Since my original e-mail to you following ULisboa’s decision to suspend classes until 27 March, much has happened:

• The Government has suspended classes 9 April, subject to reassessment;
• A state of emergency has been declared for two weeks, subject to renewal;
• The Prime Minister has made it clear that we should expect three tough months of lockdown;
• The Dean’s latest e-mail (sent this afternoon), contemplating the possibility that continuous assessment may not necessarily include further face-to-face tests;

It is highly likely that the remainder of the academic year will be conducted online.

Bearing in mind that:

• You wrote your Test 1 on 10 March;
• The oral presentation has been reconfigured as a final essay (Task 1) and an extra assignment has been set, namely your journal writing (Task 2);

For the sake of clarifying the aims and criteria for assessment of the current tasks, I have decided to adjust deadlines and assessment to the current circumstances. Below are guidelines on Tasks 1 & 2, as well as criteria for assessment.

A - Further instructions on Tasks 1 & 2

Task 1

Final essay (instead of the originally planned oral presentation)

• Argumentative or personal essay (ca. 1200-1400 words); if in pairs, twice the length;
• If you have opted for essay + video:
• Make sure your video is either
• in English
• or subtitled in English (in case it features interviews in Portuguese);
• if you cannot subtitle it, attach the translation to your essay;
• Your essay should describe the rationale of your project, explain the aims of the material featuring in your video, and comment on it.
• New deadline for submission of the written draft (and the video accompanying it, if that’s the case): 9 April;

Task 2

Journal

·      You are expected to send one entry per week;

·      You can write a personal journal or create a fictional persona, as you prefer;

·      You may use images, photos, drawings, etc.;

·      There is no set day for you to send your entry: just make sure you send them by Saturday of each week;

·      There is no word limit: some entries may be longer, others shorter; you will receive feedback on each entry so that you can keep working on your language skills;

·      Please identify your Word documents with your name and number your entries: e.g. Jo_Journal entry #1.

·      Make the most it: this task is meant to be a way for you to practice your English while using your journal as a creative outlet, so enjoy it.

B - Update on Assessment

• If, as is to be expected, a state of emergency is to last into May, assessment will be based on the following elements:
• Written test – 30%
• Final essay (Task 1 above) – 30%
• Classwork – 40%. It includes:
• Argumentative essay (“Growing up”)
• Personal essay (“Fear”)
• Journal (featuring your weekly entries – Task 2 above)
• Oral participation (including your role plays from Pre-Pandemic Planet – do you remember them?)