Mr. Moises Maestro, who will enjoy a year-long stay at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a fabulous mystery prize, to be awarded this Staurday during the break! Congratulations Moises, I know you'll make us all proud!
Last week we:
1. Looked at Unit 20 in your books, using the speaking and reading activities on p. 124-125 as a way to review proper exam strategies. Don't forget to use the tactics on p. 73 of your book to help you make your speaking more fluid!
2. Completed the vocabulary exercises on p. 126, and discussed ways to prepare for the Use of English section of the exam (hint: word families, prepositions, and phrasal verbs).
3. Studied the inversion structures provided in your book on p. 126, and in the Grammar File on p. 174.
4. Did an epic exam review using material taken from your workbook. Use this to study!
Look through your book if you need a reminder of how to approach the different writing tasks that you might see on the exam (information sheet, report, review, essay). You can also use the blog posts from earlier in the year. There are examples of these different forms posted, save the essay and report. I'll provide you with some useful links to help you with those now:
Essay: try this one and this one
Report: check here and here
One last thing: relax! You've worked very hard this year, and now it's going to pay off. So get a good night's sleep on Friday and come ready to kick butt on Saturday.
See you then!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Week in Review: 11/5 and Final Writing Assignment
Hello everyone,
Last week we:
1. Did a progress check on your Workbooks; don't forget to use them as a study aid!
2. Discussed how to compose a personal statement, and wrote one in pairs
3. Explored different persuasive techniques, depending on context (formal or informal)
Your homework for Saturday is to write a personal statement that responds to the following prompt:
Your university has just allocated funding to send one student to study abroad for a year, at an English-speaking university of their choosing. Money is no object, and the university can be in any English-speaking country. The area of study is up to the student to decide; however, it is expected that the chosen field, and the completed year of study, will prepare the student to make a valuable contribution to that field in the future, after their return to Spain. The greater the potential contribution, the greater the chance that you will be selected.
Please compose a one-page personal statement explaining why you are the ideal candidate for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Make sure to include:
Last week we:
1. Did a progress check on your Workbooks; don't forget to use them as a study aid!
2. Discussed how to compose a personal statement, and wrote one in pairs
3. Explored different persuasive techniques, depending on context (formal or informal)
Your homework for Saturday is to write a personal statement that responds to the following prompt:
Your university has just allocated funding to send one student to study abroad for a year, at an English-speaking university of their choosing. Money is no object, and the university can be in any English-speaking country. The area of study is up to the student to decide; however, it is expected that the chosen field, and the completed year of study, will prepare the student to make a valuable contribution to that field in the future, after their return to Spain. The greater the potential contribution, the greater the chance that you will be selected.
Please compose a one-page personal statement explaining why you are the ideal candidate for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Make sure to include:
- Where you want to go
- Why you want to go there
- What you want to study
- Why you want to study it
- What you plan to accomplish in Spain with the experience of the year abroad
This is your FINAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT. The copy you give to me on Saturday will receive a mark. Make sure you adhere to the guidelines we discussed in class, keeping in mind what type of tone you should take. (Hint: formal.) If you need a reminder of what a good personal statement looks like, take a look here and here. The second link is to examples of personal statements writtten for the prestigous Fulbright Scholarship, which is as open-ended as this assignment.
Use eveything we've worked on this year to make your final product as strong as possible. Incorporate high-level vocabulary, presuasive techniques, formal writing structures, etc. I want your work at the beginning of class on Saturday, no exceptions. I will announce the winner of this dream scholarship after the break.
See you Saturday!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Week(s) in Review: May Puente
Hello all,
I hope you enjoyed your vacation, and that you come back ready to close out the year strong.
Our last class was on April 27, which feels like forever ago. In case you've forgotten, in that class we:
I hope you enjoyed your vacation, and that you come back ready to close out the year strong.
Our last class was on April 27, which feels like forever ago. In case you've forgotten, in that class we:
- Covered Unit 18 in the book, which discusses lying. We talked about situations when lying might be appropriate ("white lies"), and read a text in which the author both criticizes and defends lying in social situations.
- Studied different techniques for making statements more emphatic, and gave particular emphasis to using auxiliary verbs. (Yes, I did just use 'emphasis' while talking about emphasizing!)
- Did listening and speaking activities that demonstrated the unsefulness of being able to think creatively (and perhaps not truthfully) in an exam environment, particularly for a speaking activity. You should try to be flexible with your history and opinions for the exam, since what is being tested is your English, not your honesty.
Your homework for Saturday is: p. 53-54 in your Workbooks. Only do the Use of English activity on page 53; please complete all of page 54. Obviously, bring your workbooks to class on Saturday. We will check your answers, and I will collect your Workbooks to see if you've been taking advantage of this valuable resourse.
See you Saturday!
Friday, April 26, 2013
Week in Review: 20/4
Hello everyone:
Last week we completed Unit 17 in your books, which focuses on reading, discussing and writing reviews, as well as the correct use of articles. We had a lively conversation about film tastes, particularly in regard to Star Wars, which doesn't seem to have aged very well. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and we agreed to disagree.
Your homework for this week is exercise 6 on p. 111: write a review about a TV program. Follow the instructions given in your book, and refer back to the unit for help if you need it.
Now, let's see if you can guess the classic films referred to in the review excerpts below:
1. Yes, it's very good, but Brando is hardly the reason.
(This film), now and maybe forever at the Chicago Theater, ends with a door being closed in the face of the audience, and it is because we have been behind that door for nearly three hours that the film has such remarkable appeal. To permit us a glimpse at The Mob, with all of its ethnic insularity, is like giving a chronic gambler a chance to wander above the false mirrors that overlook every casino.
2. Watching (this film), you don't just get engrossed in what's happening on screen. You get intoxicated by it — high on the rediscovery of how pleasurable a movie can be. I'm not sure I've ever encountered a filmmaker who combined discipline and control with sheer wild-ass joy the way that Tarantino does. For 2 hours and 35 minutes, we're drawn into the lives of violently impassioned underworld characters — hit men, drug dealers, lethal vamps — who become figments of fury and grace and desire. We're caught up in dialogue of such fiendishly elaborate wit it suggests a Martin Scorsese film written by Preston Sturges, in plot twists — they're closer to zigzags — that are like whims bubbling up from the director's unconscious.(This film) is the work of a new-style punk virtuoso. It is, quite simply, the most exhilarating piece of filmmaking to come along in the nearly five years I've been writing for this magazine.
3. (This film) is an outstanding motion picture, an achievement of big-budget filmmaking that will continue to amaze for decades to come. While some might argue that the story has grown dated over the years, it's hard to deny the quality of the film's pitch-perfect action set pieces, raw emotion and the brilliance of the production itself. (This film) isn't just a great film, it's a magnificent historical record of one of the most unfortunate disasters in the annals of human history.
Last week we completed Unit 17 in your books, which focuses on reading, discussing and writing reviews, as well as the correct use of articles. We had a lively conversation about film tastes, particularly in regard to Star Wars, which doesn't seem to have aged very well. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and we agreed to disagree.
Your homework for this week is exercise 6 on p. 111: write a review about a TV program. Follow the instructions given in your book, and refer back to the unit for help if you need it.
Now, let's see if you can guess the classic films referred to in the review excerpts below:
1. Yes, it's very good, but Brando is hardly the reason.
(This film), now and maybe forever at the Chicago Theater, ends with a door being closed in the face of the audience, and it is because we have been behind that door for nearly three hours that the film has such remarkable appeal. To permit us a glimpse at The Mob, with all of its ethnic insularity, is like giving a chronic gambler a chance to wander above the false mirrors that overlook every casino.
2. Watching (this film), you don't just get engrossed in what's happening on screen. You get intoxicated by it — high on the rediscovery of how pleasurable a movie can be. I'm not sure I've ever encountered a filmmaker who combined discipline and control with sheer wild-ass joy the way that Tarantino does. For 2 hours and 35 minutes, we're drawn into the lives of violently impassioned underworld characters — hit men, drug dealers, lethal vamps — who become figments of fury and grace and desire. We're caught up in dialogue of such fiendishly elaborate wit it suggests a Martin Scorsese film written by Preston Sturges, in plot twists — they're closer to zigzags — that are like whims bubbling up from the director's unconscious.(This film) is the work of a new-style punk virtuoso. It is, quite simply, the most exhilarating piece of filmmaking to come along in the nearly five years I've been writing for this magazine.
3. (This film) is an outstanding motion picture, an achievement of big-budget filmmaking that will continue to amaze for decades to come. While some might argue that the story has grown dated over the years, it's hard to deny the quality of the film's pitch-perfect action set pieces, raw emotion and the brilliance of the production itself. (This film) isn't just a great film, it's a magnificent historical record of one of the most unfortunate disasters in the annals of human history.
What do you think?
Friday, April 19, 2013
Week in Review: 13/4
Hello everyone.
Last week completed Unit 16 in your books, focusing on body idioms and hypothesizing, specifically in the context of competitions and laws. We had some very animated discussions, which seems to be par for the course with you guys. (Can anyone explain that idiom to me? It has nothing to do with the body, but that's the only hint you'll get.)
The homework for tomorrow's class is:
1) Re-write your essays following the revisions I marked on the original.
2) Complete the Gapped Text activity on p. 104-105 of your books.
One other important bit of business: Our Final Exam is fast approaching. I need you to confirm that you will be in class for both days of the exam, May 25 and June 1. If you cannot attend one or both of those days, tell me immediately so we can arrange another testing date.
See you tomorrow!
Last week completed Unit 16 in your books, focusing on body idioms and hypothesizing, specifically in the context of competitions and laws. We had some very animated discussions, which seems to be par for the course with you guys. (Can anyone explain that idiom to me? It has nothing to do with the body, but that's the only hint you'll get.)
The homework for tomorrow's class is:
1) Re-write your essays following the revisions I marked on the original.
2) Complete the Gapped Text activity on p. 104-105 of your books.
One other important bit of business: Our Final Exam is fast approaching. I need you to confirm that you will be in class for both days of the exam, May 25 and June 1. If you cannot attend one or both of those days, tell me immediately so we can arrange another testing date.
See you tomorrow!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Week in Review: 6/4
Hello all,
Last week we completed Unit 15 in your books.
1. We talked about how to raise children, parenting philosophies, and how to instill the "proper" priorities in children.
2. We prepped for Part 3 of the Speaking Test by following the schematic on pag 96 of your books. We focused on how to invite responses from your speaking partner using the phrases given in your books.
3. We discussed the correct usage of the infinitive with or without to. For more information on this issue consult the Grammar File on page 171 of your books.
4. We completed the listening activity on page 97, and talked about the quality of TV in Spain. The general opinion was: not great.
Your homework for the week is:
The reading, speaking, and vocabulary activities in the Revision Folder on pages 98-99.
And here's a question to think about for tomorrow's class, and that is related to the reading text in your homework:
How big of a priority is your family to you? That is: is being near to your family something that will affect the decisions you make in the future, specifically in terms of job prospects? Would you consider living abroad for a long period of time if it meant you would only see your family once or twice a year?
See you tomorrow!
Last week we completed Unit 15 in your books.
1. We talked about how to raise children, parenting philosophies, and how to instill the "proper" priorities in children.
2. We prepped for Part 3 of the Speaking Test by following the schematic on pag 96 of your books. We focused on how to invite responses from your speaking partner using the phrases given in your books.
3. We discussed the correct usage of the infinitive with or without to. For more information on this issue consult the Grammar File on page 171 of your books.
4. We completed the listening activity on page 97, and talked about the quality of TV in Spain. The general opinion was: not great.
Your homework for the week is:
The reading, speaking, and vocabulary activities in the Revision Folder on pages 98-99.
And here's a question to think about for tomorrow's class, and that is related to the reading text in your homework:
How big of a priority is your family to you? That is: is being near to your family something that will affect the decisions you make in the future, specifically in terms of job prospects? Would you consider living abroad for a long period of time if it meant you would only see your family once or twice a year?
See you tomorrow!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Homework Reminder for Tomorrow's Class
Hello everyone, I hope you had a nice break. Sorry to be posting so late in the week, but I want to remind you about tomorrow's homework.
Your assignment is:
1. Exercise 1 on p. 91: the vocabulary gap-fill exercise
2. Exercise 8 on p. 93: the essay writing assignment
Don't forget everything we said in class about building a convincing argument. Follow the tips in the writing folder to help sharpen your essay.
See you tomorrow.
Your assignment is:
1. Exercise 1 on p. 91: the vocabulary gap-fill exercise
2. Exercise 8 on p. 93: the essay writing assignment
Don't forget everything we said in class about building a convincing argument. Follow the tips in the writing folder to help sharpen your essay.
See you tomorrow.
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