Common Mistakes...

The tyes of mistakes are almost the same in both students.

William tends to make the same mistakes all over his writing. The main ones are sentences length, wrong use of words and word order. It is weird to analyze others’ mistakes because I used to have them a not so long time ago.
The wrong use of words could be because of the lack of vocabulary. The length problem occurs because in Spanish we have a tendency to write more than we need.

Maria Jose’s mistakes are mainly word order and no needed words in her writing. However, she does it very well with sentences length. She also needs more vocabulary and pay more attention to the use of preposition and the multiple meanings that words can have.

Wednesday 20th

First day reading UCh's blogs. It was interesting becasue I read mistakes that I used to do when I was begining to learn English.

I am sure how is this activity going to help in the future, mainly because I do not have expectation, but I realized how much I have improved my English in these years...

To include the use of technology in classes is a cleaver decision. Today we are living the computer era. Therefore, it is necessary to be in contact with what is out coming from it. As a tool for English teaching to implement technology in the planning of the classes could have advantages and disadvantages.

First, the use of blogs in classes has been a helpful tool to improve some of my writing skills. For example, to write short post in a reduce amount of time. Although, at the beginning could be difficult to accomplish the goals the teacher has set, it is a process that has have rewards. One of them is to be able to write short essays in an hour and a half.

Moreover, blogs in classes gave the opportunity to know a bit more about the way my classmates think. The different topics developed throughout the semester were based on personal opinions and things we like. In addition, the way the different blogs are organized also provide a view of how the others think. In that sense, it has been interesting to work with blogs.

On the other hand, the problem with working with internet is the temptation it represents. By this I mean it is difficult to focus on finishing the day assignment when the possibility to have access to other types of information and pages like face book is only a click of distance. To me, that has been the only disadvantage I can think of because in general, the idea of working on blogs has been a pleasant novelty that has given me the chance to practice my writing and thinking in everyday themes.

To conclude, blogs can be a fun way to learn English through writing about topics we feel attracted to. For that reason I believe that the use of technologies in classes is more an advantage than a disadvantage. To have the chance to work with elements you already know like internet, is something teachers have to consider, although most of them do not feel attracted to work with new technologies.

Working class mini-essay

Each country has different characteristics that make them unique. However, there are some elements that do not change. One of these is working class. In these two novels; The Commitments and Rumble Fish, working class is represented from two points of view. The first one is the way families are conformed.

In the first novel the family type was nuclear: two working parents and siblings living together in a house, where the father was the head of the family. At the contrary, Rumble Fish showed a dysfunctional family. That means, a drunk father (that did not accomplished his role as father), a mother who left her house and two lonely boys, that had to find what they did not have in their house on the streets. Although, family types do not have a particular social class, in these novels are a helpful tool to understand why the main characters behaved in the way they did.

The second point is the relationship between the characters. The manner they talked and the words they used were characteristics of working social classes. For example, in low classes education is a privilege that not everyone can afford. Therefore, the vocabulary that people have is not enough to keep a conversation without using curse words.

To conclude, The Commitments and Rumble Fish showed the different characteristics of the working class either in Dublin or United States. Moreover, these novels summarized the differences between the same social groups, allowing the reader to have a more complete idea about the background of the main characters.

Moais

Moais call my attention not only for their beauty, but also for the mysteries they have. The first time I saw a picture of a Moai was when I was ten years old. Since then I cannot stop thinking about their origins and how they were made.

They hide a mysterious beauty in the way they were made. Their silhouette, the way their eyes are looking, why they were situated in the place they are. Everything about them fascinates me.

Every time I look a picture of them, my mind flies to imaginary places where you can feel free and peace is everywhere.

My least favorite subject

If I have to talk about a subject that I hated when I was at school, I may say Chemistry. To begin with, the teacher was no a chemistry teacher, so it was very difficult for the teacher and for us to understand all the topics he tried to “teach” us. Secondly, I never got a clue about the main concepts of chemistry. Because it was my least favourite subject, I never paid enough attention to the teacher and what he was saying in his classes. I remember that I used his classes to get some sleep or do some homework for the next class.

I will always remember his face of frustration when in one test everybody got red marks. That was the beginning of a war against him. As tends to happen, he was a very kind person, but He was not a teacher!!!!!

I studied chemistry for nine years!!!!!! From 4th basico to 4th medio. The funny thing for me is that in primary school I was good at chemistry; in high school, I did not have bad marks, but I hated!!!!! The main reason was the teacher. My teacher in primary was a chemistry teacher; in high school he was not even a teacher!!!

Rumble Fish

Rusty James: He is the main character of the movie. He has a strong personality, loves fights and his dream is the time of gangs will return and he would be the president as well as his brother was.

The Motorcycle Boy: He is an important character of the movie. He is the brother and role model of Rusty James. He lives in his own world. His name is because he loves riding motorcycles. The Motorcycle Boy is very special; he cannot see colours and is half deaf.

Steve Hays: Rusty James’ best friend. He is completely different from Rusty James character. Steven did not like fights, he was a good student and his family was different from Rusty’s.

Patty: Rusty’s girlfriend. She really loved Rusty, but how he lived his life was not ok with her because she did not like fights. Patty had to take care of her sisters while her mother was at work, so it was very difficult to be alone with her boyfriend.

Cassandra: The girl in love with the Motorcycle Boy. She followed the Motorcycle Boy every time he was around. The problem was that she used drugs and Rusty James could not stand her. Drugs were an issue because both the Motorcycle Boy and Rusty James did not agree with the idea of consuming drugs.

Patterson: The police man that followed the Motorcycle Boy. He was the one who killed him. Patterson was angry at he Motorcycle Boy because he was the only “black mark” on his record.

Smokey: Part of the group and Rusty James’ friend. He was worried about gang violence. At the end, he told Rusty James that if the gangs where still alive, he would be the president instead of Rusty. Smokey was the person who set things up to make it seem that Rusty was cheating on Patty so she would dump Rusty.

Rusty's parents: In a way, they were the reason why The Motorcycle Boy was the way he was; and why Rusty James was so obsessed with the idea of look like his brother once he was older.