to spent more time consider background people’s facial expression. 16th to 20th the western portraits tended to focus subject but in eastern portraits tended to draw subject smaller. When Americans take they tendency to fill

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subject in frame. Krist L. Lockhart who a lecturer in psychology said that the societies promote individual society while the eastern societies stress group society.

Written by Sirui (Ray) Cen Eric Nagourney explains how people from different cultures judge other’s feelings in “East and West Part Ways in Test of Facial Expressions”. Author thinks more Westerners emotions just for they self, Eastern emotions usually inseparable group feelings. Have an inquiry about two group who from Western and Japanese. Researchers give participants watched different face then gives them score, after the experiment researchers find Western students emotions don’t influence of others people, but Japanese people mood tended under the influence of other characters. And researchers find in Western portraits subject very stand out, in Eastern portraits subject fused to background when they studying 16th to 20th paintings. A Yale psychology lecturer who studied West and East cultures profess discover most Western promote individuality but Eastern emphasize of group.

Level 2-‐3 Writing Students Share Their Perspectives In an article titled “East and

West Part ways in Test of Facial Expressions” (March 2008), author Erich Nagourney discusses the cultural

differences in the process of cognition. ELC students read this article and reflected on its

main points.


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Pre-‐level and Level 1 Writing Students Have Been Busy Workers

this Semester! *Pictures from our trip to the Zollman Zoo in Byron, MN, A place with an entirely indigenous animal population

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Alarm – By Hamad Al Dowais Agree or disagree wake up with an alarm is the best way. I agree because: The alarm has a lot of benefits to most of people: First: Sometimes maybe you sleep late and you should wake up in the morning, maybe you have work or appointment. The alarm will help you to wake up in the morning. Second: some of people have difficultly with waking up in the morning, and they need to use the alarm. Third: I think when you set your alarm to play a beautiful song you will wake up in a good mood and be active, and just the opposite, when you set a annoying music you will wake up in bad mood and be inactive. Some of people have biological hour that means they don’t need to use the alarm, because they spend many years in the same system, and they are able to wake up with out alarm.

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Steve Jobs – By Taghreed Alamri

Steve Jobs, when he was a child he has hard life,

and he his a separate family, but that wasn't a reason to

keep him away of what he wanted. When he was a child

he liked electronics. That was a big reason of changed his

life. Steve Jobs believed there are only a few men have

changed the world, such as Newton, Shakespeare or

Einstein and he saw himself as one of them. He was the

man who wanted to change the world of Information.

Also, when he puts out a new product you will wait in

the line until you get his product even if you have to wait

many hours. althuge he is dead of cancer. this man has

it has achieved the great success he wanted: I use his

product every day.


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Football VS Futball – By Suyoung (Angela) Min American football and Futball are two important sports in America.

Although they are similar to each other, they have many different things; such as, the shape of the balls, the way of playing games and the parts of body mostly used.

To begin with, the shape of balls is different. The ball used in football is oval shape, while the ball used in soccer is globular shape.

Second, Football Play time is Shorter than soccer playtime. Football is a four quarters game which are 15 minutes each. But, soccer is a two half game which are 45 minuites each.

Finally, Football players use their hands mostly but in soccer, players play with their feet. So, they have different shapes of body. For example, football players’ upper body muscles are well developed, while soccer players lower body muscles mainly build. These three differences make these sports extremely interesting, because they have a same name, but find similar thing is difficult.

Student Habits – By Tianyuan (Tye) Bai Students have many habits, some habits are good, some habits are bad. In my opinion if we want to be better I think we should remove the bad habits in our life and keep the good habits. I believe these habits can help us to become a good student. 1:Take notes Taking notes in every class is very difficult. I think we should take notes but not every time because after the class we should review what the teacher taught. Taking notes can help students remember the teacher said. 2:Work first When we are on a holiday, I think we should do work first. When I go out to play if I have homework I did not finish and I think that will not make me happy—the heart will not be too comfortable, so it is very important to finish the work. 3:Get up early Get up early for students has some difficulties, but if that students can keep every day early to go to bed and wake up early, their will be a qualitative leap for study, and on your body will stay healthy. I think this there habits are easy for us to do, but difficult to keep these habits.

Student Habits – By Abdullah Al Dharfan Although many students have bad habits, there are others who have good habits. Good students choose what will make them feel satisfaction and won’t let someone change them into someone or something they do not like. They are themselves. Even though we know bad habits, we do it. For example I know staying up late is a bad habit, but I always stay up late. Bad habits do not mean a person is bad definitely. If something bad happened a good student will follow a bad thing by doing something good. Good deeds erase bad.

When the students find suitable environment to study, they will study. For example library is a good environment to study because it is very quiet and there are materials help the students to study like books and computers. A good student improves skills like: speaking, sharing opinion and social communication in the library by doing homework with students.

We are human. Sometimes we forget what we want to do especially if we have a lot of things to do. Even though daily tasks there are teachers each of them gives homework. It is too much to remember all of it, but the good students know how to remember their tasks by taking notes. It is useful to remember and to arrange a daily schedule.

Overthinking will lead to anxiety, which will harm your health even leading to death. The students are prone to stress for many reasons. Go outside with friends is the best way to refresh mind. Dreary people just stay at home. Being happy should not be this hard.

Good habits are still good as long as that is balance. Good things with overuse change to bad. Habits cannot change who a person is, but it can change who someone becomes. Keep improving with good habits and try to be the best.


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“Duis ultrices, lacus id bibendum pharetra, purus metus posuere orci, non nonummy orci nunc eu nisi. Maecenas magna.”

Recipes from our Students’ Countries to You!


Taghreed Alamri, Abdullah Al Dharfan, Hamad Al Dowais, Tianyuan Bai, Sirui Cen, Hoomiae Hong, Kyungbin Min, Suyoung Min, and Noof Serhan If you have ideas or would like to contribute to the next newsletter, contact: Katie Subra, [email protected]

A big thank you to our contributors:

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ELC Insights - Fall 2015 Issue 1