Marmara Elt Resources

Treating All Students With Dignity
As my first year of teaching comes to a close, I realize that prejudice and ignorance are alive in education. Students are expected to fit a certain “mold” and those who do not are seen as deviates from the norm and treated as such. This disturbs me as I am a Special Education teacher and I hold an interest in “those” kids, the ones who are seen as outliers and outcasts.
I just finished up my first year as an Emotional Support teacher and taught in a self-contained classroom consisting of grades 3, 4, and 5. “My” kids, as they were called, were diagnosed with a myriad of disorders: ADHD, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Specific Learning Disorders in Reading and Math. It was not easy for my instructional aide and me to incorporate all these types of students into one functioning classroom, but we managed. We saw beyond the disorders and saw these children for what they were: CHILDREN. Kids who liked swings and monkey bars. Kids who liked to eat pizza and hot dogs for lunch. Kids who wanted to drive PT Cruisers when they got older. Kids who wanted to become teachers and doctors. Kids who NEEDED love and support as well as a sense of belonging. We loved our kids. We had high expectations for them and they met them on many occasions. I personally felt that many of these kids never had expectations for themselves. No one really expected much out of them. They did not feel as if they were capable of anything. This changed for them during our school year.
Read the rest of this entry »

1. Present Continuous Verb Tense is used to state future events or actions when it is clearly stated or understood that the action or event is in the future.
* to describe planes that have be arranged before the time of speaking.
o We are traveling to Europe in a few weeks.
o The girls taking the S.A.T. next week.
* the present continuous verb tense is used an informal actions or events
o We are planning to watch T. V. tonight.
o The girls are singing on Friday night at the local club.
* is used to for personal information
o I am finishing my doctorate degree next year.
o We are moving to a new house next week.
* it is not used for official purposes
* the subject of the sentence must be a person, not a thing
* the present continuous tense can’t be used to predict a future event or action, based on a present event or action.
* static verbs are not used
2. Present Continuous Verb Tense with “going to” is used:

Read the rest of this entry »

Future - Present Simple and Continuous

The Present Continuous is used for future arrangements. For example:
- I’m playing tennis with John tomorrow.
The Present Simple is used for scheduled events in the future. For example:
- He has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. (It’s part of his schedule)

Present Continuous
The Present Continuous is used for future arrangements. For example:
- I’m going to see my friends this evening.
- He’s going to write a book.
- What are you going to do?
The use of the Present Continuous often stresses the involvement of other people in these arrangements.

Compare the future with going to, the Present Continuous and will:
- I’m going to visit my family this summer. - A future plan
- I’m meeting my family at 6.00. - A fixed arrangement involving other people.
Fixed arrangements can also use going to, but the Present Continuous is more common.
- I’ll meet my family tomorrow. - Will is usually not used with arrangements and this sounds unusual.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparatives show more or less of a particular attribute, they compare things. Comparatives are generally used for comparing two things, and superlatives are used for comparing three or more things.

If it’s clear what we are comparing to, then we can just use the comparative form on its own. For example:
- I am faster.
- She is older.
Otherwise we use than before the thing we are comparing to. For example:
I am faster than John.
She is taller than me.

Superlative forms don’t use than and are always preceded by the definite article the. For example:
- I am the tallest student in my school.
Read the rest of this entry »