Montevideo

A M E M B E R O F T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L H O U S E W O R L D O R G A N I S A T I O N

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Upper-IntermediateSyllabus 2016

A M E M B E R O F T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L H O U S E W O R L D O R G A N I S A T I O N

Course Description

Upper-Intermediate is a course for adults who have already attained an intermediate language level and are building up to becoming independent language users. The course is designed to help students consolidate this process by promoting the development of all language skills and creating interest and enjoyment in the learning process while ensuring the learning of more sophisticated structures and systematic expansion of their vocabulary in topic-based lexical areas.Lessons are held twice a week, 2 hours per class.

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• Cutting Edge Upper-Intermediate 3rd edition - Student’s Book with My English Lab (Pearson) • Cutting Edge Upper-Intermediate 3rd edition - Workbook (Pearson) • Readers: The Tempest – Crime stories - (Macmillan) / L.A. Movie - (Macmillan) • FCE Practice Tests Plus - (Pearson-Longman) • Students will also be encouraged to use the library and the computer lab.

Suggested Course Materials

Course Assessment

• Written assessments will be held in May, August and December. The final written assessment is considered an “examination” and may therefore include any of the teaching points included in the course contents. All written assessments will include the following sections: listening comprehension, reading comprehension, English in use and writing.

Course Aims

• Promote English language learning by using an ample variety of activities which are central to the immediate interests and surroundings of adults.

• Increase accuracy, fluency and natural usage of the language.

• Develop students’ interacting abilities and delve into grammar through a practical course that deals with subjects which adult students can relate to easily and that provides students with plenty of practice in the productive skills.

• Introduce students to the format of the Cambridge FCE exam and help them start developing the necessary skills and strategies.

A M E M B E R O F T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L H O U S E W O R L D O R G A N I S A T I O N

Students who do not achieve apassing mark in the final assessmentwill be given a chance to sit forit again in February.

Excellent 90 - 100%

75 - 89,5%

66 - 74,5%

60 - 65,5%55 - 59,5%

0 - 54,5%

Very Good

Good

Pass

FailNarrow Fail

Marking scheme:

• Oral assessments: will be held in May, August and December. The main emphasis of these tests is on communication. Students will take this examination in groups of two or three. The test will include three parts: an interview (answering basic personal questions), an individual picture description task and an interactive task. Providing plenty of practice in class is essential.

• Class work and homework will be taken into account as part of the student’s assessment.

• Reports: teachers will have to write a report after each examination period. In it, they will include the results of the student’s oral and written assessments (in marks out of 20 and 80 respectively), an overall percentage with the corresponding concept (see chart below) and a comment for the student about his/her performance.

• Promotion: Promotion will depend on the mark of the final assessments. On the whole, both written and oral assessments will result in a total of 100 marks. The marking scale will be:

• Attendance Policy:In order to fulfil attendance requirements, students should attend at least 80% of the total number of lessons.

• Compositions: Teachers at an Upper-Intermediate level should encourage students to go to the library and get good, well-written classic novels and extract chunks of vocabulary, paragraphs, phrases which can enrich their vocabulary.

- Formal and informal letters- Informal emails- Narrative writing- Articles- Reports- For and against essays- A CV and a covering letter

ASSESSMENT

HOLIDAYS

PARENTS MEETING

SPECIAL EVENTS (KIDS TO CH3)

LIBRARY

A M E M B E R O F T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L H O U S E W O R L D O R G A N I S A T I O N

Calendar - 2016

March 7th – 8th Start of classes

March 21th – March 27th Easter

April Use of the Library begins

April IH Club

April 18th National Holiday

May 16th National Holiday

May 18th – 19th May Oral Assessment

May 25th – 26st May Written Assessment

June 2nd Theatre Play: D’Artagnan

June 6th / 10th 1st parents’ meeting

June 27th to July 2nd Winter Holidays

July 18th National Holiday

August 6th Cambridge Mock Exams: FCE, CAE, CPE

August 13th Cambridge Mock Exams: KET, PET

August 10th - 11th August Oral Assessment

August 17th – 18th August Written Assessment

August 25th National Holiday

August 29th / September 2nd 2nd parents’ & International Exams meeting

September 19th - 24th Spring Holidays

October 10th National Holiday

October 28th Halloween Celebration

November 2nd National Holiday

October 1st - November 18th Open Classes – Kids to CH3

November Use of the library finishes

December 2nd – 3rd Final Oral Assessment

December 7th – 8th Final Written Assessment

December 12th – 16th 3rd Parents Meeting

A M E M B E R O F T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L H O U S E W O R L D O R G A N I S A T I O N

Topic

Getting On - Past and Present verb forms

- Auxiliary verbs; pronunciation: strong and weak auxiliaries

- Keep a conversation going

- Responding to how people feel

- Talking about your life circles

- Listening: characteristics of a good friend

- World culture: the happiness formula

- Listening: things that make you feel good

Pronunciation:1) Auxiliary verbs2) Sounding sympathetic

Reading: - Great sibling rivalries

Writing: - Planning and drafting a biography

- Relationships.Friendship.

- Wordspot: GET

Life’s ups and downs

- Forming nouns and gerunds

- Forming adjectives

Pronunciation:1) Word stress in nouns2) irregular past forms3) word and sentences stress

Reading:- Happiness facts and myths

- Describing how you feel

- Things that make you feel good

- News articles

- Dealing with unexpected problems

It All Went Wrong

- Narrative tenses

- Continuous aspect

Communication activities:Do a class survey

Pronunciation:Sounding calm or angry

Writing: a narrative

Reading: news articles

- Mishaps

- Crime and punishment

- Headlines

- Nature or nurture

- Mental skills

Your Mind The passive with have and get

Pronunciation:Word stress

Reading: what shapes your personality?

- Mental skills

- Wordspot: Mind

- Personal characteristics

LexisGrammar Reading andWritingFunctions Optional Extra

Activities

By the end of May, students must have covered the following contents, irrespective of the course book chosen (Units or ‘Files’ 1 and 2 in New English File Upper-intermediate)

SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES: MARCH - MAY

A M E M B E R O F T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L H O U S E W O R L D O R G A N I S A T I O N

Topic LexisGrammar Reading andWriting

Functions & Expressions

Optional Extra Activities

By the end of August, students must have covered the following contents, irrespective of the course book chosen (Units 3 and 4 in New English File Upper-intermediate)

SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES: JUNE - AUGUST

Face to face Future formsMore complex question forms

- Online dating

- Dealing with problems on the telephone

- Important dates

- Word culture: unsung heroes

Pronunciation:Intonation of statements and questions

Communication activities:Plan a fantasy dinner party

Reading: We may have 750 friends online but we are lonely

Writing: types of message

- Getting together

- Colloquial language

Big Ideas Perfect tenses

Present perfect simple and continuous

Pronunciation:Weak and strong forms in questions

Communication activities:Present an idea for a TV programme

Reading:5 inventions that shaped the way we live today

- Human achievements

- Wordspot: first

- Special events

- Awkward social situations

Events Relative clausesQuantifiers

Pronunciation:Sounding polite

Writing: a review of an event

Reading: we saw history in the making

- Celebrations and protests

- Wordspot: take

- A mystery story

- World culture: The Bermuda Triangle

Strange but true

- Modal verbs

- Past modals

Pronunciation:Weak form of have

Communication activities:Discuss two mysteries

Reading: Mysteries and oddities

- Mysteries and oddities

- Extreme adjectives

A M E M B E R O F T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L H O U S E W O R L D O R G A N I S A T I O N

Topic LexisGrammar Reading andWriting

Optional Extra Activities

By the end of November, students must have covered the following contents, irrespective of the course book chosen (Units 5 to 7 in New English File Upper-intermediate)

SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES: SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER

Functions & Expressions

Getting It Right

- Articles: use and non-use

- Different ways of giving emphasis

- Taking notes

- Collect and present tips

- Questions about the media

- World culture: the science of film

Pronunciation:Stress for emphasis

Communication activities:Giving suggestions and advice

Reading: How to stand out from the crowd

Writing: A speculative covering letter

- Phrasal verbs

- Wordspot: Right and wrong

Media - Reporting people’s exact words

- Verbs that summarise what people say

Pronunciation:Reporting what people said

Communication activities:Discuss an article

Reading:Media facts and figures

- Wordspot: speakand talk

- The Media

Reporting opinionsLife Issues - Hypothetical situations in the present (2nd Cond.)

- Hypothetical situations in the past (3rd Cond.)

Pronunciation:word stress and vowel sounds

Communication activities:Discuss a controversial issue

Writing: a for and against essay

Reading: Interfering with nature

Science and processes

Wordspot: life

- Celebrities and the media

- World culture: changing lives in Malawi

Fame Use of gerunds and infinitive: Different forms.

Suggested Website:

www.myenglishlab.com/cuttingedge3e

Reading: 15 minutes of fame

- Fame

- Famous people