Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Hi everyone,
just a quick update for the benefit of those of you who have not been ablle to attend any of the last few classes.
We have virtually finished Unit 2, except for the review.
The focus of Unit to was PAST TIMES. Among other things, we did a reading comprehension based on famous walls.
The main homework that I set was to write a formal letter based on the information on pages 21 and 22. The sample letter in the book is in completely the wrong register. Your challenge is to "repair" it, and make it suitable for publication as a letter to a newspaper.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I would also like you to do the language work on page 27 and the Review on pp 28 to 29.
Bye for now
Roger
just a quick update for the benefit of those of you who have not been ablle to attend any of the last few classes.
We have virtually finished Unit 2, except for the review.
The focus of Unit to was PAST TIMES. Among other things, we did a reading comprehension based on famous walls.
The main homework that I set was to write a formal letter based on the information on pages 21 and 22. The sample letter in the book is in completely the wrong register. Your challenge is to "repair" it, and make it suitable for publication as a letter to a newspaper.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I would also like you to do the language work on page 27 and the Review on pp 28 to 29.
Bye for now
Roger
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
An inspiring interview
Just thought you might be interested in reading and viewing this interview from Chile. I wasn't planning to talk about this, but on the basis of this story we could discuss issues like health and safety for workers in dangerous working conditions, or on whether what Manuel Gonzales says about desiny at the end of the interview could actually be true.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Thursday October 14th
Hi everyone,
This week he have only had one class if you come on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In today's class we started by reviewing the grammar and vocabulary homework. The vocabulary homework (from the book) mainly consisted of WORD FORMATION exercises. One of the things we noticed about word formation is the way in which the WORD STRESS often changes, depending on whether the word is a verb, adjective, noun or adverb, and in some cases which noun, verb or adjective it is, as some root words have several. Take RESPOND for example. How many diffirent words can you form from this root?
Then we looked at some photocopies I had made from the workbook. We did a couple of collocation exercises and a word building exercise. I suggested that you do the rest for homework.
After that we worked on the preparation work for the second of the two compositions from unit 1. This time it is a composition based on the CAE range of possible composition types, in this case a COMPETITION ENTRY. I suggested that you do either the one in the book or the one in the set of photocopies that I gave you: page 10 in the workbook.
More about word formation in a laterr post. In the meantime, have a good weekend.
This week he have only had one class if you come on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In today's class we started by reviewing the grammar and vocabulary homework. The vocabulary homework (from the book) mainly consisted of WORD FORMATION exercises. One of the things we noticed about word formation is the way in which the WORD STRESS often changes, depending on whether the word is a verb, adjective, noun or adverb, and in some cases which noun, verb or adjective it is, as some root words have several. Take RESPOND for example. How many diffirent words can you form from this root?
Then we looked at some photocopies I had made from the workbook. We did a couple of collocation exercises and a word building exercise. I suggested that you do the rest for homework.
After that we worked on the preparation work for the second of the two compositions from unit 1. This time it is a composition based on the CAE range of possible composition types, in this case a COMPETITION ENTRY. I suggested that you do either the one in the book or the one in the set of photocopies that I gave you: page 10 in the workbook.
More about word formation in a laterr post. In the meantime, have a good weekend.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Class work so far
Hi everyone,
Just a quick review of what we have done so far in the first week of the course.
We started looking at the book READY FOR CAE on the first day of class last Tuesday.
Within the topic "Aiming High", which is the name of the first unit in the book, we have been looking at vocabulary associated with challenges, ambitions, success and failure. We have also explored some of the vocabulary used for expressing the emotions we feel before embarking on an ambition and then after either succeeding or failing.
We then looked at the story of Laura Dekker, the 14 year-old Dutch girl who was forbidden (and then later permitted) to pursue her lifelong ambition to be the youngest ever single-handed round the world sailor.
We read the text on pages 8 to 9 of the book and looked at the procedure for CAE reading comprehension. Then we did some vocabulary work, and then some more language work from pages 10 and 11.
We also did the listening on page 12, and we then listened to a youtube clip showing an Irish woman (or an English man) who are on their way to fulfilling their dreams.
Homework or the week was the language work on pages 11 and 12, and on pages 13 and 14. I also asked you to write a letter to a newspaper expressing your opinion about whether Laura Dekker should have been allowed or forbidden to "follow her dream" at the age of 14, and about the implications of that decision for "age-limits" in general.
Just a quick review of what we have done so far in the first week of the course.
We started looking at the book READY FOR CAE on the first day of class last Tuesday.
Within the topic "Aiming High", which is the name of the first unit in the book, we have been looking at vocabulary associated with challenges, ambitions, success and failure. We have also explored some of the vocabulary used for expressing the emotions we feel before embarking on an ambition and then after either succeeding or failing.
We then looked at the story of Laura Dekker, the 14 year-old Dutch girl who was forbidden (and then later permitted) to pursue her lifelong ambition to be the youngest ever single-handed round the world sailor.
We read the text on pages 8 to 9 of the book and looked at the procedure for CAE reading comprehension. Then we did some vocabulary work, and then some more language work from pages 10 and 11.
We also did the listening on page 12, and we then listened to a youtube clip showing an Irish woman (or an English man) who are on their way to fulfilling their dreams.
Homework or the week was the language work on pages 11 and 12, and on pages 13 and 14. I also asked you to write a letter to a newspaper expressing your opinion about whether Laura Dekker should have been allowed or forbidden to "follow her dream" at the age of 14, and about the implications of that decision for "age-limits" in general.
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