The Official Newsletter of LINC Home Study - … · The Official Newsletter of LINC Home Study . September 2009 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC Levels 2-4 2 . September 2009 | LINC Home

Sept 09

Level 2 to 4

NEWSLINC

The LINC Home Study program is funded by:

The Official Newsletter of LINC Home Study

September 2009 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC Levels 2-4 2


LINC Home Study

LINC Home Study is an English language program for newcomers to Canada who wish to improve their

listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. This program provides students with the opportunity to

learn English in the comfort of their homes and is open to landed immigrants and convention refugees 18

years or older.

Classes are taught by certified TESL instructors, who contact students every week to review homework,

practice speaking and answer questions. Students have a choice of using their computer to study English

or having a traditional textbook. All the study materials are based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks

standards.

Is there a fee for this program? No. The program is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and as

such, all study materials are provided free of charge to participants. LINC Home Study students are

encouraged to study independently for between 5 to 10 hours a week, and to finish homework on a regular

basis. To be successful students have to study hard, and commit their time to improving their English

skills. The teacher is there to guide students along on their path to significant language improvement.

The LINC Home Study program offers many other study options, including drop-in conversation classes,

additional phone conversation classes, a senior‟s program, instruction for deaf and blind clients and a

business writing course. We encourage all LINC Home Study students to take advantage of the o ptions

available to them, to participate in the online LINC Home Study forum, to contribute to our monthly

newsletters, and to their journey in learning English.


Index

EDITOR’S NOTE

Welcome to the September

issue of the LINC Home Study

newsletter.

This month we have introduced

a “ Feature Article” section

which will highlight the theme

for the month as well provide

you with more useful

information on how you may

participate.

As usual, we have received

some great submissions from

students in the program as well

as a couple of great recipes to

tickle your taste buds.

Thank you to all those that

submitted feedback for our new

redesigned issue. We want to

encourage you to continue to

send us your articles, feedback

and comments every month.

Enjoy!

Staff Reflection

Student Reflections

Recipes

Activity Central

Quotes that Sustain my Daily Existence by Shamim M……….……........pg8

The Wedding of the Decade by Jasmine H………………………………....pg9

Elephants by Nirosha G……...……………………………………….…….....pg10

My First Day at School by Bi H………………………….…………...………pg11

Learn English at Home by Hong Xin Z ……………….…………………....pg12

The Bata Shoe Museum by Sayed-Akbar J.G.…….………………………pg13

Chips Chili by Ninan S……………………………………………...………....pg14

Sweet Apple Dumplings by Saadia K...……………………………...……..pg15

Word Search…..………………………………………………………....……...pg16

Alphabet Activity……………………………………………………………..…pg17

Answer Key……………………………………………………………..…….....pg18

Student Corner…………………………………………………………..……...pg19

Feature Article

Back to School………………………………………………..……….……...…..pg6


Home Study

LINC

Program Updates

DDrroopp--iinn CCoonnvveerrssaattiioonn SSeessssiioonnss: Throughout the summer drop-in conversation classes are being offered to LINC

Home Study students in levels 2, 3, & 4 who live within the GTA. Classes are held on Saturdays between 10am and 12pm

at 2 Robert Speck Parkway, Mississauga (near Square One).

AAddddiittiioonnaall CCoonnvveerrssaattiioonn CCllaasssseess ((bbyy pphhoonnee)):: Students who would like extra conversation practice can join an

additional conversation class. In addition to a regular teacher, students can have a conversation teacher who will speak

with them for another 35 to 45 minutes each week. Additional conversation classes are offered as 12 week sessions to all

students in the LINC Home Study program.

LLIINNCCiinngg SSeenniioorrss: Weekly in-class English Conversation sessions for newcomer seniors have begun for LINC Home

Study students who are over 55 years of age. Sessions take place every Tuesday and Thursday between 10am and 12pm.

at 2 Robert Speck Pkwy,

BBuussiinneessss WWrriittiinngg CCoouurrssee:: The LINC Home Study Business Writing course is available to LINC level 6 & 7 students.

In this online course students learn about professional business communication, including topics such as resume writing,

composing proper letters and email, and how to write reports.

For more information on any of these programs, please email the LINC Hom e Study office at [email protected]

LLIINNCC HHoommee SSttuuddyy NNaattiioonnaall DDeelliivveerryy:: In August 2008, the

Centre for Education and Training (TCET) received funding from

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to expand the LINC

Home Study program into Alberta (AB), Nova Scotia (NS) and

New Brunswick (NB). LINC Home Study National Delivery (LHS

ND) was put into operation. As of July 2009, LHS ND had a total of

91 students.

Due to the success of this pilot project, CIC approved the

continuation in AB, NS and NB, as well as its expansion into

Saskatchewan (SK), Prince Edward Island (PE) and

Newfoundland/Labrador (NL). In the future, LHS ND will

collaborate with the Ontario LINC Home Study in the publication

of NEWSLINC.

Elizabeth Cormier (Project Manager, LHS National

Delivery) and Doris Cheng (Administrative

Assistant, LHS National Delivery)

mailto:[email protected]


Feature Article

BACK TO SCHOOL

Most parents know that being organized is the key to surviving the day-to-day joys and challenges of having kids. But no

matter how organized you are in this recession there is no question that shopping for back-to-school can break your budget.

Here are some tips which can help you save money when shopping for your child's back-to-school supplies:

Start from home

Before you head to the store, take a walk around your home and you may find some items there. Things like rulers, lunch

boxes and backpacks do not need to be replaced each year.

Look for special deals

You can save money on supplies by looking for bargains and sales. If you want to catch better deals then try shopping at

multiple stores. Always keep an eye on flyers as one store may have products on sale that other stores do not.

Avoid unnecessary purchase Only buy what you need and to avoid overspending, always make a list of things you want to buy.

Save money by buying post season sale items

It is very common that retail stores tend to cut the price

even more after the "buying season" is over. By thinking

ahead and taking advantage of discounts offered this year,

you are sure to save money for next year.

If necessary, buy more than one

The school supplies listed by teachers can last for the

starting months only. In later months, kids will need refills

on pencils, notebooks, paper, etc. To solve this problem the

best thing is to buy in bulk. But don‟t be intimidated by too

many deals. Think about your budget limit before buying in

bulk.

Shop at dollar stores

If you are not brand name conscious then the dollar store is

the best place to buy supplies like penci ls, rulers,

highlighters, scissors, erasers, folders, and notebooks.

Tips for Parents


Back-to-school Checklist:

Backpack

Binder

Binder paper

Clothing and shoes

Lunch box

Notebooks

Pens, pencils, crayons, markers

Pencil sharpener

Ruler

Safety scissors

School books

Garage sale

If you have a teen going to college or university then you may find something good in garage sales, like couches,

nightstands, lamps, desks, other furniture and accessories.

Teach your children about money management

Kids can be unwilling to reuse last year's backpack or lunchbox. If this attitude is hindering your attempts to save money

on school supplies, give children a budget. It is very common that children spend less when it‟s their own money. Have

your child pay the difference between what you are willing to buy and what they want to buy, This will teach them a

lesson in money management.


Inspirational Quotes

“Teachers open the door,

but you must enter by

yourself.”- Chinese Proverb

“Our greatest glory is not in

never failing, but in rising

every time we fail.”-

Confucius

“Do not wish to be anything

but what you are, and try to

be that perfectly.”- St.

Frances de Sales

“Watch your thoughts; they

become words. Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they

become habits. Watch your

habits; they become

character. Watch your

character; it becomes your

destiny."- Patrick Overton

“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.”-Friedrich Engels

I try to apply this saying in my daily life. I feel that we have millions of theories

available to us but we do not apply these in reality. Only by taking some action or by

beginning to apply the theory, will we be able to know if the action made a change in

our lives. It may be as simple as making a habit of having breakfast everyday!

“Formal education will make you a living; self education will

make you a fortune.”-Jim Rohn

We need a college/university degree in order to get good jobs however being “ street

smart” we are able to accomplish lots more.

“Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” – Chinese

Proverb

When things are at their worst, and it feels like there is truly only darkness, it‟s hardest

to be hopeful. But no matter what, we should never give up. We can be a small,

constant light to others and we can make a choice to not wait for change, but make a

change for ourselves.

“A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers.” –

Chinese Proverb

When we show kindness, a little of the goodness we offer stays with us and helps us

become a better person. Beauty is a generous heart and a hand that‟s open.

Staff Reflections

by Shamim M QUOTES THAT SUSTAIN MY DAILY EXISTENCE

Shamim is the Payroll and Finance

Administrator for LINC Home

Study program.


A few years ago I attended a wedding in Montreal. To

say it was the most memorable experience I had so far,

is in my opinion, putting it mildly. It was and still is an

experience I recall so many times that I am sure many

of my friends are tired of hearing now .

This experience started when I got an invitation from

the intended groom‟s parents. We had only met twice

before, but I guess I must have made quite an

impression to be invited to their son‟s wedding. Once

the invitation was accepted, I was told to only book the

hotel and everything else would be taken care of.

Well, I did not listen and instead, booked a weekend,

all inclusive package. On the morning of the wedding,

I got ready real early and had breakfast at the hotel. I

called for a taxi and as I waited, a limousine came for

me. I was very surprised, but a bigger surprise awaited

when I got to the groom‟s parents home. A breakfast

fit for a king was prepared. I had never seen so much

food in one setting. All I could do was just look at it in

awe.

Later on a fancier limousine took me and other guests

to the church for the ceremony. It was simply beautiful

but most of all, it was on time. At this point I felt like

Alice in Wonderland. After the ceremony, there was a

photo shoot, and again, I was included as a „family‟

member. We were then driven to the bride‟s parent‟s

house for lunch. The lavish spread was surreal. I kept

pinching myself to make sure it was real. There was a

break during which I returned to the hotel for a nap

before the actual reception.

The reception was held at a banquet hall in Sherbrook

and it was an extension of the earlier, well orchestrated,

elaborate event. When I arrived at the hall, I was greeted

with a variety of beverages in the downstairs reception

hall. Upstairs at the entrance to the banquet, guests

were greeted by family members of the bride and groom

and presented with gifts. We were then ushered into a

foyer surrounded with a wide variety of sandwiches,

beverages and fruit trays. After much mixing and

mingling, we were allowed into the actual designated

banquet room. It was beautiful, magical! Wow!! The

event organizers made sure everyone participated, thus

no one felt „left out‟ or ignored. The program was

punctuated with dancing, acting, singing, food and more

food. The reception ended with a midnight buffet – set up

like a display on an ocean liner.

I have read of events like this, but to be an actual

participant was just amazing. The entire event was most

enchanting. To say the least, it was the w edding of the

decade and I was blessed to be a part of it.

THE WEDDING OF THE DECADE

by Jasmine H.

Jasmine is an Administrative

Assistant for LINC Home Study

program.


ELEPHANTS

Student Reflections

by Nirosha G.

When I was in Sri Lanka, one holiday my family,

with my parents, went to visit an elephant

orphanage called Pinnawala Elephant

Orphanage. It is about 80km from the capital city

Colombo and towards the ancient city Kandy.

Our van took nearly two hours to reach there.

This orphanage covers a large area. This was

started in 1972 to protect orphan elephants

because elephants are an endangered mammal

in Sri Lanka.

Most Sri Lankans and lots of tourists from all

over the world come to visit this remarkable

place. This is one of the most attractive

tourist places in Sri Lanka, and this orphanage is

one of the biggest elephant orphanages in the

world.

The time we went there was the elephants'

feeding time. We can touch baby elephants

also, and if you want, you can feed milk to them.

It is very interesting to see baby elephants drink

their milk. Everybody enjoyed it and next is their

bathing time. For bathing, elephants were taken

to the nearby river called "Ma-Oya". There is a

special area for visitors to watch them in their

natural habitat. We took photographs and

recorded to keep our memories alive when we

want to be reminded again.

There are lots of shops to buy ornaments made

from Sri Lankan raw materials, blended with

traditional art and culture. Some of them were

made from elephant dung.

That day was an unforgettable day for all of us.

We all enjoyed it a lot and I am hoping to visit it

again.

Peel region – Nirosha G. is a Level 4 student.

Her teacher is Lisa M.


MY FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

Although it was almost thirty years ago, it is still hard to forget my first day at school. Being a six and half year‟s girl,

school was not totally strange to me. My elder brother often talked about his school proudly. "When can I become a

student?" I asked my brother. He said with a smile: "Maybe next year, sweetheart." So it was very exciting for me that I

really went to school as a primary student.

In the morning, I woke up by alert ring, ate my breakfast and took my new bag. Then I went to school with my brother. He

sent me to my classroom. My first teacher, a beautiful woman with bright, smiling eyes was waiting for me. "Welcome to

our class!" She showed me a seat and told me her first name is Yin. I looked around my class. There were almost twenty

kids; they were the same age as me. Then Ms.Yin let us introduce ourselves to others. I remember I made friends with two

girls; their seats were close to me. One of them invited me to her home to have supper and I did. When I came back home,

my mother said "You are amazing!” She thought I was too sociable.

Anyway, the day is a milestone to me and it is unforgettable.

Ottawa region - Bi Hi. is a Level 3 student. Her teacher is Marjan B.

Comics

by Bi H.


Student Reflections

LEARN ENGLISH AT HOME

Since I started the LINC Home Study program, I like to learn English at

home.

I feel that this program is convenient, practical and integral.

First, this program is convenient.

Registration is easy. After I got the information from my counsellor, I

went to an assessment centre to finish my evaluation and called the LINC

Home Study Office. All these took me about two days. There are two

options to study --- online or correspondence. I chose the latter because I

like using the books and CDs. The available time (e.g. Weekdays/

Weekday evenings/Weekends) can be changed. I changed my time from

the weekdays to weekday in the evening.

Secondly, this program is practical.

The content of learning is practical. It includes leisure time, education,

employment, and family relationship etc. This study is interactive

because you and your teacher connect with the home-phone. My teacher

calls me one time every week. While I am reading the text, my teacher

corrects my pronunciation and explains the meaning of the difficult

words. After I finish my assignments, I send them to my teacher, and she

marks my work and sends it back to me, so I feel I have made progress

every time.

Finally, this program is integral.

Every part includes Audio lesson, Grammar, Reading, and language

practice etc. The program offers LINC curricula for levels 2 to 7. I hope I

could finish all curricula. The CDs almost cover the book; I can repeat the

lessons as many times as I want to listen to them.

To sum up, I like the Home Study Program very much because of its

convenience, its practicality and its integrality.

Hong Xin Z. is a Level 4 student. His teacher is Ian Z. (formerly

Paramjit’s student)

by Hong Xin Z.


THE BATA SHOE MUSEUM

Watch a video tour of the museum at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhkAGCAXZwo

The “ Bata Shoe Museum” is an interesting place to

visit. There are hundreds of shoes on exhibit in four

impressive galleries. You will be able to see a wide

variety of footwear which are collected from all

around the world which shows different styles and

functions of them.

Humans have always protected their feet against

outside harms like cold and sharp things for

thousands of years. Over 4,500 years of history is on

display for you to see how man could keep his feet.

For example, there are a few sandals from ancient

Egypt.

Also, there is a lot of information and even samples

of material that people used to make shoes. Surely

you will admire ancient people when you notice

how they could adjust themselves with their

environmental materials for making shoes.

Another important thing in this museum is

“ culture” . It was also very interesting for me to find

shoes from my country!

All nations have considered beauty by using

different colours, styles and materials that shows

their variety of cultures.

by Sayed-Akbar J.G.

For example, Chinese people have custom shoes that

are beautiful, but also strange.

Fashion is considered in this museum and you can see

some modern fashion shoes besides old ones.

There is a separate gallery about sport shoes with all

kinds of special shoes useable for sports.

Visit www.batashoemuseum.ca for more details.

York region – Sayed-Akbar J.G. is a Level 4

student. His teacher is Natasha N.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhkAGCAXZwo

http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/


Recipes

CHIPS Ingredients

5 medium sized potatoes

2 large sized onions

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

2 large sized tomatoes

1 or 2 small sized green chilies

1 capsicum

½ tsp salt

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin powder

2 tsp soya sauce and ¼ cup water

5 tea spoons ketchup

Directions

First, boil the potatoes and peel them.

Then, cut them in large sizes. Chop the garlic and

ginger into small pieces. Cut the green chili into large

sizes and capsicum, onion, tomato into medium

square shapes.

Second, heat the pan and put some oil into the pan,

and put the garlic and ginger into the pan and stir until

light brown. Then, put tomatoes into the pan and pour

in 1/4 cup of water and leave it for 2 minutes.

Next, add boiled potatoes, capsicum, and onion. After

that, put in the salt, chili powder and soya sauce.

Stir and leave for 2-3 minutes to cook.

Finally, keep it on the plate and it‟s ready to eat. You

can enjoy it with tortillas.

Halton Region – Ninan S is a Level 3 student. Her

teacher is Carla M.

Chips Chili is a popular Nepalese dish. Nepalese

cuisine is a distinctive fusion of Chinese and Indian

cuisines. Nepalese of all ethnicities eat a wide variety

of cuisine. What Nepalese tend to eat depends highly

on where they live, either in big cities or in the

mountains.

by Ninan S.

CHILI


APPLE

Ingredients

500g Apple

2 Eggs

2 tsp. Milk

A pinch of Salt

2 tsp. Sugar

¼ tsp. Cinnamon powder

50g Butter

150g All purpose flour

Directions

Wash and peel the apples and cut them in very

small chunks of 5mm. Combine apple, flour,

eggs, milk and salt in a bowl and make hard

dough. You can add more flour if the dough is

not hard enough. Knead the dough into a smooth

ball then divide it into small size balls.

To cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add

the dumplings, giving them a gentle stir so they

don't stick together. When the dumplings come

to a boil and float on surface, they are ready.

Drain and remove. If desired, they can be pan-

fried at this point.

Heat the butter in a small pan, add sugar. Once

butter becomes light brown, add cinnamon

powder into it then spread the sauce over fresh

dumpling. Enjoy!

Tip: If you like Vanilla then instead of butter-

cinnamon sauce you can use Vanilla-Sauce.

Saadia K. – She is a member of the LINC

Home Study Team

Dumplings are an ancient food, known to cooks

in many cuisines; Local ingredients and methods

are used across the world to make a variety of

dumplings. In some cultures dumplings are plain

while in others flavoured with local herbs,

vegetables, spices or honey and sugar.

DUMPLINGS

by Saadia K.

SWEET


Games and Puzzles

Central Activity

Word Search

Find the Back to School words from the list below


Labour Day Activity

Barbeque

Car show

Comedy act

Concert

Fair

Festival

Game

Musical

Park

Party

Play

Tournament

Are you looking for a challenging way to pass

time? Find the words in the box hidden in

the alphabet grid. Circle each word as you

find them, and cross it off the list.

Then, as part of your homework, use as many

words as you can in sentences of your own.

Actor N

B O

C P

D Q

E R

F S

G T

H U

I V

J W

K X

L Y

M Z

See if you can think of and write down the name of an occupation for each letter of the alphabet. Find

words for as many letters as you can. An example has been provided for the letter “ A” . Some

suggested answers can be found on the next page.


Answers

Central Activity

Labour Day Activity Solution

Word Search Solution


If you would like to participate

in the Student Corner,

please contact us at:

[email protected]

Corner Student

Yi Qin Z.

My name is Yi Qin Zhu. I am from Nanjing, China. I came to Canada almost 4

years ago. I was a senior mechanical engineer in China. I did mechanical design

for more than 20 years. I have a wonderful family. My son is 21years old. We

decided to move to Canada for my son. This was his choice. He wanted to study

here and get a Canadian education. He studies in the University of Toronto. His

specialty is management.

When we came to Toronto, I didn‟t feel bad. There are a lot of Chinese

supermarkets here and buying Chinese food is easy and convenient. In the spring

and summer, everything is green. There are lots of beautiful trees and flowers. I

like it very much. We took our time making new friends. Now we can often

communicate with our friends. Life in Canada is hard because my English is very

poor, especially listening and speaking. This is my biggest trouble in Canada so I

can't do a mechanical engineering job like in my country. I want to study English

hard and improve my listening and speaking skills. I hope to find a good job and

have a nice life.

Yi Qin Z. is a Level 3 student. Peel Region. Her teacher is Rose D.

Zahra T.

My name is Zahra T. and I was born in Tehran. Tehran is not only the largest city, but it is also the capital of Iran. When I

finished my secondary schooling in Tehran, I entered and studied the nursing program at Tehran University. I worked in

many general hospitals in Tehran for many years. After retirement, I developed many hobbies to pass my time and to

relax and forget about the war.

My hobbies now are gardening, weaving, and sewing, but I seldom sew my own clothes. My favourite food is Iranian food

such as; meatballs, rice, and roast beef.

I am married with three children, one son and two daughters. My son and my older daughter are married, and my

younger daughter is single. I have one granddaughter, she is 2 years old. My husband and I came to Canada in 2007.

I came to Canada because my children live here. In my opinion, Canada is very beautiful and quiet. I am free to wear the

clothes that I like, I am free to express my opinion, and I am not half a person.

My goals in my country were to have a good profession to help others, and be a good mother. I believe I was successful

at both goals. My new goals in Canada are, to learn English, and to volunteer in the helping profession.

Zahra Tabatabae is a Level 3 student. York Region. Her teacher is Natasha A.



,

Glossary Game

Bargain (pg. 6)

Hinder (pg.7)

Scholarship (pg.8)

Lavish (pg.8)

Orphanage (pg.12)

Endangered (pg.12)

Remarkable (pg.12)

Milestone (pg.13)

Impressive (pg.14)

Knead (pg.17)

An amount of money that is given to someone by an educational organization to help pay

for their education.

a large house where children who are orphans live and are taken care of.

an animal or plant that may soon no longer exist.

a very important event in the development of something.

to make it difficult for something to develop or succeed.

makes you admire it because it is very good, large, important etc.

to press a mixture of flour and water many times with your hands.

something you buy cheaply or for less than its usual price.

unusual or surprising and therefore deserving attention or praise.

large, impressive, or expensive.

Use any four words from the list to create sentences of your own.

Here is some vocabulary from this month‟s newsletter. Do you know what the words

mean? Match the definitions below with the correct word on the right.


mailbag

What are your thoughts or comments on the articles printed in

this month‟s newsletter? Do you have suggestions for articles or

sections you would like to see?

Let‟s hear from you.

e-mail us: [email protected]

LINC Home Study Forum users! Remember, you can interact w ith

other students in the LINC Home Study program and discuss topics

such as Family, Fun, Health & Travel, Job Search & Networking and

more! Please go to the following website and log in from Quick

Login.

Have fun!

http://www.linchomestudy.ca/online/forum/

Please e-mail your submissions for the newsletter by Wednesday

September 30th.

NOTE: Articles should not exceed 500 words. Articles that exceed 500

words may be subject to editing for inclusion in the newsletter.

If you would like to submit your biography for the “ Student Corner” ,

please do not include information on your birthday or age.

For any questions regarding submissions and guidelines p lease e-mail us:

[email protected]

submissions

LINC

Brought to you by the LINC Home

Study team.

A special thank you to all the

students and staff who submitted

their stories, recipes and activities

for this issue.


http://www.linchomestudy.ca/online/forum/



Documents

The Official Newsletter of LINC Home Study - … · The Official Newsletter of LINC Home Study . September 2009 | LINC Home Study NEWSLINC Levels 2-4 2 . September 2009 | LINC Home