B1 - LET'S SPEAK!

60 Hour COURSE PROGRAMME

Anchor 1

Anchor 2

Part 1 – People 1-10 hrs

0. Diagnostic Test
1. Getting to know someone.
2. Character and feelings.
3. King of chess.
4. People’s appearance.
5. On the run.
6. Describing jobs.
7. Attending a job interview.

Part 2 - Out and about 11-20 hrs

8. At the restaurant.
9. Food and drink.
10. Comfort food.
11. Cooking and eating.
12. At the clothes shop.
13. Clothes.
14. Banking.

PART 3 - TRAVEL AND PLACES 21-30 hrs

15. For and against.
16. Sightseeing.
17. Extreme living.
18. Extreme adjectives.
19. At the hotel
20. In the wild.
21. Home improvements.
22. Land and sea.
23. Metro stress.
24. Road and transport.
25. Ecotourism.
26. Suggesting ideas.

Part 4 - Socialising 31-40 hrs

27. Making plans.
28. Planning ahead.
29. Common expressions 1.
30. Staying with people.
31. Helping people.
32. Common expressions 2.
33. Apologies, excuses and promises.

Part 5 - Health and well-being 41-50 hrs

34. Longevity.
35. Health and illness.
36. Pet benefits.
37. Population science.
38. Sport.
39. Making a phone call
40. Press one.
41. Water crisis.
42. Emergencies.
43. Crazy idea.
44. War and conflict.

Part 6 - Technology 51-60 hrs

45. Predictions.
46. Gadgets and appliances.
47. Difficulties on the phone.
48. The selfie revolution.
49. Surfing the net.
50. Troubleshooting.
51. Love at first byte.
52. Artificial Intelligence.
53. Slow television.
51. Exit Test

Part 1 – People

1. Getting to know someone

Listening: A dialogues between speakers asking about each other’s background, work, hobbies, travel experience, etc.
Speaking: Getting to know one another using the language from the lesson. revision of terms for describing people you know, e.g. an acquaintance, a mutual friend, a flatmate, a colleague, etc.

2. Character and feelings

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to people’s character and feelings.

3. King of chess

Reading: An article on an extremely gifted child chess prodigy from Ireland.
Grammar: A review of the present simple, present perfect simple, past simple and used to + infinitive.
Speaking: Talking about sporting talents in different countries.

4. People’s appearance

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to people’s appearance.

5. On the run

Reading: An article about Dean Karnazes, a so-called ‘ultra-marathon runner’ who has run distances of up to 350 miles non-stop. I
Grammar: Differences between the gerund and infinitive forms
Speaking: Discussion about the ultra-marathon lifestyle and other feats of endurance.

6. Describing jobs

Speaking: Typical adjectives and expressions used for describing work.

7. Attending a job interview

Speaking: Useful vocabulary for attending a job interview in English.
Reading: An article about things candidates shouldn't say during an interview.
Discussion activity and role play exercise at the end of the lesson.

Part 2 - Out and about

8. At the restaurant

Speaking: Using common words and expressions for describing food and drink, restaurant service and parts of meals.
Listening: Listening and role play on how to order a meal in a restaurant as well as discussing menu options with a guest and decide who should pay.

9. Food and drink

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to food and drink.

10. Comfort food

Reading: An article on the cooking repertoire of the British and study words to describe different kinds of food and cooking.
Speaking: Talking about their different countries’ cuisines.

11. Cooking and eating

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to cooking and eating.

12. At the clothes shop

Speaking: common words and expressions for describing clothes (in British and American English), clothing material and shopping for clothes.
Listening and role play: Asking to try on an item, enquire about sizes and colours, and decide whether or not to buy.

13. Clothes

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to clothes

14. Banking

Speaking: Useful words and phrases for describing banking products and services including types of bank accounts, loans, payment methods and foreign exchange.
Listening and role play: Exchanging money from one currency to another, pay in and withdraw cash, enquire about their bank balance and check their overdraft limit

PART 3 - TRAVEL AND PLACES

15. For and against

Grammar: Useful expressions for giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing.
Listening: An animated video of three travellers discussing the impact of tourism on a historical European town.

16. Sightseeing

Speaking: Talking about a sightseeing holiday.
Grammar: common adjectives for describing a tourist destination.

17. Extreme living

The topic of this lesson is living in an extreme environment.

Reading: an article on how the inhabitants of Yakutsk in Russia cope with living in the world’s coldest city.
Speaking: Discussion about how the climate in different countries compares.

18. Extreme adjectives

Speaking: Learn how to be more descriptive using extreme adjectives, e.g. brilliant, terrible, dreadful, exhausted, huge, tiny, filthy, starving, etc.

19. At the hotel

Speaking: Common words and phrases for describing hotel facilities, service and staff, as well as practical expressions to use with a hotel receptionist.
Listening and role play: Booking a room, check in and check out.

20. In the wild

Reading: A text based on a newspaper interview with Jake Williams, a hermit who has lived in the Scottish wilderness for 30 years.
Grammar: The present perfect, past simple and past perfect tenses, Speaking: Discussion on the hermit lifestyle.

21. Home improvements

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to DIY and home improvements. Grammar: The structure 'have something done'.

22. Land and sea

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to land and sea.

23. Metro stress

The theme of this lesson is transport and stress.

Reading: An article on the problems faced by commuters and workers on the metro in the Russian capital Moscow.
Grammar: The passive voice
Speaking: Talking about the transport systems in different countries.

24. Road and transport

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to road and transport.

25. Ecotourism

Reading and Speaking: A text about the potential dangers of ecotourism.

Grammar: The structure be/get used to doing something.

26. Suggesting ideas

Using vocabulary for describing and discussing ideas.

Listening: A dialogue between two friends planning a weekend break
Speaking: asking for, making and responding to suggestions.

Part 4 - Socialising

27. Making plans

Speaking: Making plans and arrangements.
Listening and role play: Learn how to schedule, cancel and re-schedule a meeting.
Grammar: use of the present continuous for stating future plans is also studied, as well as common phrasal verbs used when making arrangements.

28. Planning ahead

Reading: An article on an unusual, statistical approach to planning their week.
Grammar: Collocations for describing several routines and activities are studied. In the grammar exercises, students learn how to express probability and chance using modal verbs and other useful structures.
Speaking: Talking about a list of topics and discussing what will happen in each case.

29. Common expressions 1

Speaking: Common social expressions that English speakers use in a variety of situations, including be careful, bless you, congratulations, cheers, good luck, never mind, etc.

30. Staying with people

Speaking: Using vocabulary and expressions related to the topic of staying and living with other people.
Listening and role play: Welcome a guest, make small talk, make offers and requests, as well as thank somebody for their hospitality.

31. Helping people

Speaking: Using expressions for offering, accepting and refusing help. Common phrases for responding when other people express their gratitude.

32. Common expressions 2

Speaking: Common social expressions that English speakers use in a variety of situations, including by all means, calm down, get well soon, what a pity, get well soon, it doesn’t matter, etc.

33. Apologies, excuses and promises

Speaking: Common expressions for making apologies, excuses and promises.
Listening and role play: Apologise for something, accept or reject an apology, explain a problem or mistake and promise action.

Part 5 - Health and wellbeing

34. Longevity

The theme of this lesson is longevity.

Reading: an article on the habits that can lead to a longer life and study common collocations for describing healthy lifestyles.
Grammar: Structures for speculating and explaining.
Speaking: Discussion on the article topic.

35. Health and illness

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to health and illness.

36. Pet benefits

Reading: an article about the health benefits of keeping a pet.
Speaking: talking about health and well-being as well as functional expressions for connecting ideas and developing an argument.

37. Population science

The theme of this lesson is education and the problem of rising global population.

Reading: an article about a proposed strategy to limit global population growth by putting more girls in the developing world through secondary school.
Grammar: The first and second conditionals are studied and practised.
Speaking: Discussion about population problems in different countries.

38. Sport

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to sport.

39. Making a phone call

Speaking: describing telephone equipment and using a telephone.
Listening and role play: useful expressions for making and answering a phone call, as well as taking and leaving messages.

40. Press one

Reading: an article about why a British man built a website to help people save time and avoid getting frustrated when phoning company call centres.
Speaking: Discussion of the topic.

41. Water crisis

The topic of this lesson is Brazil's water crisis.

Reading: a short text about how a recent drought is affecting Brazil's largest city.
Speaking: Discussion about the topic.
Grammar: review activiAty on the present perfect simple.

42. Emergencies

Speaking: Emergency services as well as expressions for reporting an emergency.

43. Crazy idea

The theme of this lesson is the migrant crisis in Europe.

Reading: A text about an Egyptian billionaire who wants to accommodate desperate refugees on two privately-owned Greek islands.
Speaking: Discussion about the topic.
Grammar: reported speech

44. War and conflict

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to war, conflict and terrorism.

Part 6 - Technology

45. Predictions

The theme of this lesson is prediction.

Reading: an amusing article on eight embarrassing predictions made by well-respected experts at different periods of modern history.
Grammar: Structures for reporting a prediction made in the past are learnt and the use and omission of the definite article for talking in general is studied.
Speaking: practise making and reporting predictions.

46. Gadgets and appliances

Speaking: Using vocabulary related to gadgets and appliances.

47. Difficulties on the phone

Speaking: expressions for dealing with difficulties on the phone. Common technical and communication problems such as weak signals, crossed lines, battery problems, language barriers etc.

48. The selfie revolution

Reading: an article examining the modern fad of taking selfies (self-portrait photographs).
Speaking: A discussion on the topic of selfies.
Grammar: A few common uses of the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous.

49. Surfing the net

Speaking: Talking about the internet.
Reading: A short text and discussion activity on the principle of 'net neutrality'.
Writing: Writing short sentences based on 8 short webcast clips.

50. Troubleshooting

Speaking : Talking about and troubleshooting technical problems.

51. Love at first byte

The topic of this lesson is online dating and relationships.

Reading: an article on a trend called ‘network dating’ – the use of social media websites and mutual friends to help single people get together. Speaking: Common expressions for describing the different stages of a relationship.
Grammar: The use of the present continuous, present perfect and past simple tenses for describing trends.

52. Artificial Intelligence

Speaking: A discussion about artificial intelligence.
Reading: an article on how technological progress over the next 20 years will result in the development of machines that are able to match the intelligence of human beings.
Grammar: part of the worksheet, comparative forms and structures are studied and practised.

53. Slow television

Reading and Speaking: an article about a Norwegian trend called 'Slow TV' -- hours and hours of television coverage by fixed cameras on one single subject.
Grammar: defining and non-defining relative clauses.

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