SECOND ORAL ASSESSMENT

Hello, my dear students,
You already know what the test is about. This is the link for you to see the video.
Remember, you can see it as many times as you want. Don't forget to take notes, look up new words and of course, write the 10 questions.
See you on Saturday, October 22nd.
Enjoy your time off.
Astrid
http://www.ted.com/talks/sunitha_krishnan_tedindia.html

PRONUNCIATION OF REGULAR VERBS IN PAST

Hi everybody, here's a video where you can appreciate more clearly why /t/, /d/ or /Id/ when pronouncing regular verbs in past tense. You can watch and listen to the video as many times as you want and then do the exercise on the link.
Don't forget to get ready for the chat next class.
See you on Saturday.
Astrid

http://eolf.univ-fcomte.fr/uploads/ressources/pronunciation/01_-ed_endings/01_ed.htm

AMY WINEHOUSE REHAB

Hi, my dear students.
First of all, let me tell you that it was a pleasure to meet you.
I would like you to listen to this video, (you might have seen it before), but this time I want you to listen to it more carefully and choose an expression or any part of the song you like and reflect a little bit on it. We'll share it in class on Saturday to finish this topic.
Thank you.
See you Sat.
Astrid

Teenagers: speaking: why teenagers avoid using English

Interesting article on different "reasons why teenagers may be reluctant to speak English in class and solutions to help students overcome this problem."

http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?docid=146795

Exercises on capitalization

Dear all,

In this link you will find some good exercises to practice the correct use of capital letters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/e3/words/grammar/capitalletters/index.shtml

EIJ 601

EIJ 602

EIJ 601

Strategies for writing

• Have someone else look at your writing. Many people do not see their own mistakes.
• Use what you know. Use familiar words, phrases, and sentence patterns you have learnt or seen in target language texts. They are more likely to be understood.
• Avoid excessive reliance on the dictionary. If you have to look up a half-dozen words to write a ten-word sentence, there is a high possibility that the sentence will not be comprehensive. Every time you look up a word in a dictionary, you run the risk of picking the wrong one.
• Imitate. Imitate native speakers’ writing. For instance, in writing a response to a personal note, look at the format, the way in which the writer of the note addressed you, how he started and ended the note, etc.
• Plan before writing. A successful text is one in which sentences build meaning in relation to each other and the overall topic. Therefore, you should consider the function of each sentence in light of its relation to the main topic in order to provide readers with a clear sense of purpose.
• Revise. Writing does not begin or end with one draft. Revise at all levels.
• Check your grammar. Sometimes grammar mistakes can make your writing difficult to understand, for example, if you use past tense instead of future. Review what you have written for grammatical accuracy. Check with someone if you are not sure.
• Enlist your teacher’s cooperation. Establish a channel of communication with your teacher regarding writing and teacher’s comments by asking for feedback on grammar and other errors.
• Look for regular patterns in spelling. Look for regular sound-letter correspondences. If there is a rule, remember it and apply it when in doubt. If there is no good rule, check the spelling of the word in a dictionary each time you write, until you remember the correct spelling.
• Avoid misspelling the same word over and over again. Most people find that they misspell the same words all the time. This can be avoided by making a list of such a words to refer to or by developing other techniques to help you remember the correct spelling.
• Find out similarities and differences in punctuation between your own and the foreign language.
• Learn punctuation rules and apply them.

Adapted from: Rubin & Thompson (1994). How to be a more successful language learner. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Strategies for learning grammar

• Be on the lookout for rules . Don't wait for someone to point out a rule. Look for it yourself.
• Learn the rules. Make sure that you understand how a particular rule works.
• Experiment . Try to apply grammar rules to different contexts.
• Work towards mastery when doing grammar exercises. When doing oral grammar exercises in class or in the language lab, carefully focus on the grammar. Listen Actively to the teacher's corrections or the models on tape and repeat the correct form.
• Avoid repeated errors. Try to understand why you consistently make a certain kind of error. You are not clear about the rule? You have totally misunderstood the rule?
• Note whether additional work has any effect on your performance. Extra practice on doing grammar exercises or using language in real life situations.
• Be patient. It is impossible to learn, much less remember all the rules in a limited period of time. Work on your grammar diligently. One rule at a time and lots of practice and reviewing are good operating principles.

Adapted from: Rubin & Thompson (1994). How to be a more successful language learner. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Listening strategies

1. Listen regularly. In addition to language tapes, make a regular effort to listen to the foreign language outside the classroom. Listen to the radio, attend lectures, and watch TV and films.

2. Choose appropriate materials. Find materials specially prepared for teaching listening comprehension such as textbooks and videos. Then try finding authentic material such as radio and TV programs, lectures, films and plays.

3. Find the right level of difficulty. If you are a beginning or intermediate learner, start with video rather than audio materials. Start with short TV segments on familiar topics. Advanced learners can listen to more complex materials.

4. Choose material that you will enjoy. If you are interested in sports, watch sports on TV or listen to sports reports. If you enjoy comedies, watch them in the foreign language.

Taken from: Rubin & Thompson (1994). How to be a more successful language learner. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Strategies for developing listening skills

1. Let the speaker know that you are not following.
2. Ask for repetition.
3. Ask your conversational partner to slow down.
4. Seek clarification.
5. Rephrase.
6. Repeat.
7. Pay attention to intonation and tone of voice.
8. Use visual clues.
9. Use your background knowledge.
10. Use your information for the segment itself.
11. Determine the situation in the segment.
12. Listen to familiar elements.
13. Listen to repeated words and phrases.
14. Learn to recognize proper names.
15. Concentrate on familiar elements.
16. Keep listening.

Taken from: Rubin & Thompson (1994). How to be a more successful language learner. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Strategies for learning vocabulary

• Put the words and their definitions on individual cards. Include a sample sentence that illustrates how the word may be used in context.
• Say the words aloud or write them over and over again as you study. Vary the order when you write them.
• Compose sentences with the words you are studying. Try different contexts, and check with your teacher.
• Tape record the words and their definitions, if you prefer to learn through the ear. Listen to the tape as many times as you need to achieve 100% retention on a self-test.
• Highlight words that cause you the most trouble so that you can give them extra attention.
• Put words that start with the same letter or sound together. For instance who, what, where, etc.
• Associate words with the physical world. A word is more easily learned if it can be associated with color, size, feel, or other physical characteristic. For instance names of vegetables and fruits you can associate some with being red, round, long or green.
• Associate words with their functions. For instance words for furniture, you can group them according to which are used for sitting , which for lying, etc.
• Use natural word associations, such as opposites. For instance cold and hot, brother and sister.
• Organize words by grammatical class. Nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc.
• Associate words with pictures
• Associate words in English with words in Spanish.
• Guess the meaning of words from context.

Taken from: Rubin & Thompson (1994). How to be a more successful language learner. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Web sites to practice conditionals

http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/conditionalintro.html

http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blconditionals.htm

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-conditional.htm

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/allcnd1.htm

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/1cond.htm

http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/english-conditionals-an-introduction.html

CONTENIDOS DEL CURSO

LEVEL’S THEME: CHOSEN BY STUDENTS

OBJETIVO: Al finalizar el curso el estudiante estará en capacidad de reconocer sus fortalezas, debilidades y dificultades como aprendiz de la lengua inglesa a partir de la reflexión sobre sus estrategias de aprendizaje para afianzar y mejorar su competencia comunicativa.

TEMA: CHOSEN BY STUDENTS

OBJETIVOS:

- Repasar los contenidos de los niveles anteriores.
- Reconocer dificultades, debilidades y fortalezas en el propio aprendizaje del inglés.
- Desarrollar y aplicar estrategias de aprendizaje de la lengua inglesa.
- Desarrollar la capacidad de hablar de un tema espontáneamente con corrección y sentido.

VOCABULARIO

Según el tema escogido.

ESTRUCTURAS / EXPRESIONES

- All tenses learned in the previous levels: Simple present and past, passive voice (simple present and past), present perfect, future.
- Relative clauses with that (to give definitions)
- Information questions.
- Expressions of agreement and disagreement.
- Conditional sentences to describe conditions and/or hypotheses.