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 21st 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.