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. 

Today's Essay TOPICS

Instruction: Write a 400-500 words Essay on the Following Topic.

Imagine you are walking on a busy street. It's daytime. You saw a large crowd gathered in front of a multi-storied building. You realize that a fire has broken out. Now, in an essay, describe the situation as you give a detailed report of the incident.

Number of Para: 3 or 4 or 5 paragraphs.
Time: 20 Min
Use the following words IF you want: Flame, Situation, Awful, Terrible, Hardly, Whirlwind, Crackling, Crowd, Siren, Red Warning Lights, Gushes of Water, Splash, Screaming, Narrow Alley, Ladder, Firemen, Hose pipe, Wall of Smoke, Mountain of Flame, Scattered.

Mark Scheme:
200 Words = 5 out of 10
300 Words = 7 out of 10
400 Words = 8 out of 10
500 Words = 9 out of 10
500+ Words = 10 out of 10 (Full Marks)

Marks Deduction
Grammar Error = No penalty
Sentence Structure Error = No penalty
Paragraphing Error = (-5) Minus 5

1st Para = No Indent
2nd Para = Indent
3rd Para = Indent
4th Para = Indent
5th Para = Indent

Vocabulary Groups Works

Glad to hear from each of the Vocabulary Group are working well to activate their Group works. Of these, I found the plans of "Young Bengal" particularly diverse and appropriate. The other Groups could simply follow a SIMILAR process or develop something different. I am uploading the "Young Bengal" group's plans for reference.

For anything further beyond the instructions, everyone is requested to talk to Mumtaheenah Zaman and take her advice on the matter. 

Our Work Plan for Today

Today, we shall work on a couple of things so that we can also plan for the next week as well. First,  we shall discuss a couple of words from UNIT-2 Fire (Rhodri Jones). Second, we shall discuss two extracts from Unit-4 Being Ill (Rhodri Jones). Third, we shall discuss TWO Types of Essays - Descriptive and Argumentative Essays. Fourth, we shall write a short essay based on the assignments given in Unit - 2 (Page -31). Since coming TUESDAY is a holiday, I intend to make up with extra time on 3 Sunday classes.

NOW take out your Notebook & Rhodri Jones. 

The Story of the Kenyan Lion

This is the story of a Masai tribesman. He challenged his own limitations. Here is the story of the beginning of a new life.
Lessons from a Lion

Writing Workshop

Following Students are requested to talk to me to decide a day when we can arrange a 1.5 hour workshop. This list has been provided by our workshop Coordinator Ayasha Binti (Batch 2).

1. Jnnatul Baki Mim
2. Najmul ALam
3. Farhad
4. Sayma Akhter Shanta
5. Injamamul Hoque
6. Yasir Ahmed
7. Ila Samajjita
8. Nurul Arafat
9. Md. Mahbubur Rahman
10. Adnan Molla

My Antonia - For BRAVE Readers

This novel is for the BRAVE readers of my class. Please find linked a novel I have loved all these years. One critic has said that the novel shows how the "heroic universe" is much the same in Greece, and England, and in Nebraska, the geographical setting of the novel. This novel is for those who love challenging themselves and who believe that life is all about fighting against everything and then realizing that this fighting must end in Tragedy. This is the core of human life. The second link is a discussion of the novel, and I believe that you will find this discussion excellent after you finish reading the novel first.

My Antonia - this edition has footnotes and difficult words explained.
Discussion of the Novel - My Antonia

What Do I Bring to Class

Please bring to class a LOT of things. A willing heart. An active mind. A pair of eyes full of smile that could also linger on your lips. And few other things, which are listed below.

1. Notebook
2. Handouts
3. Rhodri Jones
4. Pencil Box
5. Half-litre Water

When you are in class try to ANSWER questions. Listen to the readings, try to love poetry, make stories in your mind when you listen to a text. USE your new confidence in English in other subjects. And READ a lot.  

Find out in which Vocabulary Group you are, and work on Words-Words-Words. Use these new words in your everyday talk. Make fun with these words. Talk about these new words. Laugh at them, and then love them. 

Taking CARE of My Brain

TEDx talk on the following

1. Lessons from Brain Scans
2. What are the POWER Food for Brain = 40 min walk 3 days a Week for Improved Memory and Reverse Brain Shrinkage
3. How FOOD control Brain Activity
4. Cure Chronic Illness and Reverse AGEING
5. Speech in Indian English [A Case Against Pesticides]
6. Living with Less  [How can I live a better live with less and less]
7. 7 Secrets to Turbocharge your BRAIN

The above TALKS are not simply some talk on brain activity and food, it is also about how to Speak to an interested and motivated Audience. So, follow how DIFFERENTLY the speakers speaks. Which speaker speaks most effectively for YOU?

A few SMALL things about Bertrand Russell

In the last DOUBLE-class we discussed a few things about Bertrand Russell. Here are the links to two of the short writings that we covered in the class.

1. How to Become a Man of Genius
2. What I have Lived For

Here are some Russell Quotes - notice the Sentence Structures. 

Writing Complex Sentences and Embedded Clauses

Here is a great link to writing Complex Sentences. Writing complex sentences will greatly improve your ability to show REASONING in your writing. American poet Emily Dickinson has a great poem that begins with a Complex Sentence -
"Because I could not stop for Death -
He kindly stopped for me- ". Here is a video link to this WONDERFUL poem.

There are three main ways to join clauses to make complex sentences. By using:

• (1) relative pronouns – that, which, who, whose.
• (2) conjunctions (subordinating) – while, because, although, as, when, until, unless, through, by, since, whenever, if, where, before, etc.
• (3) verb structures (non-finite) – (participle) verb forms that end in –ing or –ed or an infinitive verb form such as to go, to become, to see.

Lawer's Case Presentation + Vocabulary + Poem

We have done the above three items today.

1. We listened to Gloria Gaynor's song and gave the first assignment based on this song. You will submit this assignment (600-1000) words by the next class, which is on coming Sunday 4th August.
2. We discussed a good number of Vocabulary which I took from 100 word list and the Class XII English Book. 
3. We read and discussed the poem "Delight in Disorder" when someone asked the meaning of the word "Wanton."
4. I was a little bit worried to see that NOT a single student brought any Notebook for use in FSD-2 class. This notebook is going to be an important part of your next 6 minths. So, get one. 
5. To encourage class perticipation, I will bring ONE notebook every class and award it to the best participant. 

Introductory Note for FSD-2

Welcome to FSD-2 Classes of 2019.

I already have 2 classes with you and I am very glad that you are taking FSD-2 classes with some interest. We even had an extended class that ran for almost 2 hours. Just to review our works here is a summary of what we had done in the past two sessions.

1. First class was on a list of instructions on how students should manage their English Reading.
2. I also gave you a list of poems for leisured reading and enjoyment. 
3. We discussed a few Vocabulary from a list of 100 words.
4. In the 2nd class we discussed some poems that can be found in Class-XII English. It was done in order to prove that learning language is heavily dependent on reading literature of ALL types. These include Short Stories, Poems, and Novels.
5. We discussed the concept of Panopticon in modern context. 
6. In our discussion on Robert Frost's poems we shifted to Nehru's death-time note which was the final quartet of Frost's "Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening".
7. We disscussed the unofficial Course Contents of FSD-2 and will discuss the contents of FSD-3 in the next class. 
8. We listened to the "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow ..." recitation from Macbeth.
9. We have also decided to go through the central themes of two more Shakespeare plays - Othello and King Lear.
10. I requested 5 students of the class to select 5 more students and form 10 Vocabulary Clubs. They will practice Vocabulary for 10 minutes Every DAY. 
11. Now, here is a Task / Assignment. Listen to this song and "Write a statement presenting a case against abusive partner of the singer Gloria Gaynor.  
12. Here is the link to the song I Can Survive.
13. Students who arrive 5 Minutes after I enter the class, will NOT be given Atendence. 

Test Results to be out on 20th May

I hope to publish the exam scores by 20th May. Some of the students will experience 00 in all tests. They should check it out with the Office after the University Reopens after the Eid!

Have a great time!