Reward Upper Intermediate Level

   

Lesson

Grammar and functions

Vocabulary

Skills and sounds

1. English ... at home and abroad

Signs in English from around the world

Questions: basic rules

Words used in English from other languages

Reading: reading signs from around the world; reading and answering a questionnaire; reading for main ideas

Speaking: talking about hopes and expectations for an English course; asking questions about Reward Upper-Intermediate

Writing: writing questions about Reward Upper-Intermediate

Discussion about learning; learning styles

Question tags; negative questions; imperative questions; suggestions and reply questions

Vocabulary to describe language errors and parts of speech

Sounds: intonation in question tags; using a model dialogue for guided speaking practice

Listening: listening for main ideas; inferring

Writing: writing a composition The best way to learn English

2. Friends and relations

Customs and rituals in different cultures

The indefinite and zero article

Gestures and movements of the body

Speaking: talking about ways of greeting and addressing people; using a model dialogue for guided speaking

Reading: reading for main ideas; understanding text organisation; focusing on topic sentences; inferring

Customs in different age groups

 

Sounds:

Listening: listening for main ideas; interpreting information; talking about customs and rituals

Writing: text organisation in an informal letter; writing an informal letter about customs and rituals

3. Passion play

Italian football

Tense review: present tenses

 

Speaking: exchanging information on hobbies and leisure activities; a commentary of a sporting event

Reading: reading for main ideas; linking ideas; dealing with unfamiliar words

Writing: preparing a commentary of a sporting event

Hobbies and leisure activities

Criticising behaviour and habits; agreeing and disagreeing

Sport and leisure activities

Speaking: talking about hobbies and leisure activities; a discussion about hobbies

Listening: listening for main ideas; listening for specific information

Sounds: stressed words in sentences of complaint

Writing: writing a report of a discussion on hobbies

4. Twenty-four hours in your town

Arranging a day out in Boston, USA

Tense review: talking about the future; making suggestions and responding to them

People, places and types of entertainment

Listening: identifying context and purpose; listening for specific information

Speaking: planning a day out in Boston; making suggestions

Writing: identifying the difference between formal and informal expressions; writing a formal business letter

Planning a tourist guide of a town or region

Tense review: talking about the future with will

Features of city life

Reading: reading for specific information; evaluating a text

Sounds: polite and friendly intonation

Speaking: describing different aspects of a town or region

Writing: note-taking; writing a tourist guide for a town or region

Progress check lessons 1-4

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Revision

Using a monolingual dictionary; learning vocabulary

Sounds: stressed words in sentences

Speaking: talking about plans for a pen friend's visit

Writing: writing a letter giving advice about greeting people and arrangements for a stay

5. Achievements and ambitions

An extract from Great Railway Journeys by Lisa St Aubin de Teran

Tense review: present perfect simple and continuous

Important life events

Speaking: talking about personal achievements and ambitions; exchanging information about biographies

Reading: predicting; reading for main ideas; reading for specific information; evaluating a text; inferring

Writing: writing questions to obtain biographical information

Personal achievements and ambitions

Tense review: present perfect simple and continuous

Sounds: weak form

Listening: listening for specific information

Writing: writing a biography for a newspaper article

6. Trust me - I'm a doctor

Truth and deception; Sister Coxall's revenge, a short story in two parts

Tense review: past tenses

 

Speaking: talking about truth and deception

Listening: predicting the order of events; listening ofr main ideas; listening for specific information

The story of a doctor in the 19th century

Describing a sequence of events in the past

Words connected with medical matters

Sounds: syllable stress; stress in compound nouns

Reading: reading for main ideas; inferring; dealing with unfamiliar words

Speaking: talking about different jobs

7. Wish your were here?

An extract from The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson

Adjectives

 

Speaking: talking about features of a holiday; discussing holiday preferences

Writing: writing statements about holiday preferences

Reading: reading for main ideas; inferring; understanding writer's style; distinguishing between fact and opinion

Talking about holidays

Describing position

Geographical descriptions

Listening: listening for specific information; inferring

Sounds: linking sounds

Writing: writing a description of a town or region using fact and opinion adjectives

8. Strange sensations

Four stories from True ghost stories of our time

Participle (-ing) clauses

Words connected with the senses

Reading: reading for main ideas; reading for specific information; dealing with difficult vocabulary

Speaking: talking about ghost stories

A ghost story set in Scotland

Verbs of sensation

Words connected with sounds

Sounds: pauses, words stress, intonation for dramatic effect

Listening: predicting; listening for specific information; inferring; dealing with difficult expressions

Speaking: talking about a ghost story

Writing: writing a ghost story; linking words meanwhile, eventually, finally

Progress check lessons 5-8

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Revision

Positive and negative connotation; adjective suffixes

Sounds: stressed words in sentences

Listening: listening and note-taking

Speaking: retelling a story

9. Impressions of school

An extract from Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontė

Talking about memories: remember + noun/-ing

Education and school

Speaking: talking about early schooldays

Reading: predicting; reading for main ideas; dealing with unfamiliar words; inferring

An interview with an English teacher in Sudan

Used to and would + infinitive; be/get used to + noun/-ing

Listening: listening for specific information; inferring

Sounds: in British and American words

Writing: interpreting and writing a school report

10. Rules of law

Strange laws around the world

Modal verbs: must, have to, have got to, can't, mustn't Words connected with crimes

Sounds: syllable stress

Reading: reacting to a text; reading for main ideas; reading for specific information

The legal system in Britain

Modal verbs: don't need to/needn't, needn't have/didn't need to, should/shouldn't Words connected with law and order

Listening: listening for main ideas, listening for specific information

Reading: reacting to a text; reading for main ideas

Writing: writing a letter to a newspaper expressing an opinion; linking words and expressions for opinions

11. Discoveries and inventions

The story of the inventor and traveller, Francis Galton

Clauses of purpose  

Speaking: talking about inventions; talking about tips for everyday situations

Reading: reacting to a text; reading for main ideas; dealing with unfamiliar words

Writing: writing practical advice

Strange inventions

Noun/adjective + to + infinitive Household items and actions

Speaking: guessing the purpose of different inventions

Listening: listening for main ideas; listening for specific advice

Sounds: assimilation of /t/ and /d/ in connected speech

Writing: writing a product description

12. Food, glorious food

What your choice of food reveals about you

Conditionals (1): zero, first and second conditionals; if and when Food and drink

Speaking: talking  about different ways of cooking and preparing food; talking about typical food and drink

Reading: reading and answering a questionnaire; reading for main ideas

Listening: listening for specific information; inferring

Sounds: stressed words in sentences

Car-engine cooking

Conditionals (2): unless, even if, as long as, provided (that), or/otherwise

Reading: predicting; reading for main ideas; reading for specific information

Speaking: talking about car-engine cooking

Writing: writing advice on eating in different situations such as picnics and barbecues

Progress check lessons 9-12

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Revision

Remember, forget, try, stop, regret + -ing or infinitive; opposite or negative meanings with prefixes

Sounds: different ways of pronouncing -ough; stressed words in connected speech

Listening: listening and note-taking

Writing: rewriting news stories

13. High-tech dreams or nightmares?

A computerised home

The passive Words connected with technology

Reading: predicting; reading for specific information; inferring

Writing: writing a letter of complaint

Items of new technology

Passive infinitive; passive gerund Words connected with different kinds of communication

Listening: listening for specific information; inferring

Sounds: stress in compound nouns

Speaking: a discussion about technology and communication

Writing: writing a summary of a discussion

14. Lifestyles

The Amish people of Pennsylvanna

Relative clauses New words from a passage about the Amish people

Speaking: talking about lifestyles; talking about changes in lifestyle

Reading: reading for specific information; inferring

Living in California

Relative and participle clauses Lifestyle in California

Listening: predicting; listening for specific information

Sounds: pauses in defining and non-defining relative clauses

Writing: writing a diary of a day in the life of an Amish family or in a Californian community

15. Lucky escapes

Talking about lucky escapes

Third conditional Positive and negative feelings

Speaking: talking about lucky and unlucky situations

Listening: listening for main ideas; listening for specific information

Writing: writing a summary

Stories about good and bad luck

Expressing wishes and regrets Opinions

Reading: predicting; reading for main ideas; understanding text organisation

Sounds: stressed words in sentences expressing wishes and regrets

Speaking: talking about the stories

16. All-time greats

The story of the song The Girl from Ipanema

Phrasal verbs Types of music and words connected with music

Speaking: talking about different types of music; talking about national characteristics of music

Reading: reading for main ideas; inferring; linking ideas

Favourite music and books

Phrasal verbs Words connected with music and books

Sounds: stressed words in sentences with phrasal verbs

Listening: listening for main ideas; listening for specific information

Writing: completing a book review of a favourite piece of music or book

Speaking: talking about favourite pieces of music and books

Progress check lessons 13-16

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Revision

Phrasal verbs

Sounds: silent consonants; being aware of speaker's attitude

Writing: preparing for a game called If things had been different

Speaking: playing a game called If things had been different

17. Spending money

An extract from Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald

Countable and uncountable nouns Shopping items; new words from a story

Speaking: talking about shopping; discussing humorous sayings

Reading: predicting; understanding the writer's style; reading for main ideas; reacting to a text

Sounds: timing and intonation in jokes; different ways of telling a joke

Different shopping habits

Ways of expressing quality Words connected with money

Speaking: talking about words connected with money

Listening: predicting; listening for main ideas; listening for specific information

Speaking: talking about shopping habits

Writing: writing a questionnaire about people's shopping habits

18. Trends

How to survive the 21st century

Future continuous and future perfect  

Reading: predicting; reading for main ideas; dealing with difficult vocabulary; inferring

Speaking: talking about future trends

Writing: writing advice about future trends

Future trends and party politics

Future in the past Words connected with politics

Listening: listening for main ideas; listening for specific information

Sounds: syllable stress

Writing: looking at words and phrases often used in discussions; writing a composition about the 21st century

19. Legendary Britain

The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Passive constructions with say, believe etc  

Reading: reading for main ideas; reading for specific information

Speaking: talking about legends

Legendary places

Speculating about the past: may have, might have, must have, can't have Words connected with legends

Listening: predicting; listening for specific information; listening and note-taking; inferring

Sounds: stressed words in a dialogue

Writing: writing a guide to legendary people and places

20. The real thing?

Characteristics of different brands and products

Reported speech Adjectives to describe different products

Speaking: talking about well-known brands and products

Listening: predicting; listening for main ideas; listening for specific information

Global advertising

Reporting verbs

Speaking: talking about advertising; using a model dialogue for guided speaking practice

Reading: reading for main ideas; linking ideas; distinguishing between main ideas and examples

Listening: predicting; understanding text organisation

Writing: writing a dialogue complaining about an advertising claim

Progress check lessons 17-20

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Revision

Idioms; slang and informal language

Sounds: homophones; homographs

Speaking: planning a stay in a foreign country