D'Amico Shipping B1 Lesson 19

Class
Presentation - Pierluigi
Tutorial - Simonetta G.

Reading Skills (p.64)

• skimming
• scanning
• predicting

Discussion 

Distance Learning

Vocabulary

gain (noun and verb)

lack (noun and verb)

gist (noun)

Click on the word to check meaning, examples and pronunciation. 

Pronunciation - All Students: Radio Days (1987) - Sally and her diction lessons

We have talked a lot about pronunciation this term and how some English accents are considered "better"than others. This hilarious clip from Woody Allen's film Radio Days (1987) reminds us that this prejudice existed in American as well as British broadcasting with typically English R.P. accents being preferred.

D'Amico Shipping B1 Lesson 18

Class

Presentations - Barbara

Tutorial - Pierluigi

Listening skills - listening for opinion, listening for vocabulary (collocation)

(p. 56)

Discussion - attitudes to education

(Question 6, p. 57)

Homework

Question 7, p. 57 - write a short comment (50 - 70 words) for the website.

Teacher's comment

I am really impressed with the high standard of the presentations so far. As Barbara showed today, your English really improves when you want to communicate something that is important to you. 

Our next lesson will be on 27th April.

Happy Easter!
https://open.spotify.com/user/11142496185/playlist/5DYPxASfdfQw4sAtXQ1AEj

ANIA B2 Group 8 Lesson 12

Class

Discussion - evaluating success:

• Targets and motivation
• Press conferences and press releases

Our next lesson will be on 11th May.

Happy Easter!
https://open.spotify.com/user/11142496185/playlist/5DYPxASfdfQw4sAtXQ1AEj

ANIA C2 Group 6 Lesson 12

Class

Discussion:

• Gender neutral pronouns 
• Problem areas: countability, intonation, word boundaries

Homework

Reading "Thon"

http://www.esocsci.org.nz/merriam-webster-we-added-a-gender-neutral-pronoun-in-1934-why-have-so-few-people-heard-of-it/

Going further

The ambiguity caused by pronunciation is the source of a lot of English language humour as this clip from Ghostbusters (2016) proves.

Obama's Anger Translator

Our next lesson will be on 3rd May.

Happy Easter!
https://open.spotify.com/user/11142496185/playlist/5DYPxASfdfQw4sAtXQ1AEj

ANIA C1 Group 5 Lesson 12

Class

Today we looked at how you can structure your CAE preparations around themes. Different issues (and the vocabulary to discuss them) could be tested in writing, reading, listening, speaking or Use of English (now part of the reading paper) tasks.

Today's Theme: Tourism

1. Speaking - What are the pros and cons of tourism?

2. Listening - Barcelona from Inside Europe 30/03/2017 Dw.com

1. Listening for gist

What problems are discussed?

2. Listening for specific information

The population of the city

The number of annual visitors

The percentage of the economy represented by tourism

3. Listening for opinion

What adjectives do the tourists interviewed use to describe Barcelona?

4. Listening for vocabulary

Tick off the following expressions when you hear them. What do they mean?

To slap a fine on someone

To gallivant around

To crack down on someone/something

A mom and pop business

3. Use of English - word formation

Complete CAE (2014) p. 193.

Vocabulary - phrasal verbs and collocations

To declare war on

To stroll down(the street)

To drive up (rents/prices)

To man a stall

To generate income

Bachelor party

Corrections - False Friends

Manifestation or demonstration?

Rumours or noise?

Homework

Choose a theme and find/create your own exercises similar to the ones above. 

Our next lesson will be on 3rd May.

Happy Easter!
https://open.spotify.com/user/11142496185/playlist/5DYPxASfdfQw4sAtXQ1AEj

ANIA C1 Group 2 Lesson 12

Class

Drafting laws: discussion and listening skills

Phrases for balancing an argument

Having said that

Whilst accepting

Admittedly

That's all fair enough.

Advanced Language Leader, unit 9.4, pp. 96 - 97

Discussion: The pros and cons of streaming
Interesting artel on streaming in the U.K. Do you agree?
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/sep/25/school-streaming-pupils-english-primaries

Homework

Our next lesson is not scheduled until 8th May which is a long time. Don't let your English get rusty, find a way of practising, especially listening, everyday. Here are some ideas for you to try.

1. Film Project

Select a film to watch in English on dvd. Before watching, read some reviews (e.g. From a site like Empire on line http://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/). Watch the film right through and write down your ideas about the characters, plot etc then a day or so later go back and watch some scenes again (using the subtitles if you need to) focussing on the language and pronunciation. Finish up the project by writing a short (250 words) review on the film. You could discuss your opinion of the film, comparing it to other reviews, or talk about the linguistic features you found interesting (e.g. accents, fast connected speech).

2. Podcasts

Download and listen to podcasts in English. Listening regularly for short periods (5 to 10 minutes) can be a very effective way of maintaining your level. Try some of the podcasts we have used in class e.g.

Law in Action http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tgy1/episodes/downloads

More or Less http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrss1/episodes/downloads

Inside Europe http://www.dw.com/en/media-center/all-media-content/s-100826?filter=inside%20europe&sort=date&results=16

Kermode & Mayo Film Review http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lvdrj/episodes/downloads

3. Reading

Regular reading, like regular listening, not only builds vocabulary but also gives you confidence as you start to notice collocations and structures. If you don't feel up to reading a novel, try a collection of short stories. I would thoroughly recommend Ted Chiang's collection - Stories Of Your Life. One of the stories was adapted into the film Arrival.


Happy Easter!
https://open.spotify.com/user/11142496185/playlist/5DYPxASfdfQw4sAtXQ1AEj

D'Amico Shipping B2 Lesson 19

Class

Presentation and feedback (Luca)

Modal auxiliaries (p. 50)

Homework

Read the notes on the link below and then attempt the exercises on the handout.

http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/11442644/Modals

Our next lesson will be on 8th May. 

Loredana, please send me your presentation outline via email and I will give you some feedback. 

Happy Easter!
https://open.spotify.com/user/11142496185/playlist/5DYPxASfdfQw4sAtXQ1AEj

ANIA B2 Group 8 Lesson 11

Class

1. Reading and discussion: Quake Brain http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/91027782/editorial-quake-brain-is-real-and-the-cost-of-canterburys-psychological-recovery-has-been-underestimated?utm_source=eSocSci+Newsletter&utm_campaign=43568f6c9d-News_Bite_31_March_20159_03_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_733045f55a-43568f6c9d-286971653

2. Listening The Happiness Index - why Norway is the happiest country in the world
http://www.dw.com/en/inside-europe-30032017/av-38214759
For a copy of the 2017 Happiness Index click here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/sdsn-whr2017/HR17_3-20-17.pdf

Notes - verb structure

Stop to do versus stop doing

1. He has stopped listening to recorded music.

2. He stopped to listen to the song and then carried on working.

The question to ask is: Which activity has been stopped?

The gerund shows the activity stopped.

The infinitive shows the reason why a different action was stopped.

For more notes and examples: http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/25080022/Verb%20Structure

Vocabulary

Mayor /meɪəʳ/ and Major / meɪdʒəʳ/ check the difference in spelling, pronunciation and meaning.

Hot springs

Maze

Impair (verb), impairment (noun)

Unemployment

Homework

Download the Inside Europe podcast.
http://www.dw.com/en/inside-europe-30032017/av-38214759
Listen again following this procedure:

1. Divide the podcast into 3 90-second segments, making notes under these headings:

• Norway's oil and gas wealth
• Norway's welfare system
• Trust and common purpose
• Climate 
• Outdoor activities

2. Listen again ticking off the expressions we discussed in class when you hear them:

1. Count your blessings
2. To put something to good use
3. To squander
4. To set something aside
5. To save for a rainy day
6. To blow away the cobwebs

3. Listen once again, this time concentrating on the speaker's accent and intonation. What is it about the way he speaks that makes him easy/difficult to follow?

D'Amico Shipping B1 Lesson 17

Class

1. Presentations - Andrea

2. Discussion and collocation - Education p. 56

3. Reading p. 57 (questions 4a, 4b, 4c)
4. Tutorial - Barbara

Congratulations to Andrea on an excellent presentation. I have been really impressed by the planning and use of signposting language in all the presentations and tutorials so far.

Homework

Finish today's reading exercises

Vocabulary

Compulsory

Household income

To drop out of school/university/a course/an arrangement (see also the noun form: university drop out)

To hand in an essay/an assignment/written work

Corrections

Depends by on 

ANIA C2 Group 6 Lesson 11

Class

1. Discussion: taboo words and code switching

2. Listening: The pros and cons of tourism. Inside Europe 30/03/2017 (43:30 - 49:00)

3. Listening: The Happiness Index 2017. Inside Europe 30/03/2017 (49:00 - 53:30)

To listen or download: http://www.dw.com/en/inside-europe-30032017/av-38214759

Vocabulary

To slap a fine on (someone/some behaviour)

To gobble up

To crack down on (something/someone)

To gallivant around

To squander

A deep rooted sense of (something)

To save for a rainy day

To blow away the conwebs

To put something to good use

Homework

Reading: Quake Brain
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/91027782/editorial-quake-brain-is-real-and-the-cost-of-canterburys-psychological-recovery-has-been-underestimated

Going further

1. To download your very own copy of the UN's Happiness Index 2017 go to: https://s3.amazonaws.com/sdsn-whr2017/HR17_3-20-17.pdf

2. The comedy of U.S. comedians, Key and Peele, often pokes fun at taboo words, code switching and identity politics. Jordan Peele's film Get Out has just been released in the U.S. and the U.K. to great box office and even better reviews. The film is a mix of comedy and horror dealing with racism in contemporary America. 

ANIA C1 Group 5 Lesson 11

Class

1. Discussion - future directions in insurance, ANIA Cares

2. Using podcasts to work on lexical (collocation) and grammatical (3rd conditional) features

Source: Law in Action 21/03/2017

Deferred Prosecution Agreement 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08jb9nl

Item starts at 11:40 and runs to 19:00

"So if they hadn't given you the information voluntarily, you might have found out what you needed and you might have prosecuted them and then they would have been convicted perhaps."

Note the use of might for possibility and how perhaps softens would from certainty to possibility. 

Vocabulary

To get off

To get off lightly

To get away with something

To do a deal

Homework

1. Listen to the podcast again noticing how the vocabulary and grammar is used in context

2. Reading - Quake Brain http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/91027782/editorial-quake-brain-is-real-and-the-cost-of-canterburys-psychological-recovery-has-been-underestimated

ANIA C1 Group 2 Lesson 11

Class

Using podcasts to work on lexical (collocation) and grammatical (3rd conditional) features

Source: Law in Action 21/03/2017

Deferred Prosecution Agreement 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08jb9nl

Item starts at 11:40 and runs to 19:00

"So if they hadn't given you the information voluntarily, you might have found out what you needed and you might have prosecuted them and then they would have been convicted perhaps."

Note the use of might for possibility and how perhaps softens would from certainty to possibility. 

Vocabulary

To turn (someone/yourself) in

To get off

To get off lightly

To get away with something

To do a deal

Homework

Listen to the podcast again noticing how the vocabulary and grammar is used in context

D'Amico Shipping B2 Lesson 18

Class

1. Presentation 

Thank you to Andrea for getting the ball rolling. Over 15 minutes of questions shows how interested the audience were in the topic.

2. Reading skills - matching task (pp. 48 - 49)

Note how grammatical and lexical items help you find the answer e.g. "should" for advice, imperative use of "try" for giving practical tips.

Vocabulary

Reassuring 
If you find someone's words or actions reassuring, they make you feel less worried about something.