English B2.2
Instance: 2011/2012 - 2S
Cycles of Study/Courses
Teaching language
English
Objectives
By the end of the semester students should be able to:
Ask and answer predictable and factual questions;
Understand the general message of radio/TV news broadcasts;
Give a clear presentation on a chosen topic;
Write a travel narrative;
Write a short article
Write a letter of complaint;
Write a discursive essay.
In addition, we aim to:
Consolidate and further develop students’ knowledge of selected key components of English grammar;
Broaden students’ range of vocabulary on the themes discussed;
Further develop students' study skills and ability to use reference materials, including online tools;
Encourage students to use the online resources available to them.
Program
The B2.2 course aims to cover units 4, 5 and 6 of New Inside Out, a B2 (Upper Intermediate) level coursebook. We will specifically be using this book for the skills part of the course (i.e. reading, listening, writing and speaking). The themes we will be covering include: Challenges - Expeditions, Charities, Health; Rituals - Superstitions, Habits, Weddings; Eating - Food & Drink, Restaurants
•Speaking
The first lesson of each week will include the opportunity for students to take part in some in-class discussion about the themes being covered. In addition, in the second lesson of each week the class will be divided into smaller 'tutorial' groups which will meet on a rotating basis. These sessions will provide the opportunity for more involved discussion and will form part of students' oral evaluation. One or more of these discussion sessions (depending on class sizes) will involve students preparing a short presentation on a pre-selected topic.
•Listening
Emphasis will be placed on:
listening for gist – identifying the main ideas in a talk;
demonstrating an understanding of what students have heard (and/or watched) by answering oral and written questions;
distinguishing between spoken and written registers of English;
predicting focus and listening for supporting ideas
This skill will be developed using a variety of audio texts and videos of varying length and difficulty.
•Reading
Emphasis will be placed on:
scanning texts for specific information;
working out the meaning of unfamiliar lexical items through context and other means;
looking at collocation
Reading texts will mainly be drawn from the coursebook but will be supplemented with other materials as the teacher sees fit
•Writing
Emphasis will be placed on:
Developing awareness of different registers
Planning the structure of an article
How to express opinion
Using discourse markers
•Grammar:
The course will focus on the following areas of language:
Passives, Modal Verbs, verb patterns (-ing forms c/w infinitives), nouns and articles, prepositions, conditionals and reported speech: this grammar will be taken from the second half of Oxford Practice Grammar
In addition, students will be expected to recognise and correct simple errors of grammar and spelling, especially those arising from Portuguese interference.
Bibliografia principal
KAY, Sue., and JONES, Vaughan. (2009) New Inside Out - Upper Intermediate MACMILLAN
EASTWOOD, John. (2006) Oxford Practice Grammar - Intermediate OXFORD
Bibliografia complementar
A good English/English dictionary, such as one of the following:
Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
MacMillan Dicitionary for Advanced Learners
Mandatory literature
KAY, Sue., and JONES, Vaughan; New Inside Out - Upper Intermediate , Macmillan, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-2300-0919-6
KAY, Sue., and JONES, Vaughan; New Inside Out - Upper Intermediate , Macmillan, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-2300-0919-6
Eastwood, John; Oxford Practice Grammar - Intermediate , Oxford, 2006. ISBN: 978 0 19 430911 0
Eastwood, John; Oxford Practice Grammar - Intermediate , Oxford, 2006. ISBN: 978 0 19 430911 0
Kate Atkinson; Not Until The End Of The World, Black Swan, 2003. ISBN: 978-0-552-77105-4
Kate Atkinson; Not Until The End Of The World, Black Swan, 2003. ISBN: 978-0-552-77105-4
Teaching methods and learning activities
Lessons will be both practical and theoretical, with emphasis on student involvement. Students will be expected to take some degree of responsibility for their own learning. Classes will be taught in English.
Evaluation Type
Distributed evaluation without final exam
Assessment Components
Description |
Type |
Time (hours) |
Weight (%) |
End date |
Attendance (estimated) |
Participação presencial |
56,00 |
|
|
|
Trabalho escrito |
40,00 |
|
2012-07-14 |
|
Exame |
2,00 |
|
2012-07-14 |
|
Exame |
40,00 |
|
2012-07-14 |
|
Exame |
4,00 |
|
2012-07-14 |
|
Total: |
- |
0,00 |
|
Amount of time allocated to each course unit
Description |
Type |
Time (hours) |
End date |
|
Estudo autónomo |
20 |
2012-07-14 |
|
Total: |
20,00 |
|
Eligibility for exams
Students are required to attend 75 % of classes and a record is kept of attendance, with exceptions according to FLUP regulations. Working students are not required to attend lessons, though it is very much recommended that they do so.
Calculation formula of final grade
The final mark will be calculated based on the following components of assessment to be done during the semester:
Listening Test: 10
Composition Test 30
Use of English (Grammar & Vocabulary) Test 40
At least two assessed in-class oral discussions 20
Final oral (either in pairs or groups, depending on class sizes) 20
TOTAL 120
Examinations or Special Assignments
N/A
Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)
According to FLUP regulations
Classification improvement
There is no final exam during the 'Época Normal' and, therefore, there is also no retake (recurso) exam.
Observations
Working students will be able to do the composition, Use of English and Listening exams on the morning of Saturday 9th June. They will be expected to sign up for an oral exam on one of the (week)days allocated for orals along with all the other students. If working students are unable to participate in the in-class discussions, then the oral exam will be worth 40/120 (rather than 20/120).