Study schedule 2006

17 April--21 April

Getting to know one another and our learning goals

• Introductions: interviews to get to know your classmates 

• course description

• Do error-correction exercise of typical mistakes in English--made by even the most proficient students of English 

  Special class (in computer lab) exploring web sites for learning English. To explore sites, go to:

  http://www.unepd.org/linkspage.htm

  Choose a site to explore. You may want to start with "Dave's ESL Cafe" and take a quiz of your choice:

  http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/quiz/

   

• Homework:

  Write composition about a web site you've explored (  Internet sites in the hand-out )

24 April -- 28 April

Getting to know the effect of high technology on life-styles

• Read "The Man Who Could Buy Anything"p. 58--59

• Read the article on Ikea founder and the article on Bill Gates as philanthropist (distributed in class)

•  

• Do hand-out exercise with relative pronouns  (who, which, that, whose, whom)

• Review page:  (words/expressions that have come up in class discussions

• Do exercise 2 "relative clauses", p. 60

• exercise 3 "-ed" or "ing participles p. 60  
• exercise 5, p. 61

Read hand-out, "What is your leaning style?" and do discussion activity with student next to you

• Readings on learning styles and making a personal vocabulary file

• Homework: Write definitions/sentences and choose a picture for your assigned vocabulary words

• Composition: Explain what "type" of learner ("visual", "auditory" or "kinetic") you think you are. Explain which kinds of activities help you learn language and remember new words

Homework:

Write composition about either:

a philanthropist from your native country (or from another country)

OR

 your learning style and how you best remember words and expressions

OR

When you think of your name, how does it look to you in your mind's eye?

1 May -- 5 May

Watched first 15 minutes of the film, The Interpreter   in class

Reviewed some vocabulary from the film

In class discussion exercise: with the members of your group, describe the first scene and the characters

Discuss whether the main character Silvia is in danger or not and her possible connection to the characters in the first scene

Homework: Write two -- three paragraphs about whether you feel watching and discussing the The Interpreter every Thursday is a good way to improve English--or if you would prefer to watch a different video program each Thursday

Do sentence completion exercise in Headway, p. 68

8 May -- 12 May

Talking about things we are good at doing, avoid doing, can't stand doing

• Do exercise with gerunds/infinitives p. 68

• Read/listen to Sean's letter to his grandmother, p. 68

• Do exercise 2 and 3, p. 69

• See hand-out on verbs followed by gerunds, prepositions and expressions followed by gerunds

• Homework: Do exercise 1, p. 70, Read 'Language Review, p. 71)

• exercise 3. p. 71

Homework: Headway

Read "Sean Grandmother's Reply" letter, p.70

Fill in the missing verbs in their correct form (as gerunds of infinitives)

• review of difference between "-ing" and "-ed" adjectives ("interested/interesting, bored/boring", "confused/confusing", etc.
• ex. 2 and 3, p. 71
• Read and review "The Family who turned  Back the Clock" p. 72

Write your response the two segments of the film, The Interpreter. Which scene or character made an impression on you and why? From what you have seen so far, do you think this film gives the public a positive impression of the UN?  Explain why

15 May-- 19 May

Comparing the quality of life in the past and the present

Read pages 78--79

Do exercises p.79

Read and review "The Family who turned  Back the Clock"

Do exercise 7.4, p. 73

Listening exercise: p.76, p. 80

exercise 2, p. 74

Homework: "Phrasal verbs with get", p. 74

Write a composition addressing these questions in the movie, The Interpreter:

In your opinion, is watching the movie, The Interpreter a good method for learning English? Why or why not? Answer your question by addressing the following aspects of the film:

learning new vocabulary

practicing listening comprehension

discussing the action of the story

Grand vocabulary list for the the film, The Interpretor

Please transfer the expressions into your personal vocabulary list, adding pictures or colors as you choose--in order to help you better remember the words

22 May -- 26 May

• In-class: Read  and discuss the "Alligator-River Story" in groups
• Discuss your view and ranking of the five characters in the story and explain your response
• Discussion will allow practice of the modal past: should have, could have, might have, must have+past participle
• Do modal past exercise in hand-outs

Homework composition: Choose a character from the "Alligator-River Story". Tell why you think this character took the wrong course of action in the story--and write about what you think he or she should have done instead.  Also mention other courses of action the character could have taken.

Unit 8,  "Test Your Grammar", . "Modal Verbs of Probability" p. 77

Read articles, p. 78, exercise 1 "Other Uses of Modal Verbs"

"Discussing Grammar" exercise, p. 79

listening exercise, p. 80 Headway

Introduction/summary of the film, The Interpreter

vocabulary and questions for segment 2 and 3 of The Interpreter

Homework: Write a composition (at least two paragraphs, one side of a page)on your response to the movie, The Interpreter.  What do we learn about Silvia's past?  What is your esponse to the Ku belief regarding grief and revenge? In your opinion, does the movie present a positive image of the UN to the public?

30 May -- 2 June

Encountering New Worlds

"Listening Exercise, p. 80

Homework composition on film, The Interpreter

Describe the most memorable character in the film. Tell why this character is especially striking for you.

OR

Describe the most memorable scene in the film. Explain why this scene is memorable for you.

OR

In your opinion, what sort of image does the film present of the UN? Explain your opinion by giving examples from the film.

5 June--9 June

Grammar. Lisatening, Reading Practice

Eng 6 grammar review

Test your grammar, p. 88, make sentences negative; make questions

exercise, p. 96

reading exercise, "Birds roll on the river" + yes/no questions (article distributed by teacher)

listening comprehension exercise, practice exam

• Do grammar review quiz (hand-out from teacher)

The Interpreter, segment 6 vocabulary & questions

Write a composition telling one example of something you like and something you don't like about the film, The Interpreter (as examples, you could choose a scene or a character or something a character says).OR choose to expand on one of the discussion questions we had in class

speaking and listening exercise, p. 88

12--16 June

Making Wishes, Making Guesses, Making Excuses

grammar review

reading comprehension

practice with "wish"

Reading exercise on "The World Cup"

Listening exercise, "Making Excuses" (guess why the people are lying and what the truth is)

Listening exercise: short dialogues (get hand-out from teacher)

Long interview listening comprehension exercise (from the practice exercises)

Homework composition:   Choose one of the film questions discussed in class and write a three-paragraph composition in answer to it.

19 -- 23 June

Further review of practice exam exercises with grammar points covered in class

Finish listening practice: listen to wishes that correspond to pictures, p.108

listening comprehension exercise 11.4, p. 111

Homework: 'Test your grammar", p. 118

"Adding emphasis", p. 119

• Review composition: Some people say that the quality of life was better 50 years ago than it is now. They say, for example that holiday celebrations were warmer.  What do you think?   Do you agree or disagree? 
• OR
• Write three paragraphs describing a character in the movie, The Interpreter. Was this character admirable?  Why or why not?  Click for model composition

Ways of Seeing

Do reading on "Culture Shock" (to be distributed)

• Underline a sentence you agree with, and underline a sentence you don't understand in the reading, "Culture Shock"
• Discussion on cultural difference in marking major stages of life (getting married, having children, giving names, dealing with neighbours)

Weekend composition: Choose statement 4 from the Gattaca film handout. Explain in a composition of two-three paragraphs why you agree or disagree with the statement.

Review "The Grand Vocabulary List"

• In-class exercise:  simulate a "video-conference": two panels, one asking questions and seeking advice, the other providing advice on living in New York City (about places to live, social customs, new contacts)

• Class on UN clubs: exchanging information about clubs and organizations available to members of the UN community

• Homework: Call one of the UN clubs on the list (get list from teacher)and ask information about membership fees, meeting schedules, activities offered, benefits to members

  Reports from classmates on Internet sites each recommends      

  Special class on language-learning CD Roms and Internet sites in the "Learning Resource Center"  hand-out:  Examine some web sites

  "The Grand Vocabulary List"

  • How much do you know about the holiday, "Thanksgiving"?  Take a Thanksgiving quiz:   http://wilstar.com/holidays/thanksqz.htm           

               Composition:  Write about a memorable experience you had: something you will always remember/never forget

    Homework composition: Write two--three paragraphs describing which aspects of English (reading, writing, grammar, pronunciation, or listening) you've had difficulty mastering. Also describe which learning activities you've enjoyed doing (learning songs in English, watching films, reading newspapers or magazines, practicing conversation, etc)

    Weekend homework composition: Choose one of the 'cultural items' discussed in class (see list above) and describe the custom in your native culture or in another culture  that you are familiar with

    Attend special class in computer lab (DC I-244) in exploring the class web site and Internet sites for studying English on your own:  Go to  http://www.unepd.org, then click 'English 7 study schedule', then click 'Links to Language learning and other Useful sites'

    Get vocabulary and error correction exercise hand-outs, and summary of Gattaca

    Gattaca script: http://scifiscripts.com/scripts/gattaca.txt

    Do reading exercise, p.92-93, Find the answers to the questions in the text and underline them

    Composition question: write three paragraphs explaining what you thought of the ending of the movie, Gattaca .If you had been the filmmaker, would you have ended the fim in a different way?  If so, how?

    Homework, writing exercise, page 39, Headway In-class: watch second segment of film, Gattaca, review vocabulary from film dialogue, discuss true/false statements with members of your group Choose one of the 'Agree/disagree statements and expand upon and explain your answer in one or two paragraphs

     

  Listening comprehension exercise from National Public Radio broadcast, "How We Learn"

      additional vocabulary  from broadcast

  Homework: Write a composition about a philanthropist in your country or in another country

  OR

  Do the reading about the neighbourhood, "Turtle Bay" in the distributed newspaper, Am New York and write about a neighbourhood that you are familiar with

• Read model composition : "An Invention I would find it difficult to live without"

  Homework Composition: Write about a hi-tech gadget ( personal computer, "Blackberry"etc.) that you would find it very difficult to live without