LAST MINUTE´S PIECE OF NEWS

XI JADE: CHRIS HUGHES - co-founder of FACEBOOK
in Murcia on November 30th-2009
Chris R. Hughes (born November 26, 1983 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) co-founded and served as spokesperson for the online social directory, Facebook, with Harvard roommates Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz. He was the coordinator of online organizing for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign on My.BarackObama.com, the campaign's online social networking website. Hughes is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at General Catalyst Partners, a Boston venture capital firm,[1] and a strategic advisor at GMMB, a political consulting firm that worked with the 2008 Obama campaign.
Día: 30 de octubre de 2009 - De 10:45 a 13:00 hLugar: Salón de Actos del Aula de Cultura de CAJAMURCIA (Gran Vía Escultor Salzillo 23, 30005 Murcia) Chris Hughes, ,estará en Murcia en la XI Jornada de Alta Dirección Empresarial de la Región de Murcia organizada por la Asociación de Jóvenes Empresarios

How much do people depend on New Technologies?

How much do people depend on New Technology nowadays?
By Alberto E. D. New Technologies have modified all the aspects of life, from jobs to how we spend our leisure time. Most of us use these new technologies on our everyday life, most times without even realising that we do things we couldn’t have done just ten years ago.
There are lots of examples of this. MP3 players are a very good one, as they are used by lots of people. Videogames and films have also had a lot of development recently, and so have the mobile phones. Probably the most remarkable example is the Internet. The Internet has changed the whole world’s way of communicating and even thinking, as now it is easier to know what happens all around the world.
But these new technologies do not only affect the way we spend our leisure time, but also the whole of our lives. Although we do not pay much attention to this, there are a lot of medical improvements that have been developed thanks to these new technologies. More and more sophisticated programs control factories and many other aspects of our life. Even journeys are controlled by machines, as GPS are spreading all over the most developed countries.
People are nowadays dependent on technology. We may not always be aware of this, but we spend most of our time doing something related to new technologies, many times without realising. This may have many advantages, as it makes our lives far more comfortable, but it also involves some risks. Will we end up being unable to do anything without technology?



How much do people depend on New Technology nowadays? By Blanca E.L.
Nowadays, people from the development countries depend totally on New Technology.
We have become accustomed to using them in our daily life. They make our lives easier, we don’t have to do big efforts practically for anything. We could search on the net whatever we want, we could communicate with any person wherever and whenever we are by phone or also on the net, we could have amusement with the game consol and billions of more things that new technologies enable us to enjoy.
But we don’t use them only for entertainment, since the moment technology enters in our society we need it to live. We use computers to work in every job rom an architect to a teacher or a doctor. Students also use them to do our papers, to find more information…
In the house there are also many technologies, for example the electrical appliances which are expanding, each day someone creates a new machine which does different kinds of things, or the means which are in all the city too. We can’t imagine a city without streetlight or traffic lights.
We really depend on them, the proof is that if a day there’s a blackout in a whole city it would be totally collapsed, traffic would be a disaster, we couldn’t see anything at nights, hospitals wouldn’t work…
Although we don’t think of it, we use technologies everyday. We have to remember that 50 years ago, phone, washing machine, computer, tv… didn’t exist!! Could we imagine a life without them?
Maybe our answer is not, well, think about all the people, more than the ¾ parts of the inhabitants on the planet who don’t even know that these things exist or think about the question: Could they live? Are they alive? Do they really need new technologies in every moment?

WRITING ACTIVITIES

http://http//bogglesworldesl.com/creativewriting.htm
1. My dream city
2. One of dreams in the future
3. How much do people depend on ITCs?
4. Translations(2)
5. A formal letter.

WRITING TOPICS

http://www.unrestrictedarea.com/esl/compositiontopics.html

http//www.thewritesource.com/writing_topics/
http//www.eslgold.com/writing/topics.htm
http//kazuo.fc2web.com/English/TOEFL-essay.html
http//www.enchantedlearning.com/essay/
http://http//www.canteach.ca/elementary/prompts.html
http://http//www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5/brightideas/1-2/persuasive_essay1-2.html
http://http//www.teachersdesk.org/writing_plans.html

CONVERSTATION QUESTIONS

http://http://iteslj.org/questions/

BILINGUAL DICTIONARIES

GOING A BIT FURTHER

Top 10 Amazing Animal Abilities:
http://crunkish.com/top-10-amazing-animal-abilities/
10. Bats: Sound-tripper.
9 Sharks: Natural-born hunters
8. Boa: Night eaters
7. Hummingbirds: Pint-sized helicopters
6. Cats: Garfield wearing night vision
5. Snakes: Feisty reptiles
4. Moths: Love bugs
3. Rats: Mischievous feeler
2. Drum Fish: No ear, all hears
1. Migratory Birds: Aviator navigator

Powerpoint Presentation Topics and Dates

9th November

1.- The social impact of mobile phones. Sergio Gonzalo Ruiz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvx_RSt06s8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n00G_VAQTgM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8m4Goun5o8

2.- European Sports. Alejandro Sánchez

http://www.sport-in-europe.com/SIU/HTML/PDFFiles/EuropeanModelofSport.pdf

3.- Surfing. Guido Canilla
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu95-kVRE_w
http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=5501306125057936904&ei=rWv0SpCpDM3F-AaC_oSkDg&q=surfing+stories&hl=es&view=2#3F-AaC_oSkDg&q=surfing+stories&hl=es&view=23F-AaC_oSkDg&q=surfing+stories&hl=es&view=2#

4.- -Grippe A, a really generalized epidemic?
Blanca Espinosahttp://epidemiah1n1.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-are-symptoms-of-influenza-ah1n1.html
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/frequently_asked_questions/vaccine_preparedness/en/index.html
VideoS.
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2009/10/05/cb.oz.hin1.vaccine.cnn.html

5.- - 16 November
6.- - 16 November
7.- - 16 November
8.- - 16 November

9.- - 23 November
10.- - 23 November
11.- - 23 November
12.- - 23 November

13.- - 30 November
14.- - 30 November
15.- - 30 November

LESSON PLANNING 1

16th OCTOBER
1. Listening 1 from Advanced Skills, C.U.P.:"My achievements"
2. Language development:
a) demanding,soend ages, downside, remote,common-or-garden,goddies and baddies)
b) scuttle up, scamper,scurry out, startled, cling)
Homework: a)Prepare the questions: Would you like to walk on walls and celings? Why? Why not?
What other´s animal´s abilities would you find useful?
b) An article for a magazine (250/300 words):Describing a
future dream of yours.
c) Prepare Writing 1-Worksheet 1 : Why not do something less boring?
Reading - Worksheet 2 On line shopping guidelines


19th OOCTOBER

0. Hand out homework: Essay : An article for a magazine (250/300 words):Describing a future
dream of yours. To collect on Tuesday 21
st,October
Remind students the next debate topic is on the blog.

1. Today´s most highlighted news.
2. Tips for a good presentation
3. Tips for s good writing. Linkers. Signpost language.
4. Reading Comprehension test & Listening (FCE) (not done/ to be done on 21st,October
5. Check what students have to do with the Reading Book : Book Review
This is apart from the Reading Comprehension test( questions on the plot and vocabulary)


20th October,TUESDAY
1. Listening Comprehension Test
2 a)Prepare the questions from Language Development: What other´s animal´s abilities would
you find useful?
b) An article for a magazine (250/300 words):Describing a
future dream of yours.
c) Prepare Writing 1-Worksheet 1 : Why not do something less boring?
Reading - Worksheet 2: On line shopping guidelines.
Homework: Comment on this week´s News.
Remind students of Grammar book exercises deadline (6th November)

23rd October, Friday
Debate: to be video-recorded

26th,October
1. Reading Comprehension test on line.: Television reality shows
2. Check how many students get the lesson stuff and grammar books.
3. Remind some students to hand in the essays.
4. Listening on line: Halloween

27th, October
1. Worksheet 1,2 - Reading 2 "Beware of Tecnology"
2. Listening - Worksheet 1
3. Listening " Taking risks in life?"
4. Homework: Composition:How much do people depend on New Technology nowadays? 250 or 300 words. All essays have to be sent to the teacher´s email address. And they won´t be accepted no longer than a week after.

2nd November
See the Debate video"Do people need to have alternative beliefs(30th Novemmber)
Other videos on the Net
News .Video : Horses under the big top
After the Wall fell (at home)

Remind Essays & Grammar 20th November)Tell students to do Units on Vocabulary

MONOLINGUAL DICTIONARIES

http://www.ats-group.net/dictionaries/dictionary-english-english.html

http://www.foreignword.com/Tools/dictsrch.asp?p=files/f_40_0.htm


http://www.merriam-webster.com/spell/index.htm



http://www.onlineordbog.dk/wordnet/en/03/monolingual.php

DEBATES CALENDAR

16TH,OCTOBER:

1. Resolution: Should March 11th be a Natinal Day?
Proposition Team:
Opposition Team:

30th October
2. Resolution: "People need to have alternative beliefs"
http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/discuss.html
http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/discaltq.html
http://atheism.about.com/od/atheismquestions/a/beliefchoice.htm


The debate should deal with the questions below:

1.Do you think there is intelligent life on other planets?
2. Some people claim to have seen UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects)
such as flying saucers. Do you believe them?
3. What is your opinion of people who say that they can communicate
with spirits? Have you ever taken part in a seance?
4. Do you know anybody with psychic powers or extra sensory perception?
5. Do you believe in telepathy? Is there another person in the world
with whom you have a special understanding?
6. Would you ever visit an astrologer for a forecast of how your life
will run in the future?
7. What does your star sign tell you about your personality and your compatibility with other people?
8. Do you believe in other forms of fortune-telling such as palmestry
tarot cards? reading teacups?
Proposition team: 1st Argument?
Opposition team: 1st Argument?
Proposition´s rebuttal:
Opposition´s rebuttal:

6th,November
ANIMAL RIGHTS
http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADhNch30Img
Resolution: Factory farming is a cruel and unnecessary
practice and that our diets would be healthier
if we ate less meat.

1. Many vegetarians believe that factory farming is a cruel and unnecessary
practice and that our diets would be healthier if we ate less meat.
Do you agree?
2. Animal rights protesters argue that the export of live animals for laughter is uncivilized and should be prohibited under international law. Do you agree?
3. "Keeping animals in zoos and circuses to entertain human-beings is selfish and inhumane." Do you agree?
4. Bullfighting, fox-hunting and whale-hunting are part of some
countries’ traditions. Do you think that Spain, England and Japan
have a right to continue these traditions?
5. "The British spend far too much money on household pets. They
would do better to have fewer cats and dogs and to use the money to
help poor and hungry people." What do you think?

Proposition team: ?
Opposition team: ?


13th November
http://http//www.youthrights.org/vote10.php
http://http//www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/04/08/loc_votingage09.html
http://http//www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/articles/2005/03/30/voting_age_feature


.shtml
http://http//www.middleschooldebate.com/documents/votingage.pdf
Resolution:They should lower the age of vote.

http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=588
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071212191621AAilLch










2oth November

Resolution: It has recently been announced that a large shopping center may be built in your neighborhood.

Proposition team: Some neighbours support this plan

Opposition team: Some others oppose this plan?
Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_pros_and_cons_for_building_a_mall
http://www.volunteertv.com/consumer/headlines/11085321.html
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007369

HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW

Book Reviews

1.Writing a Book Review

To begin your research, you need to have the following information: Title of the book, Name of the author, and the Date of first publication. Book reviews and reports generally include the following
kinds of information:

·Identification of the book, including the full title, name of the author, the publisher, the edition, the place and date of publication.

·A description or summary of the book's content, format, organization, and development.

·A description or summary of the purpose of the book and its general argument or theme.

·A statement about the book's intended audience.
·Information about the author.

·A critical evaluation, which discusses the book's strengths and weaknesses.
·Personal opinions and reactions to the book.


2. Book reports are a way to show how well you understood a book and to tell what you think about it.
Many teachers have their own rules about what a book report should look like so be sure to check, but the following parts a book report are very common and may be helpful.

IntroductionThings to include in the introduction:
·The title (underlined) and author of the book.
·Why you chose the book.
·What kind of story is it? (adventure? family? fantasy/make believe? animal? true life? scary?)

Body

In this section you want to describe the main parts of a story: theme, plot, setting, and characters. Then you can give your opinions about the book.
The Theme is the main idea of the story. Some examples might be the importance of friendship or how to be courageous in a difficult situation. Tell what you think the theme is and how you know.

The Setting is the time and place of the story.
Is it set a long time ago or now. Does it take place in another country or in an imaginary place? How much time passes in the story—a day? a year? a lifetime?

The Plot is what happens.
You want to tell what the story is mostly about. What is the main event or conflict? What things lead up to it? What happens as a result? How does the story end? (Sometimes you want to avoid telling the ending, or giving away the secrets of the story.)
Be careful not to re-tell the whole story in detail—you want room in your report to write about other things; instead, just say enough about it so the rest of your report will make sense.

The Characters are who the story is about.
The main character is called the protagonist. Who are the other important characters? Do they help or hinder the protagonist?

Once you have summarized the book, you can tell what you think about it. You can write about whatever opinions you have. Some questions you might want to answer are:
·Did you like the story? Why or why not?
·What was the best part of the book? Why?
·How did the story make you feel? Did you feel different things at different points in the story?
·Would you recommend it to friends?
·Would you read other books by this author?
· What new things did you learn from this book?

Conclusion

This is just a sentence or two to sum up your report. Give your overall opinion of the book and the most important thing you want other people to know about it.

LISTENING TESTS

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/hoeren.htm

http://esl.about.com/od/listeningquizzes/English_Listening_Comprehension_Quizzes_for_ESL_EFL.htm

http://ead.univ-angers.fr/~menan/cerel/english/lc1/lc1m.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/
http://www.esl-lab.com/
http://eolf.univ-fcomte.fr/index.php?page=fairy-stories-listening-exercises
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo/

http://www.businessenglishsite.com/business-listening-skills.html

http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL_ITP/html/Section%201,%20TOEFL%20ITP,%20Listening%20Comprehension.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/english/speaking_listening/

FCE EXAMS

http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/firstcertificate/contenidotematico.htm

http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omexam/contenidotematico.htm

http://www.english-online.org.uk/fcefolder/gramfce.php?name=Practice%20for%20the%20First%20Certificate%20in%20English

http://www.examenglish.com/

BRITISH COUNCIL EXAMS

http://www.britishcouncil.org/es/spain-exams-fce.htm

Reading Comprehension Tests

http//www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/first+certificate+in+english.html

http://www.miguelmllop.com/practice/intermediate/readingcomprehension/deathpenalty.htm
http//www.testyourenglish.net/english-online/menu/comprehension-tests.html
htm%http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_reading.htm'>http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_reading.htm">htm
http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_reading.htm

http//www.portalweblog.com/fce/index.php?blog=5&cat=44

http//www.portalweblog.com/fce/index.php?blog=5&cat=44
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/reading-international-women-day.php

UPDATED HOMEWORK

ON TUESDAY 13TH

DEBATE: SHOULD MARCH 11TH BE A NATIONAL DAY?
LISTENING: DREAMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
GRAMMAR TENSES REVISION (START DOING UNIT 1 TO FOUR)
HOMEWORK: WRITING PAPER.
THIS TERM SCHEDULE

ENGLISH NEWS

News and current affairs from around the world (Video and audio content)

http://www.barcelonareporter.com/
http://www.englishstudydirect.com/OSAC/medianews.htm
http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/news/http://www.wrx.zen.co.uk/alltnews.htm
http://www.cnn.com/video/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8004316/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/video_and_audio/default.stm

SPANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/

http://www.euroresidentes.com/Blogs/Spain_News.htm

http://www.spanishnews.es/

IELTS Writing - Key Words & Expressions

http://www.goodluckielts.com/ielts-writing-keywords.html

By learning to use common phrases and set expressions, you can add variety and interest to your writing. You will also be able to write more quickly and effectively during exams, when time is limited.

Of course, you won't need to use all of the expressions on the IELTS. Ideally, you should be comfortable using at least three or four expressions from each group below, so they come to mind easily during the IELTS. It is also helpful to have someone call them out so you can test your spelling. Unfortunately, students sometimes make spelling errors even in these commonly occurring expressions. Practice sufficiently so you don't lose points unnecessarily on something that's within your control.

KEY WORDS for IELTS WRITING

Stating Your Opinion


In my opinion,
According to me,

In my view,
To me,

From my point of view,
I think

It seems to me that
I believe

From my perspective
To my way of thinking

It appears that
I suppose

I realize
I understand

I imagine
I feel


Giving Examples

For example,
For instance,

such as
In other words,

as
like

that is
namely

To illustrate
To paraphrase


Comparing
Similar to
As...as

in common
also

Either...or
In the same way,

Neither...nor
At the same time

Just as
resemble




Contrasting


However,
But

On the contrary,
On the other hand,

Differ from
Nevertheless

Although
Though

Otherwise
Instead

Alternatively,
Even though


Generalizing


Generally,
Generally speaking,

Overall,
On the whole,

In general,
By and large,

It seems to me that
I believe

All in all,
Basically,

Essentially,
As a rule,

All things considered
For the most part


Expressing Certainty


Certainly,
Undoubtedly,

Doubtless,
No doubt,

Definitely,
Of course,


Expressing Partial Agreement


More or less,
To some extent,

Up to a point,
Almost,

In a way,
So to speak,

The "in my point of view" sounds rather Spanglish. It should be "from my point of view". We normally drop the "point of" and say just "in my view". Other, less formal possibilities could be:
to my mind: to emphasise that this is your opinion
I reckon: usually to express an opinion about what is likely to happen
I feel: to express a strong personal opinion
if you ask me: to express an opinion that may be critical
to be honest (with you): to express a critical opinion without seeming rude
as far as I'm concerned: to express an opinion that may be different from others

Formal examples, for academic essays etc.:

I think that…
It seems to me that…
I would argue that…
I do not believe that…
I am unconvinced that…
I do not agree that…

WRITING AN ESSAY

WRITING PARAGRAPHS

A thesis is a single, focused argument, and most paragraphs prove or demonstrate a thesis through explanations, examples and concrete details. This chapter will help you learn to write and analyse the types of paragraphs common in academic essays.
Start with an Outline:


Start with an Outline
A brief outline will make it easier to develop topic sentences and to arrange your paragraphs in the most effective order.
You should begin your outline by stating the thesis of your paper:
The English Civil War was caused by a combination of factors, including the empowerment and organization of Puritan forces, the absolutist tendencies of James I and the personal ineptitude of his son Charles I.
Next, list the topic sentences for each of the paragraphs (or sections) of the paper.

Writing Topic Sentence:
Start with an Outline
A brief outline will make it easier to develop topic sentences and to arrange your paragraphs in the most effective order.
You should begin your outline by stating the thesis of your paper:
The English Civil War was caused by a combination of factors, including the empowerment and organization of Puritan forces, the absolutist tendencies of James I and the personal ineptitude of his son Charles I.
Next, list the topic sentences for each of the paragraphs (or sections) of the paper:


Review: Topic Sentences:Choose the best among the several topic sentences

Dividing your Argument
Starting a new paragraph is a signal to your reader that you are beginning a new thought or taking up a new point. Since your outline will help you divide the essay into sections, the resulting paragraphs must correspond to the logical divisions in the essay. If your paragraphs are too long, divide your material into smaller, more manageable units; if they're too short, find broader topic sentences that will allow you to combine some of your ideas.

Review: Dividing your Argument:a shift in emphasis or topic suggests that a new paragraph should have been started.


Developing Unified and Coherent Paragraphs
A paragraph is unified when every sentence develops the point made in the topic sentence. It must have a single focus and it must contain no irrelevant facts. Every sentence must contribute to the paragraph by explaining, exemplifying, or expanding the topic sentence. In order to determine whether a paragraph is well developed or not, ask yourself: "What main point am I trying to convey here?" (topic sentence) and then "Does every sentence clearly relate to this idea?"
There are several ways in which you can build good, clear paragraphs. This section will discuss three of the most common types of paragraph structure: development by detail, comparison and contrast, and process. Finally, it will suggest that most paragraphs are built of a combination of development strategies.
Paragraph Development by Detail
This is the most common and easiest form of paragraph development: you simply expand on a general topic sentence using specific examples or illustrations.

Paragraph Development by Comparison and Contrast
You should consider developing your paragraph by comparison and contrast when you are describing two or more things which have something, but not everything, in common.

Paragraph Development by Process
Paragraph development by process involves a straightforward step-by-step description. Those of you in the sciences will recognise it as the formula followed in the "method" section of a lab experiment. Process description often follows a chronological sequence.

Paragraph Development by Combination
Very often, a single paragraph will contain development by a combination of methods. It may begin with a brief comparison, for example, and move on to provide detailed descriptions of the subjects being compared. A process analysis might include a brief history of the process in question. Many paragraphs include lists of examples.



http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/parout.html#outline

Listening Practice

http://www.agendaweb.org/listening/intermediate.html

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo/

http://www.parapal-online.co.uk/listening.html

http://www.lexis-es.com/lexisInstituto/login.htm

http://www.spotlightradio.net/tunein/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxz9yE0O-Sk

Assessment Oral Presentation Criteria

Oral Presentation Evaluation Criteria
Author (Last Name): _________________________ Committee member:
Presentations will be evaluated using the following criteria:

I. Content – 10 points
Accurately follows the title and abstract and stays on topic 1 2 3 4 5
Instructive and mind-provoking 1 2 3 4 5
(I) Total content score: _____

II. Organization – 20 points
Secures audience attention 1 2 3 4 5
Objective and outline well formulated in the introduction 1 2 3 4 5
Well structured, flowing logically and with good transition
between the sections 1 2 3 4 5
Offers summary of ideas and provides closure 1 2 3 4 5
(II) Total organization score: _____

III. Delivery – 25 points
Consideration given to the understanding of English by the audience,
i.e. clear pronounciation and speech rhythm 1 2 3 4 5
Effectively uses vocal variety in rate, pitch, and intensity
to maintain audience interest in speech 1 2 3 4 5
Good visual quality (content displayed well visible, good choice of
font, colours, pictures, well balanced screens) 1 2 3 4 5
Uses physical behavior that supports the message
(including appropriate eye contact, facial expressions, gestures,
posture, personal appearance) 1 2 3 4 5
Adheres to time requirements 1 2 3 4 5
(III) Total delivery score: _____

TOTAL SCORE (I + II + III): __________________________

Criteria on the feedback sheet or assessment form for assessing learners' performance in the oral presentation:
http://education.yuikee.com.hk/teacher_training/primary_english/download/session4/feedbacksheets.pdf

The following descriptions can be used when making a global assessment of a student’s performance.

Excellent (A) – a skillful presentation which was easy to follow. Student used clear, accurate and appropriate language and the presentation was effectively planned and well structured. It left listeners with a clear idea of the main thesis and supporting or associated ideas. Stimulated interest amongst listeners, as evident in audience behaviour and questions.

Very good (B) – above acceptable. Well handled presentation with well developed ideas and clear, intelligible delivery. Some minor problems with use of language and/or delivery but these did not cause major difficulties for listeners.

Good (C) – an acceptable level. Managed to achieve “yes” in most categories. No major difficulties with the language and a clear thesis with supporting ideas were evident.

Fair (D) – barely acceptable level of performance. May have prepared but had some fairly major problems with content and/or delivery. This made listening to this presentation a strain for audience.

Poor (E) – of unacceptable standard. Poorly prepared and difficult to follow. Structure of talk not clear and inaccurate use of language or poor delivery caused a lot of strain for listeners. No or little attempt / ability to engage listeners.

TERM EXAMS CALENDAR

OCTOBER


November

9th: 4 P.P. Presentations
16th: P.P. Presentations

23rd: 4 P.P.Presentations
27th: Reading Book Test"The Catcher in the Rye"
28th: To hand in grammar and vocabulary exercises
30th: 4 P.P.Presentation

December

1st: Writing Paper
4th: Reading Paper & Listening
11th: Grammar & Vocabulary

TPS FOR A GOOD PRESENTATION

Making an Oral Presentation
When making an oral presentation in class, you must know your subject well and convince your audience that they have something to gain from listening to you. Here are some things you can do to make an effective oral presentation.

Be prepared. Research your subject to ensure that you are
knowledgeable. Practice your presentation until you feel
comfortable. Make sure you can present your information
within whatever time limits you will have. Anticipate
questions you may be asked and prepare answers to these.

Know your audience. Tailor your presentation to your
audience’s level of knowledge about the subject of your
presentation, what they need to know, and their interests.

Be positive. Make it clear that you are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about your subject.

Don’t read your presentation. Talk to your audience. Use your notes as prompts
as needed.

Provide examples. Try to make your presentation as concrete and “down to earth” as possible. Add appropriate anecdotes and humor to drive home a point.

Use visual aids. Supplement what you say with visual aids such as handouts, charts, transparencies, and slides. Make sure that everyone can easily see the visual aids. Don’t use visual aids that are so complex that the audience will spend its time trying to read them instead of listening to you. Visual aids are supplements to what you say, not replacements for what you say.

Maintain eye contact. Shift your eye contact around the room so that everyone feels that you are talking to them.

Actively involve your audience. People can only listen so long without their attention wandering. Making your presentation interesting will help you to capture and keep your audience’s attention for a while, but you must do more. Build in some simple and quick activities for your audience so that they are actively involved in your presentation. Ask questions that you are confident your audience will be able to answer.

Use your voice effectively. Vary the tone of your voice and be careful not to talk too quickly.
End on a high note. Leave your audience feeling upbeat about what they have just heard.
USEFUL WEBSITES:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/1opening.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english/speaking/speakingact.shtml

UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAMS

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/04/susan-boyle-a-lesson-in-talehttps://pau.um.es/selenet/servlet/examenes.abredir2nt.html

ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE SCHOOL

DEBATES

Introduction
Debate is an excellent activity for language learning because it engages students in a variety of cognitive and linguistic ways. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate upon this point by providing a step-by-step guide that will give teachers everything they need to know for conducting debate in an English class.

So, why debate? In addition to providing meaningful listening, speaking and writing practice, debate is also highly effective for developing argumentation skills for persuasive speech and writing. Davidson (1996) wrote that "with practice, many students show obvious progress in their ability to express and defend ideas in debate [and] they often quickly recognize the flaws in each other's arguments.


Basic Terms
•Debate: a game in which two opposing teams make speeches to support their arguments and disagree with those of the other team.

•Resolution: the opinion about which two teams argue.
•Affirmative team: agrees with the resolution.
•Negative team: disagrees with the resolution.
•Rebuttal: explains why one team disagrees with the other team.
•Judges: decide the winner.

Opinions and Reasons
•A resolution is an opinion about which there can be valid disagreement. The students either agree or disagree with the resolution regardless of what they personally believe. An opinion can be introduced by an opinion indicator:
◦"I think/believe that smoking should be banned in public places..."
•A reason explains why that opinion is held and can be introduced by a reason indicator:

◦"...because/since secondhand smoke is harmful for nonsmokers."

Strong Reasons Versus Weak Reasons:
•According to LeBeau, Harrington, Lubetsky (2000), a strong reason has the following qualities:
◦it logically supports the opinion.
◦it is specific and states the idea clearly.
◦it is convincing to a majority of people.
•To give examples of strong reasons versus weak reasons, the teacher can develop a multiple-choice exercise such as the following:
◦Smoking should be banned in public places because:
■it is bad.
■it gives people bad breath and makes their teeth yellow.
■secondhand smoke is harmful for nonsmokers.
•The students ought to explain why some reasons are strong and others are weak based on the above criteria.
•In pairs, have students practice generating reasons for opinions. The resolutions/opinions can be generated by the students (as the four resolutions listed below), the teacher, or taken from the following online debate resource, which offers resolutions, reasons and debating tips:
◦http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Teach/English-debate.html

Giving Support for Your Reasons
Support consists of evidence. The four kinds of evidence, adapted from LeBeau, Harrington, Lubetsky (2000), are:

•Example: from your own experience or from what you heard or read.
•Common Sense: things that you believe everybody knows.
•Expert Opinion: the opinions of experts -- this comes from research.
•Statistics: numbers -- this also comes from research.
Smoking should be banned in all public places.


Example: For example / for instance / let me give an example
Whenever I go to a restaurant or bar and there are people smoking near me, I feel that I am breathing their smoke. This makes me a smoker even though I don't want to be.

Common Sense: Everyone knows / if...then / it's common knowledge that
Secondhand smoke is very unhealthy for nonsmokers.

Statistics:
Secondhand smoke causes about 250,000 respiratory infections in infants and children every year, resulting in about 15,000 hospitalizations each year.

Expert Opinion: According to.../ to quote.../ the book _____ says...
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year."

Formal Debate Structure
Give students the following debate structure, adapted from LeBeau, Harrington, Lubetsky (2000). See appendix 2 for an additional format option which I developed for a less formal, more conversational debate.

Speech 1: The first affirmative speaker introduces the topic and states the affirmative team's first argument.

Speech 2: The first negative speaker states their first argument.

Speech 3: The second affirmative speaker states their second argument.

Speech 4: The second negative speaker states their second argument.

Give a 5-10 minute break for each team to prepare their rebuttal speech.

Speech 5: The negative team states two rebuttals for the affirmative team's two arguments and summarizes their own two reasons.

Speech 6: The affirmative team states two rebuttals for the negative team's two arguments and summarizes their own two reasons.


A Student's Debate Speech
)
•Resolution: Personality is more important than looks. (Affirmative argument)

•Reason: People never lose interest in looking at a person who has a
good personality and living with them always makes us feel pleasant.

•Support:
◦Example
■For example, my friendly neighbor in China has twin brothers. The elder brother married a very beautiful girl. But after the first month, he had a quarrel with her because the beautiful wife spent all of her time dressing herself up without doing any housework. And she always went out on dates with many boyfriends. Finally he divorced his beautiful wife last year. But the younger brother who married an ordinary looking girl with a good personality has a very happy married life now and they have a lovely 3 year old baby now.
◦Common sense
■In China it is said, "Don't choose beautiful person to be your wife." Because the beautiful wife spends more time dressing herself up without doing housework or child care than the not beautiful wife. And the beautiful wife always spends a lot of money on clothing and cosmetics.
◦Expert opinion & Statistics
■Psychologists at Yale University investigated 3,519 married men's life spans. According to the report, the men who married a beautiful wife had a shorter life than the men who married an not beautiful wife. The degree of beauty was in direct proportion to the husbands' life-spans. In the study, there was a scale of 1-20 points: 20 points is the most beautiful wife and 1 point the least beautiful wife. The result was that men who had a wife who scored 1-12 points lived 12 years longer than men whose wife scored 13-20 points.



http://debatevideoblog.blogspot.com/

SCHOOL TRIPS

TIME TO TALK ABOUT FILMS ON THE SCREEN

OUR FAVOURITE SONGS

Blanca´s contribution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzrDeceEKcWONDERWALL-
WITHOUT ANY DOUBT, this is one of my favourite songs

OASIS
Today is gonna be the day
That they're gonna throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
Backbeat the word was on the street
That the fire in your heart is out
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt I don't believe that anybody feels
The way I do about you now
And all the roads we have to walk along are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would Like to say to you I don't know how
Because maybe You're gonna be the one who saves me ?
And after all You're my wonderwall
Today was gonna be the day?
But they'll never throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you're not to do I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do About you now
And all the roads that lead to you were winding
And all the lights that light the way are blinding
There are many things that I would like to say to you
I don't know how I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me ?
And after all You're my wonderwall I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me ?
And after an You're my wonderwall I Said maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You're gonna be the one that saves me

GIVING OPINIONS ON " THE CATCHER IN THE RYE" BY J.D. Salinger

GIVING OPINIONS ON " THE CATCHER IN THE RYE" BY J.D. Salinger
In this section you can comment your impressions on the book. You can add anything which might fit the plot such as a song, a poem, a film, a drawing, etc...

You can find the script on this website:
http://www.iktmmedia.com/files/J.D._Salinger_-_Catcher_In_The_Rye.p

SUMMARY OF THE PLOT:
http://www.bookrags.com/notes/citr/PART1.html

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FOR THE EXAM:
http://www.enotes.com/catcher-in-the-rye/chapter-1-questions-answers
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/study.html
http://cas.buffalo.edu/classes/eng/willbern/BestSellers/Catcher/catchstud.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/FAQ/7058

MY DREAM CITY

This section is devoted to our first topic writing.