Course Introduction

18 Setembro 2018, 14:00 • Thomas Joe Grigg

Introduction Class

18 Setembro 2018, 10:00 • David Alan Prescott

Class on the aims and intentions of the subject, all of which are listed in the workbook, but are repeated here:

1. Aims of Course

 

The overall aim of this semester unit in English B2.1 will be to allow students to show that they are of the standard required to pass to the level of B2.2, both in terms of the English language and in terms of the cultural reality surrounding it.

 

An underlying element of this course will be to make students familiar with the many aspects of life in the United Kingdom that are so different to those in the rest of the world, and which still cause confusion today at all levels. Particular classes are given on these issues.

 

The textual analysis will lead to oral and written work of relevance. This analysis should not only be receptive; thus there will be the presenting of some help towards students adopting a critical approach towards the texts chosen, as well as teaching around the matters contained in the excerpts for discussion.

 

2. Specific Approach

 

Classroom activity will be centred on textual analysis and discussion, preparing and writing an essay and a comprehension or project, and grammar teaching on matters arising. The texts for discussion will be centred upon a current theme or subjects of interest so that students may wish to contribute as the issues involved are of some relevance. The theme material this semester will involve the current culture clashes in Western society.

 

3. Length of Course

 

The length of the course will be between 50 and 60 teaching hours.

 

4. Assessment

 

Assessment will be based on two elements: one written work in class, usually referred to as a test paper, and the second element, which is presence and participation in classroom activity. In the case of lack of satisfaction in the written exercise in class, there will be the opportunity for a second paper to be written in class. Please, if possible, write your tests on a laptop, printing and stapling the test at the end.

 

Except for the cases of working students, who should inform me of their situation in advance, irregular attendance will lead to a negative mark. Under no circumstances will it be possible to simply do one test and pass the semester. Working students should acquire this anthology and remain in touch with the issues covered during the semester.

 

5. Bibliography and Dictionaries

 

A workbook available in the form of photocopies;

Any and as many as possible Eng-Port /Port-Eng Dictionaries;

Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language

 

The following is a list of works which may be useful in the fields of writing in terms of style, punctuation and presentation.

 

BLAMIRES, Harry, (2000). The Penguin Guide to Plain English. Penguin, UK

CAREY, G.V., (1939). Mind the Stop: A brief guide to punctuation. Penguin, UK

SWAN, MICHAEL, (2005). Practical English Usage, OUP, UK

TRUSS, Lynne, (2003). Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Profile Books, UK

Syllabus

17 Setembro 2018, 16:00 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

Receive and review the syllabus, including course objectives and assessment criteria. 

Introduction to B2.1 English

17 Setembro 2018, 12:00 • Hilda Alexandra Prazeres Eusebio

TP1 went through the B2.1 English course book.  All students present were emailed the course book and all of the materials necessary for the course (except Joyce Carol Oates' Small Avalanches and Other Stories which needs to be purchased by the students).

Learning Objectives:

The aim of this B2.1 English class is to develop the students’ reading, writing and oral expression skills in several scenarios. Thus, the objectives and competencies to be acquired are: understand extended speech and complex factual or literary texts; speak fluently and effectively; and write clear, well-structured texts. In order to achieve these objectives we will attempt to give you the necessary confidence to express your views and improve fluency. Another focus will be a more detailed look at some of the fundamental basics of the language, i.e. grammar, in order to obtain more accuracy. Finally, there will be a particular emphasis on developing your reading (interpreting and discussing) and writing skills along with vocabulary acquisition.

 

By the end of the semester, students should be able to:

·         understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation;

·         interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party;

·         produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

 

Course content:

GRAMMAR

• Students will be taught how to know when to use which verb tenses (and they will need to prove they know how to do this in the midterm and in their compositions).
• They will also need to dominate their prepositions, the gerund vs. the infinitive, etc.
  

COMPREHENSION:

• reading and analyzing texts;
• listening to and analyzing audio and film clips;

WRITING:

Genre	Purpose	Possible Activities
Descriptive Writing	Students observe carefully and choose precise language. They take notice of sensory details and create comparisons (metaphors and similes) to make their writing more powerful.	Descriptive fiction Journals Poetry
Persuasive Writing	Persuasion is winning someone to your viewpoint or cause using appeals to logic, moral character, and emotion. Students present their position clearly and support it with examples and evidence.	Advertisements Persuasive letters Political speeches
Narrative Writing	Students retell familiar stories, develop sequels for stories they have read, write stories about events in their own lives, and create original stories. They include a beginning, middle, and end in the narratives to develop the plot and characters.	Original short stories Personal narratives
Expository Writing	Students collect and synthesize information. This writing is objective; reports are the most common type. Students use expository writing to give directions, sequence steps, compare one thing to another, explain causes and effects, or describe problems and solutions.	Biographies Autobiographies Essays Reports Summaries Etc.

SPEAKING:

·         in-class reading;

·         Q&A;

·         Group oral presentations;

·         end of semester oral presentation;

·         etc.

 

Grading policy and course requirements

GRADE PERCENTAGES

 

Attendance and class participation – 10%

Midterm – 30% (5% listening comprehension; 25% written exam)

Oral presentation – 20%

End of Term Test – 40% (10% listening comprehension; 30% written exam: grammar, comprehension, composition.)

 

Should you FAIL the course, you can sit the Final Exam (Época Especial) which will be in January 2018.

 

OPTIONAL HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS 

In addition to grammar lessons and other in-class activities, students will have three OPTIONAL homework assignments. All written work (including in-class written work not corrected in class) will be marked by the teacher with a colour key (yellow = incorrect conjugation; blue = incorrect spelling, etc.) and students may have the opportunity to correct their own mistakes in class under supervision.  All students are entitled to tutorials for in-class and homework writing assignments, and grammar after they receive their work marked.  No student can have more than three tutorials in total.

Homework assignments must have the following on the front page:

·         Student’s name;

·         Student’s class (turma).

Homework documents must be saved as follows:

       Example:

• ana silva – descriptive writing
• ana silva – narrative writing
• ana silva – major project

Extra support 
If a student wants support with their writing assignments, they can get help from the WILL Lab (Writing Innovation, Learning and Language Laboratory), located in room 1.23.  To book a session with the WILL Lab, you must email them in advance at WillLab_UL@letras.ulisboa.pt.

Optional Major Writing Project

Your writing project can be one of the following:

 A descriptive writing piece: 

• Journals/Diaries

A persuasive writing piece:

• Political speech;
• Essay;
• Editorial;

A narrative writing piece:

• Short story;
• Biography;
• Autobiography;

An expository writing piece:

• News report;
• Scientific report;
• A personal letter;.
• An academic essay.

 It must be a minimum of 250 words and a maximum of 350 words.

 It must be double-spaced, Arial, size 12.

 It must be emailed me to me no later than 23:59 on 21^st of November. 

 

Oral Presentations (Oral Exams) – Expository Pieces

• Oral presentations are worth 20% of your final grade.
• You must speak for a minimum of 6 minutes and a maximum of 12 minutes
• anyone who speaks less than the 6 minute minimum will get an automatic fail.
• You can do the presentation on your own or in a group but each person must speak a minimum of 6 minutes and a maximum of 12.
• The presentation will be on a short story of your choice.
• Please inform me of your date and short story of choice as soon as possible – only a few people can present any given story, and no more than 9-10 people can present on any given date, so novel and date allocation will be done on a first-come-first-served basis.
• You must use visual aids such as the whiteboard (I can give you a marker) or use a PowerPoint to make your presentation more interesting.
• You can use video or audio clips in your presentation but these do not count towards your 4 minute minimum yet must be within the 12 minute maximum.
• Do not plagiarize – I can always tell.
• Do not read your presentation - this will result in a 0.
• Do not memorize your presentation word for word - this will result in a 0.
• It is recommended that you not write out a full speech as there will be the temptation to read/memorize - bullets or topics on cards or sheets of paper are best and will remind you of what you're supposed to say.
• Students may be asked questions at the end of their presentation - if asked questions by the teacher or by other students, try to answer these in long answers and avoid 1-2 word answers.
• Your notes may be requested at the end of the exam - if this happens, you must hand them over to the teacher.

ADVICE ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR ORAL EXAM

·         Find a student/friend in a higher level, e.g. C1.1 and practice delivering your oral presentation to them.

o   Have them ask you questions at the end – you won’t be able to prepare for this in advance, so you’ll be able to see how you deal with answering questions under pressure.

o   You might want to record everything on your phone for future reference.

·         If you have no one to practice in front of, practice on your own in your room while recording yourself.  Listen to the recording.  Make a note of the mistakes you think you’ve made – repeat the sections that you did incorrectly, correcting yourself, if you can.

o   Get someone in a higher level, e.g. C1.1 and have them listen to your recording.  Ask them to be honest – did they understand everything?  Which sections did they not understand.

·         Practice over and over again – otherwise you will be really nervous on the day!

 

Resources

 

You will need:

·         Hilda Eusébio’s B2.1 English cCourse book which will be emailed to you or made available to you in the Green Photocopy room (fotocopiadora verde).

·         Grammar books:

• Grammar Practice for Elementary Students (with answers).
• Essential Grammar in Use Supplementary Exercises (with answers).
• Grammar Practice for Pre-Intermediate Students (with answers).
• These will be emailed to you.

·         www.englishpage.com is an excellent website to learn and practice English grammar for free.

The following book: Small Avalanches and Other Stories by Joyce Carol Oates

Students are to check their emails regularly and come to class prepared.

Programme and assessment rules. Getting to know the students.

17 Setembro 2018, 10:00 • Isabel Maria Ferro Mealha

Programme and assessment rules. Getting to know the students. 

English

B2.1 level (Vantage)

First semester

2018/2019

 Lecturer: Isabel Ferro Mealha

Email address: isabelmealha@campus.ul.pt

 1. Learning outcomes of the curricular unit

The course will follow the objectives outlined in the Council of Europe document Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF). At the end of this course students will be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics; interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with fluent/proficient speakers quite possible without strain for either party; produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options; understand and identify linguistic and cultural references from different varieties of English.

 2. Syllabus

Students will develop their language competencies with regard to the four skills:

a) READING: literary and non-literary texts (e.g. newspaper articles, essays and contemporary short stories); special attention will be paid to different varieties of English

b) WRITING: opinion and discursive essays; summaries; emails and letters

c) SPEAKING: individual and group oral projects with a view to developing oral presentation skills; debates (putting forward arguments for and against); students will ask and answer questions about the English-speaking world

d) LISTENING to interviews and talks, watching films and documentaries with a view to developing note-taking skills.

Students will develop linguistic, social and cultural aspects related to the English-speaking world while further developing the ability to use grammatical structures with an emphasis on increased accuracy.

3. Demonstration of the syllabus coherence with the curricular unit's objectives

B2.1 aims have been set according to the CEF competencies adapted to university level. Literary and non-literary texts will be discussed with a view to developing social, cultural and linguistic features of the English-speaking world. Students are encouraged to research social, cultural and linguistic issues. Text analysis is carried out so as to develop effective communication and writing, speaking and listening skills. Text types are selected (e.g. short stories, essays, talks, and films) to develop linguistic writing competencies (e.g. English academic essay writing; connectors; formal and informal letter and email writing; register) and oral competencies (e.g. oral presentation skills; turn-taking; for and against arguments). All work is task-based promoting effective communication. Students will develop the ability to use grammatical structures appropriate to classroom discussion and the writing of increasingly accurate texts and academic essays.  

4. Teaching methodologies (including evaluation)

Teaching methodologies foster ongoing development of the CEF linguistic competencies. Task-based activities held include (dramatised) reading texts, essay writing, a speaking paper, watching films and talks followed by guided debates. Lexicogrammatical items are addressed in class with an emphasis on increased accuracy. Other individual and team/group teacher-oriented task-based activities will be carried out. In accordance with Regulamento Geral de Avaliação da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa, students will be assessed on oral and written work throughout the semester. Weighting will be as follows:

·      first writing test 20%;

·      second writing test 30%;

·      oral and written task-based assignments 50% consisting of

o   oral presentation 20%;

o   homework/class work and active participation in class 25%;

o   attendance 5%

The oral presentation is an individual assignment that will consist in a 5-minute speec spoken from notes, NOT read. Each student will choose the date of the oral presentation from a set of proposed dates. Topic: presenting a linguistic, social or cultural aspect related to an English-speaking country.

Tests will take place on the following dates:

 First writing test:                                                      05 November 2018

Second writing test:                                                 10 December 2018

 Since assessment will be conducted on a regular basis, any task that is not submitted when due and/or any form of plagiarism will be given a zero. Any student who fails to do one of the above-mentioned tests/tasks will be given a zero. Worker students may opt for continuous assessment (in which case they will have to comply with all the assessment criteria set for regular students) OR sit the Época Especial de Avaliação examination. The examination will focus on the contents of the syllabus adopted for the B2.1 level.

 6. Demonstration of the coherence between the teaching methodologies and the learning outcomes

In this course unit, the adopted teaching methodologies aim to carry out the objectives set by the CEF with a view to acquiring and developing the linguistic competencies necessary to become a B2.1 independent user. Effective, unstrained communication with native and near-native speakers of different varieties of English about complex texts on concrete and abstract topics will be focused on class work and homework task-based writing, speaking, listening and reading activities leading to an ever-growing familiarity with the social, cultural, and linguistic features of the English-speaking world. These task-based activities comprehend, among others, reading and discussing different text types, dramatised reading of literary texts, a speaking paper about the English-speaking world, watching films and talks on current issues, guided debates with for and against arguments and other independent work and research leading to an ongoing progression of knowledge (i.e. of social, cultural, grammatical and lexical issues). A theoretical/practical teaching approach is therefore adopted starting with content explanation and followed by student practice. Increasing independent work is encouraged and as such task-based activities will be carried out both in teams and individually in accordance with each student's specific needs. Ongoing assessment carried out pursuant to the General Assessment Guidelines currently in force at FLUL is clearly linked to expected high attendance levels for a course unit directed at linguistic interaction with native speakers or near-native speakers on current issues in the English-speaking world. Weighting allotted to different assessment items in line with an ever-growing familiarity in the linguistic interaction carried out by the independent speaker clearly highlights the significance of task-based assignments, on the one hand, and the relevance of research and independent work, on the other.

 7.Bibliography

Mealha, Isabel Ferro. 2018. B2.1 Workbook (a compilation of short stories by English-speaking writers and other materials). Lisboa: FLUL.

Swan, Michael. 2005. Practical English Usage. 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The Longman Dictionary Of Contemporary English For Advanced Learners. 2009. 5th edition. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

The Oxford Phrasal Verbs Dictionary for Learners of English. 2006. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 ATTENDANCE

Attendance is compulsory. For exceptions, please check the Regulamento geral de avaliação da faculdade de letras da universidade de Lisboa (RGA, FLUL) at http://www.letras.ulisboa.pt/pt/sobre-a-flul/legislacao/normas-e-regulamentos/faculdade-de-letras-da-universidade-de-lisboa/181--133/file.

 Absence from class should be reported by email to the teacher prior to missing a class, if at all possible, or as soon as possible after a student misses a class. Reporting an absence does not automatically “excuse” missed work. In these cases, students should contact the teacher to discuss what options may be available. If the absence is due to illness or other emergency, please submit a doctor’s note or any other appropriate documentation within the following ten working days (see Artigo 4, alínea 2, RGA, FLUL).

LECTURER/STUDENT COMMUNICATION

You will be asked to provide your individual email address. You should make sure that you (a) give a correct email address; (b) check your email on a regular basis. Please do not send your emails after 8 p.m. on the day before each class.