C1 Following the News - The Written Press

Following the News - The Written Press

Most people enjoy reading a newspaper. They like to keep abreast of current events by reading one of the daily papers, although not everybody is interested in the news headlines. Some people go straight to the crossword. Others go immediately to the sports section that can be found at the back between the classified advertisements, and "What’s on TV". Young people might be more interested in glossy magazines, where they can read about their favorite pop stars, or glimpse at what the agony aunt advises for their love life in the agony column. Not all newspapers are well written. Some are just popular press, or what the British call the gutter press. These tabloids are more interested in sensationalism, which helps to sell millions of copies, or one could say boosts circulation. In fact you can find something of interest for everybody at your local newsagent's. Children go there to look for the latest issue of their favorite comic, whilst other people browse through a few periodicals before deciding whether to buy HiFi news or the latest Go Camping magazine. If you can’t find what you want in the newsagents then you can always take out a subscription to the magazine of your choice. This way you can receive a copy of your favorite periodical, weekly through the post.

Let's Learn English

People everywhere in the world speak English. It is the most spoken language in the world. Around 400 million people speak English as a first language. Around 1.1 billion people speak English as a second language. English is the main language in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Other countries with English as one of the main languages include Barbados, Jamaica, Ghana, Nigeria, and Singapore. People in these countries also use English at school and at work: India, Philippines, Pakistan, Israel and Malta. English has many different dialects

Comparative Phrases

Read the text.

 Anna: Do you want to go to the cinema and then have dinner tonight?

Louise: Yeah, good idea.  I’d like to watch something funny.

Anna: How about “Dance Chimp 2” or “Super Fishman”?

Louise: I heard "Super Fishman" is not as funny as "Dance Chimp 2".

Anna: OK, But "Dance Chimp 2" is nowhere near as popular as "Super Fishman".

Renting a Flat - What to Look Out For

 Dialog:

Melanie: Lucky you! Only this morning I visited an apartment in this area. The advert read: 'spacious apartment, in a historical building, good condition'.

Lee: And of course, you were very disappointed.

Melanie: Yes, utterly disappointed! When I got there, all I found was a tiny room, in an ugly old block of flats, which needed urgent redecorating!

Renting a Flat

Renting a Flat - Describing What You Are Looking For

Melanie: Lee, this place looks great! You know that I am looking for a flat but I have never visited such a nice one. 

Lee: Yes, I know, I’m very happy here, it’s so bright and comfortable and the rent is reasonable too. 

Melanie: Isn’t it too far from where you work? I mean, you work downtown, don’t you? 

Lee: Well, it’s all right, it’s only about half an hour from the town centre, and I prefer living in the suburbs, anyway. It is still in town, but it is quieter, and closer to the country. 

Menyiapkan Asesmen Diagnostik

Asesmen diagnosis adalah asesmen awal pembelajaran.

Asesmen diagnosis adalah salah satu bentuk asesmen formatif yang bertujuan untuk mendiagnosis kemampuan awal dan kebutuhan belajar murid, untuk mengidentifikasi kompetensi, kekuatan, dan kelemahan murid. Hasilnya dapat digunakan guru sebagai rujukan dalam merencanakan pembelajaran sesuai dengan kebutuhan murid.

Tahap penyusunan asesmen diagnostik:

1. menganalisis rapor murid sebelumnya
2. mengidentifikasi kompetensi yang akan diajarkan (membuat indikator turunan dari setiap kompetesi, kemampuan prasyarat yang perlu dikuasai murid)
3. menyusun instrumen
4. menggali informasi tentang murid (latar belakang keluarga, motivasi, minat, ketersediaan sarana dan prasarana belajar)
5. melaksanakan asesmen dan mengolah hasil
6. menggunakan data hasil asesmen untuk merencanakan pembelajaran yang lebih  bermakna dan tepat sasaran, yaitu pembelajaran yang sesuai dengan tahap capaian dan karakteristik murid.

Format Asesmen

Murid bisa lebih diarahkan untuk proses belajar yang lebih bermakna, seperti merenungkan, merefleksikan, menganalisis dan menghubungkan pengetahuan dengan fenomena yang ada di sekitar.

Format asesmen dapat diklasifikasikan menjadi asesmen tradisional dan asesmen alternatif

Bentuk format asesmen tradisional: tes pilihan ganda, tes benar salah, soal isian pendek dan esai.

Kelemahan tes pilihan ganda: terbatas pada pengetahuan saja dalam waktu itu saja, cocok untuk recalling, pemahaman murid yang sudah diajarkan dengan cepat. Namun dapat digunakan secara optimal untuk mengukur pemahaman murid, dengan membuat bentuk soal yang lebih panjang dan bersifat analitik

Test esai dapat menguji kemampuan analitik melihat keterkaitan dan merefleksi murid atas pembelajaran sebelumnya. Penilaian menggunakan rubrik.

Format asesmen alternatif lebih mampu mengakomodir hal-hal yang tidak bisa diukur oleh asesmen tradisional.

Bentuk tes format asesmen alternatif adalah melalaui pertanyaan terbuka, bermain peran, demonstrasi, praktik langsung, eksperimen projek dan portofolio.