3 Common Causes of Stretch Marks

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We all know that it is common for pregnant women to get stretch marks on their stomach, but there are many other reasons why a person may get stretch marks on various parts of the body such as the thighs or upper arms. Learn more about some common causes of stretch marks as you read […]

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Teaching the “f” sound

Does your child find the “f” sound hard?  Now let’s be clear, we are talking about the sound ‘ffff’ not any rude words! This is the second in our series of posts about making specific speech sounds.  You can read the first post about teaching the “k” sound here.

When should a child be able to say the “f” and “v” sounds?

These sounds are known as fricatives meaning they are made with a long stream of air.  It is normal for a younger child to mispronounce these sounds.  The normal error is for the “f” to become a “p”, so fish becomes pish.  The “v” sound normally becomes a “b” so van becomes ban.  This process is known as stopping – the child is taking the long sound and making it short, or stopping it.

The “f” sound is normally correct and being used before the “v” sound.  We would expect the “f” to be in place by around 4 years of age and the “v” a little later, by 5 years old.  For more information about when a child should say specific sounds, read this post.

When should I be concerned?

If you are concerned about your child’s speech, always consult a qualified speech and language therapist.  However, here are some factors as well as age that might affect whether a child needs therapy or not:-

• What error they are making?  If the child is replacing the “f” with a “p” or “b” as discussed above, then I would be less concerned.  If however they are replacing the “f” with a “k” this would be a more unusual pattern and may need some direct help.
• Are they using the sound in any words?  Have you heard the “f” at all?  Do they sometimes say it correctly at the end of a word?  Or in the middle?  As with the “k”, the “f” can sometimes come in the blends first, so you might notice the child saying friend or frog correctly first.  If they are starting to use the sound, it may well be starting to develop on its own.
• Is it just this sound that your child finds hard or are there others as well?  Does it make your child hard to understand?

How is a “f” or “v” sound produced?

The “f” sound is produced when you make a contact between your bottom lip and top teeth and blow air through your mouth.  This is tricky!  You need your lip and teeth to touch, but still need enough space for the air to get through and make the sound.  Try it yourself now.  The “v” is made in exactly the same way, but your voice box is ‘turned on’ meaning your vocal cords are vibrating.

When the child makes the “p” instead, they are making a short popping sound with their lips, instead of letting the air flow through.

How can I teach a child to say these sounds?

Firstly, a brief warning.  We are going to share some ideas with you about helping your child make these sounds.  Some children will be able to copy the sounds quickly with just a little bit of help.  Other children will need more time and repetition.  If you are waiting for a speech therapy assessment, you can help by working on their listening skills first. You can find out more about that here and here.

If your child becomes good at these skills quickly, then you can try some of the below strategies.  Only try a few sessions for a couple of minutes.  If the child finds producing the “f” sound hard, please stop and try again in a few months’ time or wait and speak to your speech therapist.  It is really important not to keep practising the sound incorrectly or make your child self conscious about the way they speak.  Remember to keep any practice relaxed and fun.

When teaching a new sound, use as many different cues or ways to help as you can.  You can find out about cueing here.  Give them instructions telling them what you want them to do, show them, use pictures to represent the sound and use gesture as well.

• The “f” is made with a slight contact between the lip and teeth.  However to make it easier for children we ask them to “bite their lip” (gently!) or “tuck their lip in” and blow.
• If the child is finding it hard to tuck their lip in, look in the mirror together and show them.  Exaggerate the movement and show the child that you are really tucking in your bottom lip behind your top teeth.
• If they are finding coordinating the movement and blowing, you could start with blowing bubbles or blowing onto your hand so they feel the sensation of air coming through their mouth.
• Some children are helped by putting a finger on their bottom lip as it helps make the contact between lips and teeth.  This is also the sign used in cued articulation – a way of visually representing speech sounds.  You can read more about that here.

Once your child can consistently make the sound on its own, it is time to try and use it in words.  There is more about the process of speech sound therapy here or you could check out our online course which has lots more information and videos of use explaining how to make the sounds, handouts and practical activities to complete.

Once your child is ready to practise words, do look at our pack of photo picture cards for the f sound.  You can find them in our shop.

 

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FCE Writing: Essay – How to Write an Essay

As you probably know already, Cambridge English exams usually have some or all of the following parts: Reading, Writing, Use of English and Listening. In this post I am going to talk about the FCE Writing part and, more specifically, about how to write an essay for FCE.

What are the parts of the FCE Writing?

The First (FCE) Writing has only two parts. For each part, you must write a composition which will depend on the instructions you receive for each task. For the first part, you will always be asked to write an essay, as it is the only option provided. However, in the second part, they allow you to choose one out of 3 options. These include different types of writing, which are: letters/emails, articles, reviews and reports. Each piece of writing must have between 140 and 190 words, approximately.

Since they are different types of writing, the language and structures to use will also differ. But that’s what I’m here for, to explain to you exactly how to write each part. And today, I’m starting with how to write an essay.

How to Write an Essay for FCE Writing

An essay is an opinion writing with which we analyse a topic, a situation or an issue from different points of view, providing different arguments and expressing our opinion about it. For this reason, an essay must have the following features:

• Purpose: What we usually do with an essay is to analyse and assess a topic, situation or issue which, in some way, is interesting or controversial. It is normally set as a writing task after a class debate. In the exam, you have to imagine the debate, obviously.
• Tone and style: Given that you’re writing about a serious or controversial issue, an essay is written in a formal style, so we must stick to an objective tone and style. Our language must be formal, thus avoiding words that are simply too common or generic (E.g.: things, stuff, get, etc.) and contractions (E.g.: can’t, don’t, won’t, etc.).
• Structure: Like every piece of writing, an essay must present a defined structure. For starters, we can choose either to give it a title or not. Personally, I would say that it is more appropriate to have an essay with title. Then, the body must be divided into introduction, idea 1, idea 2, idea 3 and conclusion. This means that, in general, essays must have 5 paragraphs, although it is not entirely necessary.
• Opinion: There are countless ways of expressing your opinion in an essay, so you must choose the one that suits you best. However, it is advisable to remain impartial throughout your writing and give your opinion only in the last paragraph, as a conclusion. But, as I say, it is optional. The most important thing is that you justify everything you say in your essay.
• Coherence: Coherence is essential in every type of writing, but especially in an essay. As it tends to be an argumentative text, you must avoid writing incoherent paragraphs that have nothing to do with one another. Your ideas must follow a logical order and be well connected with appropriate linkers.

FCE Writing Essay Example

Now that we are familiar with the characteristics of an essay for First (FCE) Writing, let’s take a look at an example of an essay at B2 level, both at the task and at a sample answer.

Instructions of an Essay

In the following image you can see the instructions of an essay which involves a typical topic, that of the environment:

In these instructions, we must pay attention to the following:

• The first paragraph introduces the topic: …different ways in which you can protect the environment.
• The second sentence is usually the same in every task: Write an essay using all the notes…
• In the box, you are given the main topic as a question and they give you something to talk about: recycle, using bicycles and walking, your own idea. As you can see, you have to come up with the third idea, something connected to the topic which is not provided in the exam task.

Sample Answer

Given the model task above, each paragraph will correspond to a different idea, apart from the introduction and conclusion. Again, it is only natural to have 5 paragraphs. Here you have an example of an essay for FCE Writing:

At first sight, the essay has a title and 5 paragraphs (introduction + idea 1 + idea 2 + idea 3 + conclusion). And if we stop to read the essay more carefully, we’ll notice the following things:

• The paragraphs are visual and well defined, which is very important.
• The title summarises the topic of the essay. Another option is to use the question (What can people do to help protect the environment?) as title. However, it usually tends to be too long, so I prefer to summarise it into a shorter heading.
• Each paragraph has a clear purpose:
  • Introduction: it introduces the topic in a general way and it leads to the second paragraph (first idea).
  • Paragraph 2: it deals with idea 1.
  • Paragraph 3: it deals with idea 2.
  • Paragraph 4: it deals with idea 3.
  • Conclusion: we express our opinion to conclude and summarise the essay.
• It uses connectors to define the development of the essay: firstly, second, finally, etc.
• It doesn’t use many contractions or pet words.
• Among the useful expressions, we can highlight the following:
  • One of the things that
  • In the last few decades,
  • For this reason,
  • First, / Second, / Third,
  • Finally,
  • By doing so,
  • For example,
  • In conclusion,

This is a good example of an essay for FCE Writing. By the way, you must bear in mind that it has been written to simulate a strong B2 level, without reaching C1.

Typical question: Do I get penalised for writing over 190 words?

This is the most typical question in this part of the exam and the answer is “yes and no“. Let me explain myself. Cambridge English examiners don’t count the number of words and penalise you based upon that fact alone. There’s a rumour going around among teachers and pupils that says that for every 10 words over 190, they take “this many” points off, but it is not true. However, think about this: if you’ve written 50 or 100 words more than asked, you are probably including irrelevant information to the task, right? Now that’s a reason for losing points. In the same way that if you write under 140 words you are probably missing essential information, don’t you think?

For this reason, I always recommend writing up to 10 or 20 words over the limit. In this way, you won’t lose any points for including irrelevant information.

FCE Writing Guide with examples (pdf)

Although I intend to write more posts on how to do each piece of writing for FCE, if you don’t want to wait any more, simply download the official KSE Academy FCE Writing Guide. In this guide you will learn:

• How to write an essay and 3 examples.
• How to write an article and 3 examples.
• How to write a review and 3 examples.
• How to write a report and 3 examples.
• How to write an email or letter and 3 examples.
• Over 300 useful expressions for every FCE Writing.

Would you like to see a sample of this guide? Here it is!

In order to download this complete FCE Writing guide, simply share this article using one of the buttons above. When you’ve done so, the box will disappear and you will see the link to download this FCE Writing guide in pdf format.

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Étoile by Millennium – Availability, Plans, Pricing

At a Glance

• 26- & 32-storey residential buildings
• 390 x 1- to 3-bedroom condos
• 8 work/live townhouses
• heated rooftop pool
• fitness centre
• close to Brentwood Town Centre shopping
• near BCIT & SFU
• walking distance to Skytrain

Where Elegance Resides

Étoile is a premium collection of 398 new Burnaby residences situated in rapidly-developing Brentwood Town Centre. Two slender towers provide one- to three-bedroom condominiums and townhomes that will feature spacious floorplans and large balconies, extending your living space outdoors for you to enjoy spectacular panoramic views.

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Étoile is ideally located just a short drive away from the numerous shops, services, and restaurants surrounding the intersection of Willingdon and Lougheed Highway, making it easy to take care of day-to-day necessities. Holdom Skytrain station is a mere five-minute walk away, providing convenient access to Vancouver, the Tri-Cities, and New Westminster. For outdoor activities you needn’t venture far. Burnaby Lake Regional Park features 19 kilometres of walking trails, rowing, kayaking, archery, tennis, and an equestrian centre.

Pricing for Étoile
For interested buyers, contact me for details.

Floor Plans for Étoile
This project is currently in pre-construction. A variety of open floor plans will be available with the following unit mix:

• 196 x 1-bedroom condos from 574-584 sq ft
• 182 x 2-bedroom + den condos from 821-1,247 sq ft
• 12 x 3-bedroom condos from 1,031-1,036 sq ft
• 8 x 3-bedroom + work area townhomes

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Étoile Interiors
Each home features 9′ ceilings, central air-conditioning, unobstructed panoramic mountain views, and large balconies. Every detail has been thoughtfully designed to create the most livable floorplans, with nearly every unit being a corner unit.

Amenities at Étoile
A grand porte cochère and spacious lobby offer an impressive welcome to your home, or you can choose to entertain guests in the ground floor lounge. A heated rooftop swimming pool means you can warm down from a workout in the fitness room throughout the year. The landscaped podium deck also includes a children’s play zone, barbeque area, seating, and garden plots.

Parking and Storage
Étoile will offer 459 vehicle parking spaces on four levels — one underground and three above ground — 44 of which will have electric vehicle charging stations, 39 will be for visitors, and five will be accessible parking stalls. There will also be four car share vehicles, 797 secured bicycle stalls, 92 visitor bicycle spaces, a 4-station bicycle repair/maintenance area, bike trailer storage, and 2 residential loading bays.

Maintenance Fees at Étoile
Will be included with pricing information.

Developer Team for Étoile
Millennium Development Group is an award-winning, Vancouver-based real estate developer and master-planned community builder. They strive to create legacies through thoughtful design and high-quality construction that complements the natural beauty of the West Coast landscape. Millennium’s projects include mixed-use complexes, residential towers, shopping malls, office buildings, and industrial centres representing approximately $6 billion built or under development in Canada and abroad. Notable projects include the Olympic Village, City in the Park, One Madison Avenue, Bristol at UBC, and One University Crescent at SFU.

Chris Dikeakos Architects is a Burnaby-based architectural firm with a strong reputation for multi-unit and highrise residential design. Their work ranges from concept and design development to construction drawings and site services, site capacity studies, master planning, urban design, and rezoning. Projects include the tallest residential highrise in San Diego, the tallest pure residential highrise in Los Angeles, and Solo District and Station Square in Burnaby.

CHIL Interior Design is the hospitality studio of B+H, a global leader in interior design, architecture, and planning & landscape. CHIL’s award-winning portfolio spans Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America for brands such as Shangri-La, Hilton, Fairmont, Marriott, and Four Seasons. Originally founded in 1974, CHIL leverages global resources to produce designs that are guided by their clients’ vision and goals. Each client’s story is translated into a physical space. Deep research and an understanding of current and future trends result in spaces that improve the way people live, work, play, relax, and heal.

Expected Completion for Étoile
2020.

Are you interested in learning more about other condos in Brentwood, Highgate, Lougheed, or Metrotown?

Check out these great Burnaby Properties!

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The Domestic Production Activities Deduction; An Often Overlooked Deduction for Manufacturers, Construction, Architects, Engineers, and other Domestic Producers

This deduction began in 2005, and is available for all businesses large or small. It provides tax relief for domestic producers to keep jobs in the US rather than shipping them overseas. The deduction applies to almost any business that … Continue reading →

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Why a national real estate crash isn’t in the cards

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FCE Writing: Essay – Cómo escribir un Essay

Los exámenes de Cambridge English suelen tener varias partes: Reading, Writing, Use of English, Speaking y Listening. En este post te voy a hablar del Writing del FCE y, más concretamente sobre cómo escribir un essay para el FCE de Cambridge English.

¿Qué partes tiene el FCE Writing?

El Writing del First (FCE) tiene dos partes únicamente. Para cada parte tienes que hacer una composición escrita que dependerá de las instrucciones de cada ejercicio. En la primera parte siempre se te pedirá que escribas un essay (ensayo), ya que únicamente se te da una opción. En la segunda parte te dan 3 opciones entre las que puedes elegir. De entre éstas, los tipos de writing que aparecen son letters/emails (cartas o emails), articles (artículos), reviews (reseñas) y reports (informes). Cada writing debe tener entre 140 y 190 palabras, aproximadamente.

Al tratarse de diferentes tipos de Writings, las expresiones y estructuras que utilizarás serán diferentes. Pero para eso estoy yo aquí, para explicarte cómo escribir cada uno, y hoy empezamos con cómo escribir un essay.

Cómo escribir un Essay para el FCE Writing

Un essay, en español “ensayo”, es un escrito de opinión con el que analizamos un tema, una situación o un problema desde diferentes puntos de vista, argumentando cada uno de ellos y expresando nuestra opinión al respecto. Por este motivo, un essay tiene las siguientes características:

• Próposito: Con un essay lo que hacemos es valuar un tema, situación o problema que sea, de algún modo, de interés o controvertido. Normalmente se plantea como una actividad a realizar después de un debate que ha tenido lugar en clase. En el examen, evidentemente, el debate te lo tendrás que imaginar.
• Tono y registro: Al tratarse de un writing sobre un tema serio o controvertido, el essay es un escrito formal, por lo que debemos utilizar un tono objetivo. Además, el registro lingüístico deberá ser formal, evitando palabras comunes (Ej.: things, stuff, get, etc.) y contracciones (Ej.: can’t, don’t, won’t, etc.).
• Estructura: Como todos los escritos, un essay debe tener una estructura definida. Para empezar, podemos elegir darle un título o no. Personalmente, a mí me parece más adecuado escribir un essay con título. Luego, el cuerpo debe estar dividido en introducción, idea 1, idea 2, idea 3 y conclusión. Es decir, por lo general, un essay debe tener 5 párrafos, aunque no es obligatorio.
• Opinión: Existen incontables formas de expresar tu opinión en un essay, por lo que debes elegir la que mejor se ajuste a tu estilo. Sin embargo, lo normal es mantenerte imparcial durante todo el escrito y expresar tu opinión únicamente en el último párrafo, a modo de conclusión. Lo más importante es que justifiques todo lo que dices en el escrito.
• Coherencia: La coherencia es fundamental en todos los escritos, pero especialmente en el essay. Al tratarse de un texto justificativo y argumentativo, no se pueden escribir oraciones y párrafos inconexos, por lo que tus ideas deben seguir un orden lógico y bien conectado utilizando connectores apropiados.

Ejemplo de FCE Writing Essay

Ahora que sabemos las características de un essay para el First (FCE) Writing, vamos a ver un ejemplo de essay a nivel B2, tanto la tarea de ejemplo como una posible respuesta.

Instrucciones de un Essay

En la siguiente imagen puedes ver las instrucciones de un essay con un tema muy recurrente, como es el del medio ambiente:

En las instrucciones debemos fijarnos en lo siguiente:

• En el primer párrafo nos introducen la temática: …different ways in which you can protect the environment.
• La segunda frase suele ser la misma en todas las tareas: Write an essay using all the notes…
• En el recuadro te plantean la idea principal en forma de pregunta y te dan anotaciones sobre lo que tienes que hablar: recycle, using bicycles and walking, your own idea. Como ves, la tercera idea ha de ser de cosecha propia, es decir, te la tienes que inventar tú y debe ser algo relacionado con la misma temática.

Respuesta de ejemplo

Según el modelo de tarea planteado arriba, cada párrafo corresponderá a una idea diferente, aparte de la introducción y la conclusión. Es decir, lo normal es que nos salgan 5 párrafos. A continuación tienes un ejemplo de essay para FCE Writing:

Como puedes observar a simple vista, el essay tiene un título introductorio y 5 párrafos (introducción + idea 1 + idea 2 + idea 3 + conclusión). Si nos paramos a leer el essay detenidamente, veremos lo siguiente:

• El essay tiene párrafos bien definidos visualmente, lo cual es muy importante.
• El título resume la temática del essay. Otra opción es utilizar la pregunta de las instrucciones (What can people do to help protect the environment?). Sin embargo, a mí me suele parecer demasiado larga, por lo que prefiero resumirla en un título más corto.
• Cada párrafo tiene un propósito muy claro:
  • Introducción: introduce el tema de una manera general y da pie a continuar con el segundo párrafo.
  • Párrafo 2: trata la idea 1 de la tarea.
  • Párrafo 3: trata la idea 2 de la tarea.
  • Párrafo 4: trata la idea 3 de la tarea (your own idea).
  • Conclusión: expresa nuestra opinión a modo de conclusión y resumen.
• Utiliza conectores para definir la progresión del texto: firstly, second, finally, etc.
• No utiliza muchas contracciones ni palabras comodín.
• Entre las expresiones útiles que podemos destacar, se encuentran las siguientes:
  • One of the things that
  • In the last few decades,
  • For this reason,
  • First, / Second, / Third,
  • Finally,
  • By doing so,
  • For example,
  • In conclusion,

Se trata de un buen ejemplo de essay para el FCE Writing. Hay que tener en cuenta, además, que este writing está escrito para simular un nivel B2 fuerte, sin llegar a un nivel C1.

Típica pregunta: ¿Me penalizan si me paso de las 190 palabras?

Esta es la pregunta más típica en esta parte del examen y la respuesta es la siguiente: sí y no. Me explico. Los correctores no cuentan las palabras y te penalizan en función del número de palabras sola y exclusivamente. Corre el rumor entre los alumnos y profesores de que por cada 10 palabras te quitan puntos, pero eso no es cierto. Ahora bien, piensa que si te has pasado en 50 o 100 palabras, o más, probablemente estés metiendo información poco relevante a la tarea, y eso sí que es penalizable. Del mismo modo que si escribes menos de 140 probablemente te falte información importante o no la estés cubriendo con el detalle que se te pide.

Por ello, yo siempre recomiendo pasarse como mucho 10 o 20 palabras. De ese modo no vas a perderás puntos si la tarea cubre los puntos que se te piden.

Guía para el FCE Writing con ejemplos

Aunque voy a publicar más artículos explicando cómo hacer cada tipo de writing, si no quieres esperar puedes descargarte la guía oficial de KSE Academy para el Writing del FCE. En esta guía encontrarás lo siguiente:

• Cómo escribir un essay (ensayo) y 3 ejemplos
• Como escribir un article (artículo) y 3 ejemplos
• Cómo escribir una review (reseña) y 3 ejemplos
• Como escribir un report (informe) y 3 ejemplos
• Cómo escribir un email o letter (carta) y 3 ejemplos
• Más de 300 expresiones útiles los Writing del FCE

¿Quieres ver un extracto? Aquí lo tienes.

Para descargar la guía del FCE Writing completa, simplemente tienes que compartir este artículo utilizando uno de los botones. Cuando lo hayas hecho, se te desbloqueará el enlace para descargar la guía del FCE Writing en pdf.

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3 Tips to Protect Your Skin This Summer

This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

Summertime is one of the most exciting seasons of the year, full of summer vacations or summer camps. However, sun damage can lead to premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, marks, dry skin, and even skin cancer over time. This requires careful thought for your skin even as you enjoy the heat and freedom of […]

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Understanding two key words

The language of following instructions can be very confusing for young children.  As Elizabeth explained in this post, when you give an instruction, very often a child does not actually need to understand all the words to follow it.  In fact, sometimes they don’t really need to understand the words at all – they can understand from the context.  For example, if we are standing by the door and I’m holding the child’s coat, they don’t really need to understand the words “put your coat on”.  They can just pick up what I want from the situation.

As speech therapists, we often talk about how many key words (or information carrying words) a child can understand.  This refers to how many words they have to understand in an instruction in order to follow it correctly.  The basic rule of thumb is that for each key word, there needs to be a choice.  For example, if I say “give me the ball” and there is only a ball out, the child does not need to understand the word ball.  However, if there is a ball and a teddy on the table and I say “give me the ball”, now they have to understand one key word “ball” so that they pick up the correct object.

Elizabeth wrote about helping a child to understand one key word.  This post also covers some of the underlying skills as well.  Please read this post first.  However, once your child can follow instructions with one key word, you can move on to instructions with two key words.  Here are some ideas of activities to try.

 

Picnic game

You need:-

Two soft toys (I will use teddy and dog in my examples)

3-4 different food items, either play food or real food. (I will use apple, cake and banana in my examples)

Put the two soft toys next to each other and the food items spread out in front of them.

Sit opposite your child, at their level.  Get their attention by making eye contact and/or saying their name if you need to.

Say “teddy and dog are having a picnic.  Can you help them find some food?”  Here are some instructions you can give.  I have put the key words in bold in each example.

Say “give the apple to the dog“.  Make sure you don’t look at the items or point to them to give the answer away.

If your child is able to do this, praise them, and then pretend to make the toy eat the food item.  Then put it back where it was to begin with so that you can use it as a choice for the next instruction.

Here are some more instructions you can give.

Give the cake to the teddy.

Give the banana to the teddy.

Give the cake to the dog.

Give the apple to the teddy.

Give the banana to the dog.

Once your child gets good at this, you can add another soft toy, and/or more food items and then you have a wider range of instructions you can give as well.

 

Shopping game

You will need:-

A selection of 5-6 objects that your child is familiar with

A shopping basket or bag can be good to make it more fun

Lay the items out on a table (for the purpose of this example I have chosen a pencil, sock, spoon, cup and train).  Give the child the shopping basket.  Tell them two items to go and get.  Here are some examples of instructions you could give:-

Buy a cup and a pencil

Buy a train and a spoon

Buy a pencil and a sock

 

Run, hop, jump 

You need:-

A room with several distinct locations – in my example I have chosen window, door and table.

Choose three different actions that your child can do eg walk, hop and jump.  Make sure that your child knows what these words mean first of all, by just saying “can you hop?”, then “can you jump?” etc.  Then give instructions using the actions and the places.  Here are some ideas of instructions you could give:-

Hop to the window

Jump to the table

Walk to the door

Jump to the window

Hop to the door

Walk to the table

Again, you can make this harder or more interesting by changing the actions (you could try crawl or skip for example) or doing it in a different place.  For example, why not go outside and use a tree, a bench and a fence?  Do make sure your child understands the individual words first though and only use words that you are sure they know.  Some children find verbs a lot more difficult than nouns so they may find this activity harder than the others.  If you need to work specifically on verbs with your child, you can find more information here.

 

Farmyard fun

You will need:-

At least 3 different toy farm animals (I have used a cow, a pig and a sheep in my examples)

2-3 different places they could go (I have used a field and a barn in my examples)

Set up the field and the barn.  Then put the 3 farm animals in a row close together so that the child doesn’t have to search for them.  Here are some of the instructions you could give:-

Put the cow in the barn.

Put the sheep in the field.

Put the sheep in the barn.

Put the pig in the barn.

Put the pig in the field.

Again, make sure you put the items back each time, so that all of the choices are available to the child with each instruction.  This is what makes it a two key word activity.

There are other similar activities you can do too, but these give you a few ideas to get you started.  Using real objects is by far the best way to start when working on key words.  However, once your child is getting the idea of this well, there are a couple of nice apps for working on key words that you could use from time to time to vary the practise a little.  My favourite is Key Word Kids, but you can also use Splingo’s Language Universe too.

What are your favourite activities for working on two key words?  Watch out for a post on three key words in a few weeks’ time too.

The post Understanding two key words appeared first on Speechbloguk.

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New Color Wow: Root Touch Up

Need a few more days in-between colors? ColorWow root touch up; a pigmented powder that includes a brush for easy application!

Color Wow: Root Touch Up

How it works…
-Apply to dry hair
-Load up the small end of brush with powder
-Pull hair flat against head
-Press brush into roots using a dabbing motion
-Let sit for a minute and dust off excess powder

 

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Beware of Factoring your Accounts Receivables and other Credit Card Type Lending Products

In these difficult economic times, it is quite difficult to obtain financing. Most traditional sources of lending have just about stopped lending altogether. The few traditional loans I have seen in the commercial markets recently have been real estate loans … Continue reading →

The post Beware of Factoring your Accounts Receivables and other Credit Card Type Lending Products appeared first on Chicago CPA, Accountant, Tax, Audit, Small Business Accounting Services.

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New Family Resources

Please click here to find out all the information related to New Family Orientation. We look forward to meeting you all in August!!

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FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2017-2018

We look forward to seeing you all on Monday, August 14. Have a great summer!

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FTC Summer Hours

Open Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sunday CLOSED

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End Of Year Assembly Arrangements

The assembly will start in the theatre at 10:30am. We have a very full program so we ask that all students are seated ready to start at 10:30am.

Seating Arrangements

The Grade 6 students go to the back of the theatre

The Grade 7 students go up to the balcony

The Grade 8 students will sit in front. The Grade 8 classes will sit across the rows in the theatre in their home room groups starting with 8-1 in the first row

Grade 8 and Grade 6 students that are leaving ISB should sit on the end of a row for easy access to come up on the stage.

Those Grade 7 students who are leaving ISB should be down stairs waiting on the right hand side facing the stage.

All MS STUCO members should be downstairs waiting on the left hand side of the theatre facing the stage.

We have a great program so see you all there

Thanks

MS STUCO

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Mortgage and market update from Invis – Team RRP June 2017

The post Mortgage and market update from Invis – Team RRP June 2017 appeared first on Invis Team RRP.

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ISB Excels Again at Hotchkiss Film Festival

The International School of Beijing (ISB) has continued its successful record at the Hotchkiss Film Festival, with two student films receiving critical acclaim at this year's event.

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3 Summer Skincare Tips

This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

Now that summer is just around the corner, you should start adjusting your skincare routine to accommodate the summer heat. Check out the following summer skincare tips: Slather on Sunscreen Many dermatologists recommend using a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. The Skin Cancer Foundation points out that tests demonstrated SPF 30 […]

The post 3 Summer Skincare Tips appeared first on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

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Thespian Induction Today at Black Box

Calling this year and last year's Thespians. You will be inducted into a global Honor Society recognizing excellence in theater. Please be on time

When: Today

Time: 12:40 PM

Venue: Black Box

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The Grande at Suter Brook Village – Plans, Pricing, Availability

At a Glance

• award-winning master-planned community
• 26-storey concrete tower
• 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom condos
• 18,000 sq ft Health & Fitness Club
• steps to Evergreen Line Inlet Centre Station
• near plaza with 100,000 sq.ft. of retail
• close to 185,000 sq. ft. of office space

Urban Elegance & West Coast Beauty
The last development in Port Moody’s award-winning Suter Brook Village, this sophisticated 26-storey tower offers 1-, 2-, and 3- bedroom homes with 9′ over-height ceilings, ranging from 600 to over 2,100 sq.ft. Cook up a storm in your chef’s kitchen with fully-integrated European appliances, composite stone countertops and double undermount stainless steel sink. Ease into your days and nights in elegant bathrooms with frameless glass-enclosed showers, spa-inspired soaker tubs, custom soft-close cabinets and marble tiled NuHeat floors. Stay cool all summer long thanks to the integrated energy efficient heating and cooling system keeping things comfortable year-round.

Be A Presale Condo VIP!

Find Out About New Presales & Get Access to VIP Openings & Special Promotions!

Are you a realtor? Click here

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A vibrant social centre. A multi-cultural hub. There’s something to be said for having everything you need right around the corner. Suter Brook Village is an all-encompassing neighbourhood situated on 22 acres of land in idyllic Port Moody, offering all of life’s daily conveniences at your doorstep. You’ll be connected to an energized community where urban elegance collides with natural West Coast beauty. You can also travel with ease: just steps to the new Evergreen Line Inlet Centre Station, the West Coast Express, and minutes to highways in either direction, The Grande links residents to the rest of the Lower Mainland.

Pricing for The Grande at Suter Brook Village
Final prices have yet to be announced. Sign up to our VIP list above to ensure you’re notified of any new developments.

Floor Plans for The Grande at Suter Brook Village
Choose from 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom homes ranging from 600 to over 2,100 sq.ft. Contact me today to discuss plans, pricing, and availability suited to your needs.

Amenities at The Grande at Suter Brook Village
An 18,000 sq ft Health & Fitness Club will offer exceptional facilities for maintaining your wellness.

Parking and Storage
TBA.

Maintenance Fees at The Grande at Suter Brook Village
Included with final pricing details.

Developer Team for The Grande at Suter Brook Village
The Onni Group is one of North America’s leading private real estate developers, with extensive experience designing, developing, building and managing innovative projects. As a fully integrated company that directly oversees every step in the development process, Onni has built over 10,000 homes. In addition, the company owns and manages more than 7 million square feet of commercial property, over 5,500 rental apartment units, and has an additional 10 million square feet in various stages of development. With offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Mexico, Onni continues to expand and diversify into new markets throughout North America.

Located in Vancouver, Ciccozzi Architecture is an award-winning, full-service architecture firm specializing in residential and commercial design. Their aim is to integrate creative solutions throughout the entire design process to provide a balance of design excellence and economy.

Expected Completion for The Grande at Suter Brook Village
To be announced. Presales are anticipated in the Summer of 2017.

Are you interested in learning more about other homes in Tri-Cities, Burnaby, or Port Moody?

Check out these great Burnaby Properties!

The post The Grande at Suter Brook Village – Plans, Pricing, Availability appeared first on Mike Stewart.

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Service Learning in Shaanxi Promotes Oral Health

Children in a remote town in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have many reasons to smile thanks to a service project by a ninth-grader at the International School of Beijing (ISB).

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Clarification of Choir enrichment next year

The Choir enrichment is opened for all MS boys and girls who would like to continue their singing experiences.

If you haven't signed up and would like to join Choir next year, please come to MS office to sign in this week.

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Realtor.com Results Summit Coming To Vegas!

So, the 2017 version of the Realtor.com Results Summit is heading back to Vegas for some fun and some great real estate information.

Personally, I’m happy that my good friends Bill Lublin, Heather Elias and Dale Chumbley will be presenting at the conference. BUT, I’m almost as excited about the fact that they are a pretty small part of the awesome lineup of speakers that we’ll be able to learn from this year. This is sure to be an extremely valuable couple of days with great content, tons of fun and some excellent hallway conversations.

Join us for two incredible days of hands-on learning, exclusive insights, and celebration! https://t.co/GE84fbXCks #ResultsSummit Only $149! http://pic.twitter.com/fneuOljjCx

— realtor.com® pro (@realtorpro) June 8, 2017

As you can see from this list of Results Summit topics, there’s a ton of great information for improving many aspects of your real estate business. I like the fact that we’ll get to choose from “old school” and “new school” topics. With SO many ways to run a successful real estate business, it is great for people to be able to pick and choose things that will be helpful in their own business. It drives me bananas when I heap people say that agents “hve to” do one thing or another to be successful. ie” You have to have a web site. You have to knock on doors. You have to use social media. You have to send direct mail to a farm. What. Ever.

My conference tickets have been purchased, my hotel has been booked and my flight reservation has been secured. I am really looking forward learning from the excellent group of speakers that will be in Las Vegas September 18th and 19th.

What: realtor.com Results Summit
Where: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
When: September 18-19, 2017

Current ( until June 15 ) pricing for the Summit is $149. From June 16 – July 15, pricing is $199. From July 16 to August 15, pricing is $299. After that, you’ll pay $399. These prices are what is currently listed on the realtor.com web site and are subject to change. We here at the Phoenix Real Estate Guy have nothing to do with the pricing so please contact them for ALL information. Complete details and information should be gathered at the Results Summit web page.

If you act fast, try this awesome link to register for the entire summit for just $74.50! There’s a $5.09 processing fee, too. This is a great opportunity.

We’ll see you in Vegas, baby!

 

 

 

Originally posted on Phoenix Real Estate Guy. If you are reading this anywhere but inside your RSS feed reader or your email client, the site you are on is guilty of stealing content.

(c) Copyright Jay Thompson. All Rights Reserved.

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Grade 11 option to join Sports Day on Wednesday

Grade 11s are welcome to attend the Sports Day activities on Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:30. Show up at Gym 2 or Theater if you want to watch a movie.

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MS TV News Last Show of the Season!

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MS Drama Students Inspired by ISTA Festival

One hundred middle school students from five international schools – including 21 from the International School of Beijing (ISB) – ventured to Telunas Island for the International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA) Festival from May 4 to 7, 2017.

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K-Pop Dance Workshop

Want to learn a new skill? Want to step out of your comfort zone? If so, come join this workshop! In this workshop, you will be able to learn a new K-Pop dance. There will be two sessions, one for beginners and one for people who have experience in dancing. The beginner session will be held this Friday (June 9th) and the song will be Me Gustas Tu by Gfriend (Note: The Wednesday session will be moved to this Friday, June 9th). The advanced session will be held next Tuesday (June 13th) and the song will be.Russian Roulette by Red Velvet. Click on this link to sign up for the workshop. If you have any questions, feel free to contact sally.kim@student.isb.bj.edu.cn or 131-2044-1273

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Attention ALL Thespians

Attention ALL Thespians: We will induct BOTH the thespians from last school year and this year's new inductees. A shipment with your club membership card and special certificates recognizing excellence in the Theater Arts have just arrived from the International Thespian Society from the US.

What: Thespian Induction

When: Tuesday, 12:40-12:50 PM

Where: Black Box

Grade 7

Sabrina Lam

Keaton Razik

Marie Kurzrock

Katie Chao

Jacqueline Liu

Young Soo Kim

Grade 8

Alexandra Rogge

Samantha Grulich

Elsie Kibby

Molly Homer

Gina Yoo

Juun Evers

Siri Cavallerano

Kenny Do

Nicky Wong

Michelle Johnson-Wang

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Library Books

All students who still have library books, please return them to the MS Library now. You need to complete your checkout form in order to get your yearbook. Thank you.

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Grade 8 Idol

Grade 8 Idol is tonight! 7-9 pm at the theatre. There are still some tickets available, buy them at lunch today!

Please check out this NEW awesome trailer. See you there!

http://ift.tt/2pAOmke

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band for next year

Students not previously in band should see Mr. Long if you wish to join band for next school year. For those of you already in band you have been enrolled based on your survey we took last month.

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The Art of Procrastination

You're supposed to be doing your homework/classwork, but instead, you're doing something you shouldn't be. Does that happen often? If it is, here I am, calling to all of you procrastinators to come to my workshop. The workshop is all about the art of procrastination; why we do it, how we do it, the pros and cons of it, and ways to combat procrastination. Come bring your lunch to the Coliseum in the FA space during lunch on Tuesday, June 13 to master the art of procrastination.

If you have any questions or problems you can contact me, Haylie, at haylie.wampler@student.isb.bj.edu.cn

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Found items

Please check at MS office for your missing stuff(water bottles) on Track and Field Day.

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Last Principal's List for the 16-17 school year!

Check out the last Principal's List for the 16-17 school year!

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Checkout form reminder

Remember Tuesday, June 13th, Day B is the last day for your checkout form. Do not forget to submit it to your homeroom teachers. Withdrawing students, you have more signatures to check out. Don't wait until the last minute!

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PTA Election Results

Please click here to view the results.

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International Thespian Society

Through hard work and commitment to excellence in Theater Arts, the following students have earned the privilege of induction into the International Thespian Society, a prestigious honor society for Theater and the Dramatic Arts. Congratulations!

Grade 8

Samantha Grulich

Molly Homer

Elsie Kibby

Alexandra Rogge

Grade 7

Sabrina Lam

Young Soo Kim

Jacqueline Liu

Katie Chao

Marie Kurzrock

Keaton Razik

Mrs. Northcott invites you to be inducted into the Society and receive your certificate on June 13, Tuesday at 12:40-12:50 PM at the Black Box.

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Final MSSTUCO Meeting

Our final meeting for the year will be on Tuesday next week to run through the program for the final assembly

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The ins and outs of Pre Approvals

The post The ins and outs of Pre Approvals appeared first on Invis Team RRP.

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4 Natural Bath Treatments for Softer Skin

This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

As you slip your feet into the hot water and lay your head back, that’s the moment where all stress can fade away.  We’ve put together some of the most common natural bath treatments and most of the ingredients you probably already have in your home! Below are 4 natural bath treatments for softer skin: […]

The post 4 Natural Bath Treatments for Softer Skin appeared first on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

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Departing Students Laptop Collection or Purchase

Departing students need to return their laptop, power supply with extension cable and two-prong adapter on Monday, June12th.

If you are purchasing your laptop please do so by June 9th.

All departing students—even those who are purchasing their laptop—must go to the MPR according to the following schedule:

Times

8:30 - 9:00 Grade 6

9:00 - 9:30 Grade 7

9:30 - 10:00 Grade 8

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Bakesale!

Knitting Enrichment will be holding a bakesale on Thursday in the cafeteria from 12:30 to 1:00.

Lots of yummy goodies, all 5-10 rmb!

All proceeds go to babies in need throughout China to supply warm clothing for cold winters!

Don't forget to bring some money on Thursday to buy treats and help keep a baby warm!

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Grade 8 Idol Technical Rehearsal!

All performers and crew involved in the show should be in the theater by 3:30 on Thursday afternoon for a full dress/technical rehearsal. Performers please bring what you need and wear your stage outfits!

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TRACK & FIELD DAY

Track & Field Day is finally here!!! Everyone has been working hard to get ready for this big event. To make sure you are prepared for the day, please bring the following:

• Region T-Shirt (please come dressed in your PE kit)
• Hat
• Water Bottle
• Sun Screen
• Packed Lunch OR Money for SunBird (you will not be allowed to go to the cafeteria)
• Healthy snacks

Track & Field Day is all about school spirit and personal bests, so leave your phones and laptops in your lockers, and get ready to participate and cheer on your friends.

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Message to Drawing Enrichment and Textiles Enrichment students

6-2, 6-8, 7-3, 7-4, 7-6, Drawing Enrichment, Textiles Enrichment

Please take home any artwork and sketchbooks you wish to keep by the end of your last art class.

I also found a watch in my room. Please claim!

Mrs. Winkelman

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