Introduction To The Course

HOW ARE WE GOING TO PRACTISE THE 5 SKILLS IN THE 5TH YEAR? ORAL

35%

WRITING

20%

LISTENING

15%

READING

15%

GRAMMAR + VOCABULARY

15%

Being the most important part of all, oral exercises will be present in every session and you are expected to make an effort to participate actively and use the English language all the way throughout the lessons. I encourage you to try to use new vocabulary and expressions as you study them. When doing oral activities it is important to pay attention to aspects such as fluency (getting the message across), accuracy (correctness) and pronunciation. We will do some pronunciation practice in the classroom focusing mainly on stress patterns at word and sentence level, though individual sounds will be constantly reviewed (you should be familiar with the different sounds by now; if you are not, you should check out some books from the library or web pages). In order to help you with your pronunciation you will have the opportunity of recording some of your oral exercises. You will also have the opportunity to attend in smaller groups at least four conversation sessions with a native English speaker during the second part of the course. *Remember: any oral exercise provides you with a new chance to try new structures, vocabulary and improve your pronunciation so do not be afraid of making mistakes! The oral test at the end of the course will probably be done in groups of three or four. You will be asked to read a text, summarize it and then give your opinion both individually and through interaction with your partners. I strongly recommend you change speaking partners from time to time.

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There will be many opportunities to practice your writing skills during the course. In order to make it easier for you, I will accept your writing activities

to

be

sent

to

the

following

e-mail

address:

[email protected] provided I receive them on time and your address is easily identifiable (this is particularly useful for students who cannot attend the classes regularly). I will not correct any writing handed in or sent to the above address late, so please, respect the deadline. All the writings you submit must be typed or done on computer, using double space and they should have between 175 and 225 words (the final exam will consist of two writings of about 350 words in total). *Remember: all your writings should reflect that your English is improving, so try to use new vocabulary, expressions and grammar as you learn them during the year. We will use the listening material in the Student’s book. Other samples of real language from other sources will also be provided. Readings will be part of most of the classes. Three books are recommended for this year, from which you should choose at least 2 to review: Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Paul Auster’s The Book of Illusions or John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. A summary and a personal review are due for the second week of January and the third week of April respectively. I suggest you read as much as you can. If you do not like long novels, try short stories compilations or news articles on the web. There is plenty of good material in the library so take advantage of it! For the study of grammar and vocabulary we will follow the student’s book, nevertheless, you should consider getting hold of a good grammar book. There are many available in the library. Do not forget to use your workbook since it contains activities related to the course book that will help you consolidate vocabulary and structures. Using your workbook can really make a difference. You may also find it interesting to check phrasal verbs and idioms books.

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You will find a lot more information about useful resources and extra activities in my blog www.sandraalvarez-eoireus.blogspot.com, where I will try to update those students who cannot attend classes with activities and key answers.

TESTS There will be one major test similar to the final exam on the last weeks of February or the first weeks of March. Remember that the Certificat exam is bound to change this year, but to get a feeling of what kind of exercises you

may

encounter

or

see

samples

of

the

final

www.xtec.es/eoireus.

USEFUL WEBSITES LISTENING www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish www.breakingnewsenglish.com www.britmovie.co.uk www.eslwonderland.com www.oup.com/elt/englishfile/upper-intermediate www.oup.com/elt/headway/upper-intermediate www.oup.com/elt/headway/advanced www.videojug.com www.video.about.com www.voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm GRAMMAR, GAMES AND EXERCISES www.edufind.com www.englishpage.com www.english-zone.com www.esl.about.com www.learnenglish.de www.learn-english-online.org www.longman.com (link FOR STUDENTS) www.usingenglish.com (link STUDENTS) READING AND FREE AUDIO BOOKS www.english-zone.com http://librivox.org www.kaboose.com (different articles about current issues) www.penguinenglish.com PRESS AND NEWS www.bbc.co.uk www.cbs.com

3

exam

go

to

www.abcnews.com www.cnn.com www.guardian.co.uk DICTIONARIES AND REFERENCE BOOKS www.wordreference.com http://dictionary.cambridge.org www.macmillandictionaries.com

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