This Week's News for NB2A

Provisional Timetable

Wednesday 1st Feb
16:45   Leti, Adela and Mónica
17:15   Elba, Marta and Yurena S.
17:45   Alberto and Daniel  
18:00   Lucy and Pepe

Monday 6th Feb
16:45   Nisa and Guillermo
17:00   Naira and Yurena G.
17:15   Mar and Paz
17:30   Carla and Saro
17:45   Trini and Juan
18:00   Manolo and Sari
18:15   Laura and Jose

Please note that this timetable is provisional. The exam will consist of two parts. Part One is a monologue of 2 minutes. I will give you the topic that you must talk about.  Part Two is an interaction with your partner which lasts for about 4 minutes. Again, I will assign you the topic.

The topics are the ones we have seen in Units 1 - 4 of our textbook.

You will have 10 minutes to do individual preparation beforehand. For this reason, it's important to arrive early!

I have to record the oral tests.

This Week's More News for NB2C

Revised Oral Timetable for NB2C.

Tuesday 31st January
19:00:  Jose and Mónica
19:15:  Manuel and Cristina
19:30: Jose Luis, Montse and Silvia
19:50: Güise and Iris
20:05: Mar and Nati

Thursday 2nd February
18:45: Mario and Inmaculada
19:00: Isabel and Lucía
19:15: Ángela and Gerardo
19:30: Erica and Carmen
19:45: Natalia and Antonio
20:00: Guillermo and Leticia
20:15: Rosi and Ana

Tuesday 7th February
18:40: Class as usual

 Pleae note that this timetable may change. It's also very, very important to arrive early!

I have to record the oral exam.

This Week's Vocabulary

Words are essential for effective communication. Check out this vocabulary site; it's fun!

Week Beginning Monday 23rd January

This Week's Pronunciation Practice

If there's a word that you don't know how to pronounce, check out this very useful link.

This Week's Homework

NB2A: Listening Exercises 6 - 10; revise vocabulary and grammar of Units 1, 2 and 3.

NB2C: Listening Exercises 4 - 8; revise vocabulary and grammar of Units 1, 2 and 3.

NA1: Confusing verbs: SB P 59 Ex 6a + exercise in supplementary handout; writing P 65 Ex 4c; reading "Dolphin Music."

This Week's Important News for NB2C

Remember that there will be no class on Thursday 16th February. That is why we will start class at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 24th and Thursday 26th January. Please tell your classmates.

This Week's Advice for NB2

First of all, it's important to know that you should not worry about your oral test; you practise speaking a lot in class, and the recorded audio texts that you sent me are good!

You will decide who you want to work with.

Part one consists of a monologue. You are invited to speak for 2 minutes about a famililar topic that I will give you. It's important to introduce your topic by saying something like: "I'm going to talk about . . . " Your presentation should have a conclusion as well. We simply say, "And that's all."

Part two consists of a dialogue similar to what you have been doing in class. It can take the form of a telephone conversation, an interview, or asking your partner's opinion about a specific topic. (That's why it's important to study Student's Book P40 Ex 3 and P133 V1.1 Question words.) It lasts for about 3 minutes.

You have time to prepare your ideas for both the monologue and the dialogue beforehand but you must do it individually and without using a dictionary.

Here are the topics that you need to know about: personal information (see SB P 7 Ex 8); family life (SB P 116 / 124);  daily routines; work; films; tv; reading; sport; music; eating out; cooking and food; making informal phone calls to friends to apologise or to make arrangements; and making formal phone calls to ask for information about courses.

During the test, I will not talk to you but I will be listening carefully. I´ll be particularly interested in the following points:

fulfillment of objectives; organisation and cohesion; interesting and relevant vocabulary; correct pronunciation and intonation; fluency; correct grammar with a variety of verb tenses; listening and responding to what your partner says.

If you have any questions, ask me in class or send me an email.

This Week's Advice for NA1

Here is some advice for NA1 regarding the "pruebas de dominio" we're about to do.

Make sure you revise these themes:

personality, stereotypes, health, air travel, relationships, crime and punishment, (extreme) weather, taking risks, transport, Christmas, travel in general, clothes and fashion, music, the body, the future.

For the written paper, make sure you know the layout and structure of:

an informal email, a narrative, an opinion essay.

When do we use contracted forms in our written work?

Remember that, for the written paper, you have 2 tasks. I'll be looking at:

fulfillment of the objectives; format; organisation and cohesion; punctuation; variety of vocabulary; spelling; variety and accuracy of grammar; a sense of audience.

This Week's Campaign



My dearest Runa Bonnie - "un encontrado" - enjoying her freedom in Valleseco

One of Liz's students is collecting signatures for a petition asking the Spanish government to improve animal welfare. If you'd like to sign, please see Liz, David, Rafa, Álvaro or Diane. Remember: there's no excuse for animal abuse.

Week Beginning Monday 16th January

This Week's Homework

NB2A: Workbook and CD Rom Lesson 4D; irregular verbs; revise worksheet on present perfect; Workbook Page 77 (71) letter to a friend about a film you've seen recently for Friday 20th. Revise vocabulary and grammar of Units 4 and 1 for next Monday; revise vocabulary and grammar of Units 2 and 3 for next Wednesday.

NB2C: Worksheet, "Are you a telly addict?"Section 4b and c. Workbook Page 77. Lesson 4D in your workbook and on the CD Rom; Ex 1 - 5 of the new Listening exercises. (CD 3).

NA1: Make sure you have done Grammar Bank P138 - 139 Ex 4B and 4C; read SB Page 57 and do the exercises; do "past modals" (4B) on our supplementary handout on Unit 4; Think about your St Valentine's Poem for next Monday; SB P65 section c is for Friday 10th February.

This Week's Topic

Stacks of books

In our NB2 classes, we've been looking at the theme of television. One suggestion was that we should turn off our TV and go and do something more interesting instead, like reading. When was the last time you visited your local library? Did it look anything like this?

This Week's Grammar

It's important to know how to ask questions correctly. The Marc Chagall College Interactive Book is an excellent resource. Click here. (You have to click on the coloured tabs on the right-hand side to turn the pages.) There is also a very, very good site for learning vocabulary. You can access it here.

Revised Exam Timetable

A young boffin looks forward to his exams

NA1
Monday 30th January: Writing. 105 minutes.
Wednesday 1st February: Reading. 90 minutes.
Monday 6th January: Listening. 45 minutes. Oral. 20 minutes.
Wednesday 8th and Monday 13th February: Oral. 20 minutes.
Wednesay 15th February: class as usual.

NB2A
Monday 30th January: Writing. Reading. Listening.
Wednesday 1st February: Orals.
Monday 6th: Orals.
Wednesday 8th onwards: class as usual.

NB2C
Friday 27th January: Writing. Reading. Listening.
Tuesday 31st January: Orals.
Thursday 2nd February: Orals.
Tuesday 7th February onwards: class as usual.

Notes:
These exams are to help you progress in your English studies.
The timetable may change at the last moment so consult your blog regularly.
The oral exam consists of two tasks: a monologue and a dialogue.
The written exam also consists of two tasks.
The reading and listening exams consist of three tasks.
I'll publish some guidelines for you on our blog soon.

This Week's Idiom

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy is a proverb. It means that without time off from work, people become boring and tired. Indeed, the video below shows that even birds like to have fun now and again.

Week Beginning Monday 9th January

This Week's Travel

Manu Cloud Forest, Peru

In our Advanced class, we listened to a documentary about 4 people who went travelling in the Amazon forest of Bolivia. Here is a collection of articles by Guardian readers about their life-changing trips. Have you had any similar experiences?

This Week's Advice

Sometimes, the things that are worth having in life don't come easy, so we simply have to persevere.  Ask Willow.

This Week's Words in the News

Kim Jung-un, the new leader of North Korea

Learn some interesting vocabulary by listening to and reading this article about Kim Jung-un.

This Week's Homework

NB2C: CD 2. Listening exercises 10 - 14.  Irregular verbs. Oral presentation.  Read The New Zealand File and do the activities. Do Workbook "Reading and Writing Portfolio 4" Page 77 (P 71) Ex 8 and 9 for Friday 20th January.

NB2A: Complete Listening excercises for Monday. Irregular verbs. Oral Presentation. New Zealand.
Do Workbook Pages 76 - 77 (70 - 71) Reading and Writing Portfolio 4: "Film Reviews." Ex 1 - 8 for this Friday. Do P 77 Ex 9 for Friday 20th January.

NA1: Oral presentation. Read Dolphin Music and do the activities. Prepare SB P 52 - 53 Ex 1 a, b, c, d, e and f. Pages 138 - 139 Ex 4a. Student's Book Page 65 Sections a and b. Section c is for Friday 10th February.