miércoles, 28 de octubre de 2009

POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS AGENDA

1st TERM´s Presentations

18th, November,
1.- Some people spend their entire lives in one place.
Others move a number of times throughout their lives,
looking for a better job, house, community, or even climate. Inmaculada Benedito

2.- Children should begin learning a foreign language
as soon as they they start school. Javier Camacho

3.- Should governments spend more money on
improving roads and highways, or should governments
spend more money on improving public transportation
(buses, trains, subways)? Sara Campillo

4.- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Technology has made the world a better place to live
Francisco Javier Fernández

5.- Only people who earn a lot of money are succes Khrystyna Krasnovska


25th, November
1.- Some students prefer to study alone.
Others prefer to study with a group of students.
Which do you prefer? Pilar Latorre

2.- Compare the different kinds of transportation
you could use. Ramón Ortiz

3.- Why is music important to many people? Tania Rodríguez

4.- What change would make your hometown more
appealing to people your age? Francisco Ros

2nd, December
1.- May students have a part-time job while they are still studying?
Pablo Serrano
2.-
3.-
4.-
5.-Why do you think some people are attracted to
dangerous sports or other dangerous activities? Oscar Vicente


2nd Term´s Presentation

16th February
23rd, February
1.-
2.- If you could make one important change in a school
that you attended, what change would do? Ramón Ortiz
3rd, February

jueves, 15 de octubre de 2009

DEBATES

POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS TOPICS

http://kazuo.fc2web.com/­English/­TOEFL-­essay.­htm
http://unrestrictedarea.com/esl/compositiontopics.htm
http://http//www.thewritesource.com/writing_topics/
http://http//www.eslgold.com/writing/topics.html

TERM´S EXAM CALENDAR

WRITING AN ESSAY
WRITING PARAGRAPHS A thesis is a single, focused argument, and most paragraphs prove or demonstrate a thesis through explanations, examples and concrete details. This chapter will help you learn to write and analyse the types of paragraphs common in academic essays.

Start with an Outline: Start with an Outline .A brief outline will make it easier to develop topic sentences and to arrange your paragraphs in the most effective order.You should begin your outline by stating the thesis of your paper:

The English Civil War was caused by a combination of factors, including the empowerment and organization of Puritan forces, the absolutist tendencies of James I and the personal ineptitude of his son Charles I.

Next, list the topic sentences for each of the paragraphs (or sections) of the paper.Writing Topic Sentence:
The English Civil War was caused by a combination of factors, including the empowerment and organization of Puritan forces, the absolutist tendencies of James I and the personal ineptitude of his son Charles I.:
Choose the best among the several topic sentences
Dividing your Argument
Starting a new paragraph is a signal to your reader that you are beginning a new thought or taking up a new point. Since your outline will help you divide the essay into sections, the resulting paragraphs must correspond to the logical divisions in the essay. If your paragraphs are too long, divide your material into smaller, more manageable units; if they're too short, find broader topic sentences that will allow you to combine some of your ideas.
Review:
shift in emphasis or topic suggests that a new paragraph should have been started.
Developing Unified and Coherent Paragraphs
A paragraph is unified when every sentence develops the point made in the topic sentence. It must have a single focus and it must contain no irrelevant facts. Every sentence must contribute to the paragraph by explaining, exemplifying, or expanding the topic sentence. In order to determine whether a paragraph is well developed or not, ask yourself: "
What main point am I trying to convey here?" (topic sentence) and then "Does every sentence clearly relate to this idea?"There are several ways in which you can build good, clear paragraphs.
This section will discuss three of the most common types of paragraph structure:
development by detail, comparison and contrast, and process. F
inally, it will suggest that most paragraphs are built of a combination of development strategies.
Paragraph Development by Detail
This is the most common and easiest form of paragraph development: you simply expand on a general topic sentence using specific examples or illustrations.

Paragraph Development by Comparison and Contrast
You should consider developing your paragraph by comparison and contrast when you are describing two or more things which have something, but not everything, in common.

Paragraph Development by by process involves a straightforward step-by-step description. Those of you in the sciences will recognise it as the formula followed in the "method" section of a lab experiment. Process description often follows a chronological sequence.

Paragraph Development by CombinationVery often, a single paragraph will contain development by a combination of methods. It may begin with a brief comparison, for example, and move on to provide detailed descriptions of the subjects being compared. A process analysis might include a brief history of the process in question. Many paragraphs include lists of examples.http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/parout.html#outline
Assessment Oral Presentation Criteria
Oral Presentation Evaluation Criteria
Author (Last Name): _________________________ Committee member:

Presentations will be evaluated using the following criteria:

I. Content – 10 points
Accurately follows the title and abstract and stays on topic 1 2 3 4 5
Instructive and mind-provoking 1 2 3 4 5
(I) Total content score: _____

II. Organization – 20 points

- Secures audience attention 1 2 3 4 5
- Objective and outline well formulated in the introduction 1 2 3 4 5
- Well structured, flowing logically and with good transition
between the sections 1 2 3 4 5
- Offers summary of ideas and provides closure 1 2 3 4 5
(II) Total organization score: _____

III. Delivery – 25 points
- Consideration given to the understanding of English by the audience,i.e.
clear pronounciation and speech rhythm 1 2 3 4 5
- Effectively uses vocal variety in rate, pitch, and intensity
to maintain audience interest in speech 1 2 3 4 5
- Good visual quality (content displayed well visible, good choice offont,
colours, pictures, well balanced screens) 1 2 3 4 5
- Uses physical behavior that supports the message (including appropriate
eye contact, facial expressions, gestures,posture, personal appearance) 1 2 3 4 5
- Adheres to time requirements 1 2 3 4 5
(III) Total delivery score: _____

TOTAL SCORE (I + II + III): __________________________

Criteria on the feedback sheet or assessment form for assessing learners' performance in the oral presentation:http://education.yuikee.com.hk/teacher_training/primary_english/download/session4/feedbacksheets.pdf

The following descriptions can be used when making a global assessment of a student’s performance.
Excellent (A) – a skillful presentation which was easy to follow. Student used clear, accurate and appropriate language and the presentation was effectively planned and well structured. It left listeners with a clear idea of the main thesis and supporting or associated ideas. Stimulated interest amongst listeners, as evident in audience behaviour and questions.

Very good (B) – above acceptable. Well handled presentation with well developed ideas and clear, intelligible delivery. Some minor problems with use of language and/or delivery but these did not cause major difficulties for listeners.

Good (C) – an acceptable level. Managed to achieve “yes” in most categories. No major difficulties with the language and a clear thesis with supporting ideas were evident.

Fair (D) – barely acceptable level of performance. May have prepared but had some fairly major problems with content and/or delivery. This made listening to this presentation a strain for audience.

Poor (E) – of unacceptable standard. Poorly prepared and difficult to follow. Structure of talk not clear and inaccurate use of language or poor delivery caused a lot of strain for listeners. No or little attempt / ability to engage listeners.

PLACEMENT TESTS

http://www.examenglish.com/leveltest/index.php
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-test-test-your-level.htm
http://www.learn4good.com/languages/english_level.htm
http://www.englishjet.com/english_courses_files/test_level.asp
http://www.englishtag.com/tests/level_test.asp
http://www.wordskills.com/level/
http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/r21270/levels/index.html
http://googlees.englishtown.com/master/home/interstitial/testMemLanding.asp
http://www.englishenglish.com

BOOK REVIEW

Book Reviews

1.Writing a Book Review
To begin your research, you need to have the following information:Title of the book, Name of the author, and the Date of first publication.
Book reviews and reports generally include the following kinds of information:
·Identification of the book, including the full title, name of the author, the publisher, the edition, the place and date of publication.
·A description or summary of the book's content, format, organization, and development.
·A description or summary of the purpose of the book and its general argument or theme.
·A statement about the book's intended audience.
·Information about the author.
·A critical evaluation, which discusses the book's strengths and weaknesses.
·Personal opinions and reactions to the book.

2. Book reports are a way to show how well you understood a book and to tell what you think about it.
Many teachers have their own rules about what a book report should look like so be sure to check, but the following parts a book report are very common and may be helpful.

Introduction:
Things to include in the introduction:
·The title (underlined) and author of the book.·Why you chose the book. ·What kind of story is it? (adventure? family? fantasy/make believe? animal? true life? scary?)

Body:

In this section you want to describe the main parts of a story: theme, plot, setting, and characters. Then you can give your opinions about the book.

The Theme is the main idea of the story. Some examples might be the importance of friendship or how to be courageous in a difficult situation. Tell what you think the theme is and how you know.
The Setting is the time and place of the story. Is it set a long time ago or now. Does it take place in another country or in an imaginary place? How much time passes in the story—a day? a year? a lifetime?
The Plot is what happens.You want to tell what the story is mostly about. What is the main event or conflict? What things lead up to it? What happens as a result? How does the story end? (Sometimes you want to avoid telling the ending, or giving away the secrets of the story.)Be careful not to re-tell the whole story in detail—you want room in your report to write about other things; instead, just say enough about it so the rest of your report will make sense.

The Characters are who the story is about. The main character is called the protagonist. Who are the other important characters? Do they help or hinder the protagonist?

Once you have summarized the book, you can tell what you think about it. You can write about whatever opinions you have. Some questions you might want to answer are:·Did you like the story? Why or why not?·What was the best part of the book? Why?·How did the story make you feel? Did you feel different things at different points in the story?·Would you recommend it to friends?·Would you read other books by this author?· What new things did you learn from this book?

Conclusion:

This is just a sentence or two to sum up your report.Give your overall opinion of the book and the most important thing you want other people to know about it.