News Items

Text Structure:
a. Headline;
b. Background: elaborate the incident, the people involved, place, time, witnesses, and so forth
c. Source: comments from eye-witness, experts opinion, the authorities and other parties that have competence in the related field of the news

Language Features
- Focus on human, animal, things, certain items etc
- Uses action verbs like eat, run, kill;
- Adverb of place and time
- Uses Past Tense
- Written according to the order of the incident


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Assignment:
1. Make a group of three (You will act as news reader who read a news on TV, using a teleprompter (a text displayed near the camera so that the news reader does not have to look at the papers too often. Here, you can make your own teleprompter in a piece of paper, with big colorful fonts so that the news reader can read it from a distance of approximately 3 meters.)
2. Choose one newsworthy incident from your surrounding area
3. Elaborate with the necessary details
4. Make a teleprompter
5. Deliver the news in front of the class. Act like you're on TV and read the news. You can act as the news reader, the reporter, the witness or anything that suits the news you chose.
6. Your time to broadcast the news is 4 minutes for each group.
7. You can use pictures, videos, or other medias to display on the screen to make the news reading more lively and convincing.

Good luck!

Mid Semester Speaking 2

Dear students
Mid test will be held this week. The schedule is following our regular meeting unless that you have another test scheduled.
Task:
1. You have to watch one of these films:
a. Jennifer’s Body
b. Righteous Kill
c. 2012
d. Twilight
e. Rambo IV
f. The Changeling
2. Make a review of the film. Present in front of your friends in not more than 5 minutes.
3. Divide the presentation into three parts:
a. Opening
b. Discussion --> retell your version of the film
c. Review the movie; give your opinion about the film.
4. Present the review before the class in not more than 5 minutes
5. The scoring will cover these items:
a. Film recognition (characteristics, plot, theme, conflict, etc)
b. Your opinion about the film (I value this point higher)

Prepare yourself well and good luck!

Recount

The recount text focus is on a series of event. A recount generally begins with an orientation.
The purpose of recount text is to tell:
• About the past experiences
• The event described is intended to inform or entertain.
• The recount text use the simple past tense

The structure of recount text:
1. Orientation:
Orientation provides the backgrounds information needed to understand the text, such as who was involved, where it happened and when it happened
2. A series of events: Then the recount unfolds with a series of event retold in chronological sequences.
3. Re-orientation: at various stages, there may be some personal comment on the incident. We call it re – orientation.

Language features:
* nouns and pronouns used to mention people, things, animals involved in the story like David, the monkey, we etc
* action verbs like go, sleep, run etc.
* past tense, like: We went to the zoo; She was happy etc.
* conjunctions and time connectives to put events, activities or stories in a good order like and, but, then, after that, etc.
* adverbs and adverb phrases uexpress place, time and manners like yesterday, at my house, slowly etc.
* adjectives to describe nouns, such as beautiful, funny, etc

Sample Text:
Today in maths, our teacher read the story of the hungry caterpillar. Then she gave the class a problem to solve. We had to find out how many items of food the hungry caterpillar ate before he built a cocoon around himself. We could work it out using any method and materials we wanted.
Some groups decided to just count the days but that wasn’t enough because the caterpillar ate different amounts each day. Others used paddle pop sticks or grid paper. Katherine and I read the story again and put out a counter for each item of food. Then we added the counters.
Katherine counted them first. She put the counters in piles of ten. She had three piles and one counter left over. That meant the total was thirty-one. I counted thirty-two. Most other groups also got a total of thirty-two so we thought it was probably correct. Then our teachers asked each group to report back and explain how they got the answer.


Task:
Choose one of your life-changing moment s that you will not forget in your entire life. The event must be unique, special, and more than just a so-so story about how you meet your best friend, for example.
Recount the event or story in before the class for not more than five minutes.

Descriptive Text

Communicative Purposes:
Descriptive text is purposed to give description used in all forms of writing to create a vivid impression of a person, place, object or event such as:
Describe a special place and explain why it is special.
Describe the most important person in your life.
Describe the animal’s habit in your report.
Descriptive text is usually also used to help writer develop an aspect of their work.
create a particular mood, atmosphere
describe a place so that the reader can create vivid pictures of characters, places, objects etc

Use of Descriptive Text
To engage a reader’s attention
To create characters
To set a mood or create an atmosphere
To bring writing to life

Language Functions:
Aims to show rather than tell the reader what something/ someone is like
Relies on precisely chosen vocabulary with carefully chosen adjectives and adverbs.
Is focused and concentrates only on the aspects that add something to the main purpose of the description.
Sensory description-what is heard, seen, smelt, felt, tasted.
Precise use of adjectives, similes, metaphors to create images/pictures in the mind e.g. Their noses were met with the acrid smell of rotting flesh.
Strong  development of the experience that “put the reader there” focuses on key details, powerful verbs and precise nouns.

Generic Structure
General Statement
Used to introduce the things, places or person to be described

Explanation
Describing the features of things, places or people being described.
Using the adjectives to describe the origin, color, size, material, shape, features, etc.
The description specifies on the things being described.

Closing
Contains the conclusion of the things, places, or people being described.

Language Features:
Simple Present Tense
Action verbs
Passive voice
Detailed noun phrase
Adverbial phrase
Technical terms
General and abstract noun
Nouns
Conjunction of time and cause-effect.
Adjectives
Relating verbs
Thinking verbs
Figurative language like: simile, metaphors.


Practices:
This task is for individual.
Think of a thing, place or an event to describe.
You have a few days to practice individually. Then you have to present it in the class.
You will have about three minutes for the presentation.

Final Test Speaking I

Here are the topics for Speaking I Final test. Group will be defined on the day of the test. Each group consists of 4 persons and each group has to present the ideas for 8-10 minutes. All that you have to do is prepare yourself, get as many information as possible to elaborate and give factual information on the topics below.

1. How to find a job
2. What you need to do to be a better English learner
3. What would you do if you were late for an important appointment?
4. What would you do if your best friend stole something from you?
5. What would you do if your children were caught shoplifting?
6. If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?
7. Describe a famous park or recreation area in your home country.
8. Describe a place you go for recreation or exercise.
9. Tell about a time when you lost something.
10. Tell about one of your fondest childhood memories.
11. Tell about a time when you were treated unfairly.
12. Tell about something you wish had never happened.
13. Tell about your opinion on a current politician?
14. What is your opinion about violence on television?
15. What is your opinion about recycling?

Good luck!

Mid Test for Speaking I, Even Semester 2009

Topics Discussed – Mid Term Test
Speaking 1 - Even Semester 2009

Topics:
1.Women in the military
2.Poverty exploitation on TV shows
3.Fortune telling
4.Cloning
5.Euthanasia


Instructions:

1. Form a group of 5 persons; this will be your team for your practice during the preparation of the mid test.
2. Team member and topics during the mid test will be defined randomly, not according to your choice.
3. Find any information relates to the topics above on news, articles or newspapers.
4. If the information is written, read it and make sure that you understand about the topic.
5. After you have the knowledge relates to the topics, you can share the information with your group and discuss the topic and express your agreement or disagreement.
6. You are allowed to practice with friends in discussions.
7. The time of your presentation and discussion will be approximately 6 – 8 minutes for each group.

Scoring will cover these items:

a.Fluency
b.Pronunciation
c.Intonation
d.Understanding of the topic
e.Content of the conversation



Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing

Expressing a General Opinion
In my opinion…
I think …
I prefer …

Expressing an Opinion about Taking Action
We could …     Maybe we could … (softer)
Could we …?  (More polite)
I think we should …
I don't think we should …
Why don't we … (more polite if inflected as a question)
How about…

Expressing Agreement
Great idea!
I agree.
That's a good idea.
I think so too.
I would go along with that. (Positive, but slightly neutral)
I might go along with that. (Even more neutral, but slightly positive)
Maybe you are right. (Positive, but slightly neutral)


Expressing Disagreement
I'm not sure about that (negative, but slightly neutral)
I don't know, but it seems that … (gentle)
I don't think I agree.
I don't agree. (Stronger)
I'm afraid I disagree.
I'm sorry, but I don't agree.
I'm not sure that's the best idea.
Yes, but …