LESSON 62 (Tuesday 28th May)
Monologues and class discussion.
LESSON 61 (Thursday 23rd May)
Third term written exam
LESSON 60 (Tuesday 21st May)
-Listening from certificate exam: "New Zealand's Flag"
-Retelling of the story and information about New Zealand's "silver fern"
-Revision of vocabulary and grammar through reverse translation.
LESSON 59 (Thursday 16th May)
-What's in the bag? Ferns, New Zealand silver ferns and North American edible fiddlehead ferns
-Correction exercise 4d page 39 and Wordpower, idioms, page 42
-Class discussion: Virginia Woolf's "Shakespeare's sister"
LESSON 58 (Tuesday 14th May)
page 39: Listening
-Everyday English page 39: Part II
-Speculation about women in the pictures (revision of past modals)
-Class discussion: "The Canary" by Katherine Mansfield
LESSON 57 (Thursday 9th May)
Future in the past: writing personal sentences about your expectations at the beginning of the course and how they turned out to be
-Grammar page 143: Future in the past and narrative tenses. Correction of exercises
-Game: conjunction bingo
Homework: write a proposal of between 250 -300 words
LESSON 56 (Tuesday 7th May)
May Day celebrations and traditions (comparison with Spanish May traditions)
Page 38: Everyday English: To cut a long story short (1d and e)
Reading: famous dialogue between Prospero and Caliban "This island is mine!"
Role play: Prospero vs Caliban (in pairs and pairs acting out the dialogue in front of the whole class)
Homework: Grammar Unit 3B: Future in the past (page 35), Narrative tenses (page 37) and grammar focus 3B on page 143.
Reading: Shakespeare's sister
LESSON 55 (Tuesday 30th April)
Feedback on discussion essays
Listening and speaking: Video: "Why you should read Shakespeare's The Tempest"
Kahoot activity on Shakespeare's life and times
Homework: Read handouts on Shakespeare's The Tempest and "Shakespeare's sister"
For Thursday the 8th May: the short story The Canary, by Katherine Mansfield (and audiobook)
LESSON 54 (Thursday 25th April)
-Realia: two invasive species
-Group and pair discussion on the article "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice" and some of the related activities
-Viewing of the Guardian's video on "Extinction Rebellion"
Homework: Read handouts on Shakespeare's The Tempest and "Shakespeare's sister"
LESSON 53 (Tuesday 23rd April)
-About Easter, Easter eggs and Easter bunnies
-About St George's Day and the Union Jack
-Exam dates and plan for the rest of the term
-Local environmental problems (speaking with pictures and vocabulary)
-Video: "Awkard Interview with Planet Earth"
Homework: Read article "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice" and do related activities
LESSON 52 (Thursday 11th April)
Film: Jane Eyre
LESSON 51 (Tuesday 9th April)
-About Cinema Days
-Introduction to the "Discussion essay" pages 112 and 113
-Vocabulary: landscape features, page 35 and 160 (self-correct the exercise with the book online)
-HOMEWORK: Write a discussion essay on a topic of your own choice (between 250 and 300 words).
-Make sure you use reason and result linking words, formal vocabulary, expressions for speaking in general as well as a variety of grammar structures, at least 1 of the following
-inversion structures
-second conditional
-third conditional
-passive sentences
-past perfect
-past modals
-comparative structures
-future perfect (continuous)
-relative clauses
-the expression "likely"
Read texts on pages 35, 36 and 37
LESSON 50 (THURSDAY 30th March)
-On Superbloom
-Summary of Listening on Volunteering , page 34 (in pairs and retelling to the whole class)
-Vocabulary: Wealth and poverty: Vocabulary and class debate.
-Pronunciation of inversion structures.
HOMEWORK: Vocabulary page 35 and 160 (lanscape features).
LESSON 49 (TUESDAY 3rd March)
Excursion: "Going up the castle"
LESSON 48 (THURSDAY 28th March)
-The origin of the expressions "mad as a hatter" and "mad as a March hare"
-Correction of exercises on inversion page 142
-Margaret Atwood's "Happy Endings". Discussion in groups and as a whole class.
-Clothes vocabulary: differences between British and American English. Video
HOMEWORK: page 34 Empower: 4 LISTENING and 5 VOCABULARY: Wealth and poverty
LESSON 47 (TUESDAY 26th March)
-Photos of kestrels and volunteering experience
-Reading comprehension questions of the text on pages 32 nd 33
-page 33: 2 Grammar: Inversion a), b), and c)
-Language in context: unusual experiences: vocabulary and speaking
-Words that are pronounced differently in British and American English. Video.
HOMEWORK: Grammar focus 3A on page 142 (a, b and c)
Read Happy Endings, by Margaret Atwood and listen to its audiobook version
LESSON 46 (THURSDAY 18th March)
-On the Leprechaun
-Exams back
-Speaking: Volunteering
-Class debate: reasons for and against volunteering
HOMEWORK: Read the text on the Leprechaun and that on page 32 of your book: "Thinking of Volunteering Abroad?"
For Wednesday: Read Happy Endings, by Margaret Atwood and listen to its audiobook version
LESSON 45 (TUESDAY 18th March)
-Exam correction session (Reading and Listening)
-On St Patrick's Day (17th March)
-Song: Molly Malone
-Free conversation at the Essentia Restaurant
Tuesday 12th March Wednesday 13th March: MARCH EXAMS
LESSON 43 (Thursday 7th March)
Feedback on essays
Wordpower: Idioms: movement, page 20
Listening: Exam-like listening task: Art as Therapy
Trivial Pursuit revision game.
LESSON 42 (Tuesday 5th March)
About St David's Day on the past 1st of Mach, leeks and daffodils. Here you can read more about this festival and learn more about Wales.
Composition's peer assessment
Spicing up your writing (improving the syntax of a paragraph)
Monologues by José, Mª José and Noelia
Dialogues: giving advice: Communication 2C, ages 127 and 137
Quiz about Pancake Day Pancake race. For more info on Pancake Day, click here
LESSON 41 (Tuesday 26th February)
-Monologues and class discussion in between
-Listening and formal vocabulary with John Bercow's best moments' video
HOMEWORK: if you have your book review back, self-correct your mistakes (we'll do an activity about this next day in class).
Don't forget your answers to Paul's emails; if you have already contributed with one, check the Google document again to try to correct the mistakes I've marked.
Turn your monologue into an essay of between 250-300 words (ideally for Tuesday the 5th, this way you'll be abe to have it back before the exam). Depending on the topic that you chose for your monologue, you can write an opinion essay or a for and against essay.
LESSON 40 (Thursday 22nd February)
-Shadowing "The Lads"(2018)
-Everyday English page 27: 3 Listening (a, b and c) and 4 Useful language (a, b, c and d)
-Video (Listening): "How to be a Lad"
-HOMEWORK: prepare a monologue of your own choice from the booklet I sent you by email, following these instructions.
LESSON 39 (Tuesday 19th February)
-Information about exams and how to use Google docs to reply to Paul's email.
-Handout correction: adjectives to describe books and films (vocabulary and speaking)
-Page 26: Everyday English: 1 Listening a,b,c, d, e and 2 Pronunciation a, b, c, d and e.
LESSON 38 (Thursday 14th February)
-Shadowing "Breakfast at Tiffany's", chosen my Rosa and Jesús. (time: 1:09:40)
-Page 141: Intentions and arrangements, checking of exercises a, b, and c.
-Paul's emails: discussion about Brexit, giving opinions
-Listening: Brexit divorce by Foil Arms and Hog
Homework: Book review and answer to Paul's emails (I'll send email with instructions). Both for Thursday 21st February
LESSON 37 (Tuesday 12th February)
-Plans and arrangements for the weekend
-Mingling activity (plans and arrangements)
-Grammar explanation page 141 using the examples from the previous activity
-"The Dead", by James Joyce, discussion in small groups. Reading aloud of last part.
-First ten minutes of ducumentary "Angelica Houston on James Joyce: A Shout in the Street"
LESSON 36 (Thursday 7th February)
-The History of Groundhog Day (Listening, speaking) Ceremony video
-Listening with the film "Groundhog Day"
-Ways of Walking
HOMEWORK: Grammar, intentions and arrangements: 5a, 5b and 5c page 25
LESSON 35 (Tuesday 5th February)
-Speaking: how do you feel about snakes?
-Presentation about the Aboriginal Australian "Rainbow Serpent" and other examples of Australian Aboriginal art (images)
-Reading activity in groups (putting fragments in order) "Yulunggul and the Wawalag sisters"
-Self-correction of composition (film review)
-Shadowing: Forest Gump
LESSON 34 (Thursday 31st January)
-About "I giorni della merla" (an Italian custom, they are the 29th 30th and 31st of January, considered to be the coldest days of the year)
-Language in context: synonyms: want, like, love (page 24)
-Vocabulary: checking exercises on verbs of movement (pages 25 (3a) and 159 (a and c)
-Listening (Ada going base jumping)
- Jeopardy game about Australia
HOMEWORK: Grammar, intentions and arrangements: 5a, 5b and 5c page 25
LESSON 33 (Tuesday 29th January)
-About neeps and tatties
-About Australia Day
-Working with a scene from the film "Walkabout": (from minute 34:30), speculating about written dialogue (characters, settings, story); shadowing, contrastive stress. Proposal for students to choose the film scenes for shadowing practice.
-Book, page 23: checking scales from exercise 1c
-"The Dead": reading aloud and acting out the dialogue, pronunciation and vocabulary work, watching the corresponding scenes of the film.
HOMEWORK: Textbook: page 24 2c and page 253a. page 159 a)
LESSON 32 (Thursday 23rd January)
-About Burns' Night and haggis (Video)
-"Broken Vows", translation of 8th century Irish poem, which appears in John Houston's film "The Dead" (from minute 21.28 to minute 21.51). Listening, reading, speaking and pronunciation practice (shadowing).
-Reading aloud of first paragraphs of James Joyce's "The Dead": correction of pronunciation, vocabulary clarification and watching of the opening scene of the film
HOMEWORK: Read the longer version of the poem and the accompanying article
Finish off reading "The Dead" (if you haven't read it yet)
For Thursday: Film Review
LESSON 31 (Tuesday 22nd January)
-Speaking: Discussion in pairs and as a whole group of the film we saw last Thursday at the cinema ("Lucky")
-Page 23: Reading and speaking
-Dialogues (deciding on a extreme sport)
HOMEWORK: Complete the scales (exercise 1a page 23)
LESSON 30 (Thursday 17th January)
-Shadowing of the poem's recitation by Langston Hughes and in the film The Great Debaters
-Speaking about film genres and tastes
-Introduction to writing a film review (pages 125 and 175) (We'll go deeper into this in the next lesson)
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY: Watching "Lucky" at the local cinema.
HOMEWORK: FOR TUESDAY: Read pages 23 and 24 of the book
FOR THURSDAY: Read "The Dead", by James Joyce
FOR TUESDAY the 29th: FILM REVIEW
LESSON 29 (Tuesday 15th January)
-Introduction to stress, rhythm and intonation (explanation and video)
-Page 22: Vocabulary, pronunciation and speaking: 5a, 5e
-Poem for pronunciation practice and speaking: I Too, Sing America, by Langston Hughes
LESSON 28 (Thursday 10th January)
Communal error correction (second part)
Listening and speaking, page 22 (4a, b, c, d, e, f)
The "vow of silence" experiment
HOMEWORK: FOR TUESDAY: Read pages 23 and 24 of the book
FOR THURSDAY: Read "The Dead", by James Joyce
LESSON 27 (Tuesday 8th January 2019)
Revision of exam
Listening (from exam)
Communal error correction
LESSON 26 (Wednesday 19th December)
Progress Test 2/2 (Listening, Writing and Reading)
LESSON 25 (Tuesday 18th December)
Demonstration and chat at the noisiest bar in Aracena
LESSON 24 (Thursday 13th December)
1. Information about extracurricular activities
2. Revision of common mistakes to avoid
3. Eveline: class discussion
Homework: Revise for exam. Remember that the contents include:
-Everything that you had to study for the 1st test
-Language for expressing opinions, agreeing and disagreeing
-Idioms: body parts
-Language for giving advice
-Comparative structures (it would be great if you were able to use a few in your writing, although I understand that we have to do more practice with them).
-Vocabulary (Violence against women)
LESSON 23 (Tuesday 11th December)
1. Recommendation of resources
2. Students explain the basic rules of comparatives and superlatives. These rules are extended with some exceptions.
3. Other comparative structures: Grammar: comparison (page 21 of the textbook).
4. Recording of dialogues
Homework: Grammar Focus 2A on page 140
Read and listen to "Eveline" by James Joyce and find examples in the text of domestic or gender-based violence.
TEXT, AUDIO, article with more forms of gender-based violence.
LESSON 22 (Tuesday 4th December)
1. I handed out the speaking assessment worksheets. Some feedback on performance.
2. Students finished off icebergs and messages against gender-based violence.
3. Idioms body parts (page 18): exercises and speaking practice
4. Giving advice: useful expressions and dialogues
HOMEWORK: Read and listen to "Eveline" by James Joyce and find examples in the text of domestic or gender-based violence.
TEXT, AUDIO, article with more forms of gender-based violence.
Reading pages 20 and 21 of the textbook "I've been to the quietest place on earth"
LESSON 21 (Thursday 28th November)
1. Warmer: commenting on comic strips. IMAGES
2. Show and tell presentations
HOMEWORK for Monday: write a forum entry (see all the instructions here)
LESSON 20 (Tuesday 27th November)
1. Exam feedback
2. Information about "selfie" survey and trip to Dublin.
3. Rosa's video (using words in English when speaking in Spanish).
4. Expressing opinions (page 16)
5. Violence against women iceberg activity IMAGE
LESSON 19 (Thursday 22nd November)
1. Thanksgiving: information about the festival, reading and listening comprehension
2. Example of a show and tell presentation.
3. p.17: speaking, reading and pronunciation practice.
HOMEWORK: For Tuesday: page 16: Writing Skills, expressing opinions: a, b, c, d
For Thursday: Show and tell presentation
LESSON 18 (Tuesday 20th November)
Progress Test 1/2 First Term
LESSON 17 (Thursday 15th November)
1. Students tell the same anecdotes as the day before in different groups of three
2. Students re-tell this same anecdote in front of the whole class
3. Feedback from the teacher (pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar)
4. Song: "Johnny I Hardly Knew You": Listening and discussion about the meaning of the song in groups of three. For next day: Find at least 6 different examples of non-standard grammar.
HOMEWORK: Prepare for the Progress Test on Tuesday 20th November (1 Reading comprehension, 1 Listening comprehension and 1 Written expression or interaction)
For the writing exercise it would be great if you could use naturally and appropriately as much of the vocabulary, grammar and functions that we've studied since the beginning of the year, more specifically:
Unit 1A:
Grammar: adverbs and adverbial phrases
Vocabulary: Language learning and noun forms
Unit 1B:
Grammar: The perfect aspect
Vocabulary: describing changes, expressing meaning
Unit 1C:
Language in context: irony and understatement
Useful language: expressing yourself in an inexact way
Other: language for speculation and deduction, language for expressing likes and dislikes, difference between "good at" and "good with" and other vocabulary and structures that we've dealt with in class or that you've learnt from the reading / listening texts from corrections in your writing, etc).
LESSON 16 (Tuesday 13th November)
2. Empower, page 15: 2: Useful language, expressing yourself in an inexact way.
3. Empower, page 15: 4: Speaking (a, b and c and d: preparation and rendering of a timed monologue (a personal anecdote) in groups of three).
HOMEWORK: Improve your anecdote and have it ready for telling it to other classmates next day.
LESSON 15 (Thursday 8th November)
1. Audiovisual material about Bonfire Night
2. Everyday English: Listening on page 14 (a-f)
3. The Cruel Sister: ballad and vocabulary work
Homework: Useful Language (Empower, page 15: a), b), c) and d)
LESSON 14 (Tuesday 6th November)
0. (Trying to repair the computer)
1. About Bonfire Night
2. Reading aloud, speaking and vocabulary (Fact File, How Languages are Special, page 13)
3. The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin (analysis and discussion: work in groups and feedback to the class)
4. The Cruel Sister (group activity, rearranging the story)
LESSON 13 (Tuesday 30th November)
1. Agreeing on the dates for this term's progress tests (20th November and 18th December)
3. Useful vocabulary for speaking about one's fears.
4. Speaking: "What are you afraid of?" (In small groups and feedback to the class).
5. The Landlady (analysis and discussion: work in groups and feedback to the class)
6. The Landlady (short film version)
HOMEWORK: Read "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin and listen to the audiobook version.
For Thursday 8th November: ASSIGNMENT 2: A narrative
LESSON 12 (Thursday 25th October)
0. Handing out compositions, books from the library
1. Quotation by Heraclitus of Ephesus
2. Speaking: changes in our lives
3. Vocabulary: describing changes (page 12, 3a and 3 b).
4. Word Song by Syd Barret (pronunciation practice)
HOMEWORK: Read the Landlady, by Roald Dahl and listen to its audiobook version
p.12: Listening and Grammar: the perfect aspect and grammar focus p.139
LESSON 11 (Tuesday 23rd October)
1. Explanation of the continuous assessments system
2. The pronunciation of consonants (finishing off) and practice with the English speaking countries song
3. Reading "How quickly is the English language changing?" (reading aloud and comprehension questions, page 11).
4. Communication (pages 127 and 137).
5. Speaking: changes in my life.
LESSON 10 (THURSDAY 18th October)
0. How to download audio, showing around the blog and the lesson log.
1. Revision of word formation processes on page 158 and rules about suffixes and stress.
2. Speaking and listening page 11 (English words emerging in different decades). Recently coined words in English.
3. Song: English speaking countries (students were asked to make a list of as many countries they could hear and could write down, then they had to compare their list with their partners' and share the information. Finally, the song was played again for them to check their answers).
4. The pronunciation of consonants (handout), to be continued....
LESSON 9 (TUESDAY 16th October)
0. About Long weekend
1. Listening comprehension on page 10 of the book
2. Vocabulary check pages 10 and 158 (that on page 58 as a competitive game between 2 teams)
3. Revision of position of adverbs and adverbials
4. Adverbs and adverbials game (the Yeti).
LESSON 8 (THURSDAY 11th October)
0. Initial chat (about the rain), adverbials triptych (handout)
1. Pronunciation practice with tongue twisters ("Betty Botter and "She sells sea-shells on the seashore). handout
2. Correction of vocabulary exercises from pages 10 and 158 (only exercise a) of the book.
3. Preparation for listening activity on page 10, to be done at home.
4. Speculation about portraits (look here).
HOMEWORK: Written assignment 1 for Thursday 18th October (an informal letter to the character in a portrait).
Read the adverbials handout.
Do the listening task on page 10 of the book
Practise the pronunciation of vowels and dipthongs on the following webpages:
http://www.macmillanenglish.com/pronunciation/interactive-phonemic-charts/#british-english
LESSON 7 (TUESDAY 9th October)
0. Initial conversation: plans for the long weekend or bank holiday
1. About Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day
2. Checking of exercises on adverbials (p.138).
EXTENSION: If you're interested, read more about Columbus day and Native American culture (click on the link above).
LESSON 6 (THURSDAY 4th October)
1. Election of student's representatives.
2. Pronunciation practice of vowels, diphthongs and affricate sounds with the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill. A (very brief) introduction to connected speech, weak and strong syllables, stress, rhythm and intonation).
3. Grammar: Adverbs and adverbial phrases (types and position). Exercises a) and b) on page 9 and explanation of main rules and exceptions.
4. Singing the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill.
HOMEWORK: Revision of grammar rules in 1A of the Grammar Focus; exercises a) and b) (page 138)
Vocabulary exercises from handout (Vocabulary focus, p. 158)
Extension: explore the world of nursery rhymes.
LESSON 5 (TUESDAY 2nd October 2018)
0. Initial coversation (about the weekend)
1. Remembering Michaelmas (pronounced /miklmas/) as a special day, traditionally celebrated in the UK on the 29th September. Some cultural and historical information.
2. Reading aloud and pronunciation practice from reading texts on pages 8-9 of Empower C1 Advanced.
3. Speaking: "Do you agree with the text's statement about the Spanish language? How do you perceive other languages such as French, German, Italian, etc.?" Pairwork.
4. Revision of diphthongs.
5. Pronunciation practice of English vowels and diphthongs with "game" in handout.
HOMEWORK: Practice pronunciation of English vowels and diphthongs with handout.
Read about Michaelmas on the link above.
LESSON 4 (THURSDAY 26th September 2018)
1. Comment and speculation on photo (kintsugi) (metaphor for a positive attitude towards making mistakes in language learning).
2. Speaking: "I couldn't agree more"/ "That's nonsense": students agree or disagree (or partially agree/disagree) with the statements on language learning on page 8 of the textbook (handout).
HOMEWORK: Grammar adverbs and adverbial phrases p.9 and 138/ Vocabulary p.9 and 158.
Practice vowel sounds on this webpage: http://www.shiporsheep.com/
LESSON 3 (TUESDAY 25th September 2018)
0. General conversation (about the weekend)
1. Difference between good at / good with.
2. What are you good at/ with?
3. Individually, students make a list of their talents.
4. Mingling "talent hunter" activity.
5. "Writing with music" (writing diagnostic test)
6. Speculating, commenting on the music.
PLAYLIST
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmHTuTSu8JVtF68lerbj9ddU5gj-g2vD3
LESSON 2 (WEDNESDAY 19th September 2018)
1. Revision of language for speculation and deduction (modal verbs)
2. Icebreaker: "Important numbers in my life" (speculation about numbers connected with the teacher's life, then students choose their own numbers, stand up, mingle and their classmates have to guess what these numbers refer to).
3. Pronunciation revision with Adrian Underhill's video:
Adrian Underhill's phonemes chart (handout)
Watching of video, comment and practice.
4. Practice of pronunciation of vowels with the "phone numbers game" (handout)
HOMEWORK:
Photocopy from pages 8-9 of "Empower C1 Advanced) (handout)
Watch again the first 20 minutes of Adrian Underhill's video and practice the pronunciation of English vowels.
You can also practice them with the following extra material:
Website on phonetics and phonology (American English): http://soundsofspeech.uiowa.edu/resources/english/english.html
Adrian Underhill's interactive phonemic charts: http://www.macmillanenglish.com/pronunciation/interactive-phonemic-charts/#british-english
LESSON 1 (TUESDAY 18th September 2018)
1. Icebreaker: post-it note with name and drawing, mingling, sharing interesting info with the rest of the class.
2. Information about the course: changes in the curriculum at C1 level, textbook, 5 euro for photocopies, teacher's blog, dictionaries, email addresses, students' email addresses and phone numbers.
3. Icebreaker: "Who else?" (some language to express likes and dislikes at an advanced level)
EXTRA MATERIAL: Video: Five-minute functions: Expressing likes and dislikes