Guideline for written papers on readings

Please follow this guideline for your written papers on readings:

·    Papers must have a cover stating the title, the subject, the author, and the class.

·    Use white paper and a font of size 12. Arial or Courier New are good fonts. Avoid fancy fonts.

·    Chapters must include:

o       Table of contents.

o       Introduction to the paper (1 page max.)

o       Biography of the author (1 page max.)

o       Summary of the plot (1 page max.)

o       Brief description of the main characters (2 pages max.)

·        Physical

·        Personal

·        Role in the novel

o       A thought on style and language (1 page max.)

o       Personal conclusion (1 page max.)

·        Did you enjoy the reading? Why? What did you like best? and least?

o       Quotes (if any)

o       Bibliographic reference

·        Title, author, edition, publisher of the version you are using.

·        Same for any other book you maybe referencing.

·        Full URL (http://...) from any reference you maybe using coming from the Internet.

·    Use images or colour if they help or improve your work. Don’t overdo it.

·    It is a good idea to use quotes. If you do, use inverted commas to indicate them (‘…’). Then use a sequenced suprescript (xxx²) and list the pages at the end on a specific annex.

·    MOST IMPORTANT: use simple and clear language. And run the spell check.

Guideline for oral presentations

Please follow this guideline for your oral presentations:

1. Choose the topic with your teacher.

2. Find more than one source for your information:

·     Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.com)

·     Britannica (http://www.britannica.com/)

·     …

3. Write your own text. Use the information you find, don’t just copy fragments.

4. Check your text.

·     English Grammar (http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/)

·     Spell check your text.

5. Prepare your presentation (rehearse your presentation)

·     Go to Internet and check this for guidance:

·    http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint

6. It must contain:

ii.       Title, subject and author(s)

iii.     Brief summary (index)

iv.      Introduction

·    Why this topic?

·    Popular examples or traces

·    Related topics

v.        Main section of your work

·    If it is a generic topic:

o       Main characteristics

o       Examples

·    If it is a novel:

o       Biography of the author

o       Plot summary

o       Brief description of main characters

·    If it is a song:

o       Biography of the artist

o       Lyrics. Main idea of the song.

vi.      Audiovisual samples

·    Audio

·    Video

·    Photo…

vii.    Conclusion

·    Main ideas

·    Personal opinion

·    Reasons to choose this topic

viii.  Final image (if it is a digital presentation)

How to make a good Power Point Presentation

We have all seen examples of presentations that are not so good.

They have too much text, too many images, or too many colours. Or they have a messy look. Or they are too "full".

Here you can download a very clear example of the basic things to remember to write a good presentation. It belongs to the web of Save the children, a non-profit organization.

Remember:
    1. Slide 1: introduction
    2. Just a few clear & simple slides
    3. Final slide: conclusion

How to install and use Audacity

INSTALL

In order to install Audacity, you need to download the program and some extra files.

1. Go to Audacity's web page (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/) and click on the "Windows" link.

2. Click on "Descargar" (download).

3. Click on the "Instalador" file corresponding to your Operating System.

4. Select "Guardar archivo" (Save file).

5. When the download operation is complete, double-click the downloaded file (audacity-win-unicode-1.3.12.exe, remember the numbers may change if the file has a newer version) and follow the normal install steps.

6. Your Audacity is correctly installed. Now we need to add one little file that is really useful.

7 . Go back to the "Descarga" (Download) page on step 3 and click on "Codificador LAME MP3", and follow the instructions until you find this file: audacity-win-unicode-1.3.12.exe (remember the numbers may change if the file has a newer version). Download this file.

8. Double-click the file and install it.


USE

9. Now you have Audacity AND you can export Audacity files as MP3.

10. Start Audacity and record a sample of your voice. Click on the Record button and start your sound. When you finish, you can click on the Stop button.


















11. Now you have a sound track. You can listen to it by clicking Play. The other buttons (Pause, Home and End) allow you to "navigate" your recorded track.

12. To save a track, click Archivo (File) and Exportar (Export). Save your file with the MP3 type.

You can now record sound as many times as you want.

Enjoy!

Home recordings

We have been working with our voice in the English Classroom. We use the Audio CD that comes with our book. Like this:

1. We hear the audio version of our text, so we listen and read. We pay attention to difficult words.

• We use Windows Media Player (or other player you have)

2. We record our voice reading a small part of the text.

• We use Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/).
  This is a freeware program for sound recording.

3. We play back our voice, so we listen and read. We verify the quality of our performance.

• Once again, we use Windows Media Player (or other player you have)

4. We repeat steps 1-3.

After several attempts, our reading performance improves and we can move on to a different section of the text.