STUDY AND WRITING SKILLS
2.4
8
Inferring
Answer these questions.
1
What subject do you think Amy is studying at
Grey University?
2
Who is Alicia?
3
Is this Amy’s first time abroad?
4
Do you think Amy is happy in Spain?
Why?/Why not?
9
Linkers
Study the examples of the linking words
until, at first, then, at the moment
and
afterwards
in
the blog. Then choose the best word to complete
these sentences.
1
At first / Until
I was shy and didn’t ask any questions.
At the moment / Then
I became more confident.
2
I’m enjoying my course in this country
at first / at the
moment
.
3
At first / At the moment
, I couldn’t do the homework
but
until / then
a friend explained how to do it.
4
We had a very long and difficult exam this
afternoon. I felt really tired
afterwards / at first
and
went to bed early.
5
I didn’t use a Spanish–Spanish dictionary
at first /
then
, but
then / at the moment
I realised that it was
better than translating words.
6
I was working hard
until / afterwards
my flatmate
arrived!
10
Start your own reflective blog. Try to write
something every day or two. After about a month,
read the blog from the beginning. Do you notice
any changes in your English, in yourself or in the way
you learn?
WRITING SKILLS
A REFLECTIVE BLOG
It is a good idea when you are studying English to
write a reflective blog. Writing gives you thinking time
and helps you organise your thoughts, feelings and
ideas. It also helps you to track your progress and
development. In other words, writing can help you
become a better learner.
4
Read the reflective blog below. Answer these questions.
1
When did Amy come to Spain?
2
What did Amy do on Wednesday?
3
What can you see late in the evening in Madrid?
4
In Amy’s class on Saturday, what language does the
teacher speak?
5
In a reflective blog, you can write about the things
you do, things you see/hear, things you like/don’t like,
things you are thinking about, difficulties, problems or
concerns, and/or things that change in your life. Find
examples of these things in Amy’s blog.
6
You can also comment on things you learn. Find
examples of something Amy learns (or is learning) by:
1
watching/looking.
2
listening/hearing.
3
touching/using her hands.
7
Amy gives reasons for things. Find the reasons why she:
1
loves the Prado museum.
2
thinks it’s important to see paintings in a museum –
not in books or on the internet.
3
was worried about starting the jewellery class.
21
about
me
Hi! I’m Amy and I’m at Grey University in Chicago, USA.
At the moment, I’m studying for four months in Madrid,
Spain, as part of my program.
Tuesday May 9
I really like the way
people live here.
In the evening,
they have dinner
late, around 10
or someƟmes 11.
The family is very
important, and
you see whole families eaƟng together
in restaurants, or walking in the streets.
At first, I was surprised to see very
young children out with their families at
midnight, but then it became normal.
Things like this are making me think about
the differences between cultures. For the
first Ɵme, I can see with my own eyes that
some things are beƩer in other cultures
than in my own culture.
Saturday May 6
At the moment, I’m doing a
jewellery class in my free Ɵme.
It’s a lot of fun. At first, I was
worried—my fingers are very
big—but I now know that I’m
good at making things with my
hands and I’m pleased with
some of my work. The teacher
speaks very fast, but my
Spanish is good now. When I
came here in February,
I didn’t understand
as much as I do
now!
Wednesday May 10
Our class went to the Prado again. I love this
museum—the buildings and the painƟngs are
great. To be honest, I wasn’t very interested in
art unƟl I came to this country. Now I realize
it’s important to see painƟngs in a museum—
not just in books or on the internet. That’s
how they come alive. AŌerwards, Alicia and I
studied together for next week’s exam on the
development of the European Union.
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