English B2.1
Code
711121044
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Línguas, Culturas e Literaturas Modernas, Secção de Estudos Ingleses e Norte-Americanos
Credits
4
Teacher in charge
Allyson Jane Roberts, David Philip Rowlands, Joana Rabinovitch
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
English
Objectives
The student should:
a) attain level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (Independent user)
b) increase intercultural awareness and further develop knowledge of the culture/language relationship
c) be able to write clear, coherent and well structured texts such as texts relating to personal interests, narrative texts and discursive articles, with few basic grammatical or lexical errors
d) be able to understand the essential message in complex written texts on contemporary and current matters
e) be able to express themselves spontaneously in a range of everyday situations, with few grammatical or lexical errors, and contribute to discussion
f) be able to understand spoken discourse, both live and recorded with few difficulties
g) know how to analyze and control the grammatical system of English
h) be responsible for their own learning and know how to develop the competences that lead to autonomy.
Prerequisites
None.
Subject matter
The course addresses current social and cultural topics of interest. A course book, dictionaries, grammar reference and online sources provide the course basis, supported by a Reading Portfolio, which allows for the analysis of a range of literary, cultural and journalistic texts. In addition, TV films and online media focus on socio-cultural aspects of the English-speaking world which help to decode local and cultural references. Learning and assessment tasks provide regular opportunities for written and spoken expression and development of language skills and knowledge:
Writing - personal and descriptive narratives, opinion texts
Speaking - conversational strategies, telling anecdotes, discussion skills
Lexis - American/British words and spelling, word formation, noun phrase, collocations, developing autonomous strategies for expanding lexical range Grammar - verb phrase analysis, adverbials, complex sentences
Editing/reviewing - identifying and correcting errors.
Bibliography
Jones, C. Bastow, T. & Jeffries, A. (2010). Inside Out, Advanced. Oxford: Macmillan.
Longman Dictionary of Language and Culture (2005). Harlow: Pearson Longman.
Macmillan English Dictionary of Advanced Learners (2006). Oxford: Macmillan.
Vince, M. (2010). English Grammar in Context, Advanced. Oxford: Macmillan.
Reading Portfolio - literary, cultural and media extracts. [Colectânea de leituras seleccionadas artigos, textos literários, culturais e mediáticos]
Teaching method
Communicative method with a task-based, intercultural approach, all of which seek to stimulate interaction and promote increasingly autonomous learning, revolving around a series of topics. Discussion is a key element often preceded by reading or listening input and/or analysis and followed up by written work/further research by students. Skills-based tasks require both linguistic and extra-linguistic competences. Inductive approach for extending grammatical and lexical knowledge. Frequent use of the internet and audio-visual means.
Evaluation method
Assessment is continuous and formative consisting of:
4 written texts of different types (2 written in class) 65%
2 spoken tasks (narrative/discursive) 25%
General coursework mark: active participation (including attendance) and evidence of autonomous learning development 10%
Minimum attendance: 66% of classes