CLASS 12 (28.ABR-5.MAI.09)

PHRASAL VERBS

Phrasal verbs are idiomatic expressions, combining verbs and prepositions to make new verbs whose meaning is often not obvious from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. They are widely used in both written and spoken English, and new ones are formed all the time as they are a flexible way of creating new terms.

Very often you'll have to look up in dictionaries the meaning of phrasal verbs. Here you have a list of pages where you can look them up:

• Phrasal Verb Dictionary
  
• Dictionary of English Phrasal Verbs
  
• esl-lounge – phrasal verbs
  
• Phrasal verbs
  
• 1000 phrasal verbs
  

Now it's time to take some exercises and quizzes to test your knowledge on phrasal verbs. Don't forget to look up their meaning in the previous pages and dictionaries. Phrasal verbs are very difficult! Don't become discouraged if you fail a lot, just try to do the exercises again.

• Phrasal Verb Quizzes - By Verb
  
• Phrasal verbs - Fill-in Exercise
  
• phrasal verb exercise page
  

WRITING A NARRATIVE (optional activities)

Writing a narrative is like telling a story. A narrative is a story about a series of events and they are usually written in the past. You can have a look at some Tips for Writing a Personal Narrative, if you want to improve your writing. A narrative essay must include:

1. Opening: Presents the setting, the characters and the place where the story takes place.
   
2. Body: Develops the plot explaining the events in the story.
   
3. Closing: Explains the end of the story and how the plot is solved.
   

There are some useful language and expressions you can use in narrative essays:

• TIME EXPRESSIONS: when, while, before, after, as soon as, by the time, until, during, yesterday, all night, a week later, last summer, it all began when…, before I knew it, suddenly
  
• SEQUENCE EXPRESSIONS: first, at first, in the beginning, to begin with, next, later, meanwhile, finally, at last, in the end
  

By now you should be ready to write your own narrative composition, using all the information you have about writing narrative essays. I want you to write a short composition (100 words) about the earthquake in Italy this Easter. You'll find useful information and vocabulary about this topic in the following websites:

• Natural Disaster Recovery - Popular Mechanics

• 22 Steps to Save Yourself When Natural Disaster Hits

• National Geographic - NaturalDisastersInformation

HOMEWORK (optional)

Send the composition to cristina.itaca@gmail.com with narrative in the subject of the message, before your next class in the computer room.

CLASS 11 (14-21.ABR.09)

Let's start working with UNIT 5 AGAINST ALL ODDS. The contents of the unit are:

• Vocabulary: survive in dangerous situations
  
• Making inference to understand things that aren't written in texts (reading between the lines and paying attention to small details and hints in texts)
  
• Phrasal verbs with multiple meanings
  
• Defining and non-defining relative clauses
  
• Speculate and predict consequences
  
• Use of adjectives and adverbs
  
• Write a narrative
  

RELATIVE CLAUSES

You are going to investigate about defining and non-defining relative clauses. This time you are going to make a summary or diagram explaining the rules and use of this type of clauses, adding examples if you find them useful. You can do this summary or diagram in English or Catalan. Once you are finished send the document to cristina.itaca@gmail.com with relative clauses in the subject of the message.

You'll find information to do this diagram in pages 58 and 122 in your books or in the following links:

• English Grammar Online – Relative Clauses
  
• Relative Clauses I
  
• Relative Clauses II
  
• Introduction to relative clauses
  
• Defining relative clauses
  
• Non-defining relative clauses
  

Now you are ready to do some exercises on relative clauses. Do all the exercises and repeat them if you have a lot of mistakes:

• Relative pronouns - who, which, whose
  
• Relative pronouns - who, which, whose or no pronouns?
  
• Defining relative sentences
  
• Relative Pronoun Gap Fill
  
• Which Relative Clause?
  
• Relative sentences
  

HOMEWORK

Send a summary or diagram explaining the rules and use of relative clauses to cristina.itaca@gmail.com with relative clauses in the subject of the message, before your next class in the computer room.

MIND MAPS

Per fer la tasca de la CLASS 11 podeu fer servir programes que us ajudin a fer mind maps (mapes conceptuals). Hi ha diferents eines que podeu descarregar-vos, però jo us recomano el CmapTools. Si cliqueu a download podreu descarregar el programa als vostres ordinadors. Només heu d'anar seguint les instruccions que van sortint. Si teniu cap dubte poseu-vos en contacte amb mi per email o pregunteu a classe si no sabeu com fer-lo. Si hi ha molta gent interessada en el funcionament d'aquest programa podem fer una classe extra per explicar en detall com funciona.

Una vegada tens el programa descarregat ja pots començar a treballar. Els mapes que facis es poden guardar al teu equip o compartir-los online. Al teu equip es guardaran en una carpeta ques es diu My Cmaps dintre de Els meus documents. Pots tornar a obrir els mapes i modificar-los tantes vegades com vulguis. Els mapes es guarden amb extensió que només es pot obrir amb ordinadors que tinguin el mateix programa. Si vols enviar-los a algú has de obrir el menú Archivo, clicar Exportar Cmap como i triar el format que li vulguis donar (imatge, pdf, pàgina web...).

Els mind maps són eines que permeten organitzar representar el coneixement de manera senzilla, pràctica i visual. El seu objectiu és representar les relacions entre els conceptes, que es troben en caixes o cercles. Aquestes relacions s'expliciten amb línies que uneixen les diferents caixes. Aquestes línies s'asocien a paraules o nexes que descriuen quina és la relació entre conceptes.

Si vols saber més sobre el tema pots mirar mapas conceptuales