In Talking Mode

Creative Vocabulary Game

Arz Young — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 23:47:36 +0000

I just made another set of teaching materials. This time it is an investigative vocabulary game. Student will go through solving cases: The Word Maze, Word Road Quest, and Vocabulary Town. Solving these cases would earn them points they need to qualify as a word agent and earn a badge. More sets of these same activities will then follow.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Detective-Vocabulary-Game-Bureau-of-Word-Investigation

The trees of Autumn

Arz Young — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:06:33 +0000

Just when sun pays little attention to nature, it unleashes its hidden colors.

lesson plans

Arz Young — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:08:23 +0000

Teacherpayteachers has become a warehouse of teaching materials. Most teachers create portfolios of their past lessons, but this site provides cyber room for such materials while at the same time earning money. Having ernjoyed designing teaching materials with vivid and sophisticated graphics, I have tried to join the trend. It has motivating effects as it rouses your creativity out of a desire to create something unique and effective. Here’s my sample designed materials. I have had some in my documents, but they are yet in need of some tweaking.

Lesson Plan

Michael Grimm wins American Idol Part Two

Arz Young — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 04:07:30 +0000

The winner of American Idol, I meant America’s Got Talent is Michael Grimm. The Mississippi -born singer’s first brush of victory left my husband asking ‘why,’ of which I got only one answer: Orlando Bloom look-alike. Fine. He got lucky the first time, and probably the second time. He finally endeared me when he talked about how he wanted to take care of his grandma, with matching sad face as if saying ‘America, I need your sympathy.’ Effective strategy, I would say. However, suddenly there came Jackie Evancho, a 9-year old contestant chosen from YouTube. I remember that night when she first sang. My husband and I couldn’t believe what just happened. I was speechless while he was skeptical. His words: “That wasn’t her voice.” The next morning headline was the same: real or fake? America’s Got Talent then started to become interesting. The next episode, Jackie proved all those naysayers wrong. Hers is real, raw, magical, yet real. However, we all know what happened at the finals. (Watch the video for yourself.)

My husband made me listen to Stevie Ray Vaughn to help me understand this craziness for Grimm. After few songs and a Jimie Hendrix in the mix, I smiled: my personal opinion, vindicated. Grimm pales in comparison to these legends. Luckily for me, Jackie Evancho performed as equally great as Sarah Brightman in the finale. My eyes were wet, but like a masochist to a sadist, I rewatched the performance not once, not twice, but thrice. Ethereal. Such was their duet. However, we all know what happened.

When Nick Cannon announced the top four AGT finalists—Prince Poppycock, which I’m a fan; Fighting Gravity, which I’m a fan; Jackie Evancho, which I am a huge fan; and Michael Grimm—it occurred to me that America’s Got Talent was serious about this show, that it was, indeed, a talent show different from American Idol. But,alas, last night when Nick announced the winner, I only got four words on my mind: American Idol Part Two.

And should Michael Grimm get offended, I don’t care. He bagged the million, anyway.

Nadal Storms into Third Round

Arz Young — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:08:51 +0000

By Arz Young

As New York wakes up to a stormy morning, it sleeps with a storm still on its mind, albeit of different kind: Nadal. The top seeder breezes the stadium, easily owning the first set, 6 to 2. Although seeded 39^th, the Uzbekistan Istomin holds his ground like any top seeders, hitting surprising drop balls and aces that forces the set to a tie break. As Nadal’s hitting wide and off-the baseline forehands, seemingly adjusting to the hardcourt-stimulated ball speed, Istomin wows the crowd with his clever drop balls, fooling Nadal not once but thrice into thinking the shots are long. However, the champion of both Wimbledon and French Opens, is nothing but competitive; his vengeance is quick and intimidating: hitting an ace that forces Istomin, as if caught daydreaming, return with a soccer kick.

At the tie break, Istomin benefits from Nadal’s two failed drop shots. He answers one of these drop shots with an all for broke skid on the court that consequently scars the cement and, hopefully, not his career. But Nadal, with the heart of a champion, breaks the tie to win the second set 7 to 6.

Many tennis players would break at the third set after losing two consecutive sets. Istomin, on the other hand, endears the crowd with his ala brave heart performance, as he faces the stronger opponent head on. Although he shows a sign of breaking or resignation early in the third set, he tightens his serves by hitting aces to delay the inevitable. But as New York’s sky gets deeper into the night, Nadal becomes impatient and more aggressive. He sees a hole in Istomin’s serve and seizes it, slamming the ball to a match point. Nadal converts it, 7 to 5, to advance to the third round. Istomin leaves the stadium, defeated yet with head held high. He walks out with music in his ears–the crowd’s applause.

It’s great game. Istomin deserves to be given credit for all the effort he has given to successfully suspends, albeit temporarily, the belief that the game would end predictably. Nadal, on the other hand, brings it back to reality. He breezes out of the Arthur Ashi stadium, with an eye on a Career Grand Slam. Let’s see if he can pull off a game at par a category 5 hurricane to wipe off obstacles in an unfamiliar surface: the hard court of US Open. Vamos Rafa!

Riddle #1

Arz Young — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:40:26 +0000

I’ll make a riddle and whoever is the first to correctly answer it must make a riddle of his or her own.

*********

It starts where music begins.

Next comes where a wizard lives.

In the Land of Dorothy’s escapade,

It ends where all things great — are made.

Now who is my favorite artist?