English laboratory III

Course objectives

CORSE OBJECTIVES A placement test will be administered during the first lesson. Additional content of the course will be chosen based on the test results and additional materials will be chosen. The general aim of the course is to improve the current level of English of the students. The expected level of English of students is CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) B1 or B2, in all four skills: reading, listening, writing, speaking. The chosen course book will be the starting point for the course and it will be used as a means of consolidating students’ knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. General objectives: - Learn to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. - Learn to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. - Learn to produce clear, detailed texts on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. Other potential objectives: - Learn to understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and recognise implicit meaning. - Learn to express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions, in order to use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Specific objectives: Speaking Interaction and Production: speak fluently without searching for language; communicate effectively in social and professional situations; give ideas and opinions and related their ideas to those of other speakers; talk about complex subjects and develop arguments. Listening: understand long complex speech; understand most television programmes and films. Reading: understand long and complex factual and literary texts, with different styles; understand specialized articles and long technical instructions. Writing: write long, clear, well-structured texts to express their points of view; write about complex subjects in a letter, an essay or a report; write in an appropriate style. By the end of the course, students will have mastered grammar points and vocabulary at the CEFR B2/C1 level, will be able to understand factual every-day and literary texts containing grammar points and vocabulary at the level. In addition, students will have mastered the most frequent reading strategies (reading for gist, reading for detail, etc.) The acquired skills will have improved the ability to face every-day situations in English. This will encourage students to interact in English with more confidence and consequently more easily. The acquired soft skills will improve the ability to face unfamiliar texts and contexts, not only in English but also in their native language, as well as learning about English-speaking countries’ traditions and customs, by means of activities that stimulate cognitive processes and texts on English-speaking countries’ customs and traditions. In-class activities and exercises, carried out in small groups, will help students to express themselves with ease; small-group work will have the aim to develop the feeling of group belonging, sharing, ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts, socialize and actively participate. Thanks to the participation in the in-class activities and exercises (such as, discussions on different topics in small groups, grammar and vocabulary exercises, text comprehension, role plays, etc.) students will be motivated to continue studying English, thus being enabled for lifelong learning.

Channel 1
Lidia Calabrò Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
- Writing: The course provides key techniques and tips to improve students' written production (planning, organization, morphosyntactic and orthoepic precision, clarity, coherence and cohesion, and textual typology) in order to learn: a) the common errors that Italian speakers make when studying English as a foreign language, and b) writing correction and evaluation techniques. - Speaking, Listening, and Reading: In developing the proposed lesson topics, we will teach techniques for good intonation and pronunciation in English, thus also facilitating the process of listening comprehension, which will be achieved through authentic texts (excerpts from documentaries, TV series and programs, interviews) and reading comprehension, which will always begin with authentic texts (newspapers, educational texts for teacher training, English language textbooks for school). All the topics covered in the various text types will serve as a stimulus to strengthen and consolidate communication in the foreign language. The course is conducted by adopting the most widespread and effective methods and techniques of English as a foreign language (Communicative Language Teaching, Direct Method, Total Physical Response, Presentation-Practice-Production, Task, Gaming) and through the use of various materials such as flashcards and realia so that students immediately become familiar with the teaching practices to be adopted in their classes. Part of the course will focus on developing the four skills through reading, listening, and cooperative activities to strengthen communicative language skills. Another part of the course will focus on understanding and applying language teaching techniques, with a particular focus on phonetics. Students will be involved in practical activities for learning and teaching pronunciation, also addressing learners with learning disabilities.
Prerequisites
The prerequisites necessary at the beginning of the course concern knowledge of English equivalent to level A2/B1 of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
Books
Textbooks Used The material for developing the four skills will be provided by the instructor during the course, always on the Moodle platform.
Frequency
Attendance is recommended, as the workshop has a practical value. To be considered as attending, a maximum of 25% of the total hours of absences is permitted.
Exam mode
Assessment Method The exam will be oral and will last between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on the individual student's linguistic competence, fluency, and preparation. To pass the exam, students: For those attending the course - will be required to prepare for a selection of topics (provided by the instructor on Moodle) to be discussed in order to assess their linguistic and communicative competence and the ability to understand and communicate spontaneously through topics appropriate to the CEFR B1 level. The topics are those covered during the course, and each topic also includes vocabulary units for further study. - Submit to the teacher's institutional email address at least two days before the exam: a report in English on the experience of the work done in class on teaching techniques, with particular emphasis on phonetics, and an observation of the teaching techniques used by the primary school teachers where the students are completing their internship. (The materials and worksheet for the report will be provided during class and uploaded to the Moodle platform.) The purpose of this report is to verify whether learning has taken place through the reflective and teaching practices of future English language teachers. For non-attending students - They will be asked to prepare a list of topics (provided by the instructor on Moodle) to discuss in order to assess their linguistic and communicative competence and their ability to understand and communicate spontaneously through topics appropriate to the B1 level of the CEFR. The topics are those covered during the course, and each topic also includes vocabulary units for further study. Three additional topics will be added to those covered during the course (added to the platform with additional materials). - Submit to the instructor's institutional email address at least two days before the exam: a report in English on teaching techniques, with particular emphasis on phonetics, specifically with respect to the observation of teaching techniques used by teachers at the primary school where the students are completing their internship (the materials and worksheet for the report will be provided during class and uploaded to the Moodle platform). The purpose of this work is to verify whether learning has taken place through the reflective and teaching practice of future English language teachers.
Bibliography
Redman, S. (2012). English Vocabulary in Use pre-intermediate & intermediate. Third Edition. Cambridge: CUP.
Lesson mode
Lessons will be held weekly and will actively engage students in developing the four skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Lessons will include paired, group, and plenary activities to ensure effective experiential learning. Another part of the course will focus on understanding and applying language teaching techniques, with a particular focus on phonetics. Students will be involved in practical activities for learning and teaching pronunciation, also catering to learners with learning disabilities.
  • Lesson codeAAF1759
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CoursePrimary teacher education
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year3rd year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • CFU2