Session 4: Free-themed post

Decide on a topic with your classmates

Try this ranking activity >> First work in pairs or small groups to come up with your top 3 topics. Then as a class, find the most popular topics for the posts. 

IMPORTANT >> Each time there's a free blog session, organise your writing by adding some bullet points that mention the main points you should include. 

- Comments: Ask students to leave a comment on 3 of their classmates posts
- Word Count for post 4: 140 words 

Blog Session 3 (week 5) >> Carrer-Related Website OR An Expert on your Field

For this post, you have to choose ONE of these  two options: (Post 1 OR Post 2)

Post 1 (Instructions).
Write about a career-related website that you enjoy visiting.

You should:

- provide the link
- describe the website (sections, features,etc)
- say how often you visit the site
- explain why you like the site.




>Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs
>Word Count: 130



SAMPLE:
Well, I often visit ManyBooks.net because I enjoy reading so much. It's necessary for my job as a teacher since I'm always looking for new books to give to my students. These books are free to download and you can read many famous authors from the past. There are books in English, Spanish and other languages. It's a simple website and easy to navigate. You can search books by author, title or genre. There is a Books of the Week section, a Popular Download section and a Recommended section that's very good. The best part is that you can download books in different formats for android, kindle or pc. I visit the site about three times a week, sometimes even four, and I can also connect using my smartphone. I always have good books to read. The link to the site is www.manybooks.net. I hope you find great stuff there!! Bye!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post 2 (Instructions)
Who is a person/expert on your field that you admire?

Say:

-Who she/he is.(short biography)
-What she/he has done. (examples of their work)
-Why you like her/him.
-Include his/her image

> About 130 words
>Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs
 


Sample:


As a writer I really admire Julio Cortázar. He was an Argentinean author born in Belgium in 1914, but he moved to Buenos Aires when he was four years old. He grew up in a big house where he read a lot, because he was frequently sick and had to stay in bed. He studied pedagogy. He wrote many short story collections and novels. He's famous for introducing the fantastic in his fictional world, though it's a very modern concept, because there aren't any ghosts or monsters in his work. Strange things happen to characters that they can't explain. He wrote novels such as Rayuela, Los premios and Libro de Manuel. His short story collections include Historias de cronopios y famas, Bestiario and Las armas secretas. I like his style because it's very fast and intricate. His stories always speak about the human condition, about trying to find other hidden aspects of life that too often we forget: creativity, risk and imagination. That's why admire Julio Cortázar.

I don’t really like to speak about music, maybe because I think that I know so little about it, that if I try to say something about the topic, I could be embarrassed. However, I don’t use to go to concerts, so I going to write a little of a singer that I like.

My favorite singer is Violeta Parra. She was a folklore singer from a small village next to the city of Chillán. In her life, Violeta gave to born four children. She spent her whole life crossing all the country to recover popular songs and the old tradition of the country people. Her work was a huge contribution to the Chilean music and culture. I like her a lot, because I think she is a very strong woman who never stopped even when she was practically alone and everybody say to her to stop, and what I like about her music is the social content of the letters that she wrote. She has hundred of songs, and its difficult chose one, but it could be “Yo canto a la diferencia”, because it shows the political thought of Violeta with her singular style of saying things.

(Aquí enlazaré este video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afzP8J3eP6M

Post 2 (week 4) >> A singer/band you like or a concert/exhibition you've been to

Band / Singer >>
- name
- what do you know about them?
- what type of music do they play?
- why do you like this artist/band?
- what's your favorite song? why?
- publish a picture or video
- 120 words minimum
- make 3 comments on your classmates posts.

Concert/Exhibition >>

- what was it?
- when did you go?
- where was it?
- why did you like it?
- mention more details about it
- publish a related picture or video
- 120 words minimum
- make 3 comments on your classmates posts.

Important for teachers >> include your own sample post as language input and guide for your students. The students choose ONE of these topics and write about it.

Post 10: English Language Challenges

 
> How did you like this subject at university? What about the use of blogs?
> What aspects of your English need to be improved and how do you plan to do this?
> Outside the English class, how much are you using English these days? What for?

- wordcount: 300
- make comments on 3 of your partners' posts.

Post 9: My Future Job

> At university, what major have you taken / are you thinking of taking? Explain why.
> What kind of job would you like to have? Describe.
> What aspects would you consider  when choosing your job?
> If you were asked in a job interview about your strengths and weaknesses, what would you say?

> Words: 280
> Leave comments on 3 of your partners posts.

USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES: (by Juan Luzzi)

-I’ve taken… / I’m doing a major in… / I’m thinking of taking… / I’m considering to study…/ I’m planning to do… / I have in mind to… / I’ve decided to… / I’m hoping to… / I’m playing with idea of…  __ing / I’d love to…/ I can’t choose between ….. or …../ I’m torn between ….. and ..… / It looks like I’m going to… / As long as we can get ……………, I'll be studying… / I’m not 100% sure, but I might …/ It's a toss-up between ……… and ………..  

-I’d like to get a job as…/ I’d like to work as …/ I hope to get a job in… /I wouldn’t like to…/

- Some aspects could be: Salary - Benefits - Location – Hours - Co-workers  - work atmosphere/environment.

- I’m good at … ___ing / I’m good with… (money, numbers,etc)/ I’m terrible at…./  I become nervous about ___ing  / I am very confident in… __ing / I can… / I can’t… /
  

Well, I'm doing a major in Social Sciences applied to Latin America. I'm very interested in social and political research across different Latin-American countries and how different cultures are being affected by the same global conditions. I'm pretty sure I'll also study something related to art and literature because I believe that social, historic and political realities are present in art works.

I'd like to get a job as a professor and researcher in an important Latin-American university such as UNAM in Mexico or Universidad de la República in Uruguay. The main reason is that a lot of the best intellectuals are working in these study centers and I hope to work and learn from them. So the work atmosphere is one of the most important factors I'm considering. Another job I'd love to do is working for non-governmental organizations that worry about social problems in Chilean cities. There are many issues I hope to help resolve. I'm good at researching and finding creative solutions for local problems that affect many families. One thing I wouldn't like to do is work inside the government. I don't believe in politicians and there's a lot of corruption and corporate lobbying. I wouldn't be able to accept a bribe to cover up or ignore any shady dealings.

I am very confident I'll do an excellent job in universities or NGOs, because I love working and sharing knowledge with my peers. I don't need a huge salary, just enough to get by and buy books. I like to work in teams and I get along well with other people. I hope my dreams come true some day soon.