English V - Week 9 - What's Next?

Introduction: Hello everyone, and welcome to Week 9 of the course English V at Universidad Castro Carazo term IC 2024. In today's class we will talk about jobs in the future and the possible impact of technology on employment. 

Goals: In today's class we will

• Use will and won't and modals of possibility to express predictions about the future. 
• Analyze a situation and make a difficult decision. 

Guiding Questions: By the end of today's class you will be able to provide a thoughtful response to the following questions

• What do I look for in a job?
• How will technology change the future of work?

Warm Up: Draw the Future

Click on your group document and follow your teacher's instructions.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE

• Making Interpretations
• I think it might be...
• I'm not sure but it looks like...
• I have no idea but I'm going to make a guess.

Task 1: Whole Group Discussion

Click play on the video timer below and discuss the following questions with your partners.

• Look at the adjectives below. For each one, mentions several occupations that you think they could describe:

• Dirty
• Boring
• Challenging
• Underpaid
• Dangerous
• Exciting
• Enjoyable
• Well-paid
• Stressful

• Last week we talked about jobs that are in danger of disappearing because of globalization, automation, and artificial intelligence. Which jobs do you think are most vulnerable? Why?

• Which careers do you think are the safest for young people to follow? Why?

• Do you think that the evolution of technology will bring mostly postive effects or will it have more negative consequences for the average person in the future? Why?

Task 2: Language Review

Let's quickly review the language points from last week. 

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Task 3: What do you think?

Read the list of predictions made by experts about the year 2065. Use the phrases in the yellow box to express your opinion about each one. Make sure you give reasons and details to support your opinion. You will have 7 minutes to complete this task. Click play on the timer so you can keep track of the time.

At Home

• Most people will install solar panels or wind turbines on their houses or apartment buildings to generate their own electricity.
• People will recycle almost 100% of their waste (residuos) and people who don't recycle will have to pay a fine to the government.
• People will live in tall apartment buildings and it won't be common for people to live in their own house. Only rich people will have enough money to live in a home with a yard (jardín).
• The overall home situation will be better than now.

Transportation

• Cars that use a lot of gas (ex. 4x4s) will be prohibited and many people will be driving electric cars.
• Cheap airlines will disappear and flights will be much more expensive.
• Taxis and Ubers will be driverless. Also, there will be flying drones to transport people around the city.
• The overall transportation situation will be better than now.

The Environment

• Paper books will not be produced so we can save trees from being cut down. All books will be electronic.
• Fresh water will run out (agotarse) in many parts of the world and we will get much of our water from the ocean through desalination plants.
• Costa Rica will continue to protect its national parks from development but there will be more air and water pollution in cities.
• The overall environmental situation will stay the same as now.

The Weather

• Temperatures worldwide will rise even further. Many ski resorts will be closed because of a lack (escasez) of winter snow and some beaches and vacation resorts will disappear completely.
• We will have even more extreme weather, and heat waves, hurricanes, floods, etc., will be frequent occurrences. 
• The city of Puntarenas will disappear underwater completely and Limón will be more affected by storms.
• The overall weather situation will be worse than now.

Work Life

• More than 90% of jobs will be remote. People will study, work, and socialize online in virtual reality. Food deliveries will be made by drones. There will be very few reasons to leave your house.
• The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. Machines will replace most manual labor like cooks, construction, and drivers. Artificial intelligence will take the place of office workers, receptionists, teachers, tech support. This means that millions of people will have to compete for the same jobs.
• The overall work situation will be worse than now.

Task 4: What's Next?

Now go to your ebook pages 48 and 49 (Unit 4 Part B).  Complete exercises 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10

• Your Ebook: CLICK HERE
• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Task 5: Dream Jobs
Work with your partners to create a job advertisement.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE

Task 6: Making a Challenging Decision

Click your group link and follow the instructions with your partners. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE
• Group 6: CLICK HERE

Task 7: Making a Plan

Imagine you just lost your job at Shur-Time Watch Company because management bought a new computer system that made your job redundant. What are your plans now? Tell your friends about your next steps.

• What are your plans now that you have to change careers?
• What are you doing to make yourself more attractive to potential employers?
• What will you say in your next job interview to convince the manager that you are the right person for the job?
• How will you improve your skills so that you can adapt to changing situations in the future?
• Do you have plans to study something else or get any additional certifications?
• What are you worried about in the future?
  

 TOEIC Preparation - Week 5 - Parts 5 and 6 - Incomplete Sentences and Cloze Passages

Introduction: In today's class we continue our two week study of parts 5 and 6 in the reading test. This part of the test is similar to standard multiple choice English exams that you are familiar with. Here the test is measuring your ability to identify the appropriate vocabulary, phrase, or grammatical structure to complete a sentence. Complete the collaborative tasks below with your partners. 

Warm Up: Fortunately, Unfortunately

In this warm up activity you will improvise a story with your partners. Based on ONE of the prompts below. Each person in the group will contribute one sentence at a time to the story. Every sentence must begin with UNFORTUNATELY or FORTUNATELY and you must alternate between them. Keep the story going until your teacher calls you back to the main room.

• Last weekend I went to the beach.
• Unfortunately, ...
• Fortunately, ...

• My friend invited me to a party last Friday night.
• Unfortunately, ...
• Fortunately, ...

• I got a new job!
• Unfortunately, ...
• Fortunately, ...

Task 1: Recognize Parts of Speech by Suffix

Click the link below then go to your assigned section of the document according to your breakout room number. You have two tasks to complete. In the first you must categorize the words according to their part of speech. In the second, you will read the words in context, identify their suffix, and think of another word that finishes with the same suffix.

• Group Document: CLICK HERE

Task 2: Identify the Part of Speech

Read each sentence and identify the part of speech of the missing word. Then look at the answer choices. Use the suffix of the words to identify their parts of speech and select the most appropriate word to complete the sentence. 

Click to View Full Sized Image

Task 3: Reviewing Transition Words and Conjuctions

Another grammar point that is evaluated in Parts 5 and 6 are connection words and phrases. These little words can cause a lot of confusion. Let's take some time to analyze their functions. Click your group link below and complete the table with the missing information. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE

Task 4: Test Yourself - Transition Words and Subordinate Conjunctions

Now click the links below to take two group grammar quizes with your partners to practice the grammar topic from the previous task. 

• Group Quiz - Transition Words: CLICK HERE
• Group Quiz - Subordinate Conjunctions: CLICK HERE

Task 5: Focused Practice - Part 6 - Word Forms and Verb Tenses

We may not have time to complete this in class so you can always do it for extra practice during the week. Click your group link below. Read the three articles and select the best answer choice for each blank. Keep in mind that all the items in this practice will require you to select the word form that matches the missing part of speech or select the correct tense and form of the missing verb.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE
• Group 6: CLICK HERE

TOEIC Speaking Practice - Describe a Picture

Task 1: Outline a Sample Response

Let's start by practicing the organizational framework carefully. Click the link below that corresponds to your breakout room and follow the instructions in the document.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE

Task 2: Timed Practice

Work with your partner to describe the photos in the presentation below using the description framework we have practiced. Take time to analyze the picture with your partner and brainstorm some important aspects to include in your description. When you are ready, click the 30 second timer and speak for the entire time. Remember to follow the steps:

1. Establish the Context
2. Describe the Focal Point
3. Make Logical Speculations
4. Identify Physical Relationships

When you finish, discuss your performance with your partner. What do you think you did well? What aspects of your description framework could you improve? Now, it's your partner's turn to describe the same image. When you finish, your partner will choose a photo to describe and repeat the process. 

Click the 3 dots and put the presentation in full screen.

Click the arrow to change slides. You may have to click it multiple times for it to respond!

  English V - Week 8 - Jobs of the Future

Introduction: Hello everyone, and welcome to Week 8 of the course English V at Universidad Castro Carazo term IC 2024. In today's class we will talk about jobs in the future and the possible impact of technology on employment. 

Goals: In today's class we will

• Discuss the possible impact of new technology on the way people will work in the future.
• Use will and won't and modals of possibility to express predictions about the future. 

Guiding Questions: By the end of today's class you will be able to provide a thoughtful response to the following questions

• What do I look for in a job?
• How will technology change the future of work?

Warm Up: Job Crossword Puzzle

Click the group document and follow your teacher's instructions.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE
• Group 6: CLICK HERE

Task 1: Group Discussion

Click play on the video timer below and discuss the following questions with your partners.

• Do you currently work? If so, what do you do?

• What are your responsibilities and schedules?

• Why did you choose the career you are currently studying?

• What is your dream job? Why is it your dream?

• When you were a young child, what jobs did you think were cool?

• How do you feel about those jobs now?

• What jobs do you think will disappear in the future? Why?

• In what areas of our lives do you think new kinds of jobs will be created? What will those new future jobs be?

• Use the vocabulary words below to describe different jobs:

• Dirty
• Boring
• Challenging
• Underpaid
• Dangerous
• Exciting
• Enjoyable
• Well-paid
• Stressful

Task 2: Reading and Speaking

We are going to complete exercises 1-7 in Unit 4 Part A of your textbook in the section called "Will a Robot Take Your Job?"

• Access your Ebook: CLICK HERE

Task 3: Language Analysis

Click the group link below and follow the teacher's instructions.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Task 4: Watching and Speaking

One person in your group should share the screen and computer sound. Click the group link and write a nickname for your group, and follow the instructions. Put the video in fullscreen so it is easier to see.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Did you finish early? Great! Click the link below and review some of the occupations you see and discuss these questions:

• Occupations: CLICK HERE

• Which of these occupations do you think will be completely replaced by machines?
• Which of these occupations may continue to exist but with some changes from technology?
• Which of these occupations might continue in the future unchanged by technology?

Task 5: Panel Discusion

Click your group link and follow the instructions to complete your chart. When you return to the main room, we will have a group discussion to share your ideas.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE

Task 6: Making a Challenging Decision

Click your group link and follow the instructions with your partners. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE
• Group 6: CLICK HERE

Task 7: What Happened?

Let's finish with a short grammar practice about two mysterious stories. Click your group link below and follow the instructions. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE
• Group 6: CLICK HERE

 TOEIC Preparation - Week 4 - Part 5 and 6 - Incomplete Sentences & Cloze Passages

Introduction: In today's class we begin our two week study of parts 5 and 6 in the reading test. This part of the test is similar to standard multiple choice English exams that you are familiar with. Here the test is measuring your ability to identify the appropriate vocabulary, phrase, or grammatical structure to complete a sentence. Complete the collaborative tasks below with your partners. 

Task 1: Part of Speech Rally

In Parts 5 and 6 of the exam you need to be able to identify the part of speech of the missing word or phrase in order to select the right answer choice. Let's do a review of the seven most important parts of speech. Click on your group link below and complete the chart with the part of speech, a group definition, and several examples.

Group 1: CLICK HERE

Group 2: CLICK HERE

Group 3: CLICK HERE

Group 4: CLICK HERE

Group 5: CLICK HERE

Task 2: Identifying Prepositions

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and the object that comes after it. Identify the prepositional phrases in the sentences below. Using annotations, circle the prepositions and the objects that follow them.

Click to view full sized image.

Task 2: Word Forms Matching

Click your group link below. On each page you have three sentences and four words. Match the correct word form with each sentence. There will be one word left over.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE
• Group 6: CLICK HERE

Task 4: Focused Practice

Take the quiz with your partners. Identify the the part of speech of the missing word and make the best selection from the answer choices. Check you answers when you finish.

• Group Quiz: CLICK HERE

Task 5: Function Words

Some questions in parts 5 and 6 will require you to distinguish between grammatical words with similar functions. Click your group link below and follow the instructions in the document. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE
• Group 6: CLICK HERE