Writing ideas

If you need some post ideas check out this page!

100 Ideas For Writing

My favourite ideas are:

• If I could be invisible....
• Reasons why people lie
• What I would do if I were rich.
• The proudest/happiest/saddest moment of my life.
• My best childhood memory.
• My wish.
• Reasons why people argue.
• The most interesting person I have met.
• My biggest goal in my life.
• A person that I admire.

Easter

What's your favourite food, activity, music, movie, actor etc....? Imagine having a day where you could only eat, do or celebrate these things but not work!

This coming weekend is Easter. In Australia we have a four day weekend every year to celebrate Easter. However, besides the chocolate eggs and Easter bunny what do you know about Easter?

Easter is a Christian holiday which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion. Easter is traditionally celebrated by having a feast on Easter Sunday.

There are also many non-religious elements to Easter which are celerated by both Christians and non-Christians alike, for example, eating chocolate eggs and bunnies. Many young families organise an Easter egg hunt around the house and garden for their children. Some children also have wooden baskets for the "Easter bunny" to leave eggs in.

Easter falls on a different day each year depending on the lunar calendar. It is usually between late March and late April. This year Easter is from March 21st to the 24th.

- Interview your classmates: ask you partner about an imaginary holiday.

If you could make your own holiday what would it be? Why would you have this holiday? How would you celebrate it? What food would you eat? Why? What season would it fall in?

E A R T H

Do you ever think about the future? What about 50 or 100 years from now? Currently the world population is approximately 6.7 billion. Look at the map below. It shows which countries in the world have the highest populations. China and India have more than 1 billion people living there.

In the 2080 or 2100 what do you think the population will be? Do you think it will continue to grow or start to diminish? How do people affect the environment and the earth's future?

What do you think about these topics:

• global warming
• pollution
• conservation
• extinction

Since you've moved to Australia you might have heard about our water restrictions.... 4 minute showers, no baths and no watering the gardens. Did you know that March 29, 2008 is 60 Earth Hour day? This is an initiative to save energy by turning off all your lights and electrical appliances for one hour on March 29th at 8pm. Check it out: 60 Earth Hour.

Write about the earth's future. How will your life have changed in 50 or 60 years?

Books I've Read

What books have you read lately? Do you read English books? Do you read books in your own language? Reading is a good way to improve your vocabulary while you enjoy English study. Just like we talk about movies, books also have genres. Some common book genres are:

• Adventure
• Spy / Mystery
• Crime
• Action
• Romance
• Fantasy
• Biography/Autobiography
• Historical

I love to read crime or mystery novels. I'm a big fan of Stephen King. He's a master of suspense. Stephen King is a prolific author. He has written many books including some that have been adapted for the silver screen.

I enjoyed the Green Mile because it follows the trial of an unusual hero - a 7 foot black man, John Coffey, who has strange healing powers. He is falsely accused of raping and killing a girl and is being held on death row. The story focuses on two other prisoners, both murders, and the death row guard. It is told by narrator Paul Edgecomb, the chief of the guard. The book was gripping and intense as you read about Coffey's encounters with the hard-edged inmates and their pet mouse Mr. Jingles. It reminded me of the classic To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which had a similar affect on me when I read it at school. The Green Mile has an extremely emotional end which, of course, made me cry. You should read the book before seeing the movie (if you haven't already!).

Check out this blog (Books I Have Read). It is devoted to all the books the maker has read. He writes a short book review for each book. Write a book review of a novel you have recently read and include a picture of the book.

Perceiving Pictures

Picture: 1

Picture: 2

Picture: 3

Picture: 4

Picture: 5

Picture: 6

Write a description about one of these photos. Don't write the number of the photo because your classmates are going to guess using your description. Think about colours, places, people, clothing, food and location. Be creative and write a story! What do you think is happening? What happened just before the photographer took the photo?

The Starlet

If I were a movie star... I'd be Natalie Portman

According to the movie star quiz I am Natalie Portman, The Starlet:

"Your simple, sophisticated style reminds people of classic Hollywood stars. Other young celebs party like crazy, but you'd rather see a play or read a great novel. You like to keep your private life private, but if the paparazzi track you down, you smile sweetly for the cameras. You'd never go out for coffee in ripped jeans or old sweatpants, because you don't want to disappoint your publicist (or your fans). You believe celebrities have a responsibility to look glamorous, so you dress up as often as possible."

My friends know I am secretly jealous of Natalie! I hate how popular she is! However, I am actually happy with this result. I think that if I were a Hollywood star I would need to be glamorous!

I have learnt to be patient, so if the paparazzi were chasing me with cameras I think I could deal with it.

I don't think my closest friends would be stars like Lindsey Lohan or Paris Hilton. I would prefer to hang out with people like Johnny Depp, Scarlet Johansson and Jake Gyllenhaal. I do enjoy partying but I also love to go hiking and swimming. I definately need time alone (I don't like to be around people all day long).

I would like to be in a range of movies from romance to thriller. As far as I know Natalie Portman hasn't acted in a horror film and that is something I would like to try. Also, Natalie and I have different movie choices because I would never like to act in Star Wars!!! aaaah! I really dislike fantasy/science fiction movies.

What you think? Do you agree?

If you want to take the quiz click here.

If you were a movie star....

Lights Camera Action!

If you managed to stay awake you might have seen the Academy Awards (otherwise known as "the Oscars") on Tuesday night. It's an important time of the year for the movie industry as "the Academy" recognises the best actors, directors, producers, script writers, editors and films.

It's also an important time for the magazines and fashionistas!! For some viewers the long walk on the red carpet is all they want to see. Who's wearing what designer? Versace, Gucci, Prada, Dolce and Gabana, Chanel, Dior, Fendi and Armani! The cameras are constantly flashing to get the best shot of the celebrities....

Today I want you to write about your favourite actor/actress. Take the movie star quiz and find our what kind of movie star you are. Do you agree with the results?

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! You interviewed each other in our last class. We asked questions about love and marriage to get into the Valentine's Day theme. However, Valentine's Day wasn't always about love.

Figure 1: Saint Valentine and his disciples

This day is named after two Christian martyrs named Valentine who lived around 200 AD. Only in the middle ages did Valentine's Day become associated with love. Today it is celebrated on February 14 in most Western countries. Many people think that like Christmas and Easter, Valentine's Day has become another way for advertisers to suck money out of us . . . another "Hallmark Day" (see this page http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hallmark+Day&defid=1623139 ).

Do you really need a special day to appreciate your loved ones?

Should romance be confined to one day a year?

What are your favourite gifts to give and get on Valentine's Day (http://www.gifts.com/occasions/valentines-day/her/o7hFr6aicp816n)?

Top Tens

A fun interactive post idea is a top ten list. If you provide a link for every number on your list then your readers can get involved by reading more on each entry. Include photos and comments to add more depth!

Think of any superlative:

good best

bad worst

funny funniest

beautiful most beautiful

expensive most expensive

interesting most interesting

ugly ugliest

.............etc

Use this with an exciting topic and you have your list! For example: Top 10 Best Movie Endings of All Time or My 10 Most Beautiful Travel Destinations. You don't have to use a superlative in your list title, for example, 10 Reasons Why I'm Never Leaving Australia.

TIME Magazine has a great site with 50 of the best 10 lists from 2007 :

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/0,30576,1686204,00.html

You like YouTube

YouTube is an excellent tool for us. You can find everything from online lectures to home videos. We all know how to use photos in our posts but do you know how to insert a video? 

Your next post assignment is to find an interesting, funny, exciting or cool video on YouTube and include it in your post. Tell your readers why you like this particular video. 

• A good place to start is to search for your favourite musician or band on YouTube.
  
• Choose a video clip of your favourite song.
• On the top right side of the page (when the video is playing) there is "About this video"
• Highlight and copy the HTML code under "Embed"
• You can paste this code in the "Edit HTML" window when you are posting (it's next to "Compose" in the posting window). 

Daft Punk are one of my favourite groups. This video clip is so amazing. I love how the dancers each represent a different element of the song. It's quirky and almost flawless. Make sure you watch all of it! 

Daft Punk:  Around The World

Another brilliant video clip is Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At? The faces on the monkeys are actually the faces of the band members. The computer graphics are fantastic in this clip and it tells an interesting story. Maybe this will be the next step after cloning!

Basement Jaxx: Where's Your Head At?

Making Slideshows

Check out my slideshow. This is a fun way to share your photographs of Australia with your friends. It's easy to make and you can link your slideshow with other social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace.

Sign up here and start uploading your photos:

http://www.slide.com/

What do you think of my cute pets Toby and Hermione (from Harry Potter)?

Bloggers

From left to right: Emeric, David, Hoi Ki, Richard, Chonticha, Yi-An, Leon, Dong Woo, Cho and Alexandra.

Clone Hunger - yum yum double yum

Are you hungry for a steak? How about a nice BBQ with lots of sausages and hamburgers? Perhaps you've lost your appetite after Tuesday's news? 

 

 Image: Cloned dairy cow and pork chop. By  Alessandra Petlin. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union have declared that cloned meat is safe for eating. Cloning is advantageous for meat producers because they can clone the best animals. However, it is unlikely that we will actually be eating the meat from a cloned animal or drinking cloned milk. Cloning is very expensive and the cloned animal would 

most likely be kep

t for breeding. 

Nevertheless, many ethical issues have been raised about cloning. Genetic diversity helps maintain natural immunity to disease. It is impossible to tell if the meat is cloned meat without tracking it from birth. This makes it difficult and costly to label cloned meat and clone-free meat in the supermarket. Some consumers have opposed cloned meat for religious reasons.

Check out this New York Times article on cloning for more information:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/business/16clone.html

?em&ex=1200632400&en=ebdeb3e8963998ae&ei=5087%0A

Would you eat cloned meat? Why or why not?

Do you like Brisbane?

B R I S B A N E http://www.ourbrisbane.com

How long have you been living in Brisbane? Where do you live and

where have you visited in Brisbane? What's your favourite place for shopping, eating, relaxing and studying?

Write a post about Brisbane. We want to see your pictures so include any photos you have!

Recognise this kangaroo?

Where have you seen it?

Bilingual Brains are Best

Do you feel smarter when you're learning English? Is your brain working at a faster speed? BBC news has reported that learning a second language boosts your brain power. When you study a second language your brain grows. What do you think? Do you agree? Have a look at this news article and write a post on your blog about your opinion.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3739690.stm

Now that you're feeling smarter - check out this website. This article is about expressing

yourself. Each language has its own unique ways of combining words and phrases. If you learn more than one language your brain can find more ways of expressing itself. How does language help construct your thoughts and expressions? What are some interesting differences between English and your native language?

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/3-18-2005-67283.asp

Image: Philippe Parreno's inflatable art Speech Bubbles

Philppe Parreno's art: http://www.airdeparis.com/parreno.htm

Writing

= This weekend you should be writing your first and second posts. If you saw a movie on the weekend, went out with your friends, ate some yummy food or read an interesting book why don't you write about it?

Remember the top 10 tips for good writing:

1. Readers: Who are your readers?
2. Originality: Make it interesting - try to think of something original to say.
3. Brevity: Keep it short and simple - 100-250 words.
4. Keywords: Use keywords often.
5. Linking: Link often to related websites like Amazon (for books and CDs) and homepages (for movies and specific information).
6. Clarity: Write clear short sentences.
7. Snappy: Keep it dynamic and vibrant. Write like you would speak to a friend.
8. Headlines: Write a succinct headline that grabs the reader's attention.
9. Chatty: Use idioms and common expressions! This isn't an essay writing course.
10. Proof-read: Always check your work for errors (I'll help you with this).

Link: http://website101.com/RSS-Blogs-Blogging/blog-writing-tips.html

New Term New Start

First week of term... welcome!

"Hello" to the new student bloggers. This will be your new virtual classroom for the next 3 months. I am sure most of you may even have your own blogs already (you might even be able to teach me a few things!). However my aim is to get you writing some interesting work in English about your studies and stay in Australia. Think of it as an interactive diary for your friends and family back home. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want . . . as long as it is all in English!

• Your first task is to consider what you want to write about: Brisbane, Australia, studying English, politics, cinema, music, fashion, sport, weather or maybe just life in general.
• Next - start posting!