A first look... at reality TV shows

1. In preparation for our first topic, read the following articles on reality TV shows and one in particular that might give you a clue about what we are going to do ove rthe next few weeks!

http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-reality-television-do-more-harm-than-good

http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-reality-television-do-more-harm-than-good

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2406992/Educating-Yorkshire-A-school-unruly-pupils-future-recession-hit-town--headmaster-determined-help-succeed-A-new-reality-captures-all.html

2. As you read, pick out new vocabulary and write a definition for them. AT LEAST EIGHT FROM EACH ARTICLE. 
Remember to use lingro at the top of the blog to help you read the articles, especially the third one!

3. If you finish, please use the tabs at the top of the blog (Guardian, BBC etc.) to research some more articles on reality TV shows and people´s opinions of it.

The Man from the South

Before reading:

1. What is your opinion on gambling?

2. Have you ever made a crazy/stupid bet? Or do you know of any stories of anyone (real or fictional) who wagered on a crazy or stupid bet?

3. Why do you think people become addicted to gambling?

Here´s a quizlet list for us to have a look at before we read the story...

https://quizlet.com/212641036/man-from-the-south-key-vocabulary-flash-cards/

Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFLG4r_IuG8&t=9s

Listen to the track and fill in the gaps...

1 In the survey various _______________ were ranked according to how interesting people felt they were. 

2 Apparently, teachers said they enjoyed being able to employ their _______________ . 

3 If there is _______________ , it’s almost impossible to enjoy your work. 

4 The _______________ of bullying in smaller companies is not as high as in bigger ones. 

5 When you work for yourself, it can be difficult to separate the work and leisure _______________ . 

6 Being responsible for one’s own _______________ is likely to make people happy. 

7 In the long run, _______________ can be reduced by financial incentives.

Lamb to the Slaughter - video to watch...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1sBQZfDh0I

Crit A: OMAM Role Play

Key dates:

Scripts must be handed in on MONDAY 8TH MAY (Therefore they need to be finished by Friday 28th April)

Performances will be on MONDAY 15TH MAY  (Provided that you are working hard this week. If I think not enough work is being done, it will be moved to MONDAY 8TH MAY)

Your final lesson of preparation will be MONDAY 8TH MAY (depending on work ethic and behaviour)

Marks will be awarded according to the powerpoint (Check your emails)

Quizlet list for Chapter 6 Of Mice and Men

https://quizlet.com/203594952/of-mice-and-men-chapter-6-flash-cards/?new

OMAM: Chapter 5 Summary

Lennie is in the barn stroking his _____ ____.  ____ ____ comes in and begins to _____ to him.  She _____ in him about her _____ marriage and her _____ of becoming __ _____.  She allows Lennie to ____ __ ____ but asks him to ____ when he becomes too _____ ____.  Lennie is _____.  He grabs Curley’s Wife and she _____.  Lennie puts his hand over her _____ and ____ her violently, _____ her neck.  When he realises what he has done he ____ ___ to hide ______ __ where George told him to.

_____ discovers the body and tells _____ first of all.  Soon all the men arrive.  They decide to go after _____ and _____ him.  _____ finds that his _____ is missing and thinks _____ has taken it.  ____ is sent to _____ for the _____ _____. 

The men and George set out to find Lennie.  _____ is left in the barn with Curley’s Wife, he _____ ____ in the ___ and covers his ____ with his arm.

THE NEXT BOOK YOU NEED

A ROALD DAHL SELECTION: 9 SHORT STORIES

By Roald Dahl

Mixed Conditionals

Work through all of the mixed conditionals exercises via the links below. You must copy and paste ALL of the tasks into a Word document!

Mixed Conditionals 1

Mixed Conditionals 2

Mixed Conditionals 3

Mixed Conditionals 4

Mixed Conditionals 5

Mixed Conditionals 6

Good phrases for your oral exam

MAKING YOUR POINT/ EMPHASIZING THAT SOMETHING IS YOUR OWN OPINION
In my opinion, ...
In my view ...
Personally, I think that ...
Personally speaking,
I reckon ... 
If you ask me, ...
I'd say that ...
I feel that ...
My feeling is that ...
As far as I am concerned ...
From my point of view ... 


HALF-AGREEING
I see/ take your point, but ... 
I see what you mean, but ...
I agree up to a point, but ...
I sort of agree. 

DISAGREEING
I completely disagree.
I don't agree at all.
No, you are missing the point.
That's not the point.
I can't see your point at all.
But that's not always the case.
I am not so sure about that.
I am not sure I agree with you.
I am afraid I don't really agree.
I don't really think you are right. 
Not necessarily. 

ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION
You mean ...
Sorry, I don't quite follow you 

END OF AN ANSWER
… in my view, anyway.
That’s my opinion, anyway.
So, in short …
All in all …
And that’s about it, really.

STARTING/CLOSING A DISCUSSION
We couLd start by talking about ...
Let's talk about ... first. 
I think we need to make a decision.
Shall we try to come to an agreement?

 CONTRAST
But on the other hand …
But at the same time ...
Although I must admit that …
Having said that, …  

PREDICTIONS about yourself
I guess I’ll …
I reckon I will …
I don’t think I’ll ever …
I don’t imagine I’ll …

SUPPOSING ABOUT OTHERS
They are probably …
They probably + verb
They must + verb
It looks as if they are + ing
I imagine they might + verb  


EXPRESSING OPINIONS/ REACTING 
Believe me, …
… seems like the best option to me.
I am really keen on the idea of …
If you ask me, I really think we should …
But just think of the …. !
Personally, I am in favour of … (+ gerund)
I am sure it will be worth it.
… , don’t you agree?  

REACTING in a negative way
I don’t find (modern art) very interesting.
I am not really into (modern art) In fact, I don’t really like(modern art) at all.
To be honest, (modern art) just makes me laugh.
(Modern art) isn’t really my thing.
I am not a big fan of (modern art)

REACTING TO STRANGE INFORMATION 
How weird/ strange/ bizarre/ odd!
How awful!

EXCLAMATIONS
What a great/brilliant/fantastic idea!
What an amazing coincidence!
What a terrible experience!
What a pity!
What a waste of time!
What bad luck! 
What a shame!

How interesting! 
How annoying!
How embarrassing!
How awful! 

ALLOWING YOURSELF TIME TO THINK
I need to think for a moment.
That’s an interesting question.
That's a tricky question, really. 
Well, it’s difficult to say, really.
Let me see.
It depends …
I guess an honest answer would be …
I suppose the simplest answer to that question is …
If I think about it, I suppose …
On balance, I think …
The best example that comes to mind is ...
I have never given it a lot of thought ...

 TALKING ABOUT MISUNDERSTANDINGS 
I was under the impression that …
I thought that … but in fact …
Naturally I assumed that …
It turned out that …
It was so embarrassing.
I was horrified.
I felt awful.
I felt such a fool.
We had a good laugh about it.  

Research these questions- THEY WILL HELP YOU!!

Useful links:

http://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34320399

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24021772

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24292615

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/10/high-price-of-rhino-horn-leaves-bloody-trail-across-the-globe

https://www.slideshare.net/PilarRamosh3/the-4-main-environmental-problems-in-spain

http://www.iberianature.com/geography/environmental-issues-in-spain/

http://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/spain-faces-threat-of-water-crisis/

Writing a formal letter

Dear Sir/Madam (In case you don’t know the name → Yours Faithfully)

Dear Mr X (→Yours Sincerely)

Reason for writing (Who I am (not the name!), What I want, When and Where it happened)

I am writing with regard/reference to (the article which appeared when/where) to express my concern about/disappointment with/dissatisfation with/disapproval of/apologies for (motivation)

Body (2/3 paragraphs – Points from input material)

• Firstly/To begin with/Moreover
• In fact/Furthermore/In addition/Finally
• (I feel) I must also (dis)agree with
• I would like to/ I want to  point out that
• According to your (article)/ Your (article) states that.. However/which is completely wrong

Action Step/Desired outcome

• I trust/very much hope you will (print this letter in the next issue of your newspaper)
• I would appreciate it/be grateful if you would
• It seems only fair that you should
• I look forward to receiving/seeing
• In light of the above (I feel I am entitled to a full refund and a formal apology)

Ending

Yours faithfully/Yours Sincerely

Firma

(Ruolo/Carica)

Linking Words:

	Formal	Less formal
Addition	furthermore, in addition to, in the same way as, moreover, similarly	also, and, as well as, besides, just as
Opposition	although, however, nevertheless, nonetheless, whereas	but, or, so, on the other hand
Reference	in all cases, in general, in many cases, in most cases, in some cases, regarding, with reference to	since, so
Cause and effect (result)	accordingly, consequently, on the whole, therefore, thus, unfortunately	anyway, at any rate, because, because of
Listing	firstly, finally, in the first place, secondly, lastly, next	after, and, and then, before, first, last, second, soon, then

Practice blog question

•You are volunteering with a local organisation that is trying to clean up local forests and to protect the animals within them.

•Write a blog post to reflect on your experiences so far…

Writing a blog...

Make sure you have an engaging title:

How to start?

·         For many people,…

·         I’ve been waiting to write this for some time…

·         So, if you haven’t heard about the recent controversy of …

·         So, I recently went to …

·         I know I’ve posted about … before, but …

·         From … to …, our … have

·         There’s a story currently…

·         Nowadays, I find myself …

·         So, this post is going to …

Expressions/ Idiomatic vocabulary

·         Well, it goes without saying that …

·         If I could put my finger on one thing in particular, it would be …

·         Shame it doesn’t work like that.

·         It goes hand in hand with …

·         Rhetorical questions and answers: Who knows? I don´t. …, right? But when did … become …?

·         Yes/No, …

·         A distraction that I, for one, can’t wait to get rid of.

·         How dare he/ she/ they!

·         I have never eye-rolled this much…

·         Let’s face it …

·         Boo them!/ Cheer them!

·         Needless to say …

·         Anyway, each to their own.

·         To become a dartboard - to become a target

·         To go through the roof - to increase

Introducing yourself in the text/ expressing opinions

·         As a teenager

·         As a black woman…

·         How much I care…

·         But that’s just me.

·         I never thought I’d find myself saying this but …

·         I must say that I agree/disagree with …

·         If I could put my finger on one thing in particular, it would be …

·         What I do know is …

·         Aghh, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound like …

·         So, I’m here to …

·         As much as I think that …, I also think that …

·         I love…

·         I reckon… (informal for I think)

·         I guess there is/are …

·         I was pretty freaking amazed…

·         Oddly, while…

·         Aside from the fact that I’m …, I also think …

·         Shock horror, I’m not into …

Speaking directly to your reader

·         Ha! Don’t be ridiculous!

·         Don’t try and kid yourself!

·         Don’t be silly enough to…

·         Get off your high horse!

·         Get off your soap box!

·         Make a difference!

·         By the way, …

How to end?

·         If you want to share/ offer your opinion and join in with this conversation, please leave a comment below.

·         I’d love to know your thoughts so leave a comment below!

·         If you agree with me, please share my post.

EXTRA: Idioms are an excellent way to show off in informal writing. Try to learn some of the ones below and use them in your blog.

CAE Idioms

Body Idioms