1er borrador programación eoi.pdf
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INDEX 1. INTRODUCTION 3
2. THE STUDENTS 3
3. COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE 4
3.1. Pragmatic competence 5
3.2. Sociolinguistic competence 5
3.3. Linguistic competence 5
3.4. Strategic competence 5
4. GENERAL OBJECTIVES 5
5. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 6
5.1. PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE 6
5.1.1. Oral and Written Interaction 6
5.1.2. Listening Comprehension 7
5.1.3. Oral Expression 7
5.1.4. Reading Comprehension 7
5.1.5. Written Expression 7
5.2. SOCIOCULTURAL AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE 8
5.3. LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE 8
5.4. STRATEGIC COMPETENCE 8
6. CONTENTS 9
6.1. COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES 9
6.2. FUNCTIONS 9
6.3. COHERENCE AND COHESION OF DISCOURSE 12
6.4. TOPICS 14
6.5. LINGUISTIC RESOURCES 15
6.5.1. GRAMMAR 15
6.5.2. DISCOURSE 18
6.5.3. PHONOLOGY AND SPELLING 21
7. METHODOLOGY 22
7. 1. Methodological Criteria 22
7. 2. Methodological Strategies 23
8. ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION 24
8.1. Introduction 24
8.2. General Assessment Criteria: 24
8.3. Types of Assessment / Evaluation 26
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8.3.1. Placement Test 26
8.3.2. Diagnostic Assessment 26
8.3.3. Continuous Assessment 26
8.3.4. End-of-Course Assessment 27
8.3.5. Format of the final test 28
8.3.6. Procedure for the administration of the final tests 29
8.3.7. Assessment Criteria for the Final Test 29
9. MEASURES FOR MISSED ACTIVITIES, RETAKING TESTS, AND REVISION 30
10. MATERIALS AND TEACHING RESOURCES USED IN THE CLASSROOM 31
11. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 32
12. MEASURES FOR ATTENTION TO SPECIAL NEEDS AND DIVERSITY 32
13. UNIT PLANS 34
13.1. Introduction 34
13.2. Duration 34
UNIT PLAN 1 Food and Eating Habits 35
UNIT PLAN 2 Family and Friends 36
UNIT PLAN 3 Money 38
UNIT PLAN 4 World Traveller 40
UNIT PLAN 5 I Have to Make a Phone Call 41
UNIT PLAN 6 You Can Do It 43
UNIT PLAN 7 Education 44
UNIT PLAN 8 Home Sweet Home 46
UNIT PLAN 9 Different Styles 47
UNIT PLAN 10 Professional Life 49
UNIT PLAN 11 Shopping 51
UNIT PLAN 12 Films and Songs 52
UNIT PLAN 13 Public Figures We Admire 54
UNIT PLAN 14 Are You Lucky? 55
UNIT PLAN 15 An Interesting Story 57
14. BIBLIOGRAPHY 59
14.1. Textbooks 59
14.2. Recommended reference books 59
14.2.1. Grammars 59
14.2.2. Dictionaries 59
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1. INTRODUCTION
This syllabus has been created taking into account the following general
regulations for foreign language teaching and assessment / evaluation:
The Order EDU 17/2007 (December 10th ), which regulates the organization of
the Official Schools of Languages in Andalucía; the Decree 15/2012 (February
7th), which approved the regulations regarding educational institutions in this
Autonomous Community; the Order EDU/2645/2011 (September 23rd ),
regarding assessment / evaluation and certification in the Official Schools of
Languages in Andalucía; and, finally, the Decree 59/2007 (June 7th), which
modified the curriculum for the intermediate level.
2. THE STUDENTS
In the Official Schools of Languages in Andalucía there is broad range of
students from a variety of backgrounds with regard to age, occupation, and
reasons for having chosen English as a language of study. There are secondary
school students, university students, and professional people, among them
teachers from other sectors of education, as well as working people in general
and retired people.
Clearly, many of them see English as a useful language that they need to
understand and express themselves in an increasingly globalized world, which
is one of the reasons behind the tremendous social demand for English.
Considering that students in the Official School of Languages are a very diverse
group with people with different tastes, opinions, ages, professions, interests,
etc.,
it is difficult to specify one type of student in order to plan teaching activities.
Therefore, teaching activities must be planned and carried out with these
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diverse groups in mind by offering them a variety of contents and
communicative activities while working towards group cohesion through the
interaction offered by the communicative method. In addition, when possible,
individual and collective interests will be taken into consideration in order to
adapt the course to the needs that the students may have for English in real life,
while keeping in mind the general and specific objectives of the course and the
European Framework.
One thing that this diverse group of students should have in common is their
level of English when beginning the course. These students have gained
access to the course either by taking a placement test or by having completed
the preceding levels of English courses. In some cases, there are also students
who begin the first year of the intermediate level after having completed
distance-learning systems or the final year of secondary school. At the
beginning of the course, the teacher will take measures to detect any areas of
difference or difficulty and carry out revision activities to assure the all the
students can participate in the communicative and interactive activities and
achieve the course objectives.
3. COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
The primary objective of language teaching in the Official School of Languages
is to develop communicative competence. The students should use the
language to communicate. Therefore, they must assimilate knowledge and
develop a series of strategies that allow them to perform efficiently. This
requires reproducing in the classroom, as much as possible, the communication
processes that are carried out in real life. In order to contextualize these
processes, classes will be conducted in English, requiring the students to
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gradually use English more and more. Communicative competence is
composed of the following components:
3.1. Pragmatic competence is the ability to adapt the communicative activities
for interaction, comprehension and expression to practical communicative
situations, and the ability to transmit the desired communicative intentions and
functions (functional competence) through speaking and writing which is
structured, cohesive and coherent (discourse competence).
3.2. Sociolinguistic competence is how well a person speaks and is
understood in various social contexts. This depends on factors such as the
status of those speaking to each other, the purpose of the interaction, and the
expectations of the interaction. The main question is: how socially acceptable is
the person’s use of English in different settings?
3.3. Linguistic competence is how well a person has learned the features and
rules of the language. This includes vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence
formation. These will be studied and practiced in class, not as an end in
themselves, but rather as tools to assist in interaction and communication in
English.
3.4. Strategic competence is how well a person uses both verbal and non-
verbal forms of communication to compensate for a lack of knowledge in the
other three competencies. The main question is: can a person find ways to
communicate when he or she is lacking some knowledge of English?
4. GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The point of reference for the first year of the intermediate level is the first sub-
level (B1.1.) of the Threshold Level of the Common European Framework of
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Reference for Languages. After successfully completing this course, a student
will be able to:
• Use the language as an instrument of communication and personal expression
about familiar topics, both in the classroom and in everyday situations.
• Understand, interact and express himself or herself appropriately in these
situations, both orally and in writing, with a certain amount of fluency and a
basic but broad linguistic repertoire.
• Increase his or her knowledge of the sociocultural aspects related to everyday
situations and those related to his or her own professional or academic context,
using the proper manners, correct register and appropriate forms of address in
these situations.
• Assimilate the necessary and appropriate linguistic resources for the planned
communicative activities by doing both functional and structural exercises.
• Reinforce and add variety to the use of strategies that accelerate
communication and learning.
• Utilize tools for assessing and improving language use and learning itself.
5. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
5.1. PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE
5.1.1. Oral and Written Interaction
• Understand enough in order to participate, without previous preparation, in
conversations dealing with everyday topics.
• Understand and write notes and letters to familiar conversation partners,
transmitting and highlighting information, describing experiences, feelings and
events in some detail, coherently, and with basic organization and cohesion.
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5.1.2. Listening Comprehension
• Identify the communicative intentions and the main ideas of comments,
discussions, detailed directions and narrations given clearly, at a reasonable
speed of delivery, and in standard language in both formal and informal
registers.
• Extract essential information from announcements, news broadcasts, and
other simple recorded material dealing with general topics and pronounced
relatively slowly and clearly.
5.1.3. Oral Expression
• Carry out simple but coherent presentations, descriptions, and narrations
about a variety of familiar topics, organized in a linear fashion, with a simple but
broad linguistic repertoire and exhibiting cohesion and flexibility.
• Participate fluently in everyday exchanges, although pauses, hesitations and
interruptions may be noticeable in other types of exchanges.
5.1.4. Reading Comprehension
• Understand simple and contextualized texts dealing with general topics or
those related to the student’s area of speciality; identify the communicative
intentions, the important ideas and the most significant details and recognize
the formal or informal registers of standard language.
5.1.5. Written Expression
• Write simple and appropriate texts about familiar topics, respecting the
conventions of written language, connecting elements in coherent sequences,
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with basic but effective organization, cohesion and satisfactory control of simple
linguistic resources.
5.2. SOCIOCULTURAL AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE
• Expand one’s sociocultural knowledge to include a varied range of everyday
and professional aspects, and adapt one’s behaviour and reactions to different
situations.
• Use the language and social forms typical of the exchanges and texts that the
student normally deals with, as well as the forms of address and common
expressions of courtesy, in a standard register (formal and informal).
• Understand the behaviour and values which are different to one’s own which
underlie everyday sociocultural phenomena, and recognize language that may
be offensive or taboo in the other culture.
5.3. LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE
• Acquire a basic but broad linguistic repertoire for dealing with most common
situations and put discourse together with flexibility, although perhaps still
exhibiting some difficulties in formulation.
• Utilize this repertoire fairly correctly for the expression of predictable functions
and topics in common situations. Use new structures or participate in less
common situations, although the interlanguage still exhibits errors typical of this
level.
5.4. STRATEGIC COMPETENCE
• Strengthen motivation for learning the language and cooperate in the
communicative interaction of the group. Become aware of the most helpful
strategies and apply them intentionally.
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• Utilize one’s own knowledge and experience and assess the resources
available for completing a task. Take advantage of new resources and
opportunities to use the foreign language, in new situations and with different
types of texts. Practice the language, contextualize messages, avoid and
resolve difficulties, monitor comprehension, ask for help and repair gaps in
understanding.
• Faced with difficulties or shortcomings, risk using the language with already-
familiar strategies. Recognize errors as an unavoidable part of the learning
process and try new ways of overcoming them.
• Evaluate learning processes and achievements with the help of the teacher.
Identify difficulties and ways to overcome them. Assess the successes and the
methods used and plan future learning processes in accordance with the
results.
6. CONTENTS
6.1. COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES
These are comprehension and expression activities that the student must put
into practice in order to carry out the communicative functions planned for the
first year of the intermediate level.
6.2. FUNCTIONS
Argumentation
Explaining with examples
Knowledge, Judgments, Opinions
Expressing opinions
Emphasizing an idea
Making deductions
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Monitoring Communication
Reformulating ideas
Asking for clarification
Wishes, State of Health, Feelings and Sensations
Showing and expressing interest and surprise
Expressing preferences
Expressing feelings and emotions
Talking about hopes and plans for the future
Making and accepting apologies and excuses
Dialogue
Expressing agreement and disagreement
Negotiating priorities
Responding to a conversation partner
Negotiating a change of plans
General Information
Generalizing
Instructions, requests, suggestions
Expressing obligation
Asking for and granting permission
Giving instructions
Formulating offers and requests
Formulating a complaint
Giving advice and making suggestions
Responding to a suggestion
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Formulating invitations
Making plans and arrangements to meet with someone
Asking for help
Narration
Demonstrating personal knowledge
Narrating past experiences
Narrating the experiences told by someone else
Sequencing the events in a narration
Organization of discourse
Greeting someone, interacting, and saying goodbye on the telephone
Changing the subject of conversation
Social uses of language
Formulating a polite request
Social Uses of Language
Encouraging conversation partners to participate in a conversation
Getting someone’s attention
Expressing consent
Speaking about yourself
Initiating and maintaining a conversation
Giving examples
Showing thanks
Demonstrating empathy
Responding to someone who is narrating an experience
Description
Describing people
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Describing stereotypes
6.3. COHERENCE AND COHESION OF DISCOURSE
With regard to the communicative activities, functions and types of texts
indicated in the previous sections, I will now describe the level of progress that
can be attained in the course “Intermediate Level 1” in terms of both receptive
and productive skills, and considering the main elements of discourse and
functional competencies.
Effective Communication
• Take the situation and the context into consideration when producing a
message.
• Recognize the communicative intentions and significant ideas of a text or
exchange.
• Select messages and texts that respond to the need for information and
always keep in mind the purpose of what is being listened to or read.
• Fulfill the communicative purposes and transmit simple information in some
detail, highlighting what is considered to be most important.
• Recognize the formal or informal register within standard language, as well as
the degree of familiarity between the conversation partners (forms of address,
expressions, gestures and attitudes).
• Use a standard register of formality and informality according to the
communicative situation.
• React and cooperate in common situations of interaction, according to the
customs of the target culture.
• Take shared information into account in order to offer appropriate information.
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• Use the appropriate strategies for comprehension and effective transmission
of messages and texts.
• Ask for and offer clarification and repetition when there are breakdowns in
communication.
Coherence and Organization
• Respect coherence and the unity of ideas with the communicative purpose, so
that everything is related and there are no mix-ups or unnecessary repetitions.
• Recognize and adjust to the common organization of exchanges in the target
language and culture (greetings, starting a conversation, turn-taking, pauses
and ending a conversation).
• Recognize and adjust to the characteristics and format of the texts or
discourse which must be understood or produced.
• Utilize the graphic layout of the text in order to understand or express its
organization, and to recognize and highlight sections, lists and underlined
areas.
• Organize ideas coherently (temporally, spatially or logically).
• Structure production in accordance with the type de text.
• Offer sufficient and relevant information to fulfill a communicative purpose.
• Observe differences and similarities to discourse in one’s own language or
other foreign languages.
Cohesion
• Recognize and use the appropriate resources to address someone and to take
one’s turn speaking, to maintain and end conversations, as well as to react and
cooperate in everyday exchanges.
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• Recognize and use common discourse markers and intonation in order to
mark the different elements in discourse.
• Contextualize the message with the appropriate temporal and spatial
expressions.
• Recognize and utilize the most common connectors and punctuation of
discourse in paragraphs.
• Refer back to text elements, avoiding unintended repetitions, using ellipses
and simple substitution resources with a clear referent or by way of lexical
resources.
• Pay attention to temporal coherence (present – past – future) in the whole text.
• Practice for fluent comprehension of texts, using the appropriate strategies.
• Manage everyday exchanges with a fluid rhythm; whereas pauses,
hesitations, and interruptions may still be noticeable in more difficult exchanges.
6.4. TOPICS
Meeting people, social relations and ways of interacting
Working with the foreign language in class
Food
Family and Friends
Money
Travel (real or imagined)
Free time and leisure
Telephone and communications
Technology
Physical appearance
Education
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Lodging
Everyday activities
Professional life
Shopping
Goods and services
Cinema and the media
Parties
Politics and citizen participation
6.5. LINGUISTIC RESOURCES
6.5.1. GRAMMAR
Sentences
Types of simple sentences that indicate the speaker’s attitude:
- Declarative (affirmative and negative; emphatic sentences)
- Interrogative.
- Imperative (affirmative and negative sentences)
- Exclamatory: what and how (What a beautiful day! How pleasant!)
- Desiderative: I wish (I wish you the best.)
- Dubitative (I’m not sure.)
- Impersonal:
- The passive voice with simple tenses (The flight was delayed.)
- Word order and alterations in each type of sentence:
- Position of the negation.
- Omission of elements.
- Relative subordination:
- Specific: who, which and that (The woman who called is my sister.)
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- Omission of the relative object pronoun (She’s the actress you saw at the
party.)
- With where and when (That’s the place where pasta was invented.)
- Indirect speech (also called reported speech):
- Conditional Subordination:
- Real conditionals (If you want to catch the plane, hurry up!)
- Hypothetical (If I were you, I’d go by train.)
Determiners
- The definite and indefinite article
- Absence of the article in generalizations
- Use and omission of definite article with last and next
Adjectives
- Adjectives that have comparative forms (difficult, hungry) and absolutes
(starving)
- Comparative and superlative adjectives. Revision and extension
- Irregular Forms: better / the best, worse / the worst, more / the most
- Structures for expressing comparison: the same as, similar to, different from
- Adjective modifiers: adverbs (extremely funny)
- Most common adjectives followed by a preposition (afraid of spiders, fond of
chocolate, good at Maths)
Other forms of noun modification:
− Noun + noun (train ticket, family reunion)
− Constructions introduced by a preposition (a book about nature)
− Relative clauses
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Pronouns
- Personal pronouns: revision and extension of forms, functions, position,
use/omission and agreement with the referent (Jim and Sue left early. They had
to take the bus.)
- Order personal object pronouns (I gave it to him / I gave him a present)
- Reflexive Pronouns
- each other
- a little, a few, enough, much, many
- Relative pronouns: who, which and that. Revision and extension
- Special use of the interrogative pronoun what (I don’t know what to do.)
Verb Phrases
- Nucleus (verb) and complements in accordance with the type of verb
Verbs:
- Revision of the verb tenses from the beginner level
- Present simple and continuous
- Present perfect with for and since
- Forms for expressing the past
- Past simple and continuous
- Past perfect
- The form used to + infinitive
- The form be going to
- Future simple (will)
- Conditional with would, could and should
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- Subjunctive were in conditional sentences
- Modal verbs
- can, could, may, must, should in combination with the bare infinitive
Characteristics and use:
- The form have to for expressing obligation or the absence obligation
- The passive voice of the verb tenses studied in this level
The infinitive after:
- Adjectives (I was pleased to see him.)
- Other verbs (We decided to walk. I want you to drive. He made them leave.)
The gerund:
- Functioning as a noun (Swimming is good for you.)
- After a preposition (I’m interested in buying a new house.)
- After other verbs (I enjoy playing football. I like teaching.)
- Semi-copulative verbs: seem, feel, look, sound (It sounds interesting!)
6.5.2. DISCOURSE
Discourse Markers
Conjunctions and conjunctive phrases
- Revision of commonly-used coordinating and subordinating conjunctions: and,
but, because, so, when, if, after, before
- Other coordinating conjunctions: as well as, both… and, …or, no(t)…but
- Temporal expressions: before / after + -ing (I’ll get something to drink before
going to the party.); while; until / till; since (It’s quiet here since John left.)
- Expression of purpose: contrast between to + infinitive (I have to find my
glasses to read this article.) and for + -ing (Do you wear glasses for reading?)
- Expression of consequence: so [that]
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Prepositions
Revision of the most frequent prepositions and prepositional phrases.
- Prepositions after frequently-used verbs (agree with, ask for, belong to)
- Prepositions after frequently-used adjectives (afraid of spiders, good at Maths)
Cohesion
• Oral and written discourse: markers for starting one’s turn (In my opinion, …)
and beginning an explanation (Basically, …); showing doubt (maybe …;
perhaps …); showing agreement (sure; no doubt; of course); showing
disagreement (Sorry, but I don’t agree.); partially contradicting someone (I
understand / I can see your point, but …); clarifying one’s own expression and
reformulating (I mean; in other words)
• maintaining the subject (the textual reference) using simple resources:
• ellipsis: (I love football but she doesn’t.)
• use of the definite article with nouns that have already been mentioned
• use of demonstratives, personal pronouns or expressions with anaphoric value
(these things; them; and so; that way; the problem)
• lexical procedures: frequent synonyms, hypernyms (machine>computer),
nominalization (excite > excitement)
• grammatical procedures: pronouns, adverbs, the most frequent coordinating
and subordinating discourse connectors
Markers for:
• adding information (and … too; and … as well; also; in addition [to]; what’s
more; not only … but also)
• enumerating (First [of all]; Firstly…, Secondly; Finally…)
• giving examples (for example; such as; that is; in other words)
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Specifically in oral discourse, markers for:
• supporting a speaker (Really?; That’s interesting; And then…?)
• reacting and interacting (You’re joking!; It’s terrible!; That’s incredible!)
• getting the speaker involved (Don’t you think?; Guess what!)
• demonstrating involvement (I see; I know)
• use of the most frequent intonation patterns for cohesion in oral discourse
• use and graphic layout of paragraphs for cohesion in written discourse
• oral and written discourse: markers for presenting conclusions (In conclusion,
…)
Vocabulary
Expressions and frequent vocabulary in different formal and informal
communication situations for the functions that are being practiced:
- forms of courtesy for making requests, giving orders, asking questions, etc.
- use of please and thank you.
- Lexicalized chunks (sorry for the delay; last but not least; see what I mean?)
Word formation: formation of words by derivation, the most frequent affixes
- Negative Prefixes (dis-, disagree; in- informal, im-, impossible, ir-,
irresponsible; un- unknown)
- Suffixes for forming nouns (-hood, childhood; -ship, friendship; -ance,
elegance; -ence, patience; -cy, frequency; -ness, happiness; -ty / -ity, similarity;
-al, arrival; -ation, creation; -ment, excitement; -ing, feeling)
- Suffixes for forming adjectives (-able, reasonable; -ible, responsible; -ing,
amusing; -al, national; -ful, wonderful; -ish, selfish; -ive, productive; - less,
painless; -ous, nervous)
- Formation of words by compounding (sleeping bag, landlady, greenhouse)
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- Nominalization: (the rich, the writing of the book)
- Frequently used acronyms and abbreviations (ASAP, BC / AD, BBC)
Semantic fields of the topics being practiced (families of words, etc.)
- False friends and frequent lexical interference (with the mother tongue or other
foreign languages): (actually, pretend, argument)
- Words that are British, American, etc. (underground - subway, lift - elevator)
6.5.3. PHONOLOGY AND SPELLING
- Recognition and production of the vocalic and consonant phonemes. Practice
with the phonemes such as: /s/, /z/, /∫/, /δ/, /t∫/, which cause the most difficulties
- Practice with the elements that typically cause the most difficulties:
- The r at the end of a word
- The sound /ə/ in unstressed syllables and in unstressed forms of articles,
pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and auxiliary and modal verbs
- Correspondence between phonemes and letters/phonetic symbols.
Recognition of the graphic representation in the dictionary
- Words similar in form that often cause difficulties (quite - quiet, receipt - recipe)
- Rhythm: recognition and production of stressed and unstressed syllables
- Sentence stress
- Intonation required for the communicative functions being practiced in various
types of sentences. Intonation in question tags
- Careful spelling of vocabulary that is frequently used at the intermediate level
- Spelling changes due to the addition of suffixes:
- Doubling of final consonants (hotter, stopped)
- The letters -e and -y at the end of words (making, trying, studied)
7. METHODOLOGY
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7. 1. Methodological Criteria
1. The main criterion is to emphasize the concept of effective communication
over grammatical accuracy. The focus will be on developing the students’
communicative competence, emphasizing interaction as both the means and
the ultimate goal of learning a language. The course will not be subordinated to
covering the linguistic contents which have been established. Instead, these will
be approached as a framework for encouraging linguistic communication. The
practical use of the language will be the most important way to learn.
2. The four language skills will be integrated to develop the students’
communicative competence. These skills are: reading and listening
comprehension, written and especially oral expression, as well as interaction
and mediation.
3. The functional, thematic, linguistic and sociocultural contents will be
considered to be tools for carrying out the communicative activities.
4. The course activities will be adapted to the real communicative needs of
diverse students. Situations will be studied in which the students will be likely to
use English in real life, the roles they will play and the topics involved.
5. Authenticity will be sought in tasks and situations, in the meaning that they
could have for the students in real life. In this way, with gradually increasing
difficulty, the students will come into contact with situations that simulate the
real world.
6. The responsibility and autonomy of the student will be valued in the
construction of his or her own learning, attempting to develop strategic
competence, which is what activates all the knowledge and resources that we
use to communicate.
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7. 2. Methodological Strategies
1. English will be used as the usual medium for communication in class, both by
the teacher and by the students.
2. In the communicative language activities, there will be a progression starting
from listening comprehension and moving towards oral expression, and from
reading comprehension to written expression.
3. The teacher will present language rules, but there will also be inductive
teaching, a student-centred teaching technique in which the students discover
language rules through extensive use of the language and exposure to many
examples, such as the communication situations practiced in class and the texts
used in them.
4. The class textbook will not be the only resource, but rather, it will be
complemented with different kinds of materials related to the language goals.
5. The teacher will correct student errors judiciously and at the appropriate time,
sometimes immediately and sometimes at a later point in time.
6. The teacher’s role will be that of the presenter who sets things in motion and
facilitates the communicative activities, providing guidance and orientation to
the students in the learning process while keeping in mind the objectives at
hand.
7. The student will play an active role in this process and in the dynamics of the
group, as well as take initiatives and develop techniques and habits for self-
study.
8. The students will know the objectives of each class activity. The rules and
instructions for carrying them out will be clear to assure everyone’s
participation.
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9. There will be some activities outside the classroom; some of these activities
may involve student participation in special language tasks, others will be
homework.
10. The classroom activities will require different types of participation,
sometimes individual, other times in pairs, in groups, or with all the students
together. Interaction tasks and mediation between teacher and students will be
encouraged.
11. The student will receive a steady diet of a variety of activities in order to
practice all four language skills and interact and communicate in a variety of
ways.
8. ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION
8.1. Introduction
The regulations regarding assessment / evaluation and certification in the
Official School of Languages in Andalucía (EDU/1061/2006, June 23rd) require
the following:
“The assessment will reflect the general and specific objectives as well as the
contents of the curriculum, and, consequently, will be focused on discovering
the degree of linguistic knowledge the student has, and his or her ability to
communicate.”
The Official School of Languages, therefore, assesses the degree to which its
students have attained the objectives expressly stated in the course syllabus.
8.2. General Assessment Criteria:
1. To consider the assessment process to be a component of the teaching and
learning process.
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2. To integrate the assessment process into the course as an additional
classroom activity, transmitting to the student the instructive value of
assessment and encouraging feedback.
3. To guarantee the assessment of language in context and not in an isolated
fashion, so that the student can demonstrate his or her linguistic competence.
4. To evaluate the student objectively according to the principle of consensus
with the other Department members: defining, clarifying and unifying the
assessment criteria.
Strategies and procedures for assessing the students’ learning process:
1. To increase the student’s awareness so that he or she recognizes what is
being assessed, the learning objectives, and the intended degree of
achievement.
2. To check, by way of revision at the beginning of each course, that the student
has assimilated and achieved the contents and objectives covered in previous
courses, in this way encouraging self-assessment and co-assessment.
3. To plan student activities, which will be revised in class with the aim of
encouraging feedback and error analysis.
4. To periodically collect of data from the students about the tasks carried out.
5. To observe the student’s work in the classroom, his or her attitude,
participation, task completion and evolution of learning through the
communication activities.
6. To observe the student’s ability to interact in the group or pair-work activities.
7. To give specific tests in the classroom in order to measure the degree of
assimilation of the contents which have been covered in the course and the
degree of achievement of the corresponding objectives.
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8. To create tests with content and presentation which reflect the class
activities.
9. To inform the student or, if applicable, his or her legal representatives, about
his or her progress in the different language skills at the mid-point of the course.
8.3. Types of Assessment / Evaluation
8.3.1. Placement Test
This will be carried out before the course to place new students into the levels
determined by the Administration.
The tests corresponding to this assessment will be composed of a
contextualized vocabulary and grammar test and an oral comprehension test.
The Department will be in charge of correcting it according to an objective
scale.
8.3.2. Diagnostic Assessment
This will be carried out at the beginning of the course to determine what existing
knowledge, skills, attitudes, interests, and/or needs the student has, the range
of individual differences, and what program plans and/or modifications are
required to meet the needs of individuals or groups of students.
This assessment will be carried out by the teacher according to criteria
established by the department, and will be of a purely orientative and
informative nature.
The European Language Portfolio will also be encouraged and taken into
account when learning about a student’s previous knowledge and experience.
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8.3.3. Continuous Assessment
This will be carried out over the length of the entire course, in order to provide
individualized attention depending on the possibilities allowed by each group.
Each teacher will carry out as many tests as he or she considers appropriate in
the different skill areas with a view to the progress of the group, because this
type of assessment is of a purely orientational and informative nature.
At least once before the end-of-course assessment (approximately at the mid-
point of the course) the students will be informed about their learning progress
in writing (understanding as progress the acquisition of new knowledge and the
achievement of the objectives related to the contents covered). In the case of
students who are minors of age, the teacher will provide them with this
information by way of a report, so that they can deliver it to their legal
representatives.
In the tests given, the four skills will be assessed: reading and listening
comprehension; written and oral expression. A percentage value of 25% will be
assigned to each part.
It must be emphasized that the students’ regular class attendance is
compulsory; they must attend a minimum of 60% of classes. If a student misses
more than 40% of classes with unexcused absences, the student will lose the
right to reserve a place in English for the next course.
Regarding acceptable excuses for absence, the School considers reasons such
as: health problems; work reasons (work shifts); practical activities in
postgraduate specializations (scholarships or contracts in companies or
institutions); Erasmus programs; and internships in companies for students in
vocational-technical school. Any remaining reasons for absence are considered
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to be covered by the 40% for which no excuse is required. The teacher will
monitor student attendance on a daily basis and submit a monthly report to the
Director of Studies.
8.3.4. End-of-Course Assessment
This will be carried out on two occasions at the end of each course. For official
students in year-long courses, there is an ordinary examination session in June
and an extraordinary one in September. For official students in four-month
courses in the first four-month period, there is an examination session in
February and an extraordinary one in June. For official students in four-month
courses in the second four-month period, there is an examination session in
June and one in September.
All students in courses not ending in certification can make use of both exam
sessions to pass the course; this is the case of the first year of the intermediate
level.
Passing the final exams is required for advancement to the next course.
All the students take the same test, which is prepared by the Department. The
test will necessarily include four separate sections: reading and listening
comprehension; written and oral expression. A percentage value of 25% is
assigned to each part.
8.3.5. Format of the final test
In the reading comprehension test, two or more different types of texts are
provided along with a series of questions or activities. It is an objective test that
is corrected using an answer key.
In the listening comprehension test there is at least one listening, with or
without the help of an image. After listening to a text, time is given for the
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student to complete the activities given, and the text is listened to a second
time. This is an objective test that is corrected using an answer key.
In the written expression text, several communication situations are given
and the student is asked to write a text related to one of them. The correction is
subjective, but all the examiners will follow a common assessment scale.
In the oral expression test, the students will have to give a brief
presentation on a topic chosen from among several and which he or she has
some time to prepare. There is also interaction with another classmate based
on a communicative situation which is given and which can also be prepared
before being carried out. The correction is subjective, but all the examiners will
follow a common assessment scale.
8.3.6. Procedure for the administration of the final tests
The reading comprehension, listening comprehension and written expression
tests will take place in a single session. The oral expression test will be
administered in a separate session.
8.3.7. Assessment Criteria for the Final Test
For the reading and listening comprehension tests, the examiners will use a
common, objective correction scale.
For the written expression test the examiners will use the following
assessment criteria:
appropriateness: length and appropriateness of the format; task fulfillment;
register; relevance of content
cohesion: organization; connectors and elements of reference; punctuation
correction: degree of correction in spelling; grammar and vocabulary
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richness of vocabulary: variety and precision of the contents; structures and
vocabulary.
For the oral expression test, the examiners will use the following assessment
criteria:
appropriateness: length and appropriateness of the format; task fulfillment;
register; relevance of content
cohesion: organization of ideas; connectors; elements of reference and
intonation; fluency
correction: in pronunciation of isolated sounds, grammar, syntax and
vocabulary
richness: variety and precision of the contents, structures and vocabulary.
The student will have to pass each one of the parts of the final test in order to
obtain the final qualification of “satisfactory”.
9. MEASURES FOR MISSED ACTIVITIES, RETAKING TESTS, AND
REVISION
In this section I am going to talk about two different categories: (1) helping
students who have missed class sessions or tests to keep up with the progress
of the group; (2) helping students to overcome any lack of previous or required
knowledge.
On the first day of the course, the teacher will explain that attendance of at least
60% of classes is compulsory, and that it is best to attend class regularly and as
much as possible, with perfect attendance being the ideal, but that if a situation
comes up in which a student has to miss one or more classes and knows about
it beforehand, that student should inform the teacher about this situation. The
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teacher, in turn, can show the student the pages in the book or other material to
be covered during the period of absence, as well as any planned homework
assignments. In addition, the teacher could suggest an additional homework
assignment from among the class contents to be covered. The students can
also obtain information from each other about what is being covered in class in
a type of “buddy system” in which classmates help each other. The teacher will
encourage this type of learner independence and initiative on the first day of the
course.
The ideal is for the student to keep up with the group as much as possible
during any absence, so that upon returning to class he or she is not
overwhelmed by the accumulation of new information. However, if a student
returns after an unforeseen absence, the teacher can assist that student with
missed contents before and after class, during office hours, or in a meeting at
another time if necessary. It is even possible to repeat some contents or
activities in an abbreviated fashion if this could also be of benefit to the rest of
the group.
If a student misses a continuous-assessment test, another occasion must be
found when that student can take the test, for example during office hours. For
a student who misses or fails a final test, the rules are determined by School
policy.
Regarding students who, during the diagnostic assessment at the beginning of
the course, exhibit a lack of knowledge or skills in any of the required areas, the
teacher must determine what program plans and/or modifications are required
to meet the needs of these individuals or groups of students. It is beneficial to
reserve at least three class sessions each academic year for revision.
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10. MATERIALS AND TEACHING RESOURCES USED IN THE
CLASSROOM
The classroom activities will require the use of the course textbook and student
workbook. In addition, other materials will be used which are designed to
stimulate the students’ motivation in class, relate the course contents to their
lives and interests, and make it possible for the students to acquire the
autonomy necessary in order to carry out tasks outside the classroom and to
use English in real life.
Therefore, the following audiovisual and technological resources will be used:
CD and cassette players and video and DVD players in activities that involve
radio and television programs, songs, films, documentaries, etc. Moreover, all
types of real materials (realia) will be used (news articles, magazines,
catalogues, brochures, forms to be filled in, train and bus timetables, city maps,
museum guides, etc.) in order to encourage the students’ communicative
development.
11. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Considering that students in the Official School of Languages are a very diverse
group with people of different tastes, opinions, ages, professions, interests, etc.,
proposing extracurricular activities for everyone can be difficult. However, this
should not be an obstacle to inviting the students to as many events as can be
organized over the length of the course, since these provide a complement to
classroom theory and activities.
The following is a list of activities that could be organized by the Department of
English: the preparation of theatrical performances in English with the students;
cooking contests; a cinema cycle in the original English version with subtitles; a
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reading club; conferences or talks on a specific topic; trip(s) to English-speaking
countries; storytellers; musical concerts; organizing correspondence with
students in an English-speaking country via e-mail or regular mail in order to
use English in real communication; organizing conversation exchanges with
students or professionals who are native speakers of English.
Depending on what is agreed upon in the different departmental meetings, the
teacher will also support and encourage cultural initiatives which originate from
the students’ association.
12. MEASURES FOR ATTENTION TO SPECIAL NEEDS AND DIVERSITY
Regarding students with physical, mental, or sensorial limitations who are
eligible for enrolment in the Official School of Languages, the teacher should
consider any adaptations which may be necessary or appropriate. All resources
should be used that the Department has at its disposal, for example: a laptop
computer if possible, earphones, etc.
In class, these students may need more attention than other students in order to
keep up with classroom activities. In some cases it may be necessary to provide
special activities for disabled students, or modify some group activities to
accommodate them while keeping in mind the benefit of the entire group as
well. Office hours provide a good opportunity to assist students with special
needs.
Appropriate measures should also be taken regarding the time required to
complete any activity or test. The student may need a special explanation of
some instructions, more time to complete the test, or special materials.
34
If a disabled student is unable to complete any of the parts of the final
assessment, a partial certificate will be issued to him or her in which are
recorded the competences that have been demonstrated.
The teacher must also consider the possibility of there being gifted or very
intelligent students in the group and provide them with extra attention or
activities if appropriate.
With regard to student diversity in general, the English Department is the largest
of the Departments, and therefore a series of factors deserve careful attention.
A) The mixture of minor-age students with adult students requires effort in order
to develop cohesion within the group. Most of these very young students spend
5 or 6 hours a day in their respective educational institutions, and it can be
complicated to get them involved in the classroom activities, which require
active participation. In order to develop a good working atmosphere, it is
necessary for the very young students to interact with the adults, in order to
achieve balance in the classroom.
B) Students who use distance-learning systems to then gain access to
classroom learning are becoming more common. Logically, they require a
period of adaptation to new classroom methods, since they are much different
today. These students are often disciplined in terms of independent study and
need to reinforce their knowledge, put it into practice, and familiarize
themselves with classroom teaching.
C) Students who have done their A-levels (final year of secondary school) can
now gain access to the first year of the intermediate level using their A-level
studies. It should be one of the teacher’s priorities to monitor these students to
35
check their level at the beginning of the course in order to detect any possible
shortcomings.
13. UNIT PLANS
13.1. Introduction
The following is a summary of the objectives, contents, activities, and
assessment / evaluation for fifteen units which contain enough lessons to
occupy the students during the time period described and to cover the proposed
objectives effectively. The unit plans appear here in abbreviated form so that
they can be easily read. The emphasis is on interaction and on using the
language, especially orally. Written expression occurs during a variety of
activities. In most of the units it also appears optionally as homework, which
means that if class time allows, the teacher can incorporate it as a classroom
activity in an interactive and communicative way.
13.2. Duration
The specific syllabus proposed for this level consists of 15 unit plans.
Considering the average length of an academic year (120 hours), each unit plan
will require approximately 8 one-hour lessons (or 4 two-hour lessons). However,
it is also beneficial to reserve at least three lessons of each academic year for
revision and self-assessment.
UNIT PLAN 1 Food and Eating Habits
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to participate in a conversation about food and eating habits
● to be able to give and respond to opinions by agreeing or disagreeing
36
● to be able to talk about everyday activities, both present and past
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
revision of present simple and continuous
revision of past simple and the present perfect
● vocabulary:
food and restaurants
● pronunciation:
introduction to phonetics, the u sound in full and food
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● international food stereotypes and eating habits
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: text of an interview about two women’s eating
habits
- listening comprehension: a woman talking about her daily eating habits
- grammar: rules and exercises about present simple and continuous
- oral expression: interview questions using the present simple and continuous
- vocabulary: food and restaurants
- oral expression: in pairs, a questionnaire and an interview of each other
- pronunciation: the u sound in full and food
- oral expression: a list of topics for agreeing or disagreeing
- grammar: present perfect and past simple (1)
- oral expression: students talk about themselves in present perfect & past
simple
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- grammar: present perfect and past simple (2)
- reading comprehension: going on a date
- oral expression: role-play
- written expression: (homework) The students write about bars and
restaurants in their country, what they like and dislike, what their habits are, etc.
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. This is the first unit, so a diagnostic test can be given to check the
students’ overall level and detect any areas of weakness that need work.
b. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
c. The written homework should be corrected and given back to the
students as soon as possible, with pertinent corrections and
explanations.
d. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 2 Family and Friends
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about your family and the other people in your life
● to be able to talk about personality
● to be able to talk about your hopes and plans for the future
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
future forms: going to, present continuous, will/shall
● vocabulary:
38
family, the people in your life, personality
● pronunciation:
prefixes and suffixes
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● changing family size and structure
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: text about family structure
- oral expression: small groups, students discuss family structure in their
country
- listening comprehension: family members using future forms
- oral expression: talk about your future life story
- grammar: in pairs, students do exercises about future, and then complete a
table
- reading comprehension: two sisters talk about when they were growing up
- vocabulary: personality
- pronunciation: prefixes and suffixes
- oral expression: in pairs, students describe 3 family members and friends
- listening comprehension: the influence of family on a person’s personality
- listening comprehension: introductions and meeting people
- game: role play: in groups, students take on roles of different family members
- written expression: (homework) describing a person
homework: revision exercise: grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The revision exercise is also a form of continuous assessment.
39
b. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
c. Pronunciation can be monitored for problem areas.
d. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 3 Money
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about money
● to be able to say different kinds of numbers
● to be able to talk about other people’s lives and attitudes
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
present perfect continuous
● vocabulary:
money
● pronunciation:
numbers
strong adjectives
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● people’s attitudes to money and possessions
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: article about a woman who lives without money
40
- oral expression: questionnaire about money to be done in pairs
- vocabulary: money
- reading comprehension: current attitudes to money
- oral expression: saying different kinds of numbers
- listening comprehension: news bulletin including different kinds of numbers
- listening comprehension: woman who has been experiencing a different
culture
- grammar: exercises for the present perfect continuous
- reading comprehension: article about two people who have changed their
lives
- oral expression: pronouncing and using strong adjectives
- listening comprehension: strong adjectives and the present perfect
continuous
- oral expression: in pairs, invent dialogues based on a list of strong adjectives
- written expression: (homework): Is money necessary for happiness?
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
b. The written homework should be corrected and given back to the
students as soon as possible, with pertinent corrections and
explanations.
c. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
41
UNIT PLAN 4 World Traveller
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about travel
● to be able to make comparisons
● to be able to make requests
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
comparative and superlative of adjectives
● vocabulary:
transport and travel
● pronunciation:
stress in compound nouns
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● gossip
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS): reading comprehension: an article comparing different ways of
travelling
listening comprehension: a traveler talking about a journey
grammar: exercises with the comparative and superlative of adjectives
oral expression: in pairs, compare a list of experiences using adjectives
pronunciation: stress in compound nouns
oral expression: ask and answer questions about transport in your town
42
vocabulary: transport and travel
listening comprehension: the most dangerous things to do when driving a car
oral expression: in groups, discuss opinions about driving and transport
listening comprehension: requests and permission
listening comprehension: gossip
oral expression: the group takes turns to invent a travel story together
written expression: (homework): write about a nightmare journey
revision exercise: grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The revision exercise is also a form of continuous assessment.
b. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
c. Pronunciation can be monitored for problem areas.
d. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 5 I Have to Make a Phone Call
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to use a telephone in English
● to be able to talk about manners and correct social behaviour
● to be able to express obligation and deduction
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
modal verbs of obligation and deduction
43
● vocabulary:
telephones
● pronunciation:
sentence stress
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● culture shock
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- oral expression: in pairs, an interview each other using a phone
questionnaire
- listening comprehension: people talking about mobile phones
- oral expression: how to make a telephone call
- oral expression: role-play a telephone conversation
- grammar: exercises with modal verbs of obligation
- pronunciation: sentence stress
- oral expression: in pairs, make sentences using modal verbs of obligation
- reading comprehension: article about culture shock
- listening comprehension: people from different nationalities talk about
courtesy
- oral expression: the students discuss courtesy in their country
- written expression: (homework): do people in your country have good
manners?
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
44
a. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
b. The written homework should be corrected and given back to the
students as soon as possible, with pertinent corrections and
explanations.
c. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 6 You Can Do It
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to express deduction
● to be able to describe people physically
● to be able to talk about deductions, abilities and possibilities
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
modal verbs of deduction, ability and possibility
● vocabulary:
describing people
-ed / -ing adjectives
● pronunciation:
sentence stress
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● judging by appearances
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
45
- reading comprehension: article about people’s appearance
- vocabulary: describing people physically
- grammar: exercises about modal verbs of deduction
- listening comprehension: making deductions based on physical appearance
- oral expression: describe a series of pictures and guess a story from them
- reading comprehension: different people speak about things they cannot do
- grammar: exercises with modal verbs of ability and possibility
- pronunciation: sentence stress
- oral expression: in pairs, students interview each other about their abilities
- vocabulary: -ed / -ing adjectives
- listening comprehension: a psychologist talks about learning how to do
things
- reading comprehension: two people who have overcome difficult
circumstances
-written expression: (homework): an informal letter
revision exercise: grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The revision exercise is also a form of continuous assessment.
b. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
c. Pronunciation can be monitored for problem areas.
d. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 7 Education
Duration: approximately 8 hours
46
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about school and education
● to be able to express real conditions
● to be able to talk about choices in life
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
first conditional, if and unless
future time clauses + when, until
● vocabulary:
education
● pronunciation:
the u sounds in up and you
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● educational system in Great Britain
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: text about making choices in education
- vocabulary: education
- pronunciation: the u sounds in up and you
- oral expression: in pairs, students interview each other about their education
- reading comprehension: article comparing schools today with those in past
- grammar: first conditional and future time clauses, pair activities and
exercises
- listening comprehension: TV program about old education methods
- oral expression: in groups, students explain their opinions about education
47
- reading comprehension: text about things people do after leaving school
- song: “Wonderful World” (Don’t Know Much), by Sam Cooke
-written expression: (homework): Describe your school and yourself as a
student.
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
b. The written homework should be corrected and given back to the
students as soon as possible, with pertinent corrections and
explanations.
c. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 8 Home Sweet Home
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about unreal conditions
● to be able to talk about houses
● to be able to talk about friendship
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
second conditional,
usually and used to
● vocabulary:
houses
● pronunciation:
48
the /s/ and /z/ sounds
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● friendship
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: two celebrities discussing hypothetical situations
- grammar: second conditional pair activities and exercises
- oral expression: in pairs, students complete sentences in second conditional
- vocabulary: houses
- listening comprehension: four people describe their ‘dream house’
- listening comprehension: video about renting a flat
- oral expression: in pairs, students describe their dream house
- oral expression: in pairs, students interview each other about friendship
- reading comprehension: first part of text about a website that reunites
friends
- grammar: usually and used to
- listening comprehension: second part of text about website that reunites
friends
- pronunciation: the /s/ and /z/ sounds
- oral expression: students share opinions about list of sentences about
friendship
- written expression: (homework): describing a house or flat
revision exercise: grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The revision exercise is also a form of continuous assessment.
49
b. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
c. Pronunciation can be monitored for problem areas.
d. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 9 Different Styles
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about different lifestyles
● to be able to be able to express quantity
● to be able to make generalizations about people
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
quantifiers
definite and indefinite articles
● vocabulary:
noun formation
verbs and adjectives + prepositions
● pronunciation:
-ough and -augh
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● differences between men and women
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
50
- reading comprehension: article about people’s work-life balance
- grammar: quantifiers
- pronunciation: -ough and -augh
- listening comprehension: ways to slow down in our daily lives
- reading comprehension: article about a fast lifestyle versus a slow one
- vocabulary: noun-formation
- oral expression: students share ideas to improve living conditions in their
town
- grammar: definite and indefinite articles
- reading comprehension: communication differences between men and
women
- oral expression: differences between men and women
- vocabulary: verbs and adjectives + prepositions
- oral expression: students generalize about men’s and women’s attitudes
- written expression: (homework): Describe the stereotype of a typical man
and a typical woman in your country; then describe your ideal man or woman.
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
b. The written homework should be corrected and given back to the
students as soon as possible, with pertinent corrections and
explanations.
c. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 10 Professional Life
51
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about work and professions
● to be able to talk about stages in a person’s career
● to be able to do a job interview in English
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
gerunds and infinitives
● vocabulary:
work and jobs
● pronunciation:
word stress
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● meetings
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- vocabulary: work
- pronunciation: word stress
- grammar: gerunds and infinitives
- oral expression: in pairs, discuss a list of topics using verb + gerund or
infinitive
- reading comprehension: a woman who had to pretend to do another job
- listening comprehension: continuation of text about the woman who
pretended
52
- oral expression: in pairs, students discuss a list of jobs they would like or
dislike
- vocabulary: stages in a person’s career
- reading comprehension: workbook
- listening comprehension: video about giving opinions in meetings
- written expression: in class: complete an application form
- oral expression: talk about jobs
- oral expression: simulation: students prepare job interviews with each other
- reading comprehension: article about the secret to a long and happy life
- written expression: (homework): formal letters and a CV
revision exercise: grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The revision exercise is also a form of continuous assessment.
b. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
c. Pronunciation can be monitored for problem areas.
d. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 11 Shopping
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to paraphrase what others have said
● to be able to talk about shopping
● to be able to make a complaint
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CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
reported speech: statements, questions and commands
● vocabulary:
shopping
● pronunciation:
the consonants in go, judge, kick, she, chew
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● types of shops
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: a story in a supermarket
- grammar: reported speech: statements and questions
- vocabulary: shopping (1)
- pronunciation: the consonants in go, judge, kick, she, chew
- oral expression: in pairs, interview with a shopping questionnaire
- reading comprehension: making complaints
- grammar: reported speech: commands
- listening comprehension: radio program in which people talk about bad
service
- vocabulary: shopping (2)
- oral expression: shopping stories
- written expression: (homework): Write a shopping story for a magazine.
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
54
a. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
b. The written homework should be corrected and given back to the
students as soon as possible, with pertinent corrections and
explanations.
c. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 12 Films and Songs
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about cinema
● to be able to express actions and events in the passive voice
● to be able to talk about songs and music
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
the passive (be + past participle)
● vocabulary:
cinema
● pronunciation:
sentence stress
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● international film and music
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: an article about cinema
55
- grammar: the passive voice
- pronunciation: sentence stress
- vocabulary: cinema
- oral expression: in pairs, an interview with a cinema questionnaire
- listening comprehension: an interview with an interpreter
- oral expression: tell the story of a book or film
- listening comprehension: actors talk about their experiences
- reading comprehension: songs and music
- song: “Perfect Day”
- game: “Name that Film”
- written expression: (homework): a film review
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
b. The written homework should be corrected and given back to the
students as soon as possible, with pertinent corrections and
explanations.
c. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 13 Public Figures We Admire
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
56
● to be able to use relative clauses to express essential and nonessential
information
● to be able to talk about people who you admire
● to be able to give and react to news
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
relative clauses (defining and non-defining)
● vocabulary:
character
● pronunciation:
word stress
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● stereotypes about teenagers and other social groups
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: a biographical text
- grammar: relative clauses (defining and non-defining)
- listening comprehension: a radio program about heroes
- reading comprehension: an article about people considered to be heroes
- pronunciation: word stress
- oral expression: in groups, students talk about people they admire and why
- listening comprehension: giving and reacting to news
- reading comprehension: generalizations and a story about teenagers
- vocabulary: character
- listening comprehension: stereotypes about different social groups
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- grammar: leaving out relative pronouns; what or which?; whoever; etc.
- game: find someone who…
- written expression: revision exercise: grammar, vocabulary and
pronunciation
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The revision exercise is also a form of continuous assessment.
b. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
c. Pronunciation can be monitored for problem areas.
d. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 14 Are You Lucky?
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to talk about hypothetical situations in the past
● to be able to talk about luck
● to be able to make excuses
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
third conditional
● vocabulary:
making adjectives and adverbs
reasons for being late
● pronunciation:
58
sentence stress
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● making and accepting excuses
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: the first part of two stories about bad luck
- oral expression: in pairs, students guess what happened next
- listening comprehension: the endings of the two stories about bad luck
- grammar: third conditional
- pronunciation: sentence stress
- oral expression: in pairs, complete a list of hypothetical sentences in past
- oral expression: questionnaire about luck and compare answers in pairs
- reading comprehension: an article about luck
- vocabulary: making adjectives and adverbs
- song: “Ironic”
- listening comprehension: video: apologizing, giving excuses
- vocabulary: reasons for being late
- oral expression: making and accepting excuses
- written expression: (homework): What is luck? Narrate some examples of
when you had bad luck. What could you have done differently for things to have
turned out better?
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
59
b. The written homework should be corrected and given back to the
students as soon as possible, with pertinent corrections and
explanations.
c. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
UNIT PLAN 15 An Interesting Story
Duration: approximately 8 hours
OBJECTIVES (PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE):
● to be able to check things that you think you know and ask polite
questions
● to be able to talk about television
● to be able to form compound nouns to refer to things
CONTENTS (LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
- grammar:
question tags and indirect questions
phrasal verbs
● vocabulary:
compound nouns
television habits
● pronunciation:
intonation in question tags
CULTURE (SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE):
● television habits
ACTIVITIES (PRACTICE IN ALL FOUR COMPETENCIES AND SKILL
AREAS):
- reading comprehension: text about murder mysteries
60
- listening comprehension: recording of an interview about murder mysteries
- grammar: question tags
- pronunciation: intonation in question tags
- reading comprehension: extract from a novel including indirect questions
- grammar: indirect questions, variety of pair activities
- vocabulary: compound nouns
- oral expression: in pairs, students do a TV survey and interview each other
- reading comprehension: texts about television including phrasal verbs
- grammar: phrasal verbs
- vocabulary: phrasal verbs
- oral expression: in pairs, conversation questions with phrasal verbs
- reading comprehension: article about a couple who lived without electricity
- listening comprehension: people talking about living without electricity
- written expression: (homework): Write a magazine article about the
advantages and disadvantages of living without TV.
revision exercise: grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation
ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION:
a. The revision exercise is also a form of continuous assessment.
b. The students’ participation and interaction in the activities can be
monitored, and at the end of the unit the teacher can assess their
progress.
c. Pronunciation can be monitored for problem areas.
d. A self-assessment questionnaire can be given.
14. BIBLIOGRAPHY
14.1. Textbooks
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New English File Intermediate, Student’s book and Workbook. Oxford
Natural English Intermediate, Student’s book and Workbook. Oxford
14.2. Recommended reference books:
14.2.1. Grammars
Eastwood, J, Oxford Practice Grammar, O.U.P.(New Edition)
Murphy, R., English Grammar in Use (Cambridge U.P.)
Swan, How English Works, O.U.P.
14.2.2. Dictionaries
Oxford Pocket (Oxford U.P.)
Oxford Study (Oxford U.P.)
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