From this television special Francis Albert Sinatra does his thing. Cycles is a very beautiful song, and it's one of my most favorite. HC

So I'm down so I'm out
And so are many others
So I feel like tryin' to hide
My head 'neath these covers
Life is like the seasons
After winter comes the spring
So I'll keep this smile awhile
And see what tomorrow brings

I've been told and I believe
That life is meant for livin'
And even when my chips are low
There's still some left for givin'
I've been many places
Maybe not as far as you
So I think I'll stay awhile
And see if some dreams come true

There isn't much that I have learned
Through all my foolish years
Except that life keeps runnin' in cycles
First there's laughter, then those tears

But I'll keep my head up high
Although I'm kinda tired
My gal just up and left last week
Friday I got fired
You know it's almost funny
But things can't get worse than now
So I'll keep on tryin' to sing
But please, just don't ask me how

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Sunday morning at the Congregation


The pastor asked if anyone in the congregation would like to express praise for answered prayers. Suzie Smith stood and walked to the podium. She said,

- "I have a praise............ Two months ago, my husband, Tom, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his scrotum was completely crushed. The pain was excruciating and the doctors didn't know if they could help him."

You could hear a muffled gasp from the men in the congregation as they imagine the pain that poor Tom must have experienced. "Tom was unable to hold me or the children," she went on, "and every move caused him terrible pain." We prayed as the doctors performed a delicate operation, and it turned out they were able to piece together the crushed remnants of Tom's scrotum, and wrap wire around it to hold it in place."

Again, the men in the congregation cringed and squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Tom. "Now," she announced in a quivering voice,

- "thank the Lord, Tom is out of the hospital and the doctors say that with time, his scrotum should recover completely."

All the men sighed with unified relief. The pastor rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had something to say.

A man stood up and walked slowly to the podium. He said,

- "I'm Tom Smith." The entire congregation held its breath. "I just want to tell my wife the word is sternum."




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Songs as a teaching tool

Hugo Caldas



Should we use songs in class?

Advantages

A – Learning becomes something fun and enjoyable.
B – Music warms up the atmosphere and creates conditions for the approach of a new subject.
C – Students improve their English vocabulary and get acquainted with the culture and the spirit of the people whose language they are learning.
D – Students develop listening and pronunciation skills.
E – Students feel gratified and proud of being able to use English from the very beginning of learning it.
F – Singing together helps socialization.

When should we sing?

A –When we want to encourage then to learn.
B –When we notice that they are tired.
C –When they ask us to.
D –When the song has something to do with the lesson we’re studying.
E – At the end of a term and at the beginning of a new one.
F – On the eve of a special holiday, students’ birthday, Xmas, etc.

What songs should we sing?

A – The ones which have a lot of repetition and which contain the vocabulary and grammatical structures, we want to emphasize in that particular class.
B – Songs appropriate to the age and educational level of them.
C – Folk songs, which are familiar in both the students’culture and the culture of the new language they are learning.
D – Songs that are not familiar in the students’culture but they are likely to hear because of the international nature of the songs.
E – Hit Parade songs which are also known here.
F – Try different styles but do not forget to ask students what they would like to sing.

Reading & Comprehension

Worksheet

Old Jake

Everybody knows him as Old Jake. He lives in a little cabin in the middle of a small wood, about as mile from the nearest village. He goes to the village store twice a week to buy food and kerosene, and occasionally he collects letters and his pension from the local post office. Some time ago, a reporter from the local newspaper interviewed him.

Here is what he said:

“I get up with the birds. There is a stream near my house where I fetch water from there. It’s good, clear, fresh water, much better than you get in the city. Occasionally, in the winter, I have to break the ice. I cook simple food on my kerosene stove; mostly stews and things like that. Sometimes I go to the pub and have a drink or two, but I don’t see many people. I don’t feel lonely. I know this wood very well, you see. I know all the little birds and animals that live here and they know me. I don’t have much money, but I don’t need much. I think I’m a lucky man.

Now, answer the following questions:

1 – Where does Old Jake live?
2 – Who interviewed him recently?
3 – How far is it to the village?
4 – How often does Old Jake go to the village?
5 – What does he buy from the village store?
6 – What does he collect from the Post Office?
7 – Where does he get his water from?
8 – What does he say about the water in the stream?
9 – What sort of things does Old Jake cook?
10 – What does he cook on?

Teaching Tips

Tag Questions

A Question Tag is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini-question. The whole sentence is a "tag question", and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag". A "tag" is something small that we add to something larger. For example, the little piece of cloth added to a shirt showing size or washing instructions is a tag.

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.

The basic structure is:
A statement, a comma and the question
e.g. The sky above us is blue, isn't it? - You don't like vegetables, do you?

Always remember:
Positive statement, negative tag
Negative statement, positive tag

Practise - Complete the Tags:

1 - You study Japanese,_______? She doesn't eat potaes,_______?
2 - We don't play the piano,_______? The like to play soccr,_______?
3 - You are from Japan,_______? She likes to travel,_______?