Final blogpost (for groups 212, 213, 223)

Dear friends!

On Tuesday we'll have our final class in this trimester. Please make sure you have completed all the blog tasks by that time. Still, there's one more task you need to accomplish by Thursday (27 November). This will be your final blogpost in the 1st trimester that will include your reflections on the course. Make sure you mention your thoughts and ideas on the following items:

- your expectations of the course and impressions at the end of trimester;
- your progress and what contributed to it;
- what prevented you from achieveing certain goals (if anything);
- having to blog;
- having to create content with on-line tools;
- learning related topics in English practice and Vocabulary;
- your wishes regarding the course in the second trimester;
-  anything else you would like express regarding the course.


In your post, use 25-30 expressions that you particularly liked while doing the course.

Please take this task seriously as we're interested in your opinion in order to keep improving the course.

For groups 212, 213, 223

Dear friends!

For your blogpost on the topic "Houses and Buildings" you need to do as follows:

- imagine you're an alien who finds him/herself on earth and has to send a message to his/her friends about a place where they can find him/her
- fortunately, you find yourself near a building (of your choice), so you need to make a video of it showing as many details as possible (outside and/or inside) (up to 1 minute)
- in a post, you will describe a building, some details of the surrounding area and/or story reated to it.


For your final blogpost you need to provide a list of 25 links to the post you've commented on.

Good luck!

Final Test

Dear friends!

Next week you are to write the final test (25 points) that is designed to test your vocabulary knowledge and skills. Material to brush up on for the test includes the following items:

For subgroups A-211, A-221, A-222:

1) Units 44-51, and Unit 55 (Oxford Word Skills)
2) Unit 36 (English Vocabulary in Use, Upper-Intermediate)
3) Upstream Unit 4 (p.61, 64)

For subgroups A-212, A-213, and A-223

1) Units 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 51, 55 (Oxford Word Skills)
2) Upstream Unit 4 (p.61, 64)
3) Wordlist on topic "Money":

ATM n. Automatic Teller Machine aka Hole in the wall. 

balance n. the difference between credits and debits in an account

bank charges n. money paid to a bank for the bank's services etc

barter v. to trade without using money.

borrow v. to ask for the temporary use of money on the condition of repayment and at a set rate of interest. 

chequebook n. book containing detachable cheques 

cheque n. written order to a bank to pay the stated sum from one's account

credit n. money in a bank a/c; sum added to a bank a/c; money lent by a bank - also v. 

credit card n. (plastic) card from a bank authorising the purchasing of goods on credit

currency n. money that is used by a country such as the United Kingdom. 

current account n. bank a/c from which money may be drawn at any time; checking account US 

debit n. a sum deducted from a bank account, as for a cheque - also v. 

debit card n. you use a debit card in much the same way as a credit card but instead of receiving credit after making your purchase, the funds are automatically (within a few days usually) withdrawn from your bank account.

debt n. the state of owing something (especially money).

deposit n. an amount of money placed with a bank 

deposit account n. bank a/c on which interest is paid; savings account US.

interest n. money paid for borrowing money, or money that a bank or building society pays a customer for putting money into their bank.

interest rate n. the percentage of an amount of money which is paid for the use of that money over a period of time.

lend v.to give the temporary use of money on the condition of repayment and at a set rate of interest.

loan n. money lent by a bank etc and that must be repaid with interest - also v. 

mortgage n. most of us do not buy our homes outright for cash - instead we borrow money to do so. 

overdraft n. deficit in a bank account caused by withdrawing more money than is paid in

payee n. person to whom money is paid 

(bank) statement n. a record of transactions in a bank account 

withdraw v. to take money out of a bank account 

withdrawal n. the act of taking out money.

 Rich man / Poor man

There are lots of ways to describe how rich or poor someone is. Here are a few - from very rich to very poor.

filthy rich             rolling in it             wealthy             rich             prosperous             affluent             well off             hard-up             needy             skint             penniless             broke             poor             impoverished             poverty-stricken             destitute
If you gladly share your money you may be considered:- charitable - generous - sharing - unselfish If you keep all your money you may be considered: - mean - miserly - selfish - stingy - tight - uncharitable - ungenerous

Creating a Company

Dear friends!

For the next class you have to work with Unit 55 (Oxford Word skills) and brush up on the vocabulary from Upstream Unit 4 as we're going to begin with a dictation.

The task for your blog:

This time you will try on a role of an entrepreneur and try to describe a company (or an organisation) you would like to set up as if you have already done it.  Therefore, describe it in a promotional manner to attract new employees.

Your description should include: 

- general characteristic (sphere of activity, aims, rules and MOTTO);

- working conditions (pay, perks etc.)

- descriptions of positions available (two or three),

- qualities that employees should possess 

- any other details that you find relevant.

In your description, use vocabulary from Units 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 51 (Oxford Word Skills).

Besides, you will have to incorporate some gimmicks in your post. This time you will have to create speaking avatars using site http://voki.com/. Follow these steps:

1. Start a new post and make sure you enable this option in your settings:

2. Go to  http://voki.com/

3. Choose "Create"

 3. Choose a character from many suggested categories (you may as well select a background, choose character's outfit etc.):

4. Give your character a voice! The site offers different options: by phone, text-to-speech or record with a microphone. You have to choose EITHER text-to-speech OR record option. 

If you use text-to-speech option, you can either type or paste the text you wish. You also have an option to choose a male or female voice and an accent. Have fun trying out different options!

Now, what is your Voki avatar going to talk about? Obviously, about something relevant to the company you have created. Your Voki avatar could be a boss giving introductory info, an employee sharing impressions about his or her workplace, a new manager who has got promoted or anybody related to your company. Let your imagination do the work! What you have to bear in mind is that you have to use active vocabulary and the number of signs you can input (around 850).

If you wish to record your voice, you can speak up to one minute.

5. After you have created your avatar, embed it in your post. That is how you're going to do this:

- press "Publish" and name your avatar

- press "save" and close the window that will pop up:

- copy the code and paste it in your blog (the code is long, so make sure you cope the whole thing):

- if you've done everything properly, your code will turn into an avatar as soon as you publish your post. If you wish you may create more than one avatar!

Good luck!

For the students of subgroups 212, 213, 223

Dear friends!


Your task for the next class doesn't include writing a blogpost. Instead, you have to work thoroughly with the material of the Units 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 51 (Oxford Word Skills), do the suggested exercises and get ready to a dictation.

In addition, you could take your time to comment your peers' blogs. Otherwise, it might be too late as we only have 1 month left to complete the course and 6 classes to enjoy each other's complany. Therefore, use your time wisely.

Best regards!