GUA DE ESTUDIO DE LA ASIGNATURA

GRADO

LENGUA MODERNA I. LENGUA EXTRANJERA: INGLS.

2 PARTE | PLAN DE TRABAJO Y ORIENTACIONES PARA SU DESARROLLO

2010-2011

Equipo Docente: Laura Alba-Juez, Mnica Aragons, Ana Ibaez

GRADO EN LENGUA Y LITERATURA ESPAOLAS

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LENGUA MODERNA. LENGUA EXTRANJERA I: INGLS

1.- PLAN DE TRABAJO/ WORK PLAN

This subject is divided into six main units (=bloques temticos), which make up six ECTS credits. Each credit
corresponds to 25 hours of work on the part of the student. Thus the total number of hours the student will
have to devote to this subject is 150. The students should bear in mind that this is the first of a series of two
subjects that are specifically oriented towards the development of their instrumental skills in using the English
language, so a great part of the hours will have to be invested in doing tasks related to varied language skills.
The units are organized around a given topic and different language abilities, specified broadly as follows:

UNIT 1: SMILE!

 I CREDIT ECTS  25 hours of study/practice

Oral discourse: Describing events

UNIT

2:

LUXURY AND ROMANCE

 I CREDIT ECTS  25 hours of

study/practice

Oral Discourse: Describing experiences (dialogue and monologue)

UNIT 3: TEA LOVERS

 I CREDIT ECTS  25 hours of study/practice

Oral Discourse: Putting a case.

UNIT

4:

CRIME AND DANGER

 I CREDIT ECTS  25 hours of

study/practice

Oral discourse: Discussing meanings when doing a crossword puzzle

Written Production: Filling in a crossword puzzle; formal and informal letters

UNIT

5:

WILDLIFE EXPERIENCE

 I CREDIT ECTS  25 hours of

study/practice

Oral narrative: narratives of personal experience in relation to wild life.

Creative Writing: Narration about wild life experiences.

UNIT

6: LANDSCAPE AND THE ARTS

 I CREDIT ECTS  25 hours

of study/practice

Oral discourse: TV interviews. Macrostructure of interviews

Reading comprehension of a literary narrative and writing: Understanding the structure of
narratives

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Laura Alba-Juez, Mnica Aragons, Ana Ibaez

These obligatory units are to be found in the following book:

Aragons, Mnica & Laura Alba Juez (2010). Strands of Language (B1 - Part I). Madrid: Editorial
Universitaria Ramn Areces.
Each unit is structured in a similar way, containing the following sections and types of activities, which the
student should distribute according to the schedule in Table 1:
Table 1: Activities, credits and time devoted to each of the sections in the course units
SECTIONS IN
EACH ONE OF
THE SIX UNITS

ACTIVITIES IN EA CH
SECTION

CREDITS/TIME
DEVOTED TO EAC H
SECTION IN THE
COURSE (APROX.)

A) WARMING UP

Preparatory questions for the

dialogue in B)

0.2 cr.  5 hours

B) ORAL DISCOURSE:
DIALOGUE

Listening to a dialogue

1 cr. 25 hours

Questions and discussion related to

the dialogue

C) MULTI-TASKING
ACTIVITIES

Working with a text

Studying grammar in the grammar

capsules of the unit and in the
Grammar book.

Activities oriented towards developing

various skills simultaneously: look,
listen, read, study, write, summarize,
etc.

D) TACKLING
VOCABULARY

Activities related to the study and

mastering of vocabulary

0.5 cr.  12.5 hours

E) NOW, HOWS YOUR

SPELLING?

Activities oriented towards the

mastering English spelling

0.3 cr.  7.5 hours

F) ANDHOWS YOUR
FORMATION OF
WORDS?

Activities focused on the formation of

words: prefixes, suffixes, roots,
inflectional and derivational
morphemes, etc.

0.5 cr.  12.5 hours

G) USING ENGLISH
APPROPRIATELY AND
PUTTING IT INTO
MOTION

Working with different grammar and

language points.

2 cr.  50 hours

Studying the content of the grammar

capsules in the units and in the
grammar book

H) CONTINUOUS
EVALUATION/SELF
ASSESSMENT

Multiple-choice exercises for selfassessment

Working with the units for evaluation

with the Tutor in the Centro Asociado

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1 cr  25 hours

0.5 cr  12.5 hours

__________________________
Total: 6 cr.  150 hs.

LENGUA MODERNA. LENGUA EXTRANJERA I: INGLS

2.- ORIENTACIONES PARA EL ESTUDIO DE LOS CONTENIDOS/

ORIENTATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE COURSE CONTENTS
Each one of the six units includes diverse language points and intends to develop different can dos
(=resultados de aprendizaje), which the students should try to cover in a certain period of time. Table 2
provides the main contents, can dos and time schedule for each unit.
Table 2: Main can dos (Resultados de Aprendizaje), language points and due dates for each unit
UN IT

CA N D OS ( =
RE SU LT A DO S DE
AP R EN DI ZA J E)

LAN G UA GE /G R AM M
AR / C UL TU R AL
PO IN TS

Describe and
discuss dreams,
hopes and
ambitions;

Narrate a story;

Relate details of
unpredictable
occurrences

Smile!

Auxiliary verbs
Past Simple and
Present Simple
Verbs/adjectives +
prepositions
Phrasal verbs
Saxon and Latin
possessive
Epithets
Temporal discourse
markers
How prepositions
shape the experience
of English speakers.

Describe and
discuss dreams,
hopes and
ambitions;

Luxury and
Romance

Narrate a story;

Relate details of
unpredictable
occurrences.

Tea lovers

Briefly give
reasons and
explanations for
opinions, plans
and actions
Develop an
argument well
enough to be
followed without
difficulty most of
the time.

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Present Perfect
Simple and Past
Simple
Use of for and since;
countable and
uncountable nouns
Time expressions;
modal verbs
expressing epistemic
modality the use of the
vernacular language
in narratives,
comparatives and
superlatives.
The passive
Defining relative
clauses
Frequency adverbs
The uses of
argumentative
prose in English
cultures
Use of verbal irony.

D UE D AT E F O R
F IN AL SE LF EV AL U ATI ON

November 8th

November 22nd

December 6th

Laura Alba-Juez, Mnica Aragons, Ana Ibaez

4
Crime and
danger

exchange ideas
and give opinions
on the meanings
of words or
expressions

Write a formal
letter of complaint

Write
straightforward,
connected texts on
a range of familiar
subjects

5
Wildlife
experience

Link a series of
shorter discrete
elements into a
linear sequence
Write an informal
letter to a friend.
Narrate a story

Write/give an oral
description of an
event and/or a
recent trip (real or
imagined) related
to wild life.

Landscape
and the
arts

Speak about likes

and dislikes
Describe
landscapes/
seascapes/
skyscapes
Read straightforward
factual narrative
texts with a
satisfactory level of
comprehension
Answer questions
about personal life
and/or related to
certain events in a
given narrative
Identify the elements
of the structure of
narratives.

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Past Simple and

Past Continuous
Past Perfect
Reported speech
Common
collocations
Adjectives
describing actions
and places
Salutations in a
letter
Forms of address in
formal an informal
letters
General
characteristics of
epistolary
communication in
English cultures.

Frequency adverbs
Relative clauses
Place prepositions;
comparatives and
superlatives
Compound nouns
Prefixes and
suffixes
Confusing words
Representation of
the vernacular
language in a given
dialect of English in
written form.
Modal verbs of
obligation and
prohibition
First and second
Conditional with
if/when/unless/as
soon as
Verb phrases
Opposites
Vocabulary
expressing evaluation
Discourse markers
Narratives of personal
experience in literary
works.

December 22nd

January 10th

January 27th

LENGUA MODERNA. LENGUA EXTRANJERA I: INGLS

2.1 Extra/Optional work and activities// Mock oral exams

Apart from the work and information included in Strands of Language (B1 Part I) and the Grammar
book, there will be optional and extra (multimedia and interactive) activities available in the
virtual class, for those students who need or wish to devote more time and effort to the subject.
There will also be mock oral exams in the virtual course for the students to practise along the year.
It is of utmost importance that they do these model exams (and have them supervised by their
Tutors) for them to be prepared for the final oral exam in May.

3.- ORIENTACIONES PARA LA REALIZACIN DEL PLAN DE

ACTIVIDADES/ ORIENTATIONS FOR CARRYING OUT THE
ACTIVITIES
3.1 Steps to follow when working with the learning units
Since all the units are structured in the same manner, we recommend the students to take the following steps
when studying each and all of them:
1. Read the Warming up questions at the beginning of the unit and try to answer them. Discuss your
answers with your Tutor or in the virtual class with your workmates.
2. Read the main can dos of the unit carefully. This will guide you along the different activities by letting
you know what skills you have to develop and what the expected results of your learning will be by
the time you are done with the unit.
3. Listen to the Dialogue. You can listen to it as many times as you want. There is an option for you to
read it (by clicking on READ DIALOGUE) at the same time, but it is better to try to understand it
without resorting to this option the first time you listen to it.
4. In order to be able to do the Multitasking activities, read the introductory text carefully and look up all
the words you do not know in a good English-English dictionary (See recommended dictionaries in
Part I of the Study Guide). There is an option for you to listen to the text at the same time you read it
(by clicking on LISTEN TO TEXT). Then do the different activities based on the text, and check them
with your Tutor.
5. Study all the grammar points by reading the Grammar Capsules provided in the units, and by
consulting them (especially those not included in the Grammar Capsules) in the grammar book (A
Grammar Companion to Lengua Inglesa I).
6. Do all the Tackling Vocabulary tasks. If there are still some items of vocabulary whose meaning you
do not know, look them up in an English-English dictionary. Check your results with your Tutor.
7. Do all the Now, hows your spelling exercises. Again, use a dictionary if necessary. Check your
results with your Tutor.
8. Do all the And.. hows your formation of words exercises. Again, use a dictionary if necessary. Check
your results with your Tutor.
9. Now, using all the knowledge you have about the text, the grammar points, and the word formation
and spelling points, you are ready to combine them all in order to carry out the activities included in
the section entitled Using English appropriately and putting it into motion.
10. Here you will have to focus on some other grammar points, whose explanations will be available to
you through new grammar capsules. There will also be other important grammar points that you will
have to consult in the grammar book.

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Laura Alba-Juez, Mnica Aragons, Ana Ibaez

11. Once youve completed all the activities of the unit, you can check your results in the PRACTICE
KEY section of the virtual course.
12. In the Time to Relax section at the end of each chapter, you will find links to some entertaining videos
whose topics are connected to those of the units, and will allow you to enjoy and relax after all the
hard work done.
13. Now you are ready to take the final self-evaluation of the unit, which you will have at your disposal in
the Evaluation section of the virtual class.
14. The due dates for the completion of the activities and final self-evaluation of each of the units are
provided in Table 2 above.
3.2 Evaluation types and criteria
The final exam (=prueba presencial final + examen oral) as well as the continuous evaluation (which includes
the completion of the exercises in the units, as well as the self-evaluation included at the end of each unit) will
be designed to measure the students successful achievement of the can dos for which they are trained along
the course.
3.2.1 Continuous evaluation
The so-called continuous evaluation (=evaluacin continua) is not obligatory but recommended, and will be
carried out by means of the following procedures:

Completion of all the exercises and activities included in the units. The students will obtain
feedback about their performance from their Tutor in the Centro Asociado, as well as from the
PRACTICE KEY provided for each unit in the virtual class.

Completion of the MOCK ORAL EXAMS included in the virtual class. The Tutor will correct these
mock exams to provide feedback

Completion of the SELF-EVALUATION TEST at the end of each unit. This test consists of
multiple choice questions that are automatically corrected by the system in the virtual course, so that
the student receives instant feedback about his/her performance.

The criteria used to assess this type of evaluation will be the same as those indicated for the final evaluation
(See 3.2.2.)
The completion of this type of evaluation will be taken into account as a positive criterion to raise the
students final grade in case there is doubt as to whether they would pass the final evaluation or not.
3.2.2 Final evaluation
The final evaluation consists of two main exams: a) Written Exam (=Examen final presencial), and b) Oral
Exam. The results of the oral exam (whether good or bad) do not count as valid if the written exam is not
passed. In plain words, this means that the oral exam is taken into account for the final grade if and only if
the written exam has been completed successfully.
a) WRITTEN EXAM (60% of the final grade): The final written exam will contain the following kind of
exercises:

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LENGUA MODERNA. LENGUA EXTRANJERA I: INGLS

Completion exercises to test items of vocabulary (verbs, adjectives, nouns, etc.) and the formation of
words
Completion exercises to test different grammar and language points
A translation exercise (Spanish  English)
A reading comprehension (Multiple choice or True/False) exercise based on a given text.
A composition related to the topics studied and discussed in the different units of study.

These exams will be graded according to the following criteria, which will have to be fulfilled by the students
up to at least a medium degree (in agreement with the B1- level of the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages):

Successful accomplishment of the can dos of the total course.

Adequate use of the vocabulary and expressions studied in the course.
Adequate use of the grammar rules learned in the course.
Appropriateness to the text/discourse situation.
Discourse cohesion (use of connectors and other cohesive devices).
Discourse coherence.

b) ORAL EXAM (40% of final grade): Students will take the oral exam in any of the three following manners:
1) by getting into the e-Oral application in the virtual class. This exam will be subsequently corrected
and graded by the Tutor in the corresponding Centro Asociado.
2) In case the student does not have access to the application, s/he will have to take the exam in a faceto-face encounter with the Tutor in the corresponding Centro Asociado.
3) As a last resource (i.e., if for some reason the student could not get into the e-oral application or
could not do the exam with the Tutor) s/he could take the exam on the phone with a member of the
teaching team at the Sede Central.
The questions in the oral exam will be related to the following aspects:

The content of the dialogues in each of the units.

The content of the reading comprehension texts in each of the units.
The students personal opinion or experience in relation to the topic of the dialogues/texts.
Other aspects of the students personal life or experience

The criteria for grading the oral exam are the following:
General  Successful accomplishment of the can dos (related to oral skills) required in the course
Oral comprehension

Comprehension of the content and main topic of the dialogues

Comprehension of certain discourse aspects of the dialogues (pronunciation, intonation, stress, use
of discourse markers, etc.) that influence their total and final meaning

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Oral expression

Adequate pronunciation, stress and intonation

Adequate fluency
Adequate use of the vocabulary and expressions studied in the course
Adequate use of the grammar rules learned in the course
Appropriateness to the text/discourse situation
Discourse cohesion (use of connectors and other cohesive devices)
Discourse coherence
Adequate use of grammar rules (inasmuch as it interferes with communication)

3.2.3 Levels of adequacy expected at the B1- level that will be used to assess
the student performance in relation to the above criteria
Following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the general level of adequacy
(translated into can dos) expected for a B1- level for Reading, Writing, Listening and Spoken production are
the following:
Reading:

Can understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related language.
Can understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters.

Writing:

Can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.
Can write personal letters describing experiences and impressions.

Listening:

Can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered
in work, school, leisure, etc.
Can understand the main point of many radio or TV programmes on current affairs or topics of
personal or professional interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear.

Spoken production:

Can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes
and ambitions.
Can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Can narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe my reactions.

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LENGUA MODERNA. LENGUA EXTRANJERA I: INGLS

4.- GLOSARIO/ GLOSSARY

We do not include a glossary in this guide, given the nature of the subject. The items of vocabulary the
student needs to work with are already included in the Course Units, and in many cases it is the task of the
student to look them up in the (English-English) dictionary, on the grounds that this is a very important
practice they need to be trained on if they are to use the English language in an instrumental way.

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