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Welcome to Flight 002. I hope you have enjoyed last week’s flight. This week, again, covers Vocabulary, Use of English, Listening, Speaking, and study skills. However, this week Use of English goes into some Advanced Grammar tackling fragments and Speaking covers the cooperation task of CAE. As for the study skill of this week, we go into the basics of study behaviour.
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You can download the complete Flight 002 here:
Study Guide 002
Study Behaviour
Last week we started off with a proper study area. I hope you have created a fine study nest for yourself. Coincidentally, I created a room of my own as well this week: a small room in the house with most of my books, a writing desk, and a cosy chair for although I am a teacher, I am also a learner. I am reading Overcoming Dyslexia at the moment and am really excited about delving into The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity.
This week we discuss study behaviour and is probably the most fundamental of all the upcoming study guides. Make sure you understand what and why you are studying, keep study sessions short, interleave your sessions, and apply ‘spaced learning.’
The first study guides follow Marty Lobdell’s “Study Less Study Smart”. I shared the original video last Flight, but here I give you a 6-minute summary by Thomas Frank:
OWL 002
Don’t forget, reading is more beneficial for increasing your vocabulary bank than studying individual words. However, the OWL lists are an extra way of acquiring words. The Big Five of this week are: oblige, credibility, neglect, eagerness, and convene.
Use of English
Advanced Grammar 001
This week’s Use of English covers Advanced Grammar. In formal writing we usually don’t use fragments for sentences. Being able to identify fragments and avoiding them in your writing, makes your texts more professional. You will also get a better idea of dependent and independent clauses. There is a lot to chew this week but it absolutely deserves your attention.
Listening 002
This week in 5-minute English “Declared Innocent After 48 years in prison.” You can do this assignment in two ways. After the warming up, learners answer the questions as they are listening. You can listen to the recording twice. This would be CEFR B1/B2 level.
The second method is having learners take notes while they are listening and after the recording the questions are read. This would be CEFR B2 level. To my Dutch colleagues, this would also practise CITO listening: note-taking.
Speaking
Collaboration 001
This week in Speaking the collaborative task. It approaches the CAE Paper 4 part 3 task, but this one is shortened to 3 prompts for 2 minutes and 1 minute to come to a conclusion. The assignment is meant for two people, but you can do the task also on your own.
Literature
I am not reading any novels at the moment as the non-fiction is piling up. As I said at the study guide, I am reading Overcoming Dyslexia but am also into Bad Therapy, a book on how therapy for teenagers can actually be harmful. I am also reading Paradise Lost with some former students, which is a quite heavy but satisfying read. We have spread it over several weeks, which is roughly one ‘book’ each week.
The video of this week is Eric Karl Anderson’s take on “The Best Books of 2024 (so far) according to the New York Times”. Anderson is great to follow during the Man Booker Prize. He is open minded, clear, and discusses a wide range of novels.
Novel of the Week
The Novel of the Week is Etta and Otto and Russell and James. This is novel about Etta suffering from dementia and wants to see the ocean one more time going on foot. Otto and Russell are left behind to deal with the situation. There is some (approach to) magical realism but very subtle. The novel is light-weighted though the undercurrent of dementia is serious. What best to do when people suffering from dementia still have wishes that seem dangerous?
Etta and Otto and Russell and James (blurb)
Etta and Otto and Russell and James is a moving novel that chronicles Etta’s solo journey, leaving her husband Otto and friend Russell behind. Set against a backdrop of shared memories, the story delves into themes of love, loss, and the fading of memories, as characters confront the profound impact of death and the challenges of preserving cherished moments.
Author: Emma Hooper
Year of publication: 2015
Pages (approximation): 277
CEFR: B2
Plot Complexity: moderate
Language Complexity: moderate
Ideas Complexity: moderate
Complexity
Etta, Otto, Russell and James features a moderately complex plot with multiple interwoven story lines and a moderate number of characters. The language used in the novel is more advanced, incorporating richer vocabulary and more nuanced sentence structures. It goes beyond the basics, offering depth and variety to the narrative. The ideas explored delve deeper into certain themes and concepts, requiring readers to engage with thought-provoking elements that go beyond straightforward and relatable ideas.
You can find more novel ideas at www.rookreading.com.
Poem of the Week
The Poem of the Week is funny on the surface, but is actually layered. Should you read this poem literally, having an onion sharing its thoughts on being cut, or should you read it figurative in which a person compares themselves to an onion and the whole poem is an extended metaphor?
Monologue for an Onion
Suji Kwock Kim
I don't mean to make you cry. I mean nothing, but this has not kept you From peeling away my body, layer by layer, [...]