1 Look at the Writing task. Do the notes agree with the topic of the panel discussion?
Your class has attended a panel discussion on the topic Memorisation of facts and figures is useless for our generation. You have made the notes below:
Ø Memorisation is a necessary first step in learning. For example, learning letters and sounds in order to read.
Ø If we don’t spend too much time memorising facts, that frees up our time and brain power to do more challenging things.
Ø If we are too reliant on technology to remember things for us, we may lose our ability to memorise.
Write an essay for your tutor discussing two of the ideas in your notes. Explain which idea is most important and provide reasons to support your opinion.
2 Read the essay written for the task in Exercise 1 on page 57. Answer the questions.
1 - Which two ideas did the student choose to discuss from the question?
2 - Which idea did the student consider most important? What reasons did they give?
3 - What is the topic of each paragraph?
WATCH OUT!
Participle clauses are an alternative way of explaining the reason for / result of something, e.g.,
As he cannot use a calculator, he will have to work out the sum in his head.
Not being able to use a calculator, he will have to work out the sum in his head.
Many people automatically use calculators these days, which has resulted in
an inability to do mental arithmetic.
Many people automatically use calculators these days, resulting in an inability to do mental arithmetic.
3 Study Watch Out! Then replace the underlined parts of the sentences with participle clauses.
1 - Due to the fact that I memorised certain poems at school, I can still recite them.
2 - Because I did a lot of revision, I passed the test easily.
3 - I missed a lot of training sessions, which left me struggling during the match.
4 - Because they know critical thinking is important, teachers try to include it in lessons.
5 - I got up late, which meant that I missed my bus to training.
6 - As I am not very good at cricket, I need to practise more.
4 In pairs, read the essay question. Which of these methods do you think is most effective and why? Do you agree with the opinions expressed?
Your class has listened to a radio discussion about different ways to learn a language. You have made the notes below. Ways of learning a language:
Ø with a self-study app,
Ø with a teacher,
Ø living in the country where the language is spoken. Some opinions expressed in the programme:
Ø ‘A teacher isn’t always available in the way that an app is.’
Ø ‘Having lived abroad, I think it’s much easier to learn the language because you’re surrounded by it all the time.’
Ø ‘A teacher can explain things so you really understand.’
5 WRITING TASK Write an essay discussing two of the ways of learning a language in the notes in Exercise 4. You should explain which way is the best and provide reasons to support your opinion.
Use the Graphic Organiser to help you plan your writing.
