El Blog para aprender inglés: Cómo aprobar el writing del First Certificate Hoy empezamos un nuevo curso de inglés gratuito, el Cambridge Advanced (CAE- C1). Mira aquí la introducción del curso. Cada semana, el profesor Roberto Reboredo, publicará una nueva unidad. ¡No te lo pierdas! *************** Vamos ahora con el post de hoy. Antes de entrar en materia, me gustaría recordaros algo. La gente que tiene un sistema correcto tiene éxito; la que no tiene un sistema, o tiene un sistema incorrecto, fracasa. Me encanta esta premisa porque es muy sencilla y totalmente cierta. Sistema para aprobar el writing del FCE 1) Conoce bien en qué consiste el "writing" y qué se espera que hagas En el FCE, tiene dos partes (Part 1 y Part 2) en las que debes redactar dos tipos de textos; uno obligatorio (Part 1) y otro a elegir (Part 2) entre varios tipos de textos. Obligatorio. Tipo de texto: Carta o email (letter or email)Estilo: Deberá coincidir con la información que te suministren en el examen. Longitud: 120 -150 palabras. ¿Por qué ocurre esto? ¿Cómo se soluciona este problema?
Try These 7 Writing Exercises to Boost Students' Creative Writing Skills Using regular writing exercises with your students will help improve their creative and analytical writing skills immensely. The key to improving the craft of writing is with daily practice, of course. We know that there’s not always time for it in the class schedule, but not to worry. The 7 terrific writing exercises featured below are ones that students can use both in and out of class. Students will enjoy these challenges, and you’ll exercise their thinking skills at the same time you work to improve their love for writing. 1. Writing exercises that have students building stories from visual stimuli can be fun and engaging. In the article 5 Fun Storytelling Exercises to Try, writer Marian Schembari recommends looking at old photographs or postcards and creating new stories inspired by the images. “The story,” Miriam instructs, “should only exist inside your head. Here are some guiding questions to use as writing prompts: Who are the people in this image, and where did they come from?
Online Editor – Grammar Checker Technical Limit: 280 characters (4,000 for X Premium users) Recommended: 71-100 characters Why? Shorter posts have higher engagement and are easier to read quickly on a fast-scrolling platform. Technical Limit: 63,206 characters Recommended: 40-80 characters Why? Technical Limit: 2,200 characters (including hashtags) Recommended: 138-150 characters Why? Technical Limit: 5,000 characters Linkers and connectors - English Subject Area Contrast . In spite of / Despite Link two contrasting ideas. Followed by a noun phrase. . Although / (Even) though Link two contrasting ideas. . . . . Reason and cause . . Purpose . . Consequence . . . Addition . . . For example / For instance Introduces an example referring to previously stated ideas. . . but / yet: followed by a noun phrase or a sentence. ‘The book is short but / yet interesting’ . in spite of / despite: It is placed at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence. ‘He arrived on time despite / in spite of getting up late’ although / though/ even though / in spite of the fact that: followed by a complete sentence. ‘Although / though / even though / in spite of the fact that the pupils had not studied, they all passed their exams’. . however, nevertheless, even so, on the one hand, on the other hand, on the contrary: ‘He was quite ill however/ nevertheless/ even so, he went to school’ . while, whereas ‘This film is very interesting, while/whereas that one is quite boring’ Result .
Corrige tu Writing – ¿Se te atraganta el inglés? Hablemos… A Look Back: The Best Posts On Writing Instruction Next February, this blog will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary! Leading up to it, I’m re-starting a series I tried to do in the past called “A Look Back.” Each week, I’ll be re-posting a few of my favorite posts from the past ten years. You might also be interested in: A Look Back: Best Posts From 2007 To 2009 A Look Back: 2010’s Best Posts From This Blog A Look Back: 2011’s Best Posts From This Blog A Look Back: 2012’s Best Posts From This Blog In 2013, I first published The Best Posts On Writing Instruction, and have been adding to it ever since that day. Not only does it include links to what I think are the best available pieces written on the topic, it also is the repository of the all the writing prompts that I have used and continue to use in my various classes. Many teachers have found it useful. Related A Look Back: "Draw A Stickman" Next February, this blog will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary! October 1, 2016 In "a look back" October 18, 2016
INTERESANTES EJERCICIOS PARA ESCRIBIR UNA CARTA PROFESIONAL EN VAUGHAN SYSTEMS – Corrige tu Writing Personalmente, no me posiciono a favor de los innovadores métodos de aprendizaje de idiomas que no consistan en usar éstos para comunicarse (en un contexto y por una razón), pero casualmente me he topado con unos ejercicios de Vaughan Systems que me han parecido de lo más interesantes. Es una comparativa entre dos cartas profesionales (ejemplar original y ejemplar traducido) que insta a sus alumnos a probar y a comparar. Posteriormente muestra un cuadro con algunos de los elementos que más problemas pueden dar a quienes somos hispanohablantes. Os he dejado unos cuantos enlaces, pero hay muchos más. Yo también os animo a que probéis con vuestra propia traducción, y si queréis, me la podéis enviar a arantxamarso@gmail.com. Saludos! Carta profesional (presentación de producto) Carta formal de agradecimiento Carta profesional de información urgente Carta profesional informal Carta de saludo a un compañero en la incorporación a un puesto de trabajo Carta profesional de agradecimiento Me gusta:
Writing Tips – Corrige tu Writing Sé que éste es un blog que sobretodo se dedica a la escritura, pero he decidido escribir un post con algunas estrategias conversacionales (que también os podéis DESCARGAR en el link que encontraréis al final del post), por dos motivos: Sabéis de sobra que es de gran utilidad. Cuando nos encontramos en una conversación en la que debemos sugerir o negociar opciones ante una situación; en las que tenemos que preguntar con educación; o en las que tenemos que convencer a alguien de algo, podemos llegar a perdernos entre mil traducciones literales del español al inglés, o entre un mar de opciones que nos ofrece Internet. Ahí va: Can you tell me …? Could[2] you tell me …? Could you tell me where the station is? Can I ask …? Could I ask …? Would you mind telling me…? Would you mind telling me where the station is? What should I + INFINITIVO? What should I cook for dinner? What if…? What if I prepare paella? What would you do? Can you give me some advice? You shouldn’t lie to him. Really?
Writing | elt-resourceful A collection of lesson plans Over the last few months I have been writing lesson plans for the British Council Teaching English site. Here is a collection of links. All materials are free to use. Is Slavery a Thing of the Past? Designed to raise awareness of the UN’s World Day against Trafficking in Persons, this lesson begins by asking students to consider what they know about the issue, then takes them through a process of learning more before concluding by asking them about what they have learnt, and how their understanding might have changed. The lesson involves plenty of speaking, a vocabulary focus, which pre-teaches topic related vocabulary later found in the text, a jigsaw reading and a focus on passives. Unsung Heroes [click on the lesson title for lesson plan and materials] This lesson, devised for International Women’s Day, will help to raise awareness of some not very famous, but nonetheless important, women. Like this: Like Loading... All about writing activities Real Beauty?
Replace the Word 'Very' with One of These 128 Modifiers Do you remember high school English class very well? If so, you likely spotted the flaw in that sentence. If you didn't, here's a refresher: As our composition teachers told us long ago, the modifier "very" is lazy and inprecise—and some of America's most prominent writers can vouch for that assessment. Florence King, the sharp-tongued American novelist, essayist, and columnist, reportedly once wrote: "'Very' is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen." As for Mark Twain, he advised writers to writers to "Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very'; Your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." There's always a stronger, more vivid word to describe something, which is why Lifehacker recently posted the infographic below, created by the editing pros over at ProofreadingServices.com. [h/t Lifehacker]
Writing Skill Long writing activities are not very frequently done in class. I tend to think that my students are like me; I need the right kind of atmosphere. Writing requires time, silence and lots of inspiration. Ideally, at this time of the year, I would probably wish to be sitting next to a fireplace with the most perfect instagrammable snow falling outside my window while drinking a nice cup of coffee waiting for inspiration to strike. Unfortunately, there isn’t any snow where I live so I’ll have to make do with a bit of rain and some reddish trees. Inspiration, the most important word when writing and something my students claim to lack. These are some great sites that can help you make your writing stronger. Photo by Tekke 1. Skell is easy to use. 2.Netspeak is a really helpful site to help you write better. You can find the word(s) you’re looking for by typing signs as seen in the picture below. Type ? If you want to read some sample sentences, you only need to click the + sign 3. 4. 5. 6.
CristinaSkyBox: Forms of Storytelling via GIPHY It's so simple to ask students to be creative. It's so easy to offer them a choice of digital tools and let them get on with the task of production. Quite frankly, in my experience, it is anything but simple. Not only do students need scaffolding, clear instructions, clear goals and monitored team management while doing their task (in this case, if pair or small group work), they also need time to explore and play with a new tool or platform. Playfulness brings me to stories and images - both can summon up wild imaginations and/or interesting perspectives in projects, in particular when presenting ideas to solve problems. Storyform is for storytelling - an activity which learners enjoy, using their own worlds, their personal interests, their own views on a topic. Not all features of Storyform are free - however, with its ability to include text, image and video, it makes a great choice for students when they are working on a project. via GIPHY
3 Strategies to Fire Up Hesitant Writers Editor’s Note: A version of this post first appeared on Techie Teacher and Character Coach. “But Miss Parrish, I can’t think of anything to write!” Haven’t we all heard similar lines in our classrooms? We see hesitant writers sit with pencils in their hands and paper on their desks, almost as if they’ve been handicapped by the task we have set for them. How is it that some students have so much to say when talking, but when a pencil is put into their hand they suddenly hesitate, struggle, and have nothing to say? How can we help these hesitant writers eliminate the barrier that suddenly appears when they’re asked to write? The answer is to have them produce ideas without writing at all. Strategies That Work 1. Have your student stand up while you sit at the desk.Pick up the student’s pencil and say, “You talk, I’ll write.”This usually catches students off-guard -- it takes them a moment to realize this is a real option. 2. 3. Pick an app or tool that transcribes speaking as text.