Class 1:

Here’s a repeat of the information I wrote on the board yesterday.

Homework:

• Find an article in English that interests you, and post it on the blog by Friday at the latest.
• Write 10 questions (approx) on the article or on the theme of the article and bring the questions to Tuesdays class.

Students choosing articles for Tuesday, Oct 3rd: Vanessa, Maria

If you have any questions or need help with the task, write to me either through the blogg or to my email address.

See you all next Tuesday 🙂

Class 2:

Learning Languages:

1. Is it more common today for adults to start learning a second or third language?
2. Why is it easier for children to learn languages than grown-ups?
3. What benefits of learning a second language does the article name? Has it benefited you in any way?
4. What would you say to someone to convince them to start learning a second language?
5. What is the most difficult part about learning a second language?
6. Does it help that just learning a language is good for you? That you don’t have to focus only on the goal, that the process is just as beneficial?
7. Do you agree with the article that learning a new language staves off dementia?
8. Do you think speaking another language makes you a better person?
9. Do you think the EU should adopt English as a mandatory universal language?
10. Why is it important to learn multiple languages for some people?
11. Why is English as important as it is? Is that right? What can we do to change it? Should it be Spanish? Do you think it will change at some point?
12. Is English an easy language to learn? In what way is it difficult?

Vocabulary:

Cut(v) the grass / mow(v) the lawn, use a lawnmower(n)

Wallpaper(v) (n) – put up (phrasal verb) wallpaper – stripped the wallpaper – paint the wall

Pass away (ph v) – to die

Retirement Home

Therapeutic – cathartic

Dig up (inf) I dug (past form) up the potatoes. I also picked some flowers. (dig/dug/dug)

“Pick up you god…… clothes!!”

Break / broke / broken. Eat / Ate / Eaten.

I met a friend for coffee / I had coffee with a friend.

Put you on the spot – idiom.

Phrasal verbs: literal meaning & metaphoric meaning

Pick up your clothes (literal – remove clothes from floor) / pick up a language (metaphoric – absorb language by different means)

Soak up – a sponge soaks up water

It’s worth the effort (idiom) – worth doing

I’m a goal-oriented(adj) person.

I think you must have a reason to focus on. (never a ‘to’ after must)

Stand out – noticeable

A native English speaker – English is their ‘mother tongue’ / native language. It’s my first language.

Article: Hyelim

Class 3:

Importance of Sleep:

1. Do you get enough sleep? What is the recommended amount of sleep?
2. Do you have any trouble falling asleep? Do you have any tips to help those who do?
3. How much is enough and how individual do you think ‘enough’ is?
4. Do you go to bed at a regular time every night?
5. Do you snack during the evening?
6. What do you think you could do to improve the quality of your sleep?

 

1. One good thing that happened to you this week.
2. One not-so-good thing that happened.
3. One thing you learned.

collocation – words that tend to go together in a certain context

Conserve energy – not use energy, keep it for later. “Conserve your energy until the end of the race”.

renewable energy – re-useable energy

Articles: Anna Maria, Soheila

Class 4:

Soheila has already added some great questions in the comments section below so I won’t add any more.

I’m sure Anna-Maria will come with some questions on Tuesday, but here are some I’ve written that we can go through. We can add hers later or on the night.

Crime in Sweden:

1. Why has the murder rate risen so much more in Sweden than in other Scandinavian countries?
2. Are you more worried to be out late at night than you were before?
3. Are the police and the government doing enough to try to lower the crime rate?
4. Have you any ideas about how this might be done?
5. Do you think that Swedish society is changing or is this just a temporary situation?
6. Is it true what the article says, that Sweden has been this way for a long time, but it’s only now that the violence if reaching more affluent parts of the city and country?

Class 4:

The Importance of Reading:

• How much do you read? Do you read more now than you used to?
• What’s your favourite book? What book have you read more than once?
• What book from your own country would you recommend someone to read?
• Can you make a list of genres. What genres of fiction do you like to read?
• Do you listen to audiobooks?

1-How does reading affect society?

2-What does critical thinking mean and why is it important?

3-In what way can reading improve memories?

4-Why is reading comprehension important?

5-Has reading decreased? In that case, why?

6-How can we as parents/adults increase the interest of children and teenagers in reading books?

7-Which do you prefer? Reading or listening to a book

8-Are there other benefits of reading that have not been mentioned in the article?

1. Why is reading fiction important? Why do some people it a waste of time? That all worthwhile reading is only of textbooks or fact-based books.

 

Crime in Sweden:

Why has the murder rate risen so much more in Sweden than in other Scandinavian countries?

Are you more worried to be out late at night than you were before?

Are the police and the government doing enough to try to lower the crime rate?

Have you any ideas about how this might be done?

Do you think that Swedish society is changing or is this just a temporary situation?

Is it true what the article says, that Sweden has been this way for a long time, but it’s only now that the violence is reaching the more affluent parts of the city and country?

Vocabulary:

She is strong (adj) – strength(n) – strengthen(v)

High  – height(n) – raise(v)

Collocations:

Broaden(v) horizons(n) – he broadened (past form) his horizons

Commit(v) crimes(n) – commitment(n)

Harsh(adj) sentence

Phrasal verb: end up – to find yourself somewhere

Articles: Mari-Louise, Annica

Class 5:

Work / Life Balance:

Strict line

You must be on time! – be punctual

Overwhelmed – when life gets too much, have too much to do, can’t do it all

Remote work, Foreign concept, leisure time, general well-being, set boundaries, reduce stress, occupy our time (collocation)

Feel fulfilled –

stretch yourself too thin (idiom)

Questions:

Why is recovery important?
Do you work a lot without limits?
Can you feel a difference in your performance if you are a little more rested than usual?
What do you do in your free time?
Do you have many activities scheduled after work during the week?
Do you sometimes feel that even leisure activities can be hard and demanding?
Do you consider cooking as something relaxing or just something that has to be done?
What is your best relaxation advice?

Tourism: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

1. Can you list some advantages of tourism.
2. Can you list some disadvantages?
3. Should people just accept it, especially since they benefit from it financially?
4. What can be done to curb the worst effects of tourism?
5. What are the dangers of being a tourist in a place such as Las Ramblas?
6. What’s the worst holiday you’ve ever been on?
7. What is the best holiday?
8. What is it that makes a holiday special for you?

Articles: Amanda, Nelyda

Class 6:

Vocabulary – AI:

Face(v) redundancies (collocation) – quite formal, almost journalistic.

Informal – get fired, lose my job, got the sack, was sacked, made redundant

Ended, wanted, wash, watched, sacked, fired

Ch(tsh)eap – sheep, j(dz)azz –

Face (the) facts, face the truth – to accept the truth, stop fooling yourself

Wipe out (ph v) – erase, destroy

Embody – make real, epitomise

Upheaval – cause chaos

Under threat (coll) – something is being threatened

Let’s be clear (idiom) –

Impact(v)(n). Other examples – concern

Bias – prejudice, leaning

 

AI and the Workplace

1 – Do you know any type of technology based on artificial intelligence?

2 – Do you think that the current artificial intelligence on the market can create knowledge?

3 – How is artificial intelligence impacting the job market and which professions are most vulnerable to layoffs?

4 – Are there specific roles or skills that are in demand and less likely to be affected by AI-related redundancies?

5 – Considering that AI can replace teachers, do you think this is a reality for everyone or just for the youngest?

6 – Currently, Artificial Intelligence can create art (music, works of art, design, poems, etc.), or replace actors, for example. Do you think this will impact people’s creativity?

7 – Considering that today the technology called ChatGPT can generate a complex text using just a few words from the reference, and many students are using this technology. Do you think what types of consequences there could be for these students’ learning?

8 – How can individuals in high-risk professions prepare for the changing professional landscape driven by AI?

9 – Can you give examples of professions that have already suffered job losses due to AI automation?

10 – What ethical considerations and policies should be implemented to mitigate the negative consequences of AI-induced job losses in the workplace?

Class 8:

Final Class

Tips for further study:

• Manage expectations – don’t get overly ambitious. Set achievable goals.
• Chat GPT
• English Easy Practice
• Audiobooks, podcasts
• Movies, tv-shows (with subtitles in English)
• Books – 1 Ladies Detective Agency, young adult books,
• Practice speaking with people of different levels
  • Check your local library
  • Universities
  • Family members, friends

Good luck to you all and thanks for a wonderful course :)!