ENGLISH B2.1 (VANTAGE)

TP4

2022/2023 – First Semester

Ana Rita Martins (anaritasilva@e-letras.ulisboa.pt)

 

1. OBJECTIVES

This course aims at:

  §  consolidating English structures;

§  improving the students’ ability to understand and discuss concrete and abstract texts;

§   enabling students to both communicate spontaneously and at ease with other fluent/ proficient speakers of the language;

§   Expressing opinions clearly and with detail on a wide variety of subjects;

§   Increasing the students’ perception on the way the English language is used in debate: expressing the advantages and inconveniences of the various possibilities.

 

1.1. These aims will be achieved by means of specific written and oral activities, which will serve as the basis for continuous assessment. These activities will include:

§  Reading (newspaper/ magazine articles, short stories and a novel);

§  Writing (summaries, paragraphs and essays);

§  Speaking (oral presentations and participation in debates);

§  Listening and watching (documentaries, interviews and films).

 

2. ASSESSMENT AND GRADING SYSTEM

Assessment will be continuous, and will consist of the following:

In-class essay:                                      20%

Written test:                                        30%

Research project:                                 20%

Assignment on the novel:                      15% 

Attendance & Participation:                  15%     

Dates: TBA       

 

3. ASSIGNMENT ON NOVEL:           

The assignment on the novel will consist of the following:

§  One abstract of between 150 and 200 words plus bibliography;

§  A ten-minute presentation during which the speaker answers one of the existing questions.

§  Dates: TBA

4. BIBLIOGRAPHY

§  The course book will be made available in print and online (see Moodle).

§  Compulsory reading: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

 

The novel will be read outside the classroom and will be discussed in class on the stipulated date (see calendar). There is a research project on the novel worth 15% of the final mark.

 Some Internet sites where books may be purchased: www.bookdepository.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk 

 

§  Dictionaries: students are expected to have at least one of the following dictionaries:

Cambridge International Dictionary of English

Collins Cobuild Dictionary of English Language

Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English

The New Penguin English Dictionary