Conv. B2 Mon -Tues Education

Monday Group:

1. First some Conversation Questions about your education - print and bring to class:

  CLICK HERE

2. Great song by Pete Seeger, one of the first critical US folk singers and mentor of Bob Dylan

called "What did you learn in school today"? To watch and listen CLICK HERE

then we will do a listening practice that will lead to more conversation.

There are subtitles in Spanish. Try to remember some of the lyrics and think about any lies YOU learned in school!

Tuesday group: We will do # 1 - the conversation questions in pairs - but since we already discussed the song on Thursday - the 8 students who came - we will do 3 listenings, one about "homeschooling", one about what makes a good teacher and a 3rd if time about bullying in school.

Both groups:

This is a link to a scene about a very unusual teacher. It has subtitles in English. What do you think of his class?

We probably won't have time to discuss this before Wednesday.
CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK

CLICK HERE FOR QUESTIONS

Con B2 2nd video on medical marijuana and exercise for SAVING GRACE

 In effect, I didn't post the longer video clip on medical marijuana, so I will do so now.  I have cut and pasted the glossary and comments. Link below these.

Here is a longer but more interesting video clip on medical marijuana. I think they talk quite clearly.

You see a young man who uses marijuana for medical purposes.

MISLEAD is to lead in the wrong way or to confuse. TO BE MISLED is to be purposely confused
 (with incorrect information).

MEDS = medicines, medication

A HOAX = "un timo"

TO GET "LOADED" = to get high

OVERDOSE = sobredosis

GATEWAY DRUG =  a darug that leads to abuse of worse drugs

The Indian doctor is quite in favor of legalizing marijuana. Another doctor, a psychiatrist who works with young adults, is against  legalizing it. He concedes that it can be good for some sick people but says it should be decriminalized bu not legalized even for medical reasons, because it is harmful and he's afraid of abuse.

CLICK HERE

2ND THING:  If you can download the movie Saving Grace, which we talked about in class, I know you will enjoy it!  Do my exercise on the film for extra credit. You can write out the answers for some or all of the previewing and post viewing questions plus the vocabulary exercises.

Click here for Saving Grace exercise

Remember for Monday to do the things in the post on Education, 2 posts previous.

B2.2 Great summary of last class by Daniel / song sent by Eva

Daniel from the Saturday class has made an excellent summary of the last class:

March 23rd, 2014

We started talking about father’s day among all of us, whereas Kate was writing some important sentences which we had known weeks ago and she explained us the meaning of them,  some of these sentences are the following:

•                    Show somebody THE ropes: to explain to someone how to do a job or activity

•                    Pull somebody's leg = Poke fun =make fun of

•                    Be in the same boat: experiencing the same situation or condition

•                    A slave-driver: an employer who demands excessively hard work from his employees

•                    Down-to-earth: sensible; practical; realistic

•                    Awkward: clumsy; inept

•                    Tender loving care(TLC): considerate and solicitous care

When Kate finished it, and the rest of us arrived at classroom, we checked aloud the exercise of continuous forms( page 65).After that, we checked the exercise”A” of vocabulary section (page 66). To finish checking our homework, kate asked to us how many people had done the Reading of page 67, then she linked groups with students who didn’t read it with people who read it. The first kind of people asked  the second the questions of the exercise B and C of Reading section. Otherwise, Kate explained us the meaning of “screw” from the Reading.

•                    To screw has same meaning to cheat, but more vulgar.

•                    “Screw you” means fuck you, but we cann’t use “screw” in the same way as "that fucking book".

Kate remembered a TV program that explained how they dub from the american version to the spanish versión, and why they use sometimes expresions as “¿bromeas?” to means “you’re kidding” and the problem is that the mouth opening is more similar than using other kind of expressions (that would be) more natural amoung spanish speakers. Then Kate wrote on the blackboard some expressions from the Reading.

•                    To be on the payroll: to be on the list of employees who receive their salary.

•                    To get a pay Check(UK)/Cheque(USA): To received your salary.

•                    Let me get this straight: Let me understand

•                    Drift off: Disappear

•                    Shoulders slumped: Disappointed.

•                    Commit to a job: comprometerse

•                    Backing: Support something or somebody

•                    Dull: Bored

Before the break, we did the Listening section of page 66.

After the break, we did in groups of three and we were speaking about exercise A from speaking section from page 68, then Kate told us which of these sentences had been the most impressive for us, and we remarked the third one.

Finally, we did listening exercise from page 69, and Kate told us the meaning of different words:

·         Crèche-childcare: nursering school

·         Food vouchers : food benefit

·         Dismissal: to fire, to sack s/b

·         Quit: To leave voluntarily your current job/company.

·         Collective bargaining: Negotiations between workers and employer

·         Crackdown: Repression.

·         Night shift: Turno de noche.

·         No-frills: no additional things.

Homework:

Ø  Exercise A from page 68

Ø  Vocabulary section from page 71

Ø  Reading from page 72

EEva has sent a song "Numb" because it was a word we learned in class ( without feeling) The lyrics of the song really reflect this meaning because the singer can no longer feel the presence of his girlfriend ..or anything. To see youtube clip and listen  click here.

               

UPDATED: Con. B2 Docs. for "marijuana"

Hi Groups,

Sorry if I am posting this a little late Monday's class. PLEASE  try to print!

Listening: Click here


Roleplay - The Marijuana Party: CLICK HERE

And also a YouTube video  with a doctor talking about marijuana in general and in particular medical uses: for reducing pain, effects of chemotherapy,  and a part of marijuana that does not get people "high" but may have neuroprotective and anti-cancer benefits.

CLICK HERE



 See you all tomorrow or Tuesday!

B2.2 Excellent summary of the last classes (Mar. 14,15) by Friday student)

From Rocio, in the Friday class. Although there were a few differences in what we did (for example , the Saturday had done the Reading with Carole) the 2 groups basically did the same things. Excellent job, Rocio:

Hi! I’m Rocío and here is the summary of Friday’s class.

We started talking about the last Madrid Players play; Ester told us she went to see it, and she loved it. Then we moved on to lesson 7. We were confused because Kate didn’t know what we had done on Friday 7th (she was sick and she couldn’t come), so we just did the reading on page 50 about truth and staTistics, but focused on the pronunciation. We learned that there are 2 or 3 sounds for each vowel and some “rules” or tips that can be very useful to know how to pronounce the words.* We also did some exercises about active and passive sentences.

We started lesson 9, which is related to work, chosing four things we would like to have in a job and discussing them with a partner. It was not easy to choose just four of them! After that, we continued doing an exercise about vocabulary. Some of the verbs in the exercise, like liaise, are not usually used by English students. With this question we started talking about the Student’s Book and how it is made. Some of us liked the way it is done, and some didn''t.

Later we did the listening, which this time was not easy to understand because of the accent of the people talking and some exercises about continuous form.

For homework we have to do the vocabulary on page 66 and the Reading on page 67.

See you on Friday!

Best wishes,

Rocío.

Look at the previous blog for charts about the vowel sounds and differences.

If you remember, we commented that there was no job interview in this lesson but that I would post some typical job interview questions.CLICK HERE

And a helpful video clip about how to answer the question: "Tell me about yourself" :  CLICK HERE

And 2 documents for extra help wiht the passive : Explanation Sheet. CLICK HERE

EXTRA EXERCISE ON THE PASSIVE: Click here

Conversation B2 AND B2.2 :PRONUNCIATION DOCUMENTS AND VIDEO LINK

CONVERSATION B2 : This material is for Wednesday /Thursday.

Please print the charts if possible and LISTEN to the pronunciations of the first 2 charts. Watch the video clip and print out the document if possible. It is very funny and I know you will enjoy it!

B2.2: Since I spent a little time explaining a bit about vowel pronunciation in English, this is for you to study on your own. I wish we had time to do it in class, but unfortunately, we don't. However, I can answer questions at the beginning of the class or during the break.

Now the links:

English Vowel Sounds      CLICK HERE  Accompanying listening click here (You have to download it)

Vowel Pair Phonetic Chart: CLICK HERE Accompanying listening Click here  ( have to download)

Written Representations of English Vowel Sounds  CLICK HERE

Video Clip : I Love Lucy       CLICK HERE

B2.2 Friday and Saturday: Unit 9 WORK

Hi Class

We are starting Unit 9 about work. If you see this in time, please print these 2 relevant documents.

Job Motivation: click here

Personal Skills: CLICK HERE