So, what's your deal? Welcome to CEOLS!

So, what's your deal?: Welcome to CEOLS.

Focus On

Read about how our online language school was founded.

Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 1

CEOLS /si:lz/ was created in 2005 by a young couple, Serena and Blake
Walkers, who were going to Turkey to teach English to youngsters. They
wanted to know the basics before they arrived, so they decided to search
the Internet and find the survival language they needed to understand and
make themselves understood the minute they set foot on what was going to
be their new home for the next three years.
The enormous amount of information and courses they found online, together
with the online record of activities they were producing, sparked the idea of
starting their own website to help their learners.
The school began as a free online resource. However, it was soon spotted by
entrepreneur James Pengelly who saw the potential in the young couple and
offered to fund a European Online Language School. Pengelly got in touch
with the young couple, making them an offer they couldn't resist which
brought them back to the UK immediately after they finished their obligations
in Turkey.

Culture Counts

There are many online language schools. We will be visiting some of them to increase our knowledge of the
English speaking world and culture.

Perhaps the most famous of them all is BBC Learning English. It is brought to us from the United Kingdom and,
therefore, of course, deals with British English.
However, there are many different English accents; at Poetry Out Loud, you can listen to, as well as get to
know, Canadian accents and at the same time practise your pronunciation through poetry.
 Do it yourself

Choose the correct answer.

1.The original idea for the company came from Mr. Pengelly.
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2."Set foot on" literally means put your feet somewhere.
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3. "For" is a preposition of time but can also indicate a purpose.
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4.The UK (United Kingdom) includes the Republic of Ireland.
Verdadero Falso
5. English is an official language in Turkey.
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1. About CEOLS

Focus On

Where and who we are.

Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 2

The company offices are located in Falmouth, a well-known harbour on

the south coast of Cornwall.
CEOLS is currently comprised of a team of eleven experts who know that
every student calls for a different amount of help and time to improve
the language they are learning. They carry out individual placement tests
if the student has previous knowledge to ascertain the level. They also
study the appropriate learning styles and strategies each learner
requires. This individual needs analysis takes place during the first three
weeks. During that time, students are guaranteed results and, if they are
not satisfied, they will be fully refunded.
CEOLS carefully selects their staff which is why they can guarantee that
the staff will be with you right from start to finish. CEOLS' students
define their teachers as keen, innovative and dedicated. The CEOLS
research programme entails constantly researching how to improve
spoken languages by helping students develop the skills they need in
order to communicate effectively.
CEOLS is flexible and convenient. Students can learn at their
convenience, at any time of day or night. They can fit your schedule and you do not need to travel because
you can follow their courses from the comfort of your own home.
All you need is a headset and high speed Internet. CEOLS will provide a selection of tools for online
conversation with as many as 15 simultaneous partners. Students will have the classroom available in the
comfort of their own home, in their hotel room, plane or train during their travels.
Wherever you are, whenever you need us, we are just a click away.
 AV - Reflexin

1. Do you know Falmouth?

2. Why is Falmouth a good place to visit?
3. What can you see and do in Falmouth?
4. What famous chocolate store has been open in Falmouth for
almost a hundred years?
These are a few of the questions you can answer by visiting
the Official Town website. Image at Wikimedia Commons by David
Stowell under CC.

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AV - Reflexin

Watch the video at England Southwest about Cornwall:

How much did you understand? Study the table, match the beginning of a sentence in Column A with its ending
in Column B.:

Column A
1. The trip starts in Devon
2. Tintagel castle is
3. The Pirates of Penzance
4. Mouseholes pronunciation
5. Mousehole was also home to
6. St. Michaels mount
7. Pilchards are
8. The Jamaica Inn
Column B
a. the last person who spoke Cornish as a
native tongue.
b. gave name to an operetta.
c. small oily fish.
d. was an important port for nearly a thousand
years.
e. which is just over border from Cornwall.
f. is in the middle of a moor.
g. related to the legend of King Arthur.
h. has nothing to do with the spelling.

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1.1. Teaching and Learning

 Objetivos

Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 3

In order to achieve these rewarding results, CEOLS asks students to sign a class contract in which they commit
to follow the CEOLS method as well as dedicate a stipulated amount of time in accordance with the level and
experience.
Some of the techniques include:
- Interaction between teachers and learners in a way that knowledge is co-
constructed in learning rather than simply being transmitted by the teacher.
- Students learn through communication and conversation. Language use
develops the learner's voice, his or her beliefs, previous knowledge and
experiences are valid content in the lesson.
- The content is frequently reviewed, evaluated and updated so that it engages
the learners.
- The teacher enables the emergence of language and guides students toward
it.
- Our staff encourages making mistakes because it means students are
producing. Accuracy stems from error correction. One of our mottos is: "you
can't correct what you don't produce."
Finally, if students would like a more hands on approach, they can also apply for
a homestay at CEOLS centre in Falmouth.
Are you having trouble with your English? Apply now and get all the information
for free.
Study the following words taken from our story about the online language school:

WORD BUILDING
Prefix Root Suffix
young ster
in form ation
on line
web site
place ment
re fund ed
head set
wher(e) ever
when ever
re ward ing
co- constructed
re view ed
en able s
home stay

Actividad

Notice that there are several word building categories on the list.
1. We have examples of suffixes, for instance: youngsters. The "-ster"
ending means: "associated with". Other examples are:
prankster = associated with a prank
gangster = associated with a gang
teamster = associated with a team.
2. The "-ment" is added to the end of a word to indicate an action or
resulting state, also a product (fragment) or means (ornament).
3. You may also find words which are made up of both a "prefix" and a
Image at Wikimedia by BrokenSphere. "suffix":
in form ation.
4. Another way of building words is by putting two words together. In the current era of technological
advancement, many new words have appeared in this field, for instance:
white board
fire wire.
5. However, we can also find "grammatical compounds", in other words, two words that belong to different
categories but that are written together:
when ever
wher(e) ever (it loses the final "e" before adding "ever").
6. Other suffixes also belong to the "grammar" category, for example:
re fund ed ("-ed" is a regular verb past ending)
re ward ing ("-ing" is a present participle ending)
en able s ("-s" is a third person singular, verb ending).
 AV - Reflexin

Now look at the words in the box. Can you put them under the correct heading?

mountaineer jokestar basement

privatize anticlockwise literacy
biotechnology readiness

Prefix Root Suffix

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AV - Reflexin

Finally, look at these words:

flashcard somewhat homeschool vodcast skateboard
Can you divide them? Do you know what they mean?

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1.2. Bringing it all together

Now that you have finished reading about CEOLS, try the comprehension test. You may
want to read the full text again. In order to do that, you may click here.

AV - Pregunta de Eleccin Mltiple

1. In Welcome to CEOLS, "the basics" refers to _____.

a) finding accommodation
 b) learning Turkish.
c) their new company.
2. Two reasons that motivated the set up of their initial website were ___.
a) earning extra money and lots of free time.
b) interest in travelling and knowing the culture.
c) plentiful online information as well as their own production.
3. From the information in the text we can understand that the Blakes _____.
a) reached the end of their previous agreement and then left.
b) left Turkey before finishing their time there.
4. According to the text, _____.
a) anyone can work for CEOLS.
b) there must be a professional selection process.
5. The study schedule at CEOLS ____.
a) is adaptable to individual student needs.
b) isn't adaptable to individual student needs.
6. CEOLS also calls for an effor on behalf of their students as they will have to _____.
a) come to classes every day.
b) be online for at least three hours a day.
c) comply with or meet certain requirements.

2. Let's review our verb tenses

Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 4

Throughout this lesson we have been learning about a new online school, some of its
staff members, the products it has to offer and its organization. Now, let's have a
look at the language that has been used and why.
The story of CEOLS is a piece of narrative writing, as such, it is written to entertain,
but also, of course, to teach and inform. Some features include:
- Characters with defined identities: Mr. Pengelly, Serena and Blake...
- Narrative (or dialogue) with tenses which vary from past to present to future:
CEOLS was created...The company offices are located...CEOLS will provide...
- Descriptive language to create images in the reader's mind and enhance the story:
a well-known harbour on the south coast of Cornwall...entrepreneur James
Pengelly...young couple... teachers are keen, innovative and dedicated...
The structure includes an introduction or orientation in which the characters, the
setting and the time of the story are established by answering questions such as: Who? When? Where? And so on: CEOLS was
created in 2005 by a young couple...
The introduction is followed by a complication or problem which involves the main characters: ...spotted by entrepreneur...
To wrap a narrative up there is a resolution: Wherever you are, whenever you need us, we are just a click away.
Having established the general layout, let's take a closer look at the story.

AV - Reflexin

Go back to "Welcome to CEOLS!" Look at the first paragraph again, it begins: "CEOLS was created..." and ends:
"for the next three years." Can you list examples of verbs in the past?

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AV - Reflexin

Now, look at the section "About CEOLS" and more specifically at the first paragraph beginning: "CEOLS is
currently..." and ending: "...fully refunded." Can you identify verbs in the present tenses?
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AV - Reflexin

Finally, in the two sections there are two verbs which refer to the future. Can you find them?
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Actividad

In order to review verb tenses in English, read through this presentation:

3. Angela and Serena

Objetivos

Angela is calling to ask for information. Listen to the conversation between her and Serena.
 Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast
nmero 5

Remember to look at the audioscript

AFTER you carry out the activity!
Imagen de
O penclipartvectors
en Pixabay bajo
licencia CC

AV - Pregunta Verdadero-Falso

This is your first listening activity. First of all, read the sentences. Secondly, play the recording. Thirdly, decide
which sentences are true and which are false. After the first listening, re-read the sentences and make any
necessary changes. After doing the activity you may check your comprehension with the audioscript.
Example: Angela used a landline to call the language school.
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1. Angela would like to become an online language teacher.
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2. If you miss the registration period in September, you may register later on in the year.
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3. This language school can help you obtain a formal qualification.
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4. Serena offers Angela some encouragement.
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5. In order to register, Angela must pay and register immediately.
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Ejemplo o ejercicio resuelto

How good is your memory? Read the next two activities.

Did you pick up any of the nationalities the speakers refered to?
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Can you remember what language Angela uses to ask for information?
Can you remember how Serena responds to those questions?

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4. Short and Long vowel sounds

Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast

nmero 6

Long Short
vowels vowels

/ht/
/ezt/
/hit/ /pet/
Image at openclipart.org by Salvor under CC.
/ct/ /ct/
Easy and difficult vowel sounds in English. As you may recall from former years, English
vowel sounds can be long /i:/ (heat, neat, reach) or short /I/ (hit, knit, rich). Look at the /but/ /ht/
chart below, the sounds are divided into long and short. Can you distinguish them correctly? /hs/ /bd/
Listen to the speaker and then try it yourself.
/ps/ /bk/

Caso de estudio

Can you distinguish between a long vowel and a short vowel? Read on and then try our exercise.
 According to experts, the English vowel sounds that are hard for Spanish students are:
seek/sick (/i/ - //),
cart/cot (/ /- //),
pool/pull (/u/ - //),
or,
part/pat/putt (/ / - // - //).
The reason is because Spanish has five pure vowels and five diphthongs, whereas, English has twelve
pure vowels and eight diphthongs.

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Now, listen to the speaker. In the following list, what word do you hear?
Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 7 1. sleep - slip
2. short - shot
3. heart - hat - hut
4. stack - start
5. spool - spill
6. four - full
7. pour - pool
8. sheet - shirt

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Do you need nore practise? Ship or Sheep is an online phonetic website. Visit it and have fun learning!
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Perhaps you would like an explanation as well as the prounciation. Visit the BBC Pronunciation website and
follow along with their videos.
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5. England, Spain and Turkey

Pre-conocimiento

Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 8

During this lesson, at least three countries have been mentioned: Serena and Blake in Turkey, CEOLS in
Cornwall (England) and Angela in Toledo (Spain).
What cultural differences would you expect to find in these countries, for
instance, regarding food and eating habits? Would you expect to find
anything similar between such different countries?
Watch the videos below and be surprised!
 AV - Reflexin

You are going to watch two videos:

Delicious food in Istanbul Delicious food in Mullion Cove

Can you see anything that is common between Turkish food and English food? Does it look similar to anything
you might have in Spain?

Go to the forum and discuss the videos, comment aspects such as:
- location;
- food that appears (meat, fish, vegetables, cookies, cakes...);
- ways of cooking;

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6. Create your study group

Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 9

You have to be part of a study group.

The objective is to practice your English as often as you can. We suggest you find two or three
people you can comfortably meet up with (you should preferably have the same online working
schedule). Another good idea is, to visit an online open community which will help you find a
partner and/or partners who will be willing to speak English with you, more often than not, they will
also like to speak Spanish, but that isn't a problem. The advantages are: you have one or several
"native" speakers to communicate with, and it is free. A drawback may be that you have to spend
some time speaking Spanish, too, or that people you communicate with have other intentions in
mind, if so, knock them off sooner than later!
Some of these free online places are:
- The Mixxer language exchange community for everybody;
- Babbel;
- English, baby!;
- Speaking 24.
Before you rush into a conversation, remember Internet safety rules:
1. Never give out personal details regarding where you live, telephone number, bank details... Your best bet in this regard is, to
create an invented personality who wants to speak English, you may even create an e-mail address exclusively for this purpose.
2. You are a student and you have a goal: you want to speak English. so, an exchange is an exchange, if you speak English for 15
minutes, expect to speak Spanish for 15 minutes, and definitely demand the opposite.
Your tasks for this lesson are:
1. Go to the forum and create your study group. (You may belong to more than one if you have the time!).
2. Prepare the information you are going to ask and give your prospective exchange:
- personal details
- objectives
- schedule online
- learning and studying strategies
- you are good at
- you are not so good at
- interests
Good luck! Have fun learning!

Here are some questions which might be useful

when asking partners to participate in your study
group:
Would you like to join our study group?
Can I join your study group?
Can I be a part of your study group?
Could you tell me when you are available?
Do you know what the time difference is?
Do you happen to know when the chat starts?
I'd like to know if you would be interested in chatting
with me.
Could you find out when the chat starts?
I'm interested in creating a study group.
I'm looking for partners for a study group.

Some of the answers could be:

Yes, of course. I'd love to.
Sure, I'd like that.
Certainly.
On weekdays from 6 to 8 and on weekends from 11 to 1.
Yes, I believe you are eight hours ahead of us.
Yeah, at three.

7. Writing: Thinking about my school days

Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 10

Congratulations! We are coming to the end of our lesson now, you have learned and/or
reviewed many different aspects of the English language, and have learned and compared
some cultural aspects as well. Now, it is time to put it down on paper (if we were using a
traditional method :), or rather, store it in a file (we may need it again some day...).
Our written task is going to allow us to go back and think about our school days.
 AV - Reflexin

Some questions which will help us to organize our written piece are:
What period in time were you at school?
Where did you go to school?
What was your school like?
What did you like best about it?
What didn't you like about it?
Did you have lunch at school?
How did you get to it?
What were your teachers like?
Did the teachers make the classes interesting?
How many people were in the class?
Did you get along with all of them?
Did you make any really good friends?
Are you still in touch with any of them?
What do you miss from your school days?
Image at openclipart.org by Maoriveros under
CC.
Remember that our written piece should have at least three paragraphs:
1. An introduction.
2. The development of the storyline.
3. A conclusion.
Answering the questions above should help you with that organization. Read our example:

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AV - Reflexin

So, what conclusion can you draw from the above activity?
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8. Bite size
 Unidad 1 - Tema 1 - Podcast nmero 11

Image at openclipart.org by Palomaironique under CC.

Lesson 1 essentials.
- vocabulary:
word building by adding prefixes (in-, re-, co-, en-: incorrect, research, coproduce, enrich), suffixes (-ster, -ation, -ment, -ed, -
ing, -s: enlister, animation, predicament, learning, runs/hides/bands) and compounding on+going, foot+ball);
- grammar:
reviewing the English verb tenses (present, past, simple and future some uses and formation);
- pronunciation:
long and short vowels (beat - bit - bet - bat - bought - book - born - burst - barn - bun);
- language functions:
asking and giving information: Can/Could...? / Certainly.; Sure.; Of course....
- culture:
similarities and differences between countries; different accents; poetry readings.