Lettorato Inglese

The focus for the semester is international law and international relations, and lessons can include the following topics:

• United Nations
• Brexit
• September 11
• Freedom of the Press
• Legalizing Marijuana
• Universal Basic Income
• Syria and other Humanitarian Crises
• Modern Slavery
• The Placebo Effect
• Doctors without Borders
• The Opioid Crisis
• Medical Tourism
• PTSD
• Stress and How to Deal with It
• Imposter Syndrome
• Depression – a History Through Time
• The Impact of Interaction on Wellbeing

There are two primary objectives for each lesson:

1. Students learn new vocabulary along with correct pronunciation, using it correctly in conversations and in presentations (formal and/or informal), role play, debates, etc., some of which are a part of every lesson.

2. The students practice speaking about and expressing opinions on topics that are most likely familiar in their mother tongue, but that they may not be accustomed to speaking about in English.

Grammar is corrected when necessary, but this is not a primary focus of the class. Lessons include English idioms and practice with large complex numbers (including money, dates, percentages, fractions, etc.).

The topic for each lesson is introduced with a video and/or written text. New vocabulary is introduced and discussed, with a focus not only on meaning but correct pronunciation (both American and British pronunciations if there is a difference).
Normally this is followed by a group discussion, where the class as a whole is asked to contribute personal experiences, thoughts, preferences, opinion, beliefs, etc., on the given topic.
Once the topic of the lesson is well-established, the students are divided into groups/pairs and given a task, usually involving research online and/or amongst their peers or gleaned from personal experience. The second half of the lesson is devoted to the students sharing the information they’ve prepared for their assigned task through presentations, debates, role play, etc. The students are expected to speak English throughout the lesson, even in their small groups as they work on their tasks.

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