ESOL game

Try to click this game on your site!

Read More

10 Reasons Why You Should Read to Your Kids

Hi! This time I want to share a nice article, taken from http://www.earlymoments.com. Check it out! :) Hope it will be useful.

We all know reading to our kids is a good thing—but are you familiar with the specific advantages your toddler or preschool-age child can receive by being exposed to the merits of reading? Below are some benefits that highlight the importance of reading to your child between the ages of two and five.

1. A stronger relationship with you. As your child grows older, he’ll be on the move—playing, running, and constantly exploring his environment. Snuggling up with a book lets the two of you slow down and recaptures that sweet, cuddly time you enjoyed when he was a baby. Instead of being seen as a chore or a task, reading will become a nurturing activity that will bring the two of you closer together.
2. Academic excellence. One of the primary benefits of reading to toddlers and preschoolers is a higher aptitude for learning in general. Numerous studies have shown that students who are exposed to reading before preschool are more likely to do well in all facets of formal education. After all, if a student struggles to put together words and sentences, how can he be expected to grasp the math, science, and social concepts he’ll be presented with when he begins elementary school?
3. Basic speech skills. Throughout toddlerhood and preschool, your child is learning critical language and enunciation skills. By listening to you read One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, your child is reinforcing the basic sounds that form language. “Pretend reading”—when a toddler pages through a book with squeals and jabbers of delight—is a very important pre-literacy activity. As a preschooler, your child will likely begin sounding out words on his own.
4. The basics of how to read a book. Children aren’t born with an innate knowledge that text is read from left to right, or that the words on a page are separate from the images. Essential pre-reading skills like these are among the major benefits of early reading.
5. Better communication skills. When you spend time reading to toddlers, they’ll be much more likely to express themselves and relate to others in a healthy way. By witnessing the interactions between the characters in the books you read, as well as the contact with you during story time, your child is gaining valuable communication skills.
6. Mastery of language. Early reading for toddlers has been linked to a better grasp of the fundamentals of language as they approach school age.
7. More logical thinking skills. Another illustration of the importance of reading to children is their ability to grasp abstract concepts, apply logic in various scenarios, recognize cause and effect, and utilize good judgment. As your toddler or preschooler begins to relate the scenarios in books to what’s happening in his own world, he’ll become more excited about the stories you share.
8. Acclamation to new experiences. As your child approaches a major developmental milestone or a potentially stressful experience, sharing a relevant story is a great way to help ease the transition. For instance, if your little one is nervous about starting preschool, reading a story dealing with this topic shows her that her anxiety is normal.
9. Enhanced concentration and discipline. Toddlers may initially squirm and become distracted during story time, but eventually they’ll learn to stay put for the duration of the book. Along with reading comprehension comes a stronger self-discipline, longer attention span, and better memory retention, all of which will serve your child well when she enters school.
10. The knowledge that reading is fun! Early reading for toddlers helps them view books as an indulgence, not a chore. Kids who are exposed to reading are much more likely to choose books over video games, television, and other forms of entertainment as they grow older.

Books have the power to benefit toddlers and preschoolers in a myriad of ways. As a parent, reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do to prepare him with a foundation for academic excellence.

Read More

Hari Pahlawan and Battle of Surabaya

Hari Pahlawan (Indonesian for Heroes' Day/Warriors' Day) is a Remembrance Day annually celebrated on 10 November in Indonesia. The day commemorates the 1945 Battle of Surabaya, in which pro-independence Indonesian soldiers and militia fought against British and Dutch troops as part of the Indonesian National Revolution.

The history was begun like this: The Battle of Surabaya was fought between pro-independence Indonesian soldiers and militia against British and Dutch troops as a part of the Indonesian National Revolution. The peak of the battle was in November 1945. Despite fierce resistance, British Indian troops managed to conquer Surabaya, the second-largest city in Indonesia, on behalf of the Netherlands. The battle was the heaviest single battle of the revolution and became a national symbol of Indonesian resistance. Considered a heroic effort by Indonesians, the battle helped galvanize Indonesian and international support for Indonesian independence. 10 November is celebrated annually as Heroes' Day.

Bung Tomo (Source: id.wikipedia.com

By the time the Allied forces arrived at the end of October 1945, the pemuda ('youth') foothold in Surabaya City was described as "a strong unified fortress”. Ferocious fighting erupted when 6,000 Indian troops landed in the city to evacuate European internees. Following the killing on 30 October of the British commander, Brigadier A.W.S. Mallaby, the British retaliated with a punitive sweep that began on 10 November, under the cover of air attacks. Although the European forces largely captured the city in three days, the poorly armed Republicans fought for three weeks, and thousands died as the population fled to the countryside.

Battle of Surabaya 1945. British troop. (source: panoramio.com)

Despite the military defeat suffered by the Republicans and a loss of manpower and weaponry that would severely hamper Republican forces for the rest of the revolution, the battle and defense mounted by the Indonesians galvanized the nation in support of independence and helped garner international attention. For the Dutch, it removed any doubt that the Republic was not simply a gang of collaborators without popular support. It also had the effect of convincing Britain that wisdom lay on the side of neutrality in the revolution; within a few years, in fact, Britain would support the Republican cause in the United Nations.

(Source: 

 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_Day_%28Indonesia%29

 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Surabaya)

Read More

Happy Halloween everybody!

Halloween also known as "All Hallows 'Eve" is celebrated in the last days of October every year. Some people say that Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Halloween originally from Western European Harvest festivals and festivals of dead.

Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.

For children, they usually play "trick or treating" games while celebrating it. On the other hand, people getting crazy with their "weird" costumes.

Read More

Let's learn about VERBS!

Do you know what is verb?
Verb is a word that shows action or state of being.
Sentence ALWAYS need verb to show action or state of being in our sentences.

There are three types of verbs:

NOW LET'S SEE THE FIGURE BELOW:

Now, you can underline all verbs that can be identified in your sentences. Don't forget to identify which one is action verb, which one is non-action verb, which one is linking verb, and which one is helping verbs. 


Source: Stobbe, G. 2008. Just Enough English Grammar Illustrated. New York: The McGraw Hill Inc.

Read More

Let's learn about NOUN

What is a Noun?

It is a word that names a person, place, thing, idea, or quality. Like:
Person:                         boy, teacher, Josh, doctor
Place:                           Malang, Miami, city, countryside
Thing:                           house, tree, horse, bicycle, ice cream
Idea:                            Pancasila, democracy, truth illusion, fantasy
Quality:                        beauty, caring, hatred, boredom


When do we use noun?

We use nouns all the time when we write letters to friends or papers for class. (For example, all these underlined words are nouns.) Next, we'll look the rules of capitalizing nouns so you can avoid making those mistakes when you write.

When to Capitalize Nouns?

Names of specific people

CAPS:                         Tucker, Tori, Juanita, Denzel, the Stevens family, the Joneses
NO CAPS:                  family, boy, girl, sister, cousin


What about mom and dad? Capitalize them when you're calling your parent's name but not when you refer  to "my mom" or "my dad."

CAPS:                        Hi, Mom! Welcome home, Dad.
NO CAPS:                 My father and my mother are busy. Could your mom or your dad drive us
                                   to the movie?


Days of the week, months, and holidays, but not seasons

CAPS:                        Monday, December, Passover, Easter
NO CAPS:                 autumn, fall, spring, winter, summer


Ranks and titles, but only when used with a particular person's name

CAPS:                       This is Doctor Smith, this is Aunt Anne, and that man is General Bradshaw.
NO CAPS:                That man is my doctor, that woman is my aunt, and that man is a general in the army.


Geographic Areas: cities, states, countries, counties, rivers, oceans, streets, parks

CAPS:                        North Dakota, Ohio River, Atlantic Ocean, Franklin Street, Umstead Park,
                                   Lake Jordan, Rocky Mountains
NO CAPS:                 The ocean is deep. The mountains are high.


Regions of the countries. For example: United States, but not simple directions

CAPS:                        I was born in the Midwest, but I grew up in the North.
NO CAPS:                 I live on the north side of town.


Historical Periods

CAPS:                        the Renaissance, World War II, the Middle Ages, the Civil War
NO CAPS:                 It was a long war. We live in an age of computers.


Religions, nationalities, races of people, languages, countries and adjectives related to those countries

CAPS:                        Christians, Jews, Asians, Africans, Japanese, Arabic, France, French fries,
                                   Germany, German measles


The various names for God and the names of sacred books

CAPS:                        God, Jehovah, Allah, the Bible, the Koran
NO CAPS:                 There were many gods and goddesses in ancient myths.


Specific school courses, but not general subjects

CAPS:                        I'm taking Algebra 101 and History of China.
NO CAPS:                 I'm taking algebra and history.


Names of specific schools, businesses, buildings, organizations.

CAPS:                       Apple Computer, Phillips Middle School, the University of Ohio
NO CAPS:                I want a new computer. That building is a middle school. I plan to attend a university.


Brand names

CAPS:                       Chevrolet Camaro, Nintendo, Cheerios, Nestle's Crunch


Names of planets, but not sun and moon and sometimes not earth

CAPS:                       Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Earth (capitalized when you're referring to it as one
                                  of the planets)
NO CAPS:                The moon is full tonight.
                                  More than five billion people live on the earth.


Letters that stand alone

CAPS:                       U-turn, T-shirt, X-ray, an A+ in social studies class


Names of specific teams and clubs and their members

CAPS:                       the Atlanta Braves, the Republican Party, Republicans
NO CAPS:                I play on a baseball team.


Titles of movies, books, chapters, and articles

CAPS:                       Jurassic Park, ''Tar Heels Beat Duke 102-96," Gulliver's Travels
NO CAPS:                Little words (articles, conjunctions, and short prepositions) are usually not
                                  capitalized unless they are the beginning word:
                                  For example: The Life and Times of King Joshua the Great they are part of the verb: 
                                  "Thief Holds Up Bank" (Up is not a preposition; it is part of the verb to hold up.)

Now, you can underline all nouns that you can find.

(source: Painless Grammar by Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D. Published in New York by Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1997)

Read More

Love INDONESIAN BATIK

Batik has been  identical to Indonesian traditional culture since long time ago. The word Batik comes from two Javanese words, "amba" means writing and "titik" means dotting. Batik is an art on the fabric which is used to design and to create the clothes of Indonesian royal family. In its development, nowadays Batik has been worn by almost all Indonesian people, especially for Javanese.

Last year, the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) launched "2 October" as "Hari Batik" (Batik Day) and exactly on that day the world acknowledged Batik as Indonesian proprietary.
Hey, Indonesian people! How do you love Batik? :)

Read More

Job Vacancy for English teacher and Administrative Staff/Operator

LOWONGAN KERJA

Dibutuhkan segera

1.           Guru bahasa Inggris (part-time and full-time), dengan kriteria sebagai berikut:

-       Bersedia bekerja dalam shift

-       Mahir dan lancar berbahasa Inggris (spoken and written)

-       Jujur

-       Disiplin dan bertanggung jawab

-       Tepat waktu

2.   Staf administrasi, dengan kriteria sebagai berikut:

-       Mahir mengoperasikan komputer (min. Excel + Word)

-       Disiplin dan bertanggung  jawab

-       Jujur

-       Bersedia bekerja dalam shift

-       Tepat waktu

Lamaran dapat dikirim via e-mail ke: epointstudy@yahoo.com

Telp: 0341 – 9884844

Read More