2016.10.26 - Class 3

Evie and Edie?

Today we began with a vocabulary quiz based on Two Peas in a Pod.

After that, you did a real Reading and Use of English paper from the First For Schools exam. All of you finished the exam and we corrected it after the break

In the next class I will return your exams to you and we will correct all four Use of English parts in detail. It's really important to study the Use of English exercises we do in class, and especially those from practice tests. Improving your mark in the Use of English is a matter of learning combinations of grammar and vocabulary. The best place to find these is in readings. The next best place is in practice exams and textbooks, so I will be encouraging you to take advantage of this (i.e. expect quizzes)!

We also watched a couple of video segments from Game of Thrones. Whoever knew Stannis Baratheon was a grammar nerd.

Remember: Less love and fewer fingers!

Homework:

• Watch the video below on how to do part 1 of the speaking exam
• pp.10-11 (Reading part 5, pay attention especially to vocabulary)
• p.17 ex 2-3
• If you want to, leave a comment below. It'd be great to know that you were here. Please just don't use your full names - it's important your privacy is protected.

2016.10.19 - Class 2

Today we agreed that next week you'll do a sample Reading and Use of English paper from a real FCE exam. It will be a First for Schools exam. I don't expect you to necessarily pass the first practice exam you take. This is normal. I just want to see how you do and want you to see how you do. Anyway, we'll discuss your results in more detail when we have them.

We then revised your homework (Two Peas in a Pod). I told you to learn the vocabulary from the first exercise, which is also in Quizlet. There will be a quick quiz on it at the beginning of Class 3.

We then worked in the book, doing a bit of grammar (on verb forms to talk about the future): exercises 1, 4, 5 and 6 on pp.12-13. I encouraged you to try to use the future continuous more often, as it is very common in spoken English. Next we worked on the Use of English Part 4 using exercises 1 and 3 on p.16.

After the break, we looked at the sample writing (an email) on p.18 and you did exercises 1 and 3. We ended class by doing a gap-fill exercise based on Bob Dylan's The times they are a-changing.

Homework:

1. Study for the vocabulary quiz. Here's a quizlet list if you want to use it.
2. Write an email for the prompt on p.19 (140-190 words). Remember to:
1. come up with 2-3 ideas for summer plans
2. respond to the questions about work and travel abroad
3. write a proper informal email (with beginning, ending, etc.)

2016.10.05 - Class 1

After finding out that many if not all of you want to take the FCE by summer 2017, we agreed to work towards that goal as quickly as possible in class.

You all then learned a bit about me by asking me questions and wrote up paragraphs that you shared with other groups. I then gave you a letter and explained that part 1 of your homework is to write a similar letter back to me.

We finished class by describing this photo and inventing stories about the people in it.

We then looked at an infographic about marriage and you matched the figures with the facts.

Finally, I handed out a story, Two Peas in a Pod, that you should read for next class. You should also learn the vocabulary in it.

Homework:

1. Write a letter back to me
2. Read Two Peas in a Pod and do the exercises. You can study the vocabulary in Quizlet or just below.

Quizlet and Dictionaries for vocabulary

Vocabulary is extremely important for the First Certificate. You need to know a lot of basic words and also their most frequent collocations, i.e. words that go with them.

For example, why do we say 'a tall woman' but 'a high mountain' (both 'tall' and 'high' are 'alto/a' in Spanish, right?)? The reason is that 'tall' collocates with people, whereas 'high' does not. Why? That's just the way it is - it's how people speak.

Here are a few fundamental resources that we will be using and which I encourage you to explore.

1. Dictionaries

Cambridge Dictionaries Online - best for looking up phrases and expressions. Also has Spanish definitions.
WordReference - has more phrases and expressions, but they are more difficult to find

2. Flashcards, etc.

quizlet.com which also has a free app, is great for studying vocabulary. There are loads of sets already online and you can also create your own lists. We will be using quizlet, so please install the app on your phone.

The link to our classroom (2016-17: Casp FCE1) is: https://quizlet.com/class/3450786/