Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Belkis-Writing item
The objective of this exercise is more a preparation for a summary than a writing item in itself. This is the third question of the 1er Parcial – Inglés I test (I´m using the Newsweek article, First Prize for Weird)
Question 3 – Read again paragraph #5 and summarize aerogel’s physical and chemical properties using images (drawings).
Paragraph #5
Together, these ingredients can form a structure that chemically resembles glass but is so full of whorls and crevices that one cubic centimeter has a total surface area equal to a football field's. The lightest-weight solid in the world, aerogel weighs 1.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter—barely more than the air molecules around it. In fact, the material itself is almost entirely made of air, like a sponge that consists mostly of holes. Don't let its lightness fool you: it's strong. NASA photos show two grams of the material easily supporting a 2.5-kilogram brick.
Usually, when students face this type of reading, they tend to copy all the information because they see all details as relevant. This way, I argue, they are “forced” to use their imagination and be less constrained by language through the use of images. However, reluctance is always an issue. In the case of this paragraph, they have to “describe” 3 physical properties (maybe, I should include the number of properties in the instructions): chemical structure, weight and strength.
Comments are welcomed,
Belkis-Reading item
Item 1 – Underline or circle in the article: title, subtitle(s), author and source. Then, write down the topic of the article and a prediction about the information you will find in it. Value: 3pts (out of 20).
a) Topic: ____________________
b) Prediction (in Spanish): _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
** The criteria for correction will be, 1) to identify the correct information and 2)to establish a sound topic and a prediction accordignly.
Regards,
Belkis
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Alexander_Writing Item
Aim: Evaluating written communicative performance by students provided with a situation in which they have to give personal opinion.
WRITING ITEM
Your best friend left for another country in order to study a master’s degree. You want to let him/her know how much you miss him/her. Write an e-mail to this person in which you give a concise description of the characteristics that make him/her your best friend. (10 points)
Your e-mail should:
- Highlight this person’s qualities.
- Point out some of his/her negative aspects.
- Provide sample anecdotic situations exemplifying them.
- Finally, explain why he/she is, in general, a great person.
Organization: ______ Content: ______ Vocabulary: ______ Grammar: ______ Mechanics: ______
Writing Assessment Criteria
CONTENT
Excellent : Shows mastery of ideas; message unambiguously clear. Shows originality. 2.5
Good: No evidence of plagiarism. 2
Fair: Message occasionally difficult to follow. Some ideas lack originality. 1.5
Poor: Message very difficult to follow. Most ideas 1ack originality. 1
Nil: Message incomprehensible. Evidently p1agiarized. 0
ORGANIZATION
Excellent : Text shows cohesion and unity (parts smoothly and logically connected) 2
Good: Text is very coherent and logically connected. 1.5
Fair: Some sentences might look out of place in the text. Not all sentences support controlling idea. Some connectors and transitions used inappropriately. 1
Poor: Most sentences in the text are unified. Cohesive devices wrongly placed. 0.5
Nil: The text is not unified. Lacks of / wrong use of cohesive devices. 0
STRUCTURE
Excellent: Shows native-like grasp of English structure. 2.5
Good: Shows mastery of all grammatical structures taught to date. 2
Fair: Uses grammatical patterns taught to date with few mistakes. 1.25
Poor: Uses grammatical patterns taught to date with numerous mistakes. 0. 5
Nil: Incomprehensible due to faulty grammatical usage. 0
VOCABULARY
Excellent : Uses most vocabulary taught to date in appropriate situations.1.5
Good: Vocabulary is relevant to the topic. 1.25
Fair: Uses some appropriate vocabulary to the topic. 1
Poor: Shows limited vocabulary related to the topic. 0.5
Nil: Shows no vocabulary appropriateness in terms of the topic discussed. 0
MECHANICS & LAYOUT
Excellent : Shows commend of punctuation, capitalization and spelling rules. 1
Good: Neat presentation of information. 0.75
Fair: Some mistakes that do not impede comprehension. Layout somewhat disregarded. 0.5
Poor: Numerous mistakes that somewhat affect comprehension. Minor attention to layout. 0.25
Nil: Almost incomprehensible due to faulty use of mechanics. No attention to layout. 0
TOTAL OUT OF 10 (ADD CIRCLED NUMBERS) ________
Alexander_speaking Item
Aim: Evaluating oral communicative performance by students provided with a situation in which they have to exchange information.
Speaking Item
Role play 1
Participant A:
You have to talk about two topics with a partner. Give as much information as you can, making sure you cover all the aspects included. Taking turns, try to speak as much as your partner.
1. You and your friend are at the mall. Begin talking about clothes.
* Tell your friend your favorite brand is Nike.
* Give reasons to explain why you like this brand.
2. You and your friend are talking about vacation plans. Talk about your next vacation.
Mention aspects such as:
* Destination
* Accommodation
* Things you like doing on vacation
* Things you need to take with you when travelling.
Participant B:
You have to talk about two topics with a partner. Give as much information as you can, making sure you cover all the aspects included. Taking turns, try to speak as much as your partner.
1. You and your friend and are at the mall. Begin talking about clothes.
* Tell your friend that brand you prefer is Adidas.
* Try to change your partner’s opinion about Nike.
* Mention things that you need to do in order to buy good clothes.
2. You and your friend are talking about vacation plans.
Give your friend some advice on how to have a good vacation.
Ask him/her about his/her plans for:
* Entertainment
* Food
* Transportation
Speaking Assessment Criteria
I. PRONUNCIATION
3/2,5 Very good to good. Very slight influence of the native language. Sporadic non-phonemic errors. Speaker is always intelligible.
2/1,5 Average. Marked foreign accent. Occasional phonemic or non-phonemic errors but speaker is always intelligible.
1/0 Poor to very poor. Very heavy foreign accent. Very frequent phonemic and non-phonemic errors. Speaker is unintelligible OR impossible to evaluate.
II. ACCURACY IN MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX.
3/2,5 Very good to good. Sporadic or occasional errors that do not interfere with intelligibility.
2/1,5 Average. Persistent and/or consistent errors that do not seriously affect intelligibility.
1/0 Poor to very poor. No control of morphological and syntactic patterns except for formulaic expressions. Abundance of errors makes communication difficult or virtually impossible.
III. LEXICON/WORD ACCESS.
3/2,5 Very good to good. General vocabulary is extensive and/or adequate to cover varied common topics. Access to words is generally automatic.
2/1,5 Average. Choice of words is sometimes inaccurate. Limitations of vocabulary prevent discussion of some common social topics. Some words escape the speaker and cannot retrieve them. Asks interlocutor, generally in the L2.
1/0 Poor to very poor. Complete lack of vocabulary. Problems in word access/choice make communication impossible. Keeps asking to supply words, generally in the native language.
IV. FLUENCY
3/2,5 Very good to good. Speech is smooth and effortless though some sporadic non-native pauses may be present. Pauses or hesitations do not interfere with intelligibility.
2/1,5 Average. Occasional non-native pauses and hesitations that do not seriously interfere with intelligibility.
1/0 Poor to very poor. Speech is very slow and uneven. Pauses and hesitations may make speech so fragmentary that communication is virtually impossible.
V. COMPREHENSION
3/2,5 Very good to good. Understands everything except for very colloquial or infrequent elements or particular rapid, connected speech. Repetition or rephrasing are virtually unnecessary.
2/1,5 Average. Understands quite normal, educated speech. Occasionally needs repetition or rephrasing. Careful speech may be necessary in clarifications.
1/0 Poor to very poor. Understands virtually nothing or only extremely simplified and slow speech. Repetition and rephrasing are constantly necessary.
Adapted from Forum Asesores,C.A. evaluation formats.
Alexander_Reading Items
Aim: Evaluating reading comprehension of students exposed to an article related to the environment.
Reading Items
You are at the Science Museum looking at an exhibition of endangered species. The guide gives you the article “Human Impact Triggers Massive Extinctions.” Read the article and complete the following exercises.
A. Read the statements below and write if they are TRUE or FALSE according to what you read in the text. If false, explain why. (0.75 each - 4.5 points)
1. _______ Some solutions to reduce the number of plants were presented at the Congress.
2. _______ Today we observe, among other things, a serious disappearance of fish.
3. _______ Some species have migrated to areas where they had never been before.
4. _______ Besides food, many more beneficial substances to humans can be found on coral reefs.
5. _______ Environmental changes have affected political campaigns and compromised their leaders.
6. _______ Three-fourths of all species on Earth will disappear this century.
B. The following words are in italics in the article. Match them with their corresponding meanings. (0.5 each - 2 points)
1. Breakthrough
2. Wrought
3. Spawn
4. Scarce
a. In a large number
b. Flat grassy land with very few trees
c. Created in a particular way
d. Important development or achievement
e. Lay eggs
f. Not enough
g. Done in general
C. Answer these questions according to the reading. (1 each - 3 points)
1. What can human influence on Earth be compared to?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What are some consequences of the excess use of fertilizers? Mention two (2).
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the role of vegetation in relation to the environment? Mention two (2) ways in which it happens.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
D. Identify the main idea sentence by circling the corresponding letter. (0.5 points)
a. Human actions may make the world disappear.
b. The Congress has brought together many scientists concerned about the world.
c. Human actions are impairing the survival of some living forms.
d. Researchers established several reasons for the world’s extinction.
Human Impact Triggers Massive Extinctions
ST. LOUIS, Missouri, August 2, 1999 (ENS) - Humanity's impact on the earth has increased extinction rates to levels rivaling the five mass extinctions of past geologic history, transformed nearly half of Earth’s land and created 50 dead zones in the world’s oceans, according to research being presented this week at the 16th International Botanical Congress.
Delegates at the world's largest gathering of plant scientists, which opened Friday, heard a seven point plan to slow the extinction rates of plants around the world. The Congress has brought together some 5,000 scientists from more than 100 countries to discuss the importance of plants for human survival and improved quality of life, and to announce breakthrough research in the field of plant science.
Two studies being discussed find that humans have gravely altered the chemistry, biology and physical structure of the Earth's land and water. What scientists are calling the "human footprint on Earth" is increasingly impairing the planet’s ability to maintain the quality of human life, and may lead to the loss of up to two-thirds of all plant and animal species during the second half of the 21st century.
Earth's Water Resources in Trouble
"We're degrading the water, changing our coastlines, filling in our estuaries, and changing our rivers," says Dr. Jane Lubchenco of Oregon State University, author of "Environmental Science and Engineering for the Twenty-First Century: The Role of the National Science Foundation." Lubchenko specializes in marine biology and zoology and their relation to climate change.
Dr. Lubchenco, past president of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Ecological Society of America, warns, "We're witnessing many signals of the problems that will result from these changes, including toxic algal blooms, coral bleaching and sudden disappearance of fish from key fisheries."
Lubchenko and coauthors Harold Mooney and Peter Vitousek of Stanford University found that close to 50 percent of the land surface of the planet has been transformed by humans through actions such as filling in wetlands, converting tall grass prairies into cornfields, or converting forests into urban areas. Humans have also more than doubled the amount of available nitrogen in the environment because of excess fertilizer use and burning of fossil fuel.
Lubchenco points out that while human domination of land masses is clear, the new data also indicates a dramatic alteration of Earth's oceans. There are now some 50 "dead zones" in the world's coastal areas, she says. The largest in the Western Hemisphere is in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus flowing down the Mississippi River.
"We've long thought of oceans as having an infinite ability to provide food and other goods and services to humans. But the massive human-wrought changes in our oceans are impairing their ability to function as we assume they will," says Lubchenco.
Lubchenco lists problems facing the world’s waterways, including loss of mangrove forests and invasive marine species carried in ships' ballast waters. About 3,000 species of marine life are in transit in ballast water of ships around the world, Lubchenco says.
The changes humans have set in motion on a global scale will impair the Earth's ability to provide a wide range of services to human life. "In addition to the direct services of food, fiber, shelter, and medicines, many other inter-dependent services are being disrupted," Lubchenco says.
Forests, grasslands and coral reefs contribute to flood control and climate regulation. Mangroves, estuaries, coral reefs, and kelp forests protect shores from erosion and provide nursery areas and spawning habitat for economically important species.
Massive environmental changes also have far reaching implications for peace and political boundaries. "Scarce resources such as water or fishing rights lead to battles between states and nations. Environmental degradation resulting in food shortages lead to civil unrest and migration into neighboring countries," Lubchenco explains.
Massive Species Loss Predicted
Meanwhile, "Plants in Peril: What Should We Do?" a report by the president of the International Botanical Congress, Dr. Peter Raven, predicts massive losses of plant and animal species, most in the tropics, during the second half of the next century.
"Human efforts have been notable for their lack of attention to the living world that supports us all," said Raven, who is also director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, which is hosting the conference. "In the face of the worldwide extinction crisis, we should redouble our efforts to learn about life on Earth while it is still relatively well represented."
Raven's paper says that if current trends continue, within 50 years only five percent of tropical forests will remain in protected areas. Extinction rates will then be three or four orders of magnitude higher than those prevailing between mass extinctions.
Mass extinctions are events where the rate of species extinctions becomes much higher than the background rate, and large percentages of species are lost.
There have been five major extinction events in Earth history, including the one in which dinosaurs disappeared. At that time, two thirds of all land organisms disappeared and the character of life changed permanently.
The current extinction rate is now approaching 1,000 times the background rate and may climb to 10,000 times the background rate during the next century, if present trends continue. At this rate, one-third to two-thirds of all species of plants, animals, and other organisms would be lost during the second half of the next century, a loss that would easily equal those of past extinctions.
Raven’s paper also states that vast numbers of unknown plants, animals, and other organisms are currently being lost before they have even been recognized. Only about 1.6 million organisms out of a conservative estimate of between seven and 10 million have been recognized scientifically. A great majority of these are poorly known, often from a single specimen, a brief description, a locality, and nothing more, according to the paper. Some 250,000 of 300,000 species of plants have been identified, leaving some 50,000 completely unknown.
Alexander_listening Item
Aim: Evaluating listening comprehension of students exposed to a radio program on the Voice of America.
Listening Item
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/figleaf/mp3filegenerate.cfm?filepath=http://www.voanews.com/mediaassets/specialenglish/2008_11/audio/Mp3/se-dev-dying-wool-9nov08_0.Mp3
PART I. Complete the table with appropriate information taken from the radio program.
(0.5 each – 4.5 points)
1. Origins of natural dyes
a.
a.
3. Two kinds of mortars
a.
b.
4. Usual application of tartar cream
a.
PART II. Read the following statements and write TRUE or FALSE in the lines provided, according to the program. If false, correct the information. (0.25 each – 1.5 points)
1. _______ Jenny Dean wants to help poor people save money. ___________________________________________
2. _______ You must keep the wool in the mordant all night. ___________________________________________
3. _______ The dye must be put on higher fire than the mordant. ___________________________________________
4. _______ The onionskins turn the wool orange or yellow. ___________________________________________
PART III. Organize the following steps to dye wool by numbering the lines provided, according to the radio program.
(0.5 each – 4 points)
_____ Heat the mordant with the wool and let it cool.
_____ Put the wool impregnated with mordant in the dye.
_____ Remove the wool from the dye and wash it.
_____ Heat the mordant with the wool and cool it.
_____ Rinse the wool with soapy water with warm water.
_____ Take the onionskins out the dye when it is cool.
_____ Cool the mordant in a container with water.
_____ Boil the dry outer onionskins until they lose their color.
This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
Dye can bring a little color to life. Most clothing is colored with dyes. Modern, manufactured dyes can be costly. Natural dyes from plant and animal products have been used since ancient times. So this week, we describe a natural way to dye wool.
The advice comes from information written by Jenny Dean of the Intermediate Technology Development Group in Britain. This anti-poverty group is now called Practical Action.
There are several methods to put dye onto material. The vat method, for example, can be used to dye wool with onionskins. For this example, use one hundred grams of natural wool. The wool must be clean. Leave it overnight in water and liquid soap. Then wash it with clean water that is a little warm. Gently squeeze out the extra water.
A solution called a mordant is used in the dying process. A mordant helps fix the dye to the material. Traditionally, mordants were found in nature. Wood ash is one example. But chemical mordants such as alum are popular today. Alum is sold in many stores. It is often mixed with cream of tartar, a fine powder commonly used in cooking.
Mix eight grams of alum with seven grams of cream of tartar in a small amount of hot water. Add the solution to a metal pan of cool water. Next, add the wool and place the mixture over heat. Slowly bring the liquid to eighty-two degrees Celsius. Heat the mixture for forty-five minutes. After it cools, remove the wool and wash it.
To prepare the dye solution, cover thirty grams of onionskins with water. Use only the dry, brown outer skins. Boil the liquid until the onionskins lose their color, about forty-five minutes,. Remove the skins after the dye cools.
Now it is time to dye the wool. Place the wool into the dye and heat the mixture. Bring it to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to eighty-two degrees. Now heat the dye for about forty-five minutes or until the wool is the desired color. Keep in mind that wet wool looks darker than it is.
Once the dye cools, remove the wool and wash it. Now the wool is orange or yellow. Or at least it should be.
Internet users can get the full details at practicalaction, one word, dot o-r-g. Again, the address is practicalaction dot org. And enter the word "dye," d-y-e, in the search box. We will post a link to the site at voaspecialenglish.com.
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. I'm Steve Ember.
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2008-11-08-voa3.cfm