English Two: My University, all about diversity Asynchronous Activities Goal: In this lesson, we will review some of the topics we studied at the beginning of the semester and we will learn how to recount past experiences or events. Introduction Hi everybody! I hope you are doing great! In our last synchronous meeting (March 20th) we discussed the possibility to continue our online classes with some activities to develop in an asynchronous way and one synchronous meeting (Fridays at 2:00 pm) through Zoom to practice the topics and to answer questions related to them. Besides, we also agreed to record each online lesson to share the video with those students who don’t have the possibility to join our synchronous meetings. In this video you can review the topics we studied that day and our agreements too: Online Lesson -March 20th As you could see in the video, we continued preparing our Task 1: A personal profile. This task is the first step of our Main Task:University students’ healthy and unhealthy habits. We reviewed the main characteristics of this kind of text and analyzed the grammatical features of it. In this example, you can see the main sections of this kind of text and its grammatical features: So, what do we need to write our personal profile? 1. We need to review how to describe personal information and personality traits. 2. We need to learn how to narrate past events in order to support our description. Review: Describing personal information and personality traits In our previous face-to-face classes we studied how to describe our personality and personal interest. If you don’t remember those topics you could check our class handout or our blog: Handout 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-8dRD9_jyGN6MTYNSb-Ez56G5szG63I/view?usp=sharing Class blog: https://udeaenglish2.blogspot.com/p/unit-1.html (See lessons from February 11th, 14th and 18th) Now, it is time to learn how to narrate past events in order to describe our personality better. Narrating past events Activity 1: Review past structures A. Imagine you have an interview with an expert about Leonardo da Vinci and you want to know more about his life. Complete the dialogue by using the verbs in brackets in simple past: You: Hi, thanks for your time. I have some questions about da Vinci for my class. First, when was da Vinci born? The expert: Well, he __WAS___ (be) born on 15 April 1452. You: Where was he born? The expert: He was born in a small village ____CALLED___(call) Vinci in Italy. You: Ok. And what __DID___he ___ STUDY____(study)? The expert: He studied the laws of science and arts. You:That’s amazing! What __ WERE_____(be) his favorite subjects? The expert: Well, he ___WAS____(be) interested in drawing, architecture, sculpture, medicine and he was also an inventor. You: An inventor? I ___DIDN’T KNOW______ (not know) that. What did he invent? The expert: He ___INVENTED_______(invent) the scissors, the helicopter, the tank, the submarine, among other artifacts. You: Wow, da Vinci was a genius! Thanks for your time! The expert: In deed! Any time. What is it easy or difficult for you? If you don’t remember how to structure sentences in past, you can study these lessons: Grammar: Simple Past Lessons 1. Explanation & Exercises 1 2. Explanation & Exercises 2 Or you can also download the simple past workshop (see attached file) to learn more about this tense. Let’s see the use of simple past in real context. In this listening exercise you are going to learn about the life of Hellen Adams Keller. Have you heard about this amazing woman? Activity 2: Listening exercise Audio: Helen Adams Keller A. Listen to the recording about Helen Adams Keller and fill in the blanks. (Segment 0:00 to 1:03) Helen Adams Keller __WAS____an American author, activist and lecturer (TEACHER). She ______the first American deaf and blind person to graduate from college. From an early age she ________to communicate with the world, despite her barriers to communication. She __________a prolific author, anti-war campaigner and spokeswoman for women’s and worker’s rights. She is also an inspiration to millions. Helen Keller _________born in Alabama in 1880. When she was nineteen months old, she __________a mysterious illness that left her deaf and blind. She _________a friendship with the daughter of her family’s cook, who _______a sign language with her. By the age of seven, Helen was using over 60 signs with her family. She ________she could communicate. B. Write (T) for true sentences and (F) for false sentences and underline the wrong information. (Segment 1:04 to 2:03) 1. Helen’s mother read Charles Dickens' book ‘American Notes’ about the successful education of a deaf and blind child in 1886 ______ 2. Anne Sullivan became Helen’s instructor and friend for the next 59 years ________ 3. Helen learnt Braille and used it to learn French, German and Greek ________ 4. Keller wrote twenty books and many articles on global issues _________ 5. Helen Keller died in her sleep in 1958, aged 87 ________ C. Discussion 1: What made Hellen Keller an outstanding woman? Your answer: D. Discussion 2: Not all heroines and heroes wear capes (50-word answer) Think of an everyday person who does good deeds. Can you describe her/him? Can you narrate some important moments of her/his life? Write a short paragraph describing that person. The answers to the Activities 1 and 2 will be discussed in our next online lesson vía Zoom this Friday March 27th at 2:00 pm. Finally, this is an exercise you can develop as part of your portfolio. Portfolio March 31st: Pronunciation tip There are three different ways to pronounce the 'ed' ending of regular verbs in the simple past tense: / Id / t / or / d /. The pronunciation depends on the sound at the end of the infinitive of the main verb and whether it is voiced or not. A voiced sound is one that vibrates in your throat when you say it. Let’s watch a video to learn more about it: The pronunciation of final -ed: Video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7hi-ipU2n0 You can also access this game to practice: Exercise: https://www.grammar.cl/english-games/pronounce-ed-ending.htm I hope you enjoy this lesson a lot!
