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NEWSLETTER
CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

CESL
In this issue:
+ + English Slang Go Teacher June Birthdays! Lexington Summer Weather Ecuadorian Student Association Upcoming Events Thursday Night Live Campus Farmers Market Go Teacher Classes and TOEFL iBT Online Prep
Lecturer Whitney Sarver, PhD Lecturer Nicole MillerBeckmann

The purpose of the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL) at the University of Kentucky is to provide comprehensive English language instruction for non-native English speakers in a university setting. At the Center for ESL, we assist students in achieving language proficiency goals for academic, professional, and social purposes through multi-level language instruction. The Center for ESL is dedicated to promoting diversity and to providing reciprocal cultural enrichment opportunities to the University, the community, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

English Slang

Welcome New Scholars! Go Teacher Experiences o A Wonderful Experience Susanna Dutan 7 o Thursday Night Live Tania Lopez 8 o Great Experience Willian Garcia 9 o Mothers Day Celebration Karen Aclivar 10 o Five Months in Lexington Bersabe Quinga 11

Ants in your pants

Meaning: To be nervous or anxious or jumpy; to be unable to sit still. For example: We will be there in a few minutes, stop acting like you have ants in your pants!

June Birthdays!
Elva Salto 6/12

Nelly Tipan 6/25 Maria Inga 6/29

Have a great birthday!

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

SET SAIL WITH CESL LEXINGTON SUMMER WEATHER

MONTH
May

AVG. HIGH
23C | 74F

AVG. LOW
12C | 54F

RECORD HIGH
36C | 96F (1941)

June

28C | 83F

17C | 63F

40C | 104F (1936)

July

30C | 86F

19C | 66F

42C | 108F (1936)

August

30C | 86F

18C | 65F

41C | 105F (1936)

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

IN JUNE:
June 1 Summer BBQ June 16 Fathers Day June 21 Summer Solstice

Ecuadorian Student Organization

President: Ana Montalvo Vice-President: Jorge Montalvo Secretary/Treasurer: Maria Montalvo Ecuador Scholar President: Jose Flores Ecuador Scholar Vice-President: Willian Garcia Ecuador Scholar Representative: Karen Alcivar

Check out the UK CESL calendar in the office or online to find out about other great events and organizations!

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Summer Events
Join us in Downtown Lexington every Thursday evening, April 4 through October 31, 2013 for Central Bank Thursday Night Live! Come to the Fifth Third Pavilion at Cheapside Park from 4:30pm - 8:00pm for beverages, food from local restaurants and of course, great music by live bands! There is no admission charge to come and listen to the bands play - food and beverages will be available for purchase on a cash basis. See the line-up online at www.downtownlex.com

READ AB O UT TANIAS THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE EXPER IEN CE ON PAG E 8!

Cheapside Park (Downtown) Saturdays - 7am to 3pm

www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.com

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

The TESL classes are a lot of fun. We are all learning so much from each other, and the activities encourage us to think about our students and our teaching. The Culture and Language class is allowing us to think in new ways by having us reflect on the biographies of ourselves and our students. The Methods class introduces an interesting strategy or activity every day, which helps us to think about and reflect on best practices for language learning and teaching. Lecturer Whitney Tudor Sarver, PhD

The Second Language Acquisition/Applied Linguistics course explores the foundation of language and language learning in an environment that is dynamic, engaging and collaborative. In order to promote second language acquisition in their own classroom, students learn from a wide variety of activities and projects that can be adapted for use across a multitude of educational settings, including elementary education, high school, and university. With invigorating, inspiring, and insightful discussions about theories, practices and research, this fast-paced class is never a bore! Lecturer Nicole R. Miller-Beckmann

Quick Prep: http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare/quick_prep General Tips: http://i-courses.org/toefl-ibt-preparation/test-taking-strategies www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/TOEFL_Tips.pdf http://www.englishclub.com/esl-exams/ets-toefl-tips.htm http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/ten-tips-for-the-toefl-ibt/ Practice Tests: http://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/toefl_listening.htm http://demo.toeflibtcourse.com/ http://www.englishclub.com/esl-exams/ets-toefl-practice.htm Preparation Guides: http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare

Online Re s o u rces!

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

The University of Kentucky and CESL

Welcomes
Cohort 4
GO TEACHER

SCHOLARS

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

A Wonderful Experience
BY SUSANA DUTN

Living in Lexington as a scholarship recipient has been a great experience for me in many aspects of my life. As a student, I have learned so much. I have improved my English and developed my skills. As a person, I have learned about the cultural diversity this country has. It made me understand how culture is important in everyone`s life. As a professional, I have had the opportunity to know how education is performed here by visiting two schools. For me, this is the most wonderful experience I have had. The first one was Locust Trace AgriScience Farm School. It is an agricultural school that has a curriculum focused on the preservation of the environment. There, students have the opportunity to learn theories but also to practice in a real way. Teachers help students guide them in the process of acquiring new knowledge. They guide all activities students do during classes. That day, I can see many students who were practicing different activities. They were practicing with plants, fish, and animals. For example, there was a classroom that has been modified and switched into a clinic for animals. In that place there was a dog and students were taking care of him. Also there were other kinds of animals like you can see in the pictures. The second one was Meadowthorpe Elementary School. It is a primary school where the curricula are focused on how to be a good leader based on 7 habits. Teachers, students and parents work together to reach this goal. Teachers motivate their students to follow these 7 habits. Students try to follow them every day, and parents help their children to be conscientious about the importance of being perseverant in following these 7 habits. Students showed us how they learn through the correct application of these habits in their lives. They talked to us about their experiences and what each habit means. They sang a beautiful song called Rolling in the Deep. Finally, they showed us how they work in classes. It was really wonderful. I have a lot of great experiences in Lexington and visiting different schools represents the most important for me as a professional because it helps me to be better in my job when I go back to my country, ECUADOR.

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Thursday Night Live

BY TANIA LOPEZ
It is summer time, and Lexingtonians enjoy sunny days. Every week, on Thursday evenings, people gather at the Cheapside Pavilion where local bands play great music. The Lexington community hangs out with their friends and families and has fun with their children and friendly pets. Families start to arrive there around five; they bring their own chairs to enjoy the bands comfortably. When the bands start to perform their amazing concert, people get on the dance floor and the party starts. I love to see that there is no age for dancing; the elderly and kids are the best dancers and seem to enjoy it the most. Around the park stand people hanging out with their friends; casually and colorfully dressed beautiful girls and young men drinking their glasses of white beer have a lot of fun talking, laughing and meeting new friends. They set up various food and beverage stands the sweet kettle corn, tasty hamburgers and sausages, hot dogs, pizza. The ice cream stand is my favorite blueberry and milk butter, or bourbon and honey are unique flavors! If you are looking for entertainment in Lexington, you should go to Thursday Night Live and enjoy this original event where you will learn more about Lexingtons culture while you hear the sweet sounds performed by the talented and energetic singers and guitarists. You will love the variety of songs that will make you stand on the dance floor and dance.

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Great Experience in Lexington, Kentucky

BY WILLIAN GARCIA
Before coming to Lexington, I had many good experiences in my life that have helped me to grow up emotionally and professionally. But after I arrived in Lexington, I could say that this experience is more than that. I am able to say this because here I have shared with different cultures and people who have been really kind and incredible. As part of this big experience, I can tell you about two great experiences I had in this month. The first one is the visit to the Newport Aquarium, which is located near Cincinnati, Ohio, more or less one hour and half from Lexington. It was a wonderful visit because I saw in that place many marine animals that I have never seen before; for instance, I saw starfish, some big stingrays, crabs, penguins and many types of fish. Moreover, I saw big crocodiles, animals that I have never seen, and I was really surprised when I saw big frogs like a football. So I really enjoyed it a lot! Another great experience I had during this month was the visit to Meadowthorpe Elementary School located within a few minutes of campus. It was amazing because I learned a lot from students. When they showed up, they were really well prepared with a great fluency of exposition on the topic they talked about. Also, I got surprised with the methodology that teachers used with their students, for example, its incredible that students at the age of six can read and take tests on the computer. Then, my question was, how did they get it? I think it depends on the teaching methodologies they use. So it made me think that we as teachers have to work really hard with our students when we come back to our country. In conclusion, being here with a scholarship doesnt mean just concentrating on hours of studying to learn something, it means to learn something new about the city and other stuff by doing and sharing fun things with people from other cultures, religions and traditions. I will never forget this big experience.

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Go Teacher Mothers Day Celebration

BY KAREN ALCIVAR
On May 16th, all the Ecuadorian teachers gathered to celebrate one of the most important calendar dates for us, Mothers Day. Mothers Day is a traditional celebration in Ecuador. It is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. For that reason, we could not pass by such an important and emotional day. So we decided to organize a traditional Ecuadorian coastal barbecue for all the Go Teachers mothers, our Ecuadorian teachers and for our TESOL teachers and CESL administrators that happily joined us in this big celebration. It was amazing to see how each one of the Ecuadorian teachers helped and collaborated in the preparation of the food. Specifically, some of them told us they felt really happy because everybody was participating. Although we had alerted everyone about the bad weather that day, we decided to take the risk and launch the party anyway. However, that afternoon the rain stopped suddenly and we could have the cookout. Additionally, we asked for the participation of two of our greatest artists in the group to put a little joy and melancholy into our party and also to show a little about our traditions. Mrs. Mara Inga read an emotional and wonderful poem dedicated to Mother, in which she mentioned all the hard labor that a mother does every day without asking for anything more than the satisfaction of seeing her children happy. That went deeply into the heart of each one of us. After that we had the extraordinary participation of Paola Crdoba with her skillful ability to play the guitar and her wonderful voice to sing a serenata, a traditional Ecuadorian custom in which a person with a guitar plays and sings mothers songs. She sang some beautiful songs to all the Go Teacher mothers and guests. Then we also took the opportunity to say goodbye to one of the most helpful collaborators and friend, Ms. Jill Cargile, who was leaving the program. Later the husband of our dear Lina Crocker also played the guitar and sang some songs including a popular Kentucky song. Finally everybody was invited to have some of our delicious Ecuadorian food. I think this was one of the best days so far. All our Ecuadorians friends were so happy because we shared a special moment together where cooperation was our best ally. Thanks to each one of them for their nice help and for showing how our Ecuadorian culture is.

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Five Months Living in Lexington, Kentucky

BY BERSABE QUINGA
I am really so happy to be here. I have seen and visited so many different places. When I arrived in Lexington everything around me was dry and now it is wonderful to see a great nature with flowers of different colors and green trees. Thanks to God everything is possible. Moreover, I have visited some places, for example: The Town Branch Distillery, the Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, the Aquarium in Cincinnati and two different schools. The most important for me was the visit to the Meadowthorpe Elementary School. This school had a good project where children practice every day in order to get their dream and become leaders. Ethnicity doesnt matter. This project involves the family, teachers and students. The seven habits are: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win, win, seek first to understand then to be understood, listen before you talk, synergize together is better, and sharpen the saw. Students learn that study is first, then play, and they have a plan in mind that they have to think what they will be when they grow up. The dream is drawn on paper. They work as a group team, but they have a leader as I could see when they did a performance for the visitors. When I visited their classrooms I noticed that they were doing different activities and everybody was ready to explain.

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JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

The link to Go Teacher Kentuckys facebook group is on the website!

CESL Assistant Director and Newsletter Lead: Tina M. Durbin Editor: Xavier M. Watson | Assistant Editor: Kaitlin Burke | Special Programs Coordinator: Jason Carr