2010 spring - star magazine

8/6/2019 2010 Spring - Star Magazine

1/8

I s I v g I s h g g I s I s P R I g 2 0 1 0

www.international.unt.edu/iel i

Established in 1977,IELI is one of the

largest language

programs for learningacademic English in

the U.S.

IELI StudentsSpend a Day at theRanch /2, 3

A Letter to the UNTPresident/5 IELI Student Book

Reports /6,7

For the rst day of International Week, our class did something special. We started class 30 minutes early. We had a normal class

(with a vocabulary test) for an hour and 15 minutes. Then we went to the hallway and found lots of UNT students standing around. Each

of us got a ag to carry. Then everyone in the crowded hallway went outside in the sunshine. We walked around campus. People in the

front wore African clothes and played drums. Students were yelling their countrys name and singing songs loudly. We walked through

the Union. We ended the parade behind the Union and stood together with our ags. A few important people (president of UNT, mayor

of Denton) talked on the microphone. Then each student with a ag walked up to the microphone and said their name and the name of

the country of the ag they carried. All of us carried ags from other countries. It was exciting and really fun.

IELI Students Celebrate International WeekBy CM 0.1 and 0.2 class


2/82 II sR I sprin 2010

The Ranch TripBy CM 0.1 Class

We went to the ranch last Friday. Most students took the bus, but a few drove. We sang

songs from our countries on the bus. We also danced on the bus. Abdul sang and danced

beautifully.

We thought the ranch was big and there was a lot to see. It was nice to be in nature.Wedid a lot of things. We played soccer, volleyball, and basketball. We also threw eggs and

water balloons to our partners. We danced to Arabic music and played ping-pong inside.

We ate lunch with our classmates and our teacher. We saw the horses. Some of us played

volleyball together after lunch.

The weather was wonderful. Friday at the ranch was a great experience.

By CM 0.2 Class

Friday morning we came to UNT at 10:15 and met IELI students near our building. We

got on the bus and went to the ranch. After we arrived there, we looked around the ranch.

It was very beautiful and big. We played soccer, basketball, and volleyball. We saw horses

and took pictures. We ate pasta salad and beef for lunch. After lunch we went outside andwalked around. We played volleyball with our teacher and classmates. After that we played

with water balloons. Then we came home. We had no classes and we were together. It was

a great day.

Last Friday our class went to

Krogers with our teacher. Krogers is

a supermarket near UNT. We went

together in a white UNT van. The van

was okay, but a window was broken.

We listened to music on the radio, and

we danced in our seats. Our teacher

gave us a sheet of paper with lots and

lots of questions. We split into 3 groups. We walked around and looked

for the answers to the questions. Some of the questions were: How much

are the lemons? How much is a pound of ground meat? Who makes

canned corn, and how much is it? Some students asked questions to

the people that work there. There was not enough time to answer all the

questions, but we had a very nice time together. After we nished with our

activity, we took a picture outside Krogers. Muhannad says, It was a very

very, very, very good class!

Our Class Field Trip to Krogers

By CM 0.2

Intensive English Language Institute

1155 Union Circle #311067

Denton, TX 76203-5017

University of North Texas

Information Science Building, 211

307 S. Ave B

Denton, TX 76203

http://www.international.unt.edu/ieli

C

International

Week/1

Ranch Stories/2-3

Class Trip/2

New Foods/4

First Week in U.S./4

Letter to UNT/5

Our Classroom/5

Book Reports/6-7

Class Corner/8

Thank you to all the students, teachers, and staff who contributed

their time and talent to making of this semesters STAR.

The Intensive English Language Institue is a division of UNT-

International.

IELI STAR magazine is

a semesterly publication

showcasing IELI students

writing.


3/8www.international.unt.edu/ieli 3

II student spend a Day at te Ranc

By Yousi Alkooheji Saudi Arabia Level 2

My day at Circle R Ranch was great, and I did a lot of activities. First, in the morning, I woke up, and I went to the bus stop on

campus. I took a bus with other students to go to the ranch. After we arrived at the ranch, we saw a lot of horses and cows. Then I

walked around with my friends. We played basketball, and we had fun. After that, we went to eat, and the lunch was delicious. While

we were eating, someone was singing a song, and some students were dancing. Then I played soccer with my friends, and the game

was fun. The weather was nice, and we enjoyed it. I took some pictures with horses, and they were good pictures. I wished I could ride

the horse. Finally, I played poker with my friends, and it was my rst time to play poker. In conclusion, my day at Circle R Ranch was

fun and interesting. I hope I can go again.

Students and teachers in IELI went to Circle R Ranch to celebrate the beginning of the Spring 2

term. Students in Katie Carnahans Level 2 Writing class and Gillian Grants Pre-1 Communicationclass wrote about their experience.

By Zhang Wanlu (Willa) China Level 2

It was an interesting day at Circle R Ranch. On Friday morn-

ing, I took the school bus to the ranch with my friends. I met a

lot of my classmates from my communication class on the bus.

After we arrived, we walked around and enjoyed the scenery. It

was very green, so I felt comfortable while I was walking. Sud-

denly, one of my friends, Lola, found a swing, so we took turns

and played on the swing. It made me think of my childhood.

After that, we got into a big trailer. We saw many kinds of horses

clearly during that time because the driver did not go too quickly.

We waved to the people passing by as we sat in the trailer. Atlunch time, we selected some food and sat together to enjoy it.

The food and drinks were free, so we ate a lot and didnt worry

about money. After we nished our lunch, we did the maze.

Actually it was my rst time to do that game. When we entered

the maze, we got a small card which had the time on it. The only

thing we needed to do was nd all the letters of the word in the

maze. We were confused at the beginning, but we nally found

all the letters. Although it took us 18 minutes to nish it, we all

enjoyed the game. In short, I had a good time with my friends,

and we got to know each other better than before. Therefore, that

day was a lot of fun.

By Saud Alsulaiman Saudi Arabia Level 2

Circle R Ranch is an amazing place near Denton. I visited it

with my classmates, and we had a great time. First, we drove to

Circle R Ranch by car on Friday morning. The weather was nice.

While my friend was driving his car, we saw beautiful scenery.

For example, we saw a lot of beautiful farms and houses. Second,

when we reached the ranch, we saw a lot of students and a huge

ranch. It was very beautiful, and we felt happy there. Also, I

saw my old classmates, and I told them about some things at

the ranch. We spent a great time together. The ranch has a lot of

interesting things to do. For example, it has soccer elds, vol-leyball courts, and ping pong tables. We played a volleyball game

with my friends, and it was an amazing game. After we nished

games, we went to eat lunch. It was a great lunch. For example,

it had beef, macaroni, and a lot of delicious food. Also, we sat

in a huge dining room with great music. Then we went to walk

around the ranch, and we talked about a lot of things. In short,

Circle R Ranch is an amazing place near Denton. You can play

volleyball, soccer, and tennis. When you go there, you will feel

happy, and you will not forget that day.



I tried a new food in the U.S. It is called a pop tart. It is very

sweet. I didnt like it.

I think Americans would like to try a food from my country.

It is called dukbokki. It has (Korean) rice cake, sh cake, onion,

green onion, garlic, soy sauce, hot pepper paste, meat stock,

and carrots. It is very delicious.

I really miss eating kimbap. This is food from my country,

Korea. The ingredients are seaweed, yellow radish, sh cake,

spinach, carrots, sesame oil, sesame seeds, cucumber, and rice.

Sometimes I eat this every day.

Jungmi Jeong (JJ), Korea

I tried a new food in the U.S. It is called pizza. I didnt like

it. It is very salty.

I think Americans would like to try a food from Korea. It iscalled bulgogi. It is a very good food.

I really miss eating kimchi. This is a food from my country,

Korea. It has hot spices and cabbage. I usually eat this every

day.

Hwa Suk Che (Emmanuela), Korea

I tried new foods in the U.S. They are pizza and hamburgers.

They are very delicious. I liked them.

I think Americans would like to try a food from Saudi Ara-

bia. Its called kabsa. It has rice, meat, onion, and tomato in it.

Its delicious. I really miss eating kabsa. I usually eat this in

my friends apartment.

Ahmed Alssubaey, Saudi Arabia

I tried a new food in the U.S. It is called a cheese sandwich.

It is delicious. I liked it.

Fahad Alzmanan, Saudi Arabia

I tried a new food in the U.S. It is called a Baja Gordita from

Taco Bell. It is good food. I liked it. I think Americans would

like to try a food from Saudi Arabia. It is called shawarma sag.

It is similar to the Baja Gordita. It is good.

I really miss eating shawarma and falafel.

Mohammed Almnasi, Saudi Arabia

When people live in a new place, they usually feel homesick. They may have trouble nding their way around, learning new rules,

or making new friends. Every day may seem like a new adventure to them even if nothing extraordinary actually happens. In my case,

however, the rst week in the USA brought some interesting experiences. After all, how many of you have had a car accident and

gotten to ride in a police car in your rst days in America?

Here is the story:

One night my uncle, his wife, my brother, and I visited some friends of my uncle and ate dinner with them.On

the way home, while we were driving at the trafc light, someone crossed it, and we hit his car. That happened

quickly. My brother and I were sitting in the back seats. My brother hurt his chest, and I hurt my right foot and

my shoulders. In the front seats my uncle and his wife bumped their heads. I opened the door and got out of thecar to see the driver in the other car. When he saw me, he said, Are you okay? I said, Yes, we are ne. Some-

one called 911. After a few minutes the police car, the ambulance, and the re-engine were there. They came to

us, and asked us some questions. My brother and I didnt know how to speak English at that time, so my uncle

translated the questions for us. My brother and I said we were okay, but we werent. After that my uncle and his

wife went to the hospital in the ambulance. At that time we had no car, no place to go, and no one could come

to get us that late at night, so the policeman looked at us and said, Come with me, and Ill drive you into the

hospital. We went to the hospital in the police car! We rode in the back seat. Actually, the police car in the movies is better than the

police car we rode in. The seats were made of plastic, and they were very hard. However, the policeman was nice to us, and he gave

as a ride. When we came to the hospital, he asked us if we needed anything else. We thanked him for his service, after that we called

my uncle, and we went to him. We spent almost three hours in hospital. Thank God no one got seriously injured, but it was a really

bad thing during my rst week in the USA.

My First Week in the United StatesBy Abdullah Almadhlouh Saudi Arabia Level 3

New Country, New FoodStudents in Laura Rios Level 1 Communication class wrote about the new foods they have tried in

the U.S. and the foods they miss from home.



Table Tennis is one of themost popular sports inthe world. On an international

level, table tennis surpasses

any American sport in terms of

number of players. It is played

more than any other sport in

very densely populated, emerg-

ing world powers such as Ja-

pan, China, and even Saudi

Arabia. This fact, and also the

notion that the sport is growing

rapidly in popularity here in the

United States, especially Texas,

where the best college-level

teams are located, brings me to

the point that this sport should

be more highly regarded by oursociety. In this large, culturally

diverse country that we live in,

we should take every measure

we can to integrate internation-

al cultures and customs because

not only can these things help

us understand our newly assim-

ilated citizens, but they can also

create camaraderie between the

numerous different cultures

that inhabit our daily lives. This

idea is extremely pertinent to

the UNT campus because of thelarge amount of international

students and areas of study that

are associated with this cam-

pus. As we move forward in our

quest to understand the rest of

the world on a deeply personal

level, table tennis could be one

of the greatest tools we have as

a common ground.

Personally, I have used table

tennis as a great way to help

with my continually-improv-

ing English language skills.

The sport has helped me meet

many of my American friends,

and those friends, in turn,

have helped me understand

the American culture in a way

that I could never understand

just sitting in a classroom. With

some of these friends, I had the

idea to start a Table Tennis Club

here at UNT because I feel that

everyone should have the op-

portunity to come together in asafe, comfortable environment

and experience this great sport.

With the help of one friend in

particular, Jon Savage, this idea

for a club came to life, which is

the rst step in our dream.

In the few months that the

Table Tennis Club has been

operating, a couple of us have

competed in some United States

Association of Table Tennis

(USATT) sanctioned tourna-

ments. In the three tournamentsthat members of our club have

played in, we have yet to place

lower than third in an event.

In addition to the experienced

players we have entering these

tournaments, our club also has

many beginner-level players,

who are getting better and bet-

ter every day. For this reason,

we are asking the administra-

tion of this university to take

notice of this emerging sport

and its players and help us es-

tablish a more formal and pro-

fessional organization. With

your help, we could work to get

better facilities and equipment,

thus enabling us to create a bet-

ter team that will continue to

represent UNT in a great way as

we continue to work and play

for many years to come.

If we could be allowed this

opportunity, we could surely

show this university and itsadministrators how their mon-

etary and bureaucratic efforts

on sport clubs like ours are not

going to waste. We are current-

ly working on becoming a part

of the National Collegiate Table

Tennis Association (NCTTA).

If accepted into this organi-

zation, we could compete in

national championship tourna-

ments, much like UNTs other

athletic organizations, such

as the basketball or footballteams. We could even begin

to host tournaments here at the

university, bringing in all dif-

ferent schools and the cultures

that they encompass with them.

If our resources could be

expanded, even just a little bit,

then our experienced player

could display their skill and

help raise even the most inex

perienced players to a level a

which they could compete na

tionally. This is our ultimate

goal. We would like to show

our spirit and support of thi

great university through ou

specic abilities which, in thicase, happen to be Table Ten

nis.

Lastly we would like to say

that we certainly appreciate al

the funding and help already al

located to the UNT sport clubs

and that we understand there i

a cost/benet aspect to these

allocations, so we understand

your position, but we just wan

to represent our school as bes

we can. We also would like to

thank Kristen Kershaw, a teacher in the IELI program and ou

faculty sponsor, and also Billy

Matthew, the Associate Direc

tor of Sport Clubs at UNT, be

cause both of these people have

done so much to make this club

come to life.

Our classroom is kind of a small room. How we can move

our desks to make up discussion groups in class is a problem that

gives our teacher a headache. Two pictures give some suggestions

that we talked about. One is that we can put our desks in three

lines. We have 8 students with 4 boys and 4 girls; each side line

that is located against the walls can have 3 desks; in the middle

line, we just need to put 2 desks so that there is a place where

our teacher can stand. We can make two three-person groups and

one two-person small groups. We can also change the groups

arrangement so that the numbers in each group are different. In

this way, we dont need to move a lot. Every time we organize

a group, we just make a little change; then we can talk. Its very

simple and convenient.

Reconsider able ennis: A Letter to the U President

By Mohammed Alsadah Saudi Arabia Level 6

Our Classroom

By Feng Xue (Sarah) China Level 5



Students in Gillian Grants Spring 1 2010 Level 5 Communication

classes all chose a book to read for fun. Here are their thoughts on

the books they read.

I read a book called Great Expectations recently. It was written by Charles Dickens who is one of the

most famous English writers. He wrote lots of wonderful novels, and this book is one of his famous ones,

along with Oliver Twist,David Coppereld, and The Pickwick Papers.

Great Expectations was divided into three parts.

Young Pip, who was the chief character in the book, was raised up by his rude sister because he lost

his parents. He and his honest brother-in-law were always beaten by his sister. One day, young Pip came

across an outlaw, and this outlaw browbeat him to steal food and tools for him. Pip had to do this for him,

but he saw the outlaw was caught by policemen when he was ghting with another prisoner who also es-

caped from the prison. Later, an old rich woman chose Pip to accompany her. The old woman had a vicious

plan concerning the game of love. Poor Pip had to bear her daughters humiliation and her mockery every day. Because of this,

Pip decided to be a smart guy in order to let the old womans beautiful daughter love him. However, he had to be an ironsmith

because he could not overstep his destiny. One day, a lawyer came to tell him that a mysterious man was going to give him his

heritage. He had to go to London to educate himself. Young Pip was very happy because he thought he had a great expectation

for his life in London.

He arrived in London, and he loved the life in London. He gained lots of experiences which helped him chase the beau-

tiful daughter of that old woman. He nally discovered who the mystery man was. The man was the outlaw who was helped by

Pip. He told Pip all the truth about all the stories which Pip had wondered about.

The story continued.

The beautiful daughter married a member of the gentry. The outlaw was caught by policemen again, so Pip lost all of the

money which came from the outlaw. He went abroad to escape, and he worked there to take care of himself. Finally, he came

back to the countryside as a common person, and he met the beautiful daughter once again.

This story reveals to us the sociological fact that evil men utilize the law to be criminals, and people who are inexperi-

enced are the victims.

Great Expectations by Carle DickenBy Zhang Xun (Sandy) China

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen described the two different personalities a pair of sisters had

and showed how they expressed their feelings in different ways. In addition, it described other people

who had different personalities and how they got along with each other. The author did not use very

difcult words, but she leads us to see there were a lot of meaningful interactions between characters.

The story is close to our real lives. It also helps us to be more introspective as we think of our own

lives.

Actually, I did not like the book at the rst, for the book contained so many characters in the story.However, I was more interested in the story when I read more. I often think how people express their

feelings in appropriate ways. Although we have different personalities and sometimes we want to

express our feelings freely, we are afraid that other people will feel angry or reject us. Therefore, we

often hide our real feelings. It sometimes inhibits us to get along with other people. Furthermore, we

may often have a lot of regret in our lives. I admire Marianne who showed her love bravely even though she sometimes could

not control her thinking. I also appreciate that Elinor was calm in all situations although sometimes she liked to hide her mind.

I recommend this book; I also learned a lot from this story. I do not think it as just a story. It reects our lives truly!

Sense and Sensibility by Jane utenBy Liao Shou-en (Joanne) Taiwan



This book,Persuasion, by Jane Austen, is a womans love story. However, this book doesnt only deal

with a love story. I think that we would rather focus on the change of a womans consciousness than the

love between male and female. A woman named Anne loved Wentworth. However, she had to give him

up because of other peoples opposition. It means that she was merely being a passive woman. After eight

years, she realized that she still loved him very much. In other words, although she ended the relationship

with him, it was not the right decision. In the end, Anne changed her attitude to experience love with him.

Even though there was still other peoples strong opposition, their relationship came to maturity and be-

came strong. Finally, Anne married Wentworth. Like this, that she expresses her feeling actively is to say

she had a change of consciousness. It is necessary to see that she is not a passive woman any more but an

active person. Clearly, the writer might have wanted to tell us this point, not just show a simple love story.

Persuasion by Jane utenBy Junghun Lee (Jonathan) Korea

I have read some of Shakespeares plays, and I like comedies; however, I did not have many chances to

read his comedies. So when I saw this book, I was immediately attracted and started to read it with inter-

est. It is one of the famous plays written by William Shakespeare. He wrote many plays, and it is one of his

romantic comedies. The story is about a poor young Venetian man who has trouble with money, and how he

and his friends solve the problem.

It was interesting to read and predict the story before reading each night because I could think about the

characters mind and imagine myself in the situation. It helped me understand the story better and enjoy it more. In addition, the

book is written in the style of a play, and this also assisted me to follow the story and imagine the actual play. I am really thankful

for Ms. Grant for offering this opportunity, and I strongly recommend this book for everyone.

The Merchant of Venice by William sakepeareBy Shin Jung-Won (Joanne) Korea

Before reading this book, I watched a movie also named Little Women. I like the four lovely girls be-cause they were condent, helpful, and brave. The story began on Christmas Day. While their father left home

to go to the army, the mother stayed at home with their four daughters: Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy. Winter was

so cold, and the four sisters did not have new clothing. However, they spent their own money buying presents

for their mother. This is the beginning of the story, and I was moved.

I like Jo because she always understood others and never gave up her dream. Jo wished to become a writer.

Therefore, she stayed up late writing the script for soap operas every night.

I like Meg because of her lady style. She was also a brave girl. True love was important for her. Compared

with love, money was nothing to her. I like Beth. She was a quiet girl, and she was never scared of any thing.

She always considered the feelings of others.I like Amy for her fortitude. She liked to help the poor people.

According to these girls, family was most important. They showed how their parents were most important to them.I learnt how

to be a strong person and try to understand others from the four sisters. The book inspired me. I will be a person who is helpful

and always keep a pure heart.

Little Women by ouia May lcottBy Jing Jing China

The Scarlet Letter is mainly about a woman who accepts accusations of religious sins to protect her

lover. She had to wear clothes on which there is a red A sewed on top at all times. This red A repre-

sented a religious sin to her. Although she had a difcult time making a living at that time, she still kept

her secret. In the end, her lover, a young priest, told the truth in public. After that, people started to admire

her, and she began to have a happy life with her daughter.

The woman in the story is a great woman. She can tolerate peoples negative bias in order to protect her

lover. She is a representation which people can look to for inspiration with real love. Also, she is someone we can all admire.

The Scarlett Letter by ataniel hawtorneBy Ju Bo China



First, our classmate is Geon-

Oh. He is from Korea. His home

town is Bucheon. There is a big

shopping mall. He has three

people in his family. His mother

is a house wife. His father is a

soldier. He is single. He lives

with his parents. Second, he is

a student. He studies English.He wants to be engineer. Third,

his hobbies are computer game

and sleeping. He likes animals.

He has two dogs. The dogs

names are Happy and Pomi.

His favorite food is Kimchi.

In conclusion, our classmate is

good friend.

This is our classmate. He

is very smart. His name is

Ahmed. He is from Dammam

in K.S.A. He is single. He lives

with his family in house. He is

student of UNT. He likes video

game, chatting, and ride horses.

He likes animals and he has

rabbits. He is good cook. Forexample, he can make Kabsa,

Mhmos, and many local food.

His favorite food is Om-Ali,

its sweet rice. In short, our

classmate is good student.

This is our classmate, J.J. she

is very nice. First, she is from

Daegu in Korea. It has many

parks and many mountains, so

it has beautiful scenery. She

lives with her family. She has

two children and her husband

She is married, her husband

business is operation runninconstruction company, and

children are students. Second

she works in a beauty salon in

her country. She is a student in

America. She learns English

She wants a bigger beauty

salon. Her hobbies are reading

and working out. She doesn

like animals. She has a dog. It

Jinsol. Her favorite food i

watermelon. In conclusion, she

is very interesting.

IELI students come rom diferent countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Some need to y only a ew hours to land in Texas, some, an entire day. Susan

Carnells Pre-1 classes wanted to learn more about each other. Here are the interviews and stories they wrote together about their classmates.

{CLACORR}by Writing 0.1 and 0.2 classes

Ahmed saudi rabia J.J. KoreaThis is our classmate, Yahya.

First, our classmate is from

Nagran. His city is very nice.

There are 12 people in his

family. His father is business

man. His mother is a house

wife. Our classmate is single.

Second, he is a student in UNT.

He wants to be an engineer.Third, his hobbies are writing,

playing soccer, and horse races.

His favorite food is kabsa. In

short, our classmate is a nice

person.

Yahya saudi rabiaGeon-Oh Korea

This is our classmate. Our

classmate is very friendly.

First, his name is Ibra. His

hometown is Riyadh. He is

from Kingdom of Saudi Ari-

abia. His city is interesting, it

has many farms. He lives with

his family. He has 8 siblings.

He is single. Second, he is a

student. He is study English

and he will study business. He

learn English. Third, his hob-

bies is play soccer. His doesnt

a pet. His favorite food is

Kabsah. Our classmate is very

kind.

Muhannad is very nice.

First his hometown is Makkah.

He is from Kingdom of Saudi

Arabia. In his city there is

Al-Kaaba. It is very interesting

place. There are 8 people in

his family. He has three broth-

ers and three sisters. His father

is an engineer. He is single. He

lives with his family. Second,

he is a student. He studies

English at IELI. His job will

be businessman. Third, he

has three hobbies. His hob-

bies are swimming, playing

football, and playing soccer.

He doesnt have any pets, but

he like birds. His favorite food

is seafood, Arabic food, and

Chinese food. In short, our

classmate is interesting.

Ibra saudi rabia

Braa saudi rabia

This is our classmate. Our

classmate is very friendly.

His name is B. His hometown

is Yanbu. He is from Saudi

Arabia. He is single. He lives

with his family. He lives in

a house. He is a student. He

study at college. His hobby

is soccer. He doesnt like ani-

mals. He doesnt have a pet.He can cook. His favorite food

is pizza. Our classmate is nice

friend.

Writin 0.1 cla, aboe

Writin 0.2 cla, below

Muhannad saudi rabia

2010 spring - star magazine

Documents