Home alone charactersMom Dad Eric Daniel theme a reflection of family problems dialogue s its own typical writing style

presenting a dialogue your opinions communicative informative reflective simple/direct/not too redundant

steps you have to follow: while listening feelings relationships body language customs facial expressions while readingmain idea while writing typical writing style

Skills building 1: understanding tones in spoken English  the volume of the language  a rising or falling tone  stress on certain words  pauses in the sentences

Skills building 2: reading for gist  catch the gist or the main point  focus on descriptive words or expressions

Skills building 3: writing a dialogue  not too colloquial  not too redundant  use some descriptive words or expressions

Listening practice Focus on the following listening materials. Create similar situations in which speakers will practise the five intonations.

Entries Main Points The words telling the writer ’ s mood The first diary entry The second diary entry The third diary entry The fourth diary entry Reading practice Today has been a great day because my parents bought me an expensive bike. We had a Maths test and I ’ m nervous about my result. I failed the Maths test and don ’ t know how to tell my parents. All that worrying was for nothing. happy tired, afraid and nervous upset very happy and glad

1.‘Umm’ or ‘hmm’ shouldn’t be included in a written dialogue. 2. We shouldn’t use ‘My room is too dirty’, ‘My room is a mess’, ‘clean up’ and ‘cleaning’, because in a written dialogue what has just been said shouldn’t be repeated. 3. In a written dialogue we should write a sentence that shows the speaker is very angry instead of the sentence ‘I’m really very angry with you.’ Writing practice Part A

The sentences that show Mum is unhappy or angry: Come and look! Don’t you talk to me like that! You should start cleaning now if you plan to leave! The sentences that show Jack’s mood: This is so unfair! I’ll never have enough time! ( Jack is angry.) But I don’t think you are being fair at all! (Jack is unhappy.) Part B

Writing an advice letter

Tips you have to take into consideration: clear assignments audience in a logic and clear way give suggestions search for more information from different sources write an outline or make a draft proofread or peer revision presentation

an advice columnist get a rough idea about the trouble analyze the trouble find out the roots of the trouble give proper suggestions keep in regular contact with feedback information

problems the father thinks about his son disobeys everything his parents ask him to do be rude to them refuses to spend time with them refuses to do his homework spends too much time watching DVDs, listening to foreign music, chatting in Internet cafes, playing games and surfing the Internet

problems the son thinks about his father doesn’t listen to him when he wants to do something or suggests an idea shouts at him when he tries to talk to him fights like crazy when he refuses to his father makes him do things he doesn’t like calls him selfish and unloving when he wants to be alone gets very angry when he plays foreign music sends him to bed or tell him to study when he watches a DVD forbids hem from meeting his friends at the Internet

Try to look at things from your son’s angle. If you trade your role with your son, I believe you will realize some of the problems you mentioned in your letter are easy to solve. Suggestions to the father Prepare to have a heart-to-heart talk with him. music are part of a young people’s life. You can’t stop him just because good communication will smooth the problems.Your son wants you to treat him as your equal while you act as a commander. That’s where all the problems come from.

Remember what your son needs is more than material comfort. You’d better not put too much pressure on your son. Be a good motivator. Try to encourage him to find himself, to build up self-confidence. Cut out harsh remarks when your son falls short of your expectation. Unconditional love is very important, because he is your son.

Dear Mr. Lin, Please rest assured that the problems between you and yours son are not at all serious. Your son has reached puberty. Normally at this stage, kids will become rebellious. They are fed up with parents’ overprotection. What they complain is understanding. If such kind of emotional need can’t be met, they will release their anger or do something irrational. I know it hurts when your son acts as if he doesn’t love you. However, you should let your imaginable worries go, because sometimes it’s perfectly normal for a 16-year-old boy to act wildly. I have a couple of suggestions for you:

Remember that it’s correct for a father to urge his son to study hard. Make your father believe you’ll be successful in life by doing what you like. Suggestions to the son Communicate with your father through letters if he happens to be short-tempered. Never attempt to change your father’s character and to be an ideal father. Come up to your dad and tell him how much you care about him. Try to be a docile kid at home no matter whether you are an outstanding student at school.

Dear liu wei, I’m not sure whether you have watched a movie about a mother exchanges her role with her daughter. Of course it’s fictitious. But the movie carries a very important message------generation gap won’t exist as long as kids try to understand their parents. Many parents regret not having realized their own dreams when they are younger, so they place their hopes to their children. As an only child in your family, I’m sure you can sense the pressure.

Today, what parents expect most from children is that they can have an excellent performance at school, for education, in most people’s eyes, is a must for a young man to rise in the society. But according to my understanding, education is more than getting a good job after graduating from a key university. It’s about finding oneself. It’s about how to live rather than how to survive because living is more difficult than mere survival. Maybe your father fails to appreciate your interest, your understanding on friends which are of particular importance in a grow-up’s life. That’s no big deal. What you can do is to win your dad over. You have to take strategies.