HOW ARE WE GOING TO PRACTISE THE 5 SKILLS IN THE 5TH

YEAR?
ORAL 35%
WRITING 20%
LISTENING 15%
READING 15%
GRAMMAR + VOCABULARY 15%

Being the most important part of all, oral exercises will be present in
every session and you are expected to make an effort to participate
actively and use the English language all the way throughout the lessons. I
encourage you to try to use new vocabulary and expressions as you study
them.

When doing oral activities it is important to pay attention to aspects such

as fluency (getting the message across), accuracy (correctness) and
pronunciation. We will do some pronunciation practice in the classroom
focusing mainly on stress patterns at word and sentence level, though
individual sounds will be constantly reviewed (you should be familiar with
the different sounds by now; if you are not, you should check out some
books from the library or web pages).

In order to help you with your pronunciation you will have the opportunity
of recording some of your oral exercises. You will also have the opportunity
to attend in smaller groups at least four conversation sessions with a
native English speaker during the second part of the course.

*Remember: any oral exercise provides you with a new chance to try new
structures, vocabulary and improve your pronunciation so do not be afraid
of making mistakes!

The oral test at the end of the course will probably be done in groups of
three or four. You will be asked to read a text, summarize it and then give
your opinion both individually and through interaction with your partners. I
strongly recommend you change speaking partners from time to time.

1
There will be many opportunities to practice your writing skills during the
course. In order to make it easier for you, I will accept your writing
activities to be sent to the following e-mail address:
sandraalvarezartiga@gmail.com provided I receive them on time and your
address is easily identifiable (this is particularly useful for students who
cannot attend the classes regularly). I will not correct any writing handed
in or sent to the above address late, so please, respect the deadline.

All the writings you submit must be typed or done on computer, using
double space and they should have between 175 and 225 words (the final
exam will consist of two writings of about 350 words in total).

*Remember: all your writings should reflect that your English is

improving, so try to use new vocabulary, expressions and grammar as you
learn them during the year.

We will use the listening material in the Student’s book. Other samples
of real language from other sources will also be provided.

Readings will be part of most of the classes. Three books are

recommended for this year, from which you should choose at least 2 to
review: Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,
Paul Auster’s The Book of Illusions or John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped
Pyjamas. A summary and a personal review are due for the second week
of January and the third week of April respectively.

I suggest you read as much as you can. If you do not like long novels, try
short stories compilations or news articles on the web. There is plenty of
good material in the library so take advantage of it!

For the study of grammar and vocabulary we will follow the student’s
book, nevertheless, you should consider getting hold of a good grammar
book. There are many available in the library. Do not forget to use your
workbook since it contains activities related to the course book that will
help you consolidate vocabulary and structures. Using your workbook can
really make a difference. You may also find it interesting to check phrasal
verbs and idioms books.

2
You will find a lot more information about useful resources and extra
activities in my blog www.sandraalvarez-eoireus.blogspot.com, where I will
try to update those students who cannot attend classes with activities and
key answers.
TESTS
There will be one major test similar to the final exam on the last weeks of
February or the first weeks of March. Remember that the Certificat exam is
bound to change this year, but to get a feeling of what kind of exercises
you may encounter or see samples of the final exam go to
www.xtec.es/eoireus.

USEFUL WEBSITES
LISTENING
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish
www.breakingnewsenglish.com
www.britmovie.co.uk
www.eslwonderland.com
www.oup.com/elt/englishfile/upper-intermediate
www.oup.com/elt/headway/upper-intermediate
www.oup.com/elt/headway/advanced
www.videojug.com
www.video.about.com
www.voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm

GRAMMAR, GAMES AND EXERCISES

www.edufind.com
www.englishpage.com
www.english-zone.com
www.esl.about.com
www.learnenglish.de
www.learn-english-online.org
www.longman.com (link FOR STUDENTS)
www.usingenglish.com (link STUDENTS)

READING AND FREE AUDIO BOOKS

www.english-zone.com
http://librivox.org
www.kaboose.com (different articles about current issues)
www.penguinenglish.com

PRESS AND NEWS

www.bbc.co.uk
www.cbs.com

3
www.abcnews.com
www.cnn.com
www.guardian.co.uk

DICTIONARIES AND REFERENCE BOOKS

www.wordreference.com
http://dictionary.cambridge.org
www.macmillandictionaries.com