Advanced English 1 Course Description

Advanced English 1 –Course Description –

Overview Advanced English 1 (B2) is an advanced course of general English for adults both academic and non- academic settings, who are continuing on from the level of English presented in Everyday English 3 (B1).

Content Overview

Standards and Language Level

Standards Advanced English 1 will be designed to meet the following standards:

1. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) 2. 21st Century Skills including mastery of skills related to: a. Critical Thinking b. Basic Communication c. Community Resources d. Health e. Consumer Economics f. Learning and Thinking

Language Level Advanced English 1 has been developed at CEFR Level B2.

Vocabulary Profiling and Word Lists Vocabulary and texts have been reviewed for both general vocabulary and academic vocabulary levels. For academic vocabulary, there is a focus on the first five sublists and word families of the Coxhead Academic Word List (AWL). For general vocabulary, there is a focus on first 3000 words of accepted frequency lists.

Course Structure The course contains eight Modules, each with seven Situations. The Modules are theme-based. Themes cover a range of topics of interest to the target audience, reflecting diverse disciplinary areas. Situations 1-5 for each theme are skill-focused, and incorporate a sub-topic of the general Module theme. Situations 6 and 7 are focused on review and consolidation.

Module Themes Advanced English 1 will contain the following eight modules:

1. Community 2. Career Trends 3. Home Sweet Home 4. New and Improved 1 5. Clean and ‘Green’ 6. Finance Matters 7. Safe and Sound 8. Living Art

Situation Focus Each module has the exact same structure. The skill focus is as follows:

1. Situation 1: Introduction to the Theme 2. Situation 2: Reading 3. Situation 3: Listening 4. Situation 4: Language Use 5. Situation 5: Writing 6. Situation 6: Sum It Up (Review) 7. Situation 7: Put It Together (Review with focus on consolidation and higher order thinking skills)

Strategies At this language level, it is important for students to begin to not only use language strategies, but to become metacognitively aware of their use. Situations 2, 3, 4, 5 of each Module focus on a language strategy for the particular skill of the Situation. For each strategy, there is a description of the strategy, examples of the strategy in use, and tips. The strategies are practiced in the activities following the text of the Situation.

 Reading Strategies include: reading for main idea and specific details, scanning, comparison and contrast, paraphrasing, and cause and effect.

 Listening Strategies include: listening for gist and specific details, identifying speaker attitude, and identifying audience and purpose.

 Language Use Strategies include both the grammar topics and functional language necessary for: emphasizing, giving and receiving advice, talking about desires, preferences and priorities, and expressing strong reactions.

 Writing Strategies include: using descriptive language, writing a narrative account, writing an opinion essay, and comparing and contrasting.

2 In-Class Lessons In-class lessons in Advanced English assume both teacher presentation and collaborative work on the part of students; they are generally not suitable for independent study.

Module Activity Type Activity Overview 1. Community Communication Discussing community facilities and their uses in the community or the institution/school Reading Reading about civic organizations and public service groups in the community Writing Writing a short paragraph for school/community newsletter about a community event (focus on main idea/supporting details)

Grammar Mixed Tenses 3. Career Paths Communication Interviewing for jobs Reading Reading and interpreting charts and graphs of career trends Writing Writing resumes and cover letters Grammar Mixed Conditionals 5. No Place Like Communication Selecting appropriate housing Home Reading Reading rental documents/loans/insurance Writing Comparing and contrasting homes – recommending the right kind of home for someone Grammar Passive 7. New and Communication Making recommendations – recommending gadgets that work Improved Reading User manuals for a new appliance Writing Writing an email describing a new invention/gadget Grammar Reported Speech 9. Finance Communication Role plays at banking/financial institutions (asking for a Matters loan/opening a bank account/etc.) Reading Reading and understanding bank statements and credit card statements Writing Filling in forms – bank forms, credit applications, etc. Grammar Relative Clauses 11. Clean and Communication Rainbow debate about recycling (initial proposition, background Green info, sentence starters for pros and cons) (language use strategy: expressing strong reactions) Reading Pamphlet from green organization about community problems and recommended solutions Writing Narrative of the greening of my life (focus on all strategies of the module) Grammar Gerunds and Infinitives 13. Arts in Communication Group presentations: art forms in your country Different Reading “The Blanket” – literary features of a short story? Dealing with Cultures age in different cultures? Writing Review of some art form

3 Grammar Causatives 15. Safe and Communication Discussions: preparing for a disaster Sound Reading First aid procedures (manual) Writing Writing a narrative retelling the story of coping with a natural disaster/disaster/accident Grammar Conjunctions