Welcome to Flight 003. I hope you have enjoyed the previous two Flights. Don’t forget they are available for four weeks and will be republished annually.
This week there is more Vocabulary, Use of English (phrasal verbs), Listening, Speaking (pronunciation), and a study guide (mindset). There is a publication guide here to keep track of all the series. Roughly said, either an item is weekly or monthly published.
If you have any ideas or suggestions feel free to share them here or on social media.
You can download the complete Flight 003 here (zip-file in Dropbox):
Study Guide 003
Mind set
After creating a study area and knowing proper study behaviour, it is now time to focus on mind set. Our intentions have a large influence on our learning. If you study with the intention to know, to understand, you will retain information better, even the less interesting parts. You should also have a growth mind set, which is the understanding that improvement requires effort.
OWL 003
Get yourself exposed to the English language as much as possible to extend your vocabulary bank. Use OWL as a supplement. Don’t forget there is also an Excel file (xlsx) available to upload to your favourite testing app.
I give you a high five: austerity, dissent, relief, gesture, and cohesion.
Use of English
Phrasal Verbs 001
A phrasal verb is a verb with one or more prepositions, like look into or put forward. Phrasal verbs can be tricky as a change in preposition changes the meaning of the verb. Some verbs can have many different prepositions, so it is important to be aware of the many combinations a phrasal verb can have. This week we will go into phrasal verbs with the verb LOOK.
Listening 001
The BBC 5 minutes on listening assessment of this week is about Kneecap, a Northern Irish hip hop formation rapping both in English and Gaelic. You will also hear the Northern Irish dialect which will be more difficult to comprehend. Focus on context and the nouns and verbs and you should be fine.
for teachers
You can do this assignment in two ways. After the warming up students answer the questions as they listen. You can have them listen to the recording twice. This would be CEFR B1/B2 level.
The second method is having students take notes while they are listening and after the recording show them the questions. This would be CEFR B2 level. This would also practise CITO listening: note-taking for Dutch students.
Speaking
Pronunciation: th-sounds
This week we go into pronunciation with speaking. Although fluency is more important than pronunciation, not being able to pronounce the sounds of the English language might cause miscommunication or distract a conversation.
We start with the th-sound, which a typical English sound not found in many other language. First, we focus on how to produce the sound, then there are three assignments to practice the sounds. Don’t forget, pronunciation is a skill: you will only get better by doing.
Literature
Last week, again, I mainly focused on non-fiction. I finished Overcoming Dyslexia. The book is mainly for parents rather than teachers, but I got some interesting scientific insight into dyslexia. I also finished the short book The Art of Storytelling by John D. Walsh. Interestingly, but actually not surprisingly, there is much overlap between public storytelling and public speaking. I have this idea to incorporate more storytelling in my classes, so the book gave me some more basic tips telling stories.
I also started The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity, a mammoth of a book, but after reading the first chapter, I am still excited about this one. Finally, I am rounding up Bad Therapy by Abigail Shrier. Shrier has a more conservative view on raising and guiding children. I do not agree on all her points, but it is refreshing to see a push-back towards the overflow of therapy for young children.
The Novel of the Week for this week is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I always sell this book to my students as “The Walking Dead” without zombies. It has this same atmosphere of abandonment, lawlessness, and survival. The writing style is uncomplicated and the plot straightforward. Yet, the story of a boy and his father walking towards the ocean shows a complicated relationship between the two.
Now the winners of the Women’s Prizes for Fiction and Non-Fiction have been announced, it is time to have deeper dive into the lists. Hannah Greendale gives a personal and considerate overview about the books which should fill your TBR shelf even more.
Novel of the Week
In a post-apocalyptic world, a father and son embark on a treacherous journey towards the coast, facing scarcity, danger, and the struggle to maintain their humanity. Their bond and determination fuel their survival in the face of relentless despair.
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Year of publication: 2006
Pages: 307
CEFR: B2/C1
Plot Complexity: moderate
Language Complexity: moderate
Ideas Complexity: moderate
The Road features a plot with moderate complexity, language that is moderately complex but not highly sophisticated, and explores ideas that are thought-provoking but not overwhelmingly intricate. It is suitable for readers with a B2/C1 CEFR level of language proficiency.
You can find more novel ideas at www.rookreading.com.
Poem of the Week
You won’t find a lot of poetry on science fiction and even with literary novels the topic is rare. “Taken Up” is a suggestive, dualistic poem about the seeds of aspen trees ascending to find new ground to flourish, or about people leaving behind life and find heaven between the stars, or about people being taken by aliens. It is not about what is the right read, it is more about the enjoyment of excepting all three.
Read the poem first with aspen tree seeds in mind, eager to explore the unknown, releasing themselves from mother trees as the sun rises (the personified read). Then read the poem about people meeting with aliens (probably the easiest one as it is the most literal) who invite them to go on a journey. Finally, read the poem with the take of people having to let go of life and prepare for the ‘emptiness’ (the allegorical read).
Taken up
Charles MartinTired of earth, they dwindled on their hill,
Watching and waiting in the moonlight until
The aspens' leaves quite suddenly grew still,
[…]