Friday, 28 October 2016

Reading skills-Scanning and skimming

Today we are going to look at the skill of reading. 
It is an essential part of language learning.

Often students forget to apply the skills they use as native speakers when reading in a foreign language. They stop to look up every word and find reading very difficult compared to listening.

Here are some strategies to improve your reading:



  • Previewing: reviewing titles, section headings, and photo captions to get a sense of the structure and content of a reading selection
  • Predicting: using knowledge of the subject matter to make predictions about content and vocabulary and check comprehension; using knowledge of the text type and purpose to make predictions about discourse structure; using knowledge about the author to make predictions about writing style, vocabulary, and content
  • Skimming and scanning: using a quick survey of the text to get the main idea, identify text structure, confirm or question predictions
  • Guessing from context: using prior knowledge of the subject and the ideas in the text as clues to the meanings of unknown words, instead of stopping to look them up
  • Paraphrasing: stopping at the end of a section to check comprehension by restating the information and ideas in the text.
Scanning and skimming are essential skills for any serious student

Here is a site to see if you have understood and practise these skills.

Do task number 1 and number 3

Now read the following pdf file about Reading skills 



Now we go over to a very interesting book- The shadow of the sun- written by a Polish writer who spent much of his life in Africa.

Choose any chapter and skim through it.
Write down the main ideas that he wants to say..

If there is any time over at the end of the lesson you can use it to write your film review which should be in to me today..

HAVE A GREAT BREAK AND DON'T FORGET TO RECHARGE THE BATTERIES!

Friday, 21 October 2016

Presentations and end of film

Today there will be the opportunity to present the remaining country projects.

These are as follows:-

3. Music, dance and Art in society
Hanna, Frida, Mattias, Julia M

4. Impact of social media
Anna, Hannah, August, Edit

and

Emelie, Marcus
Free choice about an English speaking country


After that there will be ample time to see the end of the film
"In my country"

I want each person to write a short review of the film based on its attitude to the crimes of the apartheid regime and how you understand the process of reconciliation which it depicts.

In your view which way is more correct-

to have the "Nuremberg Trials" where people who committed war crimes were sentenced to death

or the "Truth commissions" based on the African concept of Ubuntu?

Monday, 17 October 2016

Hot topic and film

Security in Europe
Polygamy
The refugee situation
American Elections this year
Artists in the
spotlight
War against terrorism
Sweden's drug/drink laws
Police in Sweden

Animal rights
Stress
Body consciousness
Independent schools





Hot topics- discuss one of these with a partner or in a small group

As I explained on Friday we will change around the timetable in order to have the presentations about Uganda on this Friday.

After the hot topic (or two) today we will choose a film on the theme of Africa to watch today and next Monday...

Friday, 14 October 2016

Presentations

Today we will be having your country presentations...


We will look at how different linguistic and cultural aspects affect countries..

Several groups will concentate on Uganda after their study visit there..

As usual the presentations will be filmed..

Monday, 10 October 2016

Definitely a soft start!

After over two weeks in Uganda, I think most of us need a soft start today!

Catching up on the news.

Try catching up on the news in English..

For Sweden      https://www.thelocal.se/

For the World: http://edition.cnn.com/studentnews

Remember the link for the American elections?
Find out what is going on there!

After the break I will be going off for my online Spanish class..

Yesterday was Uganda's national Day..



Go in on http://www.monitor.co.ug/

and

http://www.newvision.co.ug/

to find out how they celebrated it..

Finally get into your groups and prepare for Friday's presentations!!