ARW Autumn 9/10 - First Class!

I could not attend the official "first class" on Wed due to my presentation and duties at JACET 2010 in Sendai, so this was the first day to meet my new sections of students, BB and BH.

They helped me learn their names by lining up in ABC order, and then I introduced our course and asked them to do P&Ds (presentation and discussions) on their summer reading books.

I'm very happy that both sections have a friendly, diligent atmosphere and am looking forward to our 10 weeks of learning together. The discussions on their summer reading looked quite lively, and I'm looking forward to reading their reaction journals and Book Reactions on our Moodle site.

Using the "recommended ELP summer list" as the basis of their choice, several read The Giver by Lowry, and Catcher in the Rye and The Great Gatsby were popular as well. Some others read Girl with the Pearl Earring, Things Fall Apart, 1984, Brave New World, Siddartha, and The Pearl. Some unique choices were The Picture of Dorian Grey, Slaughterhouse Five, Cartels of the Mind, and Razor's Edge.

Below are some quick "First day of school" cartoons off the Internet.