Sumários

Introduction to B2.2 English

12 Fevereiro 2026, 12:30 • Hilda Alexandra Prazeres Eusebio

Today, we finished going through the course book, the shared Google drive, and the online grammar resources.


Homework: start going through the grammar videos/PowerPoints and start doing the practice exercises on Englishpage.com.  

The grammar test is coming up fast, and you all have a lot to study!  This is the order in which you should study the different sections of the upcoming grammar test:
  • Verb Tenses
  • Prepositions & Verb + Preposition/Phrasal Verbs
  • Gerunds & Infinitives
  • Articles
  • Conditionals
  • Modal Verbs
Next class: we'll be learning The Subjunctive and Who/Whom/Whose.

Have a lovely Carnival, everybody!

Introduction and Syllabus

11 Fevereiro 2026, 09:30 • Kathryn Gray Craven

Concept of Sense of Place

Introduction to B2.2 English

10 Fevereiro 2026, 12:30 • Hilda Alexandra Prazeres Eusebio

Today, TP6 went through the rules, reguations and expectations as presented in the course book.


Students who missed today's class should email me to request access to the shared Google drive where they can access the course book.  

Rules

Punctuality

Please get to class on time.  If you cannot make it on time, please come to class anyway.  I would rather you come late than not come at all.  Please note that if you come late and I have already done the register, it is your responsibility to ask me to add you to the register at the end of class.  If you forget to remind me, please do not bother telling me next class – I cannot add you to the register after the class has finished.  If you are more than 30 minutes late, you will be marked as ‘late’ in the register, not as ‘present’.  If you come more than 45 minutes late, you are very welcome to attend, but you will be marked as absent. 

Resources

Please bring your course book to class.  You must either print the course book out or you can bring a laptop or tablet.  Accessing your course book on your mobile phone is not allowed.

Participation

Active participation in both class and group discussions ensures you develop fluency and confidence which in turn will affect your final mark. This is an English language course. Do not speak Portuguese in class with either your classmates or your teacher.  Students should do the necessary reading homework for class so that they can participate effectively in class discussions.

Plagiarism and Cheating

Please do not plagiarize or use AI either for homework assignments or for tests (written and oral).  You will be caught if you do.  You will not enjoy being caught.  Being caught will result in a mark of ‘0’ and you will not be allowed to retake the test or redo the oral presentation.  The use of smartwatches, tablets, laptops, smartphones, etc., are strictly forbidden during written or oral tests.  If you need to use notes (i.e. bullets) during an oral presentation, then these must be typed or written on paper.

Finally…

Please ensure that you know what is going on at all times.  Students are to check their emails regularly and come to class prepared for the lesson.  In the event that a student misses a class, they should read the online summaries (sumários) in order to know what we did or to be updated on any important information.  Please do not email me personally to ask what happened in class.  The summaries are there for a reason.

Course Program


1. Aims


This B2.2 course has just one aim: for the student to hone their descriptive/narrative writing skills by telling stories – fiction/non-fiction/semi-autobiographical – in the first, second and third voices. Fluency in speech and writing is essential for this and will be developed over the course of the semester. To be clear, students will be telling stories both orally (first viewpoint) and in writing (second and third viewpoints).



2. Success Criteria


Students will write and speak in a manner that is appropriate for B2.2. English.  This means speaking and writing in reasonably advanced English and communicating in a clear, concise, and coherent voice.  The Three Cs must be adopted in both written and spoken English. 

What does ‘Reasonably Advanced English’ mean?

  • Frequent use of correct Verb Tenses
  • Good Vocabulary
  • Good pronunciation (when speaking)
  • Good Word Order
  • Little-to-no Missing/Extraneous Words
  • Good use of Articles

What does Clear, Concise, and Coherent communication look and sound like?

Clear communication means expressing ideas in a straightforward manner that is easy to understand.  Concise communication is conveying messages using the fewest words necessary – for this you need a very good vocabulary.  Coherent communication is when ideas flow logically and are connected from one sentence/paragraph/idea to the next.

As this is a narrative/descriptive writing course with an element of live storytelling, students will have the following extra expectations in order to pass the course:

The written exam:

    • You will have to write a short story in either the 2nd or 3rd voice.  Short stories should be written in a clear way.  Dialogue should be written using English dialogue punctuation, not Portuguese.  Rich description requires excellent vocabulary and this can contribute to a higher grade. However, abstract pieces should not be submitted either for homework or exams.  The reader should be able to understand what is going on at all times in the story.

 

  1. The oral exam:
    • You will have to tell a story in the first person that follows the general rules of The Moth or Storytelling Lisboa:

o It must be true.

o It must be your story, not someone else’s.

o It must relate to the theme.

o It must have an introduction, a build-up, a climax, and a conclusion – i.e. a real story, not a Ted Talk or something to that effect.

o It can be neither too short, nor too long.

o You should not tell a story you are not ready to tell. 

o Do not milk the conclusion.

o While casual language is welcome, anything offensive to minority groups is unacceptable.  The Moth and Storytelling Lisboa are inclusive storytelling spaces – and so is my classroom.

Both written and oral exams will be marked as such: 10 marks for English; 10 marks for content.


3. Resources


All necessary resources – such as this course book, grammar workbooks, etc. – will be uploaded onto the Google drive that we, as a class, will share or onto the online summaries (videos only). 


4. Online Resources


Grammar practice & homework
  • www.englishpage.com
Storytelling – The Moth
Grading Policy and Requirements

 GRADE PERCENTAGES

Assessment methods include attendance and class participation, a written test, and an oral examination. Weighting will be as follows:

Attendance and class participation – 10%

Grammar Test – 20%

Oral Test: 1st Person Narrative (Storytelling) – 30%

Written Test: choose from 2nd and 3rd Person Narrative – 40%:

Should you FAIL the course, you can sit the Final Exam (Época Especial) which will be in June 2026.  This exam will consist of writing one story only (1st, 2nd, 3rd person – you choose).  There is no oral examination.

OPTIONAL HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS and TUTORIALS

Students will have one to two OPTIONAL homework assignments (i.e. 1-2 short stories) which, upon completion, they must email me. All students are entitled to tutorials for grammar and for their optional homework assignments (after they receive their work marked).  
Homework can be no longer than 650 words.  If it is, I won’t read it – at all.
No student can have more than three one-on-one tutorials in total.  
Tutorials will be on zoom.  Just email me to request one, and we will find a time and date that suits us both.

Homework assignments must have the following on the front page at the top like a real short story:

·         A title

·         Student’s name

Homework documents must be saved (in Word, NOT PDF) as follows:

·         Example:

§  ana silva – short story

Important Dates

The dates highlighted in peach and orange in the course calendar are lessons that students cannot miss.  Worker students must ask for time off from work in advance to ensure that they can be present on these dates. 

Note to worker students: you do not need to come to all of the lessons allocated to the oral presentations; you just need to come on the date of your presentation.  Students will email me their choice of date, and these will be granted on a first-come-first-serve basis.