C1/C2 All Skills w/Native Speaker – Autumn 2024

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Course Information

Schedule: Wed 20.30–21.30 CET

Start Date: 09/10/2024

Total 10 lessons of 1h

This course is open to anyone with an Advanced level of English. It is part of our all skills courses, or complete courses where you go to work on any skill (vocabulary, grammar, speaking, pronunciation, listening, reading and writing). The lessons will be highly interactive and dynamic, including group and plenary work. Sometimes optional written assignments are assigned if you feel like doing something extra beyond the weekly lessons. Starting from an already high English base, we will refine more complex aspects to improve the oral aspect of the language, getting closer and closer to real English (slang, colloquial expressions, idioms, pronunciation) and the use of a correct grammatical form in even more formal contexts.

The Teacher is: Maria Teresa Portillo

 

 

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What will I learn?

  • improve your fluency and pronunciation - sound like a Native!
  • Expand your vocabulary with Idioms, Formal and Informal Expressions
  • real-situation tasks: debates, presentations, reports, managing difficult situations
  • Advanced grammar and complex shapes
  • Listening: real extracts!

Course Content

Course Details + Zoom Link

  • Zoom Link

Programma
Qui verranno caricate le schede prima della lezione. Ricordati di collegarti un po' prima per accedere ai file.

Lesson 1 – Personality types and Descriptors
Hello everyone! I want to congratulate you on a fantastic first lesson! It was wonderful to see everyone engage so actively, and I’m excited about our journey together as we continue to build your English skills. Here’s a quick recap of what we covered: — Personality Descriptors: You each chose three words to describe yourselves—common choices included hardworking, flexible, friendly, curious, and empathetic. — We also covered more complex descriptors like perceptive, inspirational, overambitious, conscientious, and obstinate. — We briefly reviewed the 16 personality types and their four categories: analysts, diplomats, sentinels, and explorers. — Listening Exercise: We listened to a BBC program on MBTI, though some reported audio quality issues. — New vocabulary included phrases like “sweeping generalizers,” “detail-obsessed nitpickers,” and “last-minute deadline junkies.” — Vocabulary Discussion: We explored expressions like “recharge your batteries” and “flat-pack furniture,” and clarified the term “junkie” in non-drug contexts (e.g., music junkie). HOMEWORK: Before our next session, please take the 16 Personalities test at 16personalities.com. We’ll discuss your results and compare them to your self-assessments next time. Thank you for your hard work, and I’m looking forward to our next lesson! Maria email: portillomariateresa@gmail.com cell. +39-370-1018287

Lesson 2 – Reason & Emotion
This advanced English lesson focused on conditional sentences and inversions. Key topics included Daniel Kahneman's research on decision-making and cognitive biases, a review of first, second, and third conditional structures, and the use of inverted conditionals for formal language. Grammar nuances, such as using "were" in second conditionals and "if + will" for polite requests, were discussed. Students practiced correcting errors and converting conditionals to inverted forms.  You can watch the lesson recording here: https://fathom.video/share/DuPE4mkCx2ri1_4Zsw6sHknAtY7-Jy7w

Lesson 3 – Language for Future Predictions… in space explorations
This C1/C2 English lesson focused on practicing language skills related to making predictions, particularly in the context of space exploration. Participants engaged in discussions on the future of space travel, covering topics such as the capabilities of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, ethical considerations of private vs. government-led space exploration, and vocabulary for speculating about future developments in space.

Lesson 4 – De-Google Your Life!
In this C1/C2 all-skills lesson, participants engaged in an interactive session that blended future-oriented language practice with a thought-provoking discussion on digital independence. The lesson began with introductions and a brief recap of previous content, where participants shared sentences using future-related expressions like "be certain" and "there’s a strong likelihood." Maria provided targeted feedback to enhance accuracy and fluency. The main topic, "de-Googling one's life," was introduced, sparking conversation about the pros and cons of minimizing dependence on major tech companies. The group watched a video documenting one woman’s attempt to de-Google, predicting and analyzing the obstacles she encountered, such as issues with logins and app functionality.

Lesson 5 – What geotagging does to nature

Lesson 6 – Food Waste

Lesson 7 – Challenging historical narratives
In this speaking lesson on Thanksgiving, students discuss what they know about the holiday and its customs and traditions. They look at its true history and watch a video in which Native Americans do a word association task related to the holiday. Students discuss adjacent ideas surrounding challenging historical narratives.

Lesson 8 – You think this is a joke?
In this lesson students talk about jokes and humour. They discuss different types of jokes, listen to a podcast, share their thoughts about humour and even try to make some jokes themselves.

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