Unit 3. Discussion topic

Unit 3. Discussion topic

Postby Sandra » Wed Nov 23, 2016 10:44 am

-When did you last travel to a country where you didn't speak the language? What were the first words you learned? Why did you learn these ones? Do you still remember any of them?
I went to China with no previous knowledge of the language. The first words I lernt were: thank you, hello, goodbye, the numbers. I had to learn these as a means of basic communication, and yes, I do still remember them.

-List some English false friends for speakers of another language. What do they mean in English? What does the equivalent word mean in the other language?

Constipated in English means that you cannot go to the bathroom and in Catalan means that you got a cold.
Carpet is something to cover the floor and in Catalan it's a folder
Embarrassed is a feeling of shame and pregnant in Catalan.
Sandra
 

Re: Unit 3. Discussion topic

Postby Atala Nebot » Tue Jul 18, 2017 4:54 pm

Do you agree with the way they are graded? YES, I AM.
What five other words would you include at each level? AS HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY TEACHER, MY WORDS WOULD BE THE FOLLOWING:
BEGINNERS: HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, VOLCANO, KING/QUEEN, OCEAN, RIVER, CASTLE...
INTERMEDIATE: MIDDLE AGES, PEASANT, RELIEF, KNIGTHT, CROP, MONARCHY, DEMOCRACY...
ADVANCE: CONTINENTAL PLATFORM, PLATEAU, MEANDER, REVOLT, STRIKE, LUDDISM...

When did you last travel to a country where you didn't speak the language? What were the first words you learned? Why did you learn these ones? Do you still remember any of them? I WENT TO GERMANY AND I LEARNED HOW TO SAY "HELLO" (GOOD MORNING, GOOD AFTERNOON, GOOD NIGHT...), "THANK YOU", "YOU ARE WELCOME", "PLEASE", "BUS STATION", "STILL WATER"... i LEARNED BECAUSE THEY ARE THE MOST USEFUL ONES AND MAINLY, BECAUSE THEY WERE THE WORDS THAT I LISTENED MORE TIMES (REPETITION). AND YES, I STILL REMEMBER THEM.

Use a dictionary to check that you know the meanings of these words which can all be used to describe someone’s character.
carefree, easy-going, optimistic, cheerful, nosy, sociable, stubborn, insecure, calm, outgoing, hardworking, intelligent, brainy, reliable, gregarious, obstinate, bossy, assertive, even-tempered
Which of these words would you choose to teach to an intermediate group of learners? NOSY, STUBBORN, OUTGOING, BRAINY, EVEN-TEMPERED. I CHOSE THOSE WORDS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT SO EASY AT THE BEGINNERS GROUP OF WORDS BUT NEITHER AS MUCH DIFFICULT TO INCLUDE THEM IN AN ADVANCE WORDS BANK


List some English false friends for speakers of another language. What do they mean in English? What does the equivalent word mean in the other language?
SENSIBLE IN SPANISH MEANS SENSITIVE
TERRIFIC IN SPANISH IS QUITE SIMILAR TO SCARING
AND THERE ARE A FEW WORDS THAT ARE NOT EXACTLY FALSE FRIENDS BUT FALSE ENGLISH WORDS LIKE FOOTING (THAT IS RUNNING) OR PEN DRIVE (THAT IS MEMORY STICK)

Which of the two statements below do you agree with most? Why?
a. Students can decide for themselves which words they would like to learn.
b. It’s the teacher’s job to decide which words students need to learn.
I ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH SENTENCE B, BECAUSE I KNOW, AS TEACHER, WHAT MY STUDENTS NEED TO KNOW. FOR THEM IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW IT BECAUSE THEY ARE LEARNING, THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE YET. FOR EXAMPLE THEY NEED TO LEARN GRAMMAR EVEN WHEN HATE IT. THEY CAN DECIDE WHAT KIND OF WORDS TO LEARN IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THEIR KNOWLEDGE, THAT'S RIGHT.
Atala Nebot
 

Re: Unit 3. Discussion topic

Postby Guest » Mon Dec 02, 2019 1:59 pm

2. When did you last travel to a country where you didn't speak the language? What were the first words you learned? Why did you learn these ones? Do you still remember any of them?
I travelled to Germany in 2006 and I could speak German. So I learned the most friequently used words such as Good morning, Good night, the structures There is/there are, I've got, Can I ... and different structures with questional words. Sure I remember them even now.

Which of the two statements below do you agree with most? Why?

a. Students can decide for themselves which words they would like to learn.
b. It’s the teacher’s job to decide which words students need to learn.

It depends on the situation. If the student decides to learn the language for the definite purpose (travelling abroad, business, teaching, etc.) he can obviously choose the appropriate course for it. Whether he does it himself or with the help of teacher or a tutor that's for him to decide.
Guest
 


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