Unit 1 English for teachers of science Task 1 Credit requirements A) In pairs write down the list of requirements you think would be adequate. Think about attendance, homework, final assessment, etc. B) Ask about the missing information: 1. You can be absent …………… times. 2. You need to submit ………………… . 3. In this course you get credits for ……………. . 4. We will deal with …………….. topics in this course. 5. The credit test takes place …………………… Task 2 Needs analysis - grammar 1. Watson and Crick identified/ have identified/ had identified the structure of DNA in 1953. 2. We still didn´t discover/ haven´t been discovered/ haven´t discovered life on other planets. 3. They say that Newton made his great discovery while he has been sitting/ has sat/ was sitting under an apple tree. 4. The dinosaurs died out 65 million years since/ for/ ago. 5. If the computer is not working, try to turn/turning/ turned it off and on again. 6. The industry stopped test/ to test/ testing on animals decades ago. 7. The overall situation is good, although/ despite/ unless a few minor problems. 8. We have natural light whereas/ as long as/ since working underground we had artificial light. 9. At the moment only the few girls whom/ which/ whose parents can afford to pay receive any education. 10. If I had not become/ didn´t become/ did become a teacher, I would have liked to be an actor. 11. They will build more schools if they received/ receive/ will receive the subsidy. 12. He´s always wanted to go to/ after/ into teaching. 13. The study will be carried out/ in/ up over a six-month period. 14. You don´t have to/ mustn´t/ shouldn´t attend all the lectures, attendance is optional. 15. We took too much risk. We needn´t have made/ shouldn´t have made/ can´t have made that decision. 16. That paper had been published/ had published/ has had published before our study came out. 17. Decide which of the options is NOT correct: I can´t go out tonight, I´m doing/ taking/ sitting/ having an exam tomorrow. 18. Decide which of the options is NOT correct: She´s doing/ making/ conducting/ undertaking research on Alzheimer´s disease. 19. Mountain gorillas are an/the/ - endangered species. 20. I need some/ an / the advice on which computer to buy. Task 3 Vocabulary I. Complete the sentences with one of these verbs in the correct form. skip attend revise re-sit do apply get study fail pass pay a) I hated maths at school. I didn´t do any of the homework, never …………… attention to the teacher and ……………….. classes whenever I could. Of course, the first time round I ………… my exams and had to ………… them the following year. The second time round I ……………, which I was really pleased about. It really boosted my confidence and I decided to …………. to one of the better universities. To my amazement, I got in and I´m there now – studying maths! b) Marc´s a very bright student. He always …………….. very well when he was at school. I´m sure he´ll ………… a good degree, even though he doesn´t …………… hard. Of course, he hardly ever ………….. lectures or ………… the things we´ve done. I sometimes resent the fact he´s so clever! What sort of student are you? What are the good and bad things about your studies? II. What is the one word all these expressions collocate with? intensive – introductory – intermediate – advanced – refresher – do – take – enrol on – sign up for – withdraw from – drop out of – complete – pass – fail Task 4 Idioms Can you spot idioms about learning in the sentences below? Can you guess their meaning? a) "I got very drunk once and was really sick. I won't do it again, I learnt my lesson." b) "I learnt all the vocabulary off by heart." c) "She's new here and is still learning the ropes." d) "He could never learn how to use the Internet. Just shows you can't teach an old dog new tricks." e) "She got into the university of her choice, because she passed all her exams with flying colours." f) “Other countries could teach us a lesson or two on educational policy.” g) "I studied at the University of Life." h) "I never knew that she was married. Oh well, you live and learn." i) “A new computer simulator teaches drivers how to handle a skid before they end up learning the hard way.” (For more, go to http://www.english-at-home.com/vocabulary/english-studying-vocabulary) Follow-up Balancing course plans and needs Imagine a situation where you´re a class teacher and you´ve already devised (or been presented with) a course plan before the course starts. How could you let the data obtained from a Needs analysis influence or change the plan? Order the following possibilities from those where you take least account of the data to taking most account. A) Continue with the course as before but add in extra activities, lessons or variations to satisfy some stated needs. B) Take no account of the Needs Analysis data. Continue with the course as if the data hadn´t been collected. C) Put the original course plan to one side and base a new course plan entirely. D) Continue with the course as before, but allow the data to influence small aspects of how you help or deal with individuals in class. E) Replan the course to incorporate substantial elements of the needs alongside relevant elements from the original plan. Least 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Most