Skillful 4 LS SB Unit 1
Skillful 4 LS SB Unit 1
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nominate phenomenon smooth unproductive
assumption biased inefficient overwhelmed
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C Global listening
1 1.1 Listen to the first part of a discussion about group work. What is the
focus of the discussion, a benefit or a disadvantage?
2 1.1 Listen to the first part again. Number the turns in the order they happen.
Saud outlines the content of the article.
Tom identifies some problems with group work.
Jon gives a reason why group work is popular.
Tom questions why group work is so common.
3 1.2 Listen to the rest of the
discussion and choose the correct
word or phrase to complete
each sentence.
1 Saud supports / doesn’t support
group work.
2 Jon argues that group decisions are
very good / not very good.
3 Tom suggests people usually
agree / disagree with the leader.
4 Jon describes group think as a way
of controlling / helping people.
5 Tom identifies the problems with /
benefits of dominant people.
6 Jon agrees / disagrees with Tom’s
point about dominant people.
7 Saud outlines a strategy to
prevent / encourage group think.
8 Jon argues that the strategy is
useful / not useful.
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Identifying jokes and English speakers often use humor to create a relationship with listeners.
colloquial allusions Humor is based on shared knowledge not explicitly stated. The speaker
makes the assumption that the listeners will understand.
Not that we’d ever say something to please our tutor, of course! We would
never do that, would we?
Colloquial allusions often use very informal language or, sometimes,
language from a specific region of a country.
Yeah, a little bit like those khakis you’re always wearing, Jonno!
Identifying jokes and colloquial allusions will help you to understand the
speaker’s view and relationship with the listeners. Observe how other
listeners respond. When they find something humorous, “unpack” what was
said by checking that you …
● understand all the language. ● know who or what was referred to.
● have sufficient background information.
1 1.3 Listen to parts of the discussion again and choose the correct answers.
1 In Jon’s first year of college, he worked very hard / didn’t work very hard /
always worked in a group.
2 Some of the student’s tutors probably have a strong academic background /
careers in teaching history / some failed tests in their pasts.
3 Jon shows the group that Tom’s point is correct /
that he agrees with Tom / that Tom is wrong about group work.
2 1.4 Listen to three more extracts. What does the speaker actually think?
1 Tom a There are lots of problems in the world.
b We face few problems in the world today.
2 Tom a We have agreed to things in groups that we didn’t really believe.
b We would never say things in a group that we didn’t believe.
3 Jon a We must stop people from being different.
b We should allow people to be different.
E Critical thinking
1 Work on your own.
Student A: Make a list of the challenges of working individually.
Student B: Make a list of the challenges of working in groups.
2 Share and discuss your lists.
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Main things Steps to take (milestones) What indicates successful completion? Start date Target Done
to do completion
date
1 a
1 Complete the action plan with the examples from the Study skills box.
Then add another possible step and indicator of success, with a realistic
time frame for both steps.
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2 1.6 Listen to the rest of the lecture and number the main ideas in the Listening to a sequence
order they are presented. of arguments
Libraries will need to offer different services in the future.
Community-sector groups are different from other organizations.
Libraries could be places for people to gather.
Evidence shows that the community sector helps many people.
2 Has technology decreased the need for certain things?
There are many arguments against libraries.
1 The idea of communities with centers is being challenged.
Some people think there is no future for libraries.
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Adopting a critical stance to Thinking critically about the information presented in lectures will help you
information in lectures to identify the argument presented, along with the reasons and evidence.
You will then be able to evaluate this argument and consider alternative
perspectives.
Use a series of questions to provide a framework for the critical stance, e.g.,
What is the main argument or viewpoint?
What supporting evidence is provided?
What alternative arguments or viewpoints might there be?
1 1.7 Listen to four extracts from the talk. Match the extract with the
lecturer’s actions.
The lecturer …
gives his own view with no supporting information.
assumes everyone knows the same information.
refers to but provides no proof of specific evidence.
believes that most people have the same opinion.
2 1.7 Listen again and then discuss the questions with a partner.
1 What supporting evidence is provided?
2 What alternative arguments or viewpoints might there be?
3 1.8 Listen to four more extracts. Identify how these arguments
are supported. Match the methods (a–d) with the extract numbers (1–4).
a references on a handout c quoting somebody’s opinion
b using a statistic d referring to a research study
E Critical thinking
1 Work in small groups. Choose one of the community-sector groups. Make a
list of what the public generally wants and needs from such a group.
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1 Read the extracts from the discussion and the lecture. Identify the
anecdotal evidence.
1 What it is is that people don’t trust others to work alone. They think people
just won’t do any work.
2 If you put people in a group, it’s always the same people who get to speak,
and the quieter people can feel overwhelmed, never getting to speak …
you know, like Sam? We always end up doing what he suggests, for some
reason. If he told us to jump off a building, we probably would!
3 And it isn’t really true … what about last week in the tutorial when Susi
had that great idea about the presentation? She never usually speaks, but
everyone listened to her …
4 … because people just won’t need to go to a library to borrow books or go
there to use a photocopier. I certainly won’t, anyway. I access most of the
articles I need for my work online, and I’m sure you do, too.
2 Work with a partner. Discuss the problem with the anecdotal evidence in
each extract, and the kind of evidence that could be included to strengthen
the arguments.
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A Analyze
Read the discussion. Answer the questions.
1 What topic are they discussing?
2 What viewpoints do they need to include in the discussion?
3 Who gives a personal perspective?
4 What do they support their perspective with?
DOUG: So, remember, the focus of this discussion is ANGIE: Yeah, I read about that and, apparently,
funding for community groups. it’s older people who volunteer most. They
ANGIE: Yes, the question we’re actually debating divide their time between hobbies, family,
is—who should support community groups? and …
Should they get money from the government, DOUG: Mm, interesting, but let’s stay focused on the
or should they rely on volunteers? subject of community groups and funding.
DOUG: We’ve only got 15 minutes, and we’ve got to We haven’t got time to go into the ins and
cover both sides of the argument. So, let’s outs of older people’s lives.
start … Jamil, what’s your view? ANGIE: So, what’s the next point we need to talk
JAMIL: Well, speaking as someone from the U.K., I about?
feel that volunteer work is the thing that is at JAMIL: Hang on a minute. Has everybody given their
the heart of all communities. point of view? We need to talk more about
DOUG: How is that related to being from the U.K.? the value of volunteering before we move
on. I’ve said what I think, but what about
JAMIL: There’s just so much stuff going on there. I
everyone else?
read recently that there are maybe 900,000
small community groups operating in LEAH: Could I say something about this?
the U.K. And it is these groups that keep JAMIL: Yeah, go for it.
communities going. They’d be really stuck LEAH: The reason why people volunteer is because
without them. they want to give something back to society.
ANGIE: That’s a good point. It isn’t the government that can really
JAMIL: And get this, something like 15 million people help. What is needed is people from the
volunteer each month in the U.K. Don’t you communities themselves.
think that’s fab?
B Discuss
Discuss the questions in a group. Explain and support your views.
1 Who benefits from volunteer work?
2 Are there any disadvantages to volunteer work?
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Cleft sentences
We use cleft sentences to make connections between known and new
information. The information is divided into two clauses, so the focus can
be on the new information.
Cleft sentences with it
The new information comes after it. The known information is in the clause
after that. When talking about people, we can use who. When talking about
times, we can use when.
It’s older people who volunteer most.
Cleft sentences with wh- words
These sentences can use what, where, why, that, etc., or they can start with
phrases such as The reason why … The new information can come in the
first or second clause.
What is needed is people from the communities themselves.
1
a Volunteer work is these groups that is at the heart of all communities.
b It is the thing that keep communities going.
2
a The reason why people volunteer is because can really help.
b It isn’t the government that they want to give something back …
2 Find the cleft sentences in the model and check your answers.
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4 Find out about your group’s experience with volunteer work. Use the
strategies to keep the discussion going.
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4 Review the Speaking model. Then work in groups of four, with each person
taking one of the four roles from the discussion. Discuss the same topic,
using some of the language from the model and focusing on using stress in
the key words.
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Brainstorm
Review Working in groups and Communities in real life and the Speaking lesson.
Research facts and statistics related to each of the areas you identify.
●
Plan
Review and organize your notes. Consider who should provide the most
support for communities: local volunteers or the government.
Speak
Work in a group. Have an informal debate. Keep the discussion going for the
whole available time. Identify the outcome by voting at the end.
Share
Work with a new group. Compare the outcomes of your group discussions and
share the arguments put forward.
Reflect
Using the information you learned throughout the unit, answer the questions.
1 What are the benefits of keeping discussion going?
2 How can people work together most effectively?
3 Which is more important, the individual or the community?
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conformity deviation dominant inhibition reluctant
1 She was able to recite the poem with no from the text.
2 Bosses say they value initiative, but they’re usually happy with .
3 Hank was to leave his laboratory—he still had work to do.
4 In most groups, the person with the personality normally
takes the lead.
5 Basia was starving, so she loaded her plate with food with no .
Unit review
Listening 1 I can identify jokes and colloquial allusions.
Listening 2 I can adopt a critical stance to the information I hear.
Study skill I can make an action plan for personal development.
Vocabulary I can use vocabulary describing working in teams.
Grammar I can use cleft sentences.
Speaking I can keep a discussion going.
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