English Conversation B2/C1 (Start 29/1)

Thank you for taking this course!  It’s been very nice to meet you all.

Here are the notes from the final lesson: Notes from Lesson 8 | Sarah’s Blog

If you would to take the next course starting on 14th April: English Conversation B2/C1 – Folkuniversitetet    If you can, please sign up before the Easter break, so that the course administration have an idea of numbers, which will help with planning. Thank you!

 

Homework from Lesson Seven:

Please read through the notes from the lesson today. You can find them here: Notes from Lesson 7 (19/3/26) | Sarah’s Blog

This is a new word from yesterday, and you can explore its meaning and usage further here: sprawl

Book: if you would like more practice with the language of towns, please go to Unit 25 in the book.  I will email a copy of the worksheet we looked at last night.

Please choose an article or presentation from your favourite website of this course, TED talks, six-minute English, News in Levels etc and be prepared to talk about it in class next week.

 

Lesson Six:

Please read through the notes from the lesson today. You can find them here: Notes from Lesson 6 (5/3) | Sarah’s Blog

Here’s the meaning of chant that I struggled to define yesterday 🙂

In honour of International Women’s Day on 8th March, please watch this and do the accompanying vocabulary exercises if you wish. There is a transcript available if you wish to read and listen at the same time: How these women changed science forever | LearnEnglish These are the questions from the video that you can consider: Which of the scientists in the video do you think is most important? Which finding do you think is the most interesting?

If you mark International Women’s Day in any way, or have done so in the past, please let us know!

Do something that makes you happy and/or that you learn from at some point during the next two weeks and tell us about it in the next lesson.

This is my little horse that my grandmother gave me when I was a child, as part of a stable that she made from an old box. It has sentimental value. Please choose something that has sentimental value or any special meaning for you, and either take a photo or bring it in if it’s not heavy or fragile, and tell us about it

 

Homework from Lesson Five:

Review: Please read through the notes from the lesson today. You can find them here: Notes from Lesson 5 (26/2/26) | Sarah’s Blog

Listen to and watch the story of Eric Moody and British Airways Flight 009. Let us know what you thought of the story and think about another story you might know of someone who saves the day to talk about next lesson.  It doesn’t have to be in the context of flying, neither does it need to be a famous story, but perhaps something local and/or personal to you. It should be someone you respect because of what they did.  You don’t need a Facebook account to access this: https://www.facebook.com/BBCOne/videos/the-tale-of-a-calm-pilot-during-a-flight-emergency-qi/339632465308928/ You could also consider a journey that was memorable for you in some way (although perhaps not as dramatic as Captain Moody’s!)

Listening – Here is a new podcast and video series called Beating Speaking Anxiety, which seems to be pretty appropriate for our type of course!  Please take a look through the podcasts and videos and choose one to watch which seems most relevant for you and be prepared to share something interesting that you learned BBC Learning English – Beating Speaking Anxiety

If you are interested in cars, vehicles in general and the language needed to discuss them, you could visit the AA’s website here      This is nothing to discuss in class as such, but please let us know if you liked it! How to stay safe while you wait for help | The AA

Now that we are halfway through the course, I have some questions for you to reflect upon your progress so far and where you would like to go from here.  You don’t need to answer them all  and you can answer as much or as little as you like.   The questions are below, please email your answers to me when you are ready.  Thank you!

Mid-course reflection questions

  1. How has your confidence in speaking English changed since the beginning of the course? What feels easier?
  2. What situations still make you hesitate or feel unsure?
  3. When you don’t know a word, what strategies do you use to keep the conversation going?
  4. Have you noticed improvement in fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, or vocabulary? In what way?
  5. What classroom activities have helped you improve the most?
  6. What activity has been the most challenging?
  7. How often do you practise speaking outside of class?
  8. What specific goal would you like to focus on in the second half of the course?
  9. Do you feel you’ve had opportunities to suggest topics for discussion?
  10. Have any of your suggestions been included in class? If so, how did that affect your motivation?
  11. Do you feel your interests are reflected in the discussions and activities?
  12. What topics or types of activities would you like more of in the second half of the course?

 

Lesson Four:

Review: Please read through the notes from the lesson today. You can find them here: Notes from Lesson 4 (19/2/26) | Sarah’s Blog

New vocabulary: Please use the Cambridge online dictionary to check the meanings, uses and pronunciation of new words that crop up in our lessons or in your reading between lessons.  Here is the entry for blackout for example, that I had a few problems myself answering.

Please choose an article to read/listen to from your preferred site to talk about in class next week:

I handed out the questions on travel in class yesterday, and will email a digital copy.

 

Lesson Three:

Review: Please read through the notes from the lesson today. You can find them here: Notes from Lesson 3 (12/2/26) | Sarah’s Blog  If any of the words are new and you would like to check their meaning and pronunciation, you can always go to the online Cambridge Dictionary.  Try perch for example, since it is such a multipurpose word.

Visit Rightmove  and choose somewhere in the UK you would like to live.  In the lesson next week, please talk about the property you have chosen and the area, and why you chose these. What particularly appeals to you about the property and the area, and what any drawbacks might be.  What would be the greatest culture shock about living away from Sweden and Swedish housing standards do you think?

Vocabulary – Everyday problems (emailed)

Reading.  Read through this article before the next lesson Children’s vocabulary shrinking as reading loses out to screen time, says Susie Dent | Children | The Guardian  Here are some questions for you to consider and discuss in groups in class.

Children’s language development, screen time and reading 

  1. What are your earliest memories of learning new words or reading for fun?
  2. Can you think of any word games you played as a child and word games you enjoy now?
  3. How do you think technology has changed the way people learn languages (their own and others) and communicate?
  4. How much time do you think children and adults today spend reading books compared to using screens?
  5. Do you have rules for screentime in your family?
  6. Do you think children (and adults!) should have less screen time? Why or why not?
  7. The increasing use of screentime among children is often seen as a negative development. Why is this and can you argue for the opposing point of view?
  8. People have always worried about new technology. What examples does the writer give, and can you think of any other examples from the past?
  9. How do children learn from the habits of adults?
  10. How does access to the internet help develop our language?
  11. Do you think learning a foreign language should be compulsory in schools? Why/why not?
  12. What are the advantages and disadvantages of learning from screens versus learning from books?
  13. What do you think is the “sweet spot” between using technology and reading?
  14. Are audiobooks a good alternative to the printed word?

 

Lesson Two

Review: Please read through the notes from the lesson today. You can find them here: Notes from Lesson 2 (6/2) | Sarah’s Blog

Vocabulary and discussion:  the home.  I handed out the worksheet in class yesterday, and have emailed it to you as well.

News in Levels Apologies for not having done this in class yesterday!  Let’s take it next week:

Before next week, please visit the News in Levels site, and choose a topic that interests you, and read through it from Level 1 up to Level 3.  In the lesson you can tell your partner what you read and what you thought of the site and the different levels, and one item of new vocabulary that you think you will use again at some point. The link is here: English News In Levels – Daily News for ESL Learners at Every Level

Explore the world of Ted Talks. Choose a presentation to watch (there are usually captions available to switch on as well). You can select a presentation related to the world of work or business, or something of your own choice: https://www.ted.com/talks  

Choose a photo from your phone  that has a special memory for you. Next week, please show your partner your photo and talk about what you were doing and why it was special for you.  There are some ideas below to discuss if you wish.

Ideas

  1. When and where was this photo taken?
  2. What is happening in the photo?
  3. If there are people in the photo – who are they and how do you know them?
  4. What do you like most about this photo?
  5. Would you like to relive this moment? Why or why not?
  6. Would you like to have more days like this?

Book – If you have the book, you can work through Units 11 and 16 and check your answers with the key at the back of the book. Let me know if you have any questions about the vocabulary.

 

Lesson One

Hi everyone, it was nice to meet you all last night. Here is the information for your self-study this week, all the links are in brown.  Do as much or as little as you have time and enthusiasm for 🙂

Here are the notes from the lesson for you to read through: Notes from Lesson 1 (29/1) | Sarah’s Blog

Before next week, please visit the News in Levels site, and choose a topic that interests you, and read through it from Level 1 up to Level 3.  In the lesson you can tell your partner what you read and what you thought of the site and the different levels, and one item of new vocabulary that you think you will use again at some point. The link is here: English News In Levels – Daily News for ESL Learners at Every Level

You should also visit the page we looked at in class:  Useful websites and other resources to help you learn English | Sarah’s Blog  and try a few links and see you what you liked. Please tell us what you think!

Vocabulary and discussion for next week – “Work” (emailed)

Here is the link to the Cambridge online dictionary that was talked about last night: Cambridge English Dictionary: Meanings & Definitions

Do something that makes you happy this week, and take a photo. Next week, please show your partner your photo and talk about what you were doing and why it was special for you.

 

 

 

Hello everyone and welcome to the course!
My name is Sarah, and I am delighted to be your teacher for the upcoming English course starting on Thursday, 29th January. Our lessons begin at 17.00 in room 533. Please visit this blog page regualarly to find homework assignments and any lesson notes I share.

Here are the scheduled dates for the course: 29/3, 5/2, 12/2, 19/2, 26/2, 5/3, 19/3, 26/3   There is no lesson on 12/3 as I am away from Stockholm.

To support your course, I recommend buying this book – click here: English Vocabulary in Use upper-intermediate fourth edition  This would be used mostly for self-study at home working through the topics we discuss in the course.  You can buy this via www.bokus.com or at Ferdosi Bookshop at Drottninggatan 87 in Stockholm.

First Lesson Preparation:
Please come ready to introduce yourself and share a bit about your experience with English. Remember, this is a communicative course, and the focus is on building your confidence and fluency. Don’t worry about making mistakes or not being able to find the exact words you need at times —everyone is here to improve, and you will expand your range of vocabulary throughout the course.

Discussion questions for the first lesson

  1. How long have you been learning English, and what has helped you reach your current level?
  2. In what situations do you feel most (or least) comfortable speaking English? Why?
  3. What do you enjoy most about being able to communicate in English?
  4. What motivated you to join this course at this point in your life?
  5. How has English influenced your personal or professional life?
  6. Have you ever lived, worked, or travelled in an English-speaking country? What was memorable about that experience?
  7. Is there an English-speaking country you dream of visiting in the future?
  8. Do you have a favourite English word, idiom, or saying?
  9. What aspects of learning English do you find most challenging? How do you try to overcome these difficulties?
  10. Can you describe a situation where knowing English made a significant difference for you?
  11. What are your specific goals for this course, and how can I best support you in achieving them?
  12. If you have taken a course with me before, what activities or topics did you find most useful? Are there new areas you’d like us to explore this time?