Some of you Wanted Read Short Stories

If anyone asks you name three of the best short story writers, you can safely utter three names. (1) Rabindranath, (2) Chekhov, (3) Saki. Someone from our class asked me to refer some short stories, and here I found 201 Short Stories by the great Russian writer Chekhov. Please read one story at a time and enjoy the WONDERFUL plot and Excellent language. I am also putting a link to a short Biographical discussion of Chekhov. If you want to know the time and life of the writer, also read this illustrated magazine.

Chekhov and his Time

Essay Analysis and Sentence Pattern Variation

• I hope to start the class with some vocabulary work. We shall definitely use our assigned book New English Third by Rhodri Jones.
• Some of you wanted a few books and I decided that Animal Farm would be a great choice for its Short Size and great historical analysis. Link below.
• Today we shall work on two items - Essay Analysis + Sentence Variation
• For the essay analysis, I have prepared a short essay from New York Times and then discussed its analysis. The handouts are distributed in the class. 
• I am also linking 2 essays for your Analysis. You will have to analyse after 20 minute reading

• How Effective Leadership can Facilitate Change through Innovation
• Leadership and Managerial Competencies
• For Sentence Variation practice, I have prepared a 2-page handout so that you have make a quick reference while you are writing a Report or Analysis. 
• Here is the link to Animal Farm - a Novel written by George Orwell. 
• Here is a Student Discussion Book.
• Before you start reading Animal Farm, I must warn you that it is NOT a simple tale of animals BUT, a disguised story of Soviet Revolution and it aftermath. You will find the characters of Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Russian peasants, political traitors - everything that comes with a Political Thriller. So, Enjoy! 

Argumentative Essay

The following item is an argumentative essay in a longer form. Please read the Handout First and then read the Design of the Essay.

Here is the link 16 Rules for Investment Success

All About GRAMMAR

Here is a link to a very comprehensive Grammar Rules. These rules are simple to remember and can help you survive through a lifetime of Writing Practices. If you practice 20 minutes a day, you can finish ALL in 10 days. If any explanation needed, send me an email. Here is the LINK - 

Grammar Grammar Grammar

I also want to remind that there will be a TEST on 21st October. And on that same day you will submit Assignment on "Good Manners". Please talk to the SRs to get any clarification, or just mail me. Best wishes. This is also to announce that there will be no class on 17th October as many of you will not return from holiday.

Cancellation of This Week's Classes and a Make-up Class on 17th October

I am very sad to inform that I will not be able to take classes this Sunday and Tuesday because I have to go out of the ountry for 4 days. So, I will meet you all after your Puja Vacation. I will be very interested to take a Morning Class on 17th October. I will talk to both SRs regarding fixing a suitable time on 17th October.

Therefore, your Assignment on being IMPOLITE has to be Submnitted through an email or in Handwritten form. Please do NOT send PDF - send it as Word Document.

The length of the Essay should be 600-800 words. 

You can also find the following  "Readings in Sociology" and read Chapter 3 [page 8] on the same issue. Here is another essay on the issue of Manners and Morals. After reading these TWO documents, read the Essay Prompt and then Write the Essay. I am posting it here again. 

Essay Prompt (উস্কানিমূলক কথা): [Think carefully about the issue presented in the following extract and write an essay based on your understanding of the topic.]

Whatever happened to good manners? Many books and articles have been written about the lack of common courtesy and old-fashioned politeness in today's society. From spoiled children acting out in restaurants to so-called experts yelling at each other on cable news shows, people seem less concerned with good manners and civilized behavior than ever before. On the other hand, if people really want to change the world for the better, they have to risk being seen as impolite or uncivil. 

Assignment: Is it sometimes necessary to be impolite? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.  

Our Class Works Today

We shall work on the following items today.

1. The Hawk Roosting - a poem by Ted Hughes
2. How I Write - a Short Essay by Bertrand Russell
3. Unit 6 = Language Parts
4. Three essays by Nellie Bly = Here is the Link

You should also be prepared for a Full Paper exam on 8th September. I will include in the following items in the Question Paper. 

• 2 Comprehensions
• 2 Essays = (a) Topic Based Essay, (b) Essay Analysis
• 20 Vocabulary Questions where you have to write the meaning of the underlined word. 

Our Today's Class and the Content of the Next Class on SUNDAY

Today we worked on a PARTIAL reading of the 5th Chapter from "Global Politics: An Introduction". In doing so, we also worked on how to get meaning out of Long+Complex ACADEMIC essays. After the class I had a very fruitful discussion with some students. To them asked the following Question.

• Why do I constantly make references to so many things. Does it not sometimes look like too CONFUSING?

In response to this question, the students came up with a couple of answers - BUT, I liked Ila Samajjita's response to be the closest to my own answer. So, here is what she responded with. 

• Ila said, "By making references to so many things a speaker has to make several sides of an argument and in the END the speaker has to come back to the ORIGINAL statement. In this way, the whole speech achieves logical unity.

To supplement my today's class, I am hereby attaching 2 handouts on how to IMPROVE Reading Academic at University level. You will surely find this to be VERY VERY Helpful.

Improving Reading Skills HANDOUT 
What is Reading - Qualities of a Reader

I also gave the class following tasks.

1. Students will READ the full unit 7 titled "Outcasts". Students will be required to ask me ALL sorts of Vocabulary and Phrases from this unit and I hope to respond to all these.
2. They will also read the poem "Hawk Roosting" from the Unit titled "Hunting and Hunted." 
3. Members of every Vocabulary Group are required to find at least 5 to 10 words and use it in their everyday Writing and Speech.
4. I will also bring my hard copy of the Novel "Animal Farm" and share it with Nishat whom I have assigned the task of going through the Chapter LENIN from Illustrated History. I hope she will be able to give a short introduction to the Novel in the next week.
5. Some of the students whom I have assigned separate BOOKS, have NOT reported their progress very enthusiastically. I am requesting them to make quick progress.