practising fce use of english part 2

Practising FCE Use of English Part 2

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Practising FCE Use of English Part 2 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org of 11

Contents

A. TEACHERS’ NOTES ...........................................................................................................2

A1. Lesson Plan..................................................................................................................2

A2. Classroom Handout 1...................................................................................................6




B. GUIDANCE FOR FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES.....................................................................11




A. TEACHERS’ NOTES

Description

Time required: 60 minutes

Materials required:

Classroom Handout 1

Classroom Handout 2

Classroom Handout 3

Classroom Handout 4

Some large sheets of paper

Aims: to help students prepare for FCE 3, Part 2 by

becoming more confident about being able to complete gaps

understanding what clues there are to the missing words and what kind of words are missed out

practising working with complex sentences in texts

A1. Lesson Plan 1. Warmer

Ask the whole class the following quesitons

What kinds of things does FCE Use of English Part 2 test? (Answer: vocabulary, e.g. phrasal verbs, linkers, words within fixed phrases and collocations as well as lexico-grammatical items, e.g. articles, auxiliaries, prepositions, pronouns, verb tenses and forms)

Is there only one possible answer to all the questions? (Answer: More than one answer may be possible sometimes)

How many answers must you write? (Answer: Candidates must only write one answer. They will not get a mark if they write two answers, even if they are both right.)

Where can you find the clues to the answers? a. in the words before the gap b. in the words after the gap c. in the sentence(s) before the gap d. in the sentence(s) after the gap

(Answer: clues to answers may be in any of these four places or in a combination of them. Students must learn to look in all these places.)

Timing: 5 minutes.




2. Copy A2 Classroom Handout 1 and cut up the sentences. You will need one sentence for each student in the class.

Students first complete their sentence individually, writing the answer on the back of their slip of paper. Check each student’s answer individually

Students then move round the class, asking other students to complete their sentence.

When everyone has heard and answered 5 or 6 sentences, give the complete A2 Classroom Handout 1 to everyone for group or pair completion, then check answers with the whole class.

Alternatively, students do this activity in groups. Give 5 different sentences to each group. Each group completes their sentences. Change the groups so that one member of the previous groups is in each new group. The students share their answers to all 24 sentences. Answers:

1. I’d never met that girl who was sitting in the corner.

2. The computer had been switched off before she arrived.

3. People often don’t pay attention to important things when they’re feeling tired.

4. My parents never allow me to stay out after midnight.

5. He asked me if/whether I understood what he meant.

6. Their house was opposite ours, in the middle of the street.

7. He found a really good job even though he’s got no experience.

8. He needs a good holiday in my opinion.

9. I’ll go and speak to the driver whose car is blocking the exit.

10. I’ve found my phone at last. I’d been looking for it for ages.

11. Tom loves ice cream and so does his brother.

12. I’ll join you in a few minutes when I’ve finished what I’m doing.

13. He gave up going to the gym last month because he just couldn’t find the time.

14. Could you pass me the book which/ that is on the table?

15. She was very pleased at/about finding a new job.

16. I’m feeling really cold even though it’s hot outside.

17. I went abroad last year and so did all my friends.

18. They stopped going out in the evening as they were so short of money.

19. I may/might perhaps come and visit you later – I’m not sure

20. You have to fasten your seat belt before a plane takes off or lands.

21. I had my hair cut yesterday. It was getting much too long.

22. A serious injury prevented him from playing sport.

23. I like to go to work on foot – it gives me a bit of exercise.

24. After finishing/ completing his university course last year he started applying for jobs immediately.

Timing: 15 minutes




3. Write the word “Fashion” on the board.

Tell the students that they are going to read an article about fashion. In pairs for one minute, the students brainstorm what the article might be about, and what vocabulary might appear in the article.

With the whole class, feedback on their predictions.

Explain to the students that predicting the content and vocabulary of a text before reading is a useful strategy as it will help them to read with more confidence.

Timing: 5 minutes

4. Give out A4 Classroom Handout 2.

Explain to students that this is a matching task which asks students to understand complex sentences, in the same way as Part 2 of the exam. However, it is easier than the exam tasks as the answers are supplied in jumbled order. Emphasise that this is not an example of the exam task. Point out that the activity will help them get used to complex sentences, as well as working with a text.

In pairs or individually the students complete the exercise.

Remind the students that they should read the sentences before and after the gapped sentence, as well as the words round the gap.

(Answers: 1 H, 2 L, 3 K, 4 I, 5 E, 6 B, 7 A, 8 F, 9 G, 10 J, 11 C, 12 D)

Timing: 15 minutes

5. Divide the class into groups of 4.

Give out A4 Classroom Handout 3.

Give each group a big sheet of paper to write their answers on. They must write big enough for the whole class to see on the board and write the question numbers.

Students work in their groups to complete the exercise. This is a team game, so they must keep their answers from the other groups. Set a time limit of 5–7 minutes.

At the end of the 5–7 minutes, display the large sheets of paper on the board.

Ask each team to look at all the answers on the board and reconsider their answers to each question. If they wish to change them, they should come up to and change them on their large sheet of paper.

Go through the answers. Give two points if a team gave the right answer as their first answer, and one point if they changed their answer to the correct one.

At the end, count up all the marks that each team has got. The team with the most marks is the winner!




(Answers: 1 these, 2 spite, 3 there, 4 but, 5 that, 6 which, 7 to, 8 when, 9 be, 10 for/in, 11 example/ instance, 12 or/and)

Timing: 20 minutes

6. Homework A4 Classroom Handout 5

Explain that this activity will help to make them aware of the kinds of things that are tested in Part 2, and therefore help them understand how to revise and prepare for the exam.

Students should check any grammatical terms they are unsure about in a good grammar reference book.

Answers:

1. relative pronoun 2. passive 3. expression 4. verb pattern 5. indirect question 6. collocation 7. linking word 8. collocation 9. relative pronoun 10. collocation 11. auxiliary verb 12. collocation

13. phrasal verb 14. relative pronoun 15. preposition in a collocation 16. linking word 17. way of expressing a similarity 18. preposition in a collocation 19. modal verb 20. phrasal verb 21. causative passive 22. gerund 23. preposition in a collocation 24. gerund after preposition




A2. Classroom Handout 1

1. I’d never met that girl ______ was sitting in the corner.

2. The computer had ______ switched off before she arrived.

3. People often don’t pay ______ to important things when they’re feeling tired.

4. My parents never allow me ______ stay out after midnight.

5. He asked me ______ I understood what he meant.

6. Their house was opposite ours, in the middle ______ the street.

7. He found a really good job even ______ he’s got no experience.

8. He needs a good holiday ______ my opinion.

9. I’ll go and speak to the driver ______ car is blocking the exit.

10. I’ve found my phone ______ last. I’d been looking for it for ages.

11. Tom loves ice cream and so ______ his brother.

12. I’ll join you ______ a few minutes when I’ve finished what I’m doing.

13. He ______ up going to the gym last month because he just couldn’t find the time.

14. Could you pass me the book ______ is on the table?

15. She was very pleased ______ finding a new job.

16. I’m feeling really cold even ______ it’s hot outside.

17. I went abroad last year and ______ did all my friends.

18. They stopped going out in the evening as they were so short ______ money.

19. I ______ perhaps come and visit you later – I’m not sure

20. You have to fasten your seat belt before a plane ______ off or lands.

21. I had my hair ______ yesterday. It was getting much too long.

22. A serious injury prevented him from ______ sport.

23. I like to go to work ______ foot – it gives me a bit of exercise.

24. After ______ his university course last year he started applying for jobs immediately.




A3. Classroom Handout 2

1. Write the words in the column on the right into the correct blanks in the text.

Note: in the exam, you are not given any words to complete the gaps with.

FASHION

Throughout history people have worn clothing of (0) _one_

description or another. Apart (1) _____ protection against the

weather, clothes were also often used to show the wearer’s status

and wealth. Over the years numerous fashions in clothing have

come and gone. (2) ______ some of these have been popular for

relatively short periods of time, others have lasted.

Until the first half of the 20th century, the ability to follow fashion was

limited to those (3) ______ had the money to (4) ______ so. But

following fashion did not only demand money, it also required large

amounts of leisure time. Wealthy people took fashion very seriously

and close attention had to (5) ______ paid to detail. Wearing the

correct clothes for different occasions was very important, despite

the (6) ______ that this often meant changing clothes five or six (7)

______ a day.

More recently, fashionable clothes have come within the reach of

ordinary people. The traditional craft of dressmaking, (8) ______

usually involved sewing (9) ______ hand, was both costly and slow.

But today, large-scale manufacturing has made it easier for people

to keep (10) ______ with changes in fashion (11) ______ having to

spend a great (12) ______ of money.

A. times

B. fact

C. without

D. deal

E. be

F. which

G. by

H. from

I. do

J. up

K. who

L. while




A4. Classroom Handout 3 In groups of 3 or 4 students, decide on the best word to complete each blank in this text. DO NOT let other groups hear your answers.

The cognitive benefits of video games

Video games are a controversial topic (1) ______ days, as people question if popular games cater enough to a female audience or if there is such a thing as video game addiction. Yet, in (2) ______ of all of the negative perceptions and criticisms of video games, (3) ______ is a growing body of evidence suggesting their benefits as well. A study published this past September suggests that playing some games can make your brain more efficient. Some medical education programs are supplementing training with Second Life sessions. And, most recently, a review of previous research on video games found that regularly playing video games not only improves your skill at those particular games, (4) ______ may also improve your reaction time and accuracy on real-life tasks.

The findings of the review contradict the belief (5) ______ while regular gamers can get faster at certain games, they lose accuracy—or become "trigger happy"—in the process. Not so, say some researchers. In tests in (6) ______ participants were instructed (7) ______ view a monitor and respond (8) ______ an object appeared in the target area, but ignore objects that appeared outside the target area, gamers proved to (9) ______ faster, but not more impulsive, than non-gamers.

Researchers say that these findings indicate the benefits of certain video games (10) ______ improving cognitive processing and accuracy, and may indicate practical applications for video game play— for (11) ______ , to close the gender gap sometimes seen in certain aspects of visual and spatial processing, (12) ______ to slow the cognitive aging process in older people.

(Adapted from: http://healthland.time.com/2010/01/04/the-cognitive-benefits-of-video-games/)

http://healthland.time.com/2010/01/04/the-cognitive-benefits-of-video-games/�

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/02/28/women.gamers/index.html

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1925468,00.html

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/15-can-medical-students-learn-to-save-real-lives-in-second-life

http://healthland.time.com/2010/01/04/the-cognitive-benefits-of-video-games/

http://healthland.time.com/2010/01/04/the-cognitive-benefits-of-video-games/




A5. Classroom Handout 4 Look at all the sentences and underline the type of word on the right that is being tested.

1. I’d never met that girl who was sitting in the corner. preposition/ relative pronoun

2. The computer had been switched off before she arrived. gerund/ passive

3. People often don’t pay attention to important things when they’re feeling tired.

expression/ phrasal verb

4. My parents never allow me to stay out after midnight. tense/ verb pattern

5. He asked me if/whether I understood what he meant. indirect statement/ indirect question

6. Their house was opposite ours, in the middle of the street.

synonym/ collocation

7. He found a really good job even though he’s got no experience.

linking word/ adverb

8. He needs a good holiday in my opinion. phrasal verb/ collocation

9. I’ll go and speak to the driver whose car is blocking the exit.

personal pronoun/ relative pronoun

10. I’ve found my phone at last. I’d been looking for it for ages.

synonym/ collocation

11. Tom loves ice cream and so does his brother. auxiliary verb/ modal verb

12. I’ll join you in a few minutes when I’ve finished what I’m doing.

collocation/ adjective

13. He gave up going to the gym last month because he just couldn’t find the time.

phrasal verb/ modal verb

14. Could you pass me the book which/ that is on the table? linking word/ relative pronoun

15. She was very pleased at/about finding a new job. preposition in a collocation/ preposition in an expression of time

16. I’m feeling really cold even though it’s hot outside. adjective/ linking word

17. I went abroad last year and so did all my friends. way of expressing a similarity/ way of expressing agreement

18. They stopped going out in the evening as they were so short of money.

preposition in a collocation/ preposition of place




19. I may/might perhaps come and visit you later – I’m not sure

modal verb/ passive

20. You have to fasten your seat belt before a plane takes off or lands.

phrasal verb/ gerund

21. I had my hair cut yesterday. It was getting much too long.

causative passive/ infinitive

22. A serious injury prevented him from playing sport. infinitive/ gerund

23. I like to go to work on foot – it gives me a bit of exercise. preposition in a collocation/ adverb

24. After finishing/ completing his university course last year he started applying for jobs immediately.

past participle/ gerund after preposition




B. GUIDANCE FOR FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES

1. In A2 Classroom Handout 1, students worked at sentence level to build up their confidence in dealing with this part of the test.

You can reproduce the activity on by finding suitable sentences in grammar practice books or workbooks.

Focus the gaps in sentences on grammatical items (e.g. phrasal verbs, linkers, words within fixed phrases and collocations) or lexico-grammatical (e.g. articles, auxiliaries, prepositions, pronouns, verb tenses and forms).

Make sure the sentences contain NO ambiguity that might affect the answer.

2. To make activities similar to the one on A4 Classroom Handout 3 you can make your own cloze test using one of the cloze maker programmes available on the internet. Search for ‘ cloze maker/ cloze generator’ programmes.

You will also need to select a suitable text. Make sure to use texts at the right level and on topics and in a style of general interest, and without too much complex grammar or sophisticated vocabulary.

Good sources of texts include graded readers, reading skills books, articles from magazines and the internet and FCE course books.

When selecting a text, it is useful to think about the following:

keep the text quite short so that students don't get 'frightened' by it

include visuals if possible to make the text look more attractive

make sure that your blanks are regularly spaced out

don't have long stretches of text with no blanks, unless they give meaning needed as a clue

make sure you only blank out words which have enough clues in the text to allow students to work out their meaning and part of speech

you can adapt the text by substituting a high level word with an easier synonym.

practising fce use of english part 2

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