Dear Students,

I hope you're doing well! I wanted to give you a quick update on the plan for this week, given the class suspension. Since we won’t have a session for a few more days, I’ve prepared a document with activities to keep you on track with everything we’ve been working on.

You’ll find the handout in the "Tareas" section on U-Cursos. Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll be working on:

Learning Objective:
The aim is to help you better understand the concept of networking in professional settings, practice analyzing strategies critically, and work on using possessive forms in English. We’ll also focus on reflecting on modern communication trends and improving your grammatical editing skills.

Learning Pathway:

• Watch and analyze two YouTube videos about networking to sharpen your listening and comprehension.
• Work on new vocabulary with a fill-in-the-gap exercise, and reflect on the pros and cons of networking.
• Practice possessive forms with language tips and an editing exercise.
• A reading comprehension task will help you think critically about modern literature, focusing on key ideas and details.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. I’m looking forward to seeing you in class soon!

Best,
Prof. Jordán Masías O.

Dear Students,

I hope you're all doing well.

I’m writing to inform you that the Faculty of Social Sciences has suspended all academic and administrative activities for Wednesday, September 11th, starting at 1:30 PM. This suspension also applies to the classes in our English Program.

Any affected activities will be rescheduled, and I will provide a brief handout with interactive exercises and listening activities to help maintain our learning momentum. I shall upload so to Tareas on Wednesday afternoon itself. 

Best regards,

Prof. Jordán Masías Ortiz
“A child, a teacher, a book, and a pencil can change the world.”
—Malala Yousafzai

Dear Students,

I hope you’re all doing well.

During our two classes last week, we first focused on providing feedback for the Biodata activity, which was highly successful—congratulations on your excellent work! Afterward, we continued analyzing the key aspects of an Elevator Pitch. We watched additional videos and engaged in practical exercises in pairs and groups, utilizing models from various sources to refine our skills.

In the second session, we dedicated our time to developing an audio pitch exercise. We began by drafting the script, then moved on to recording the pitch, and finally, in pairs, we evaluated each other’s work using a reflective rubric. I was able to monitor your progress throughout the activity and provide personalized feedback.

We concluded by coordinating the final submission of the Elevator Speech activity. Please ensure that you follow the guidelines provided, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification.

Best regards,

Prof. Masías O.

Hello everyone,

I hope you’re doing well!

In our third week, we focused on the specific aspects of creating an effective Elevator Pitch. We went through the do's and don'ts, discussed the key elements to include, and explored several examples through interactive activities. All of this was aimed at helping you develop the following skills:

• How to make an elevator speech
• Listening and speaking activities focused on elevator speeches
• Practice and preparation in class

Keep practicing and refining your pitch, as these activities are crucial for your progress.

See you in our next session!

Best regards,
Prof. Jordán Masías O.

Hi everyone,

During the second week of classes, we focused on Unit 1 titled Academic Biography and Networking. The objectives for this activity included:

• How to write a biodata
• Biodata practice activities
• Reading, listening, and speaking activities
• Grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation activities

We started by reviewing how to talk about ourselves and our achievements. We explored useful linguistic tools to share our academic and personal experiences, looked at examples of biodata, and discussed its Do's and Don'ts.

We worked on different exercises in class to prepare for the first graded activity of the semester, which is worth 5% of your final grade. This activity began in class with an initial draft, and you had to upload the final work on the platform. Both the draft and final submission will count towards the total grade for this activity.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Prof. Masías O. 

Dear All,

In this week’s classes, we started by outlining the course guidelines, including evaluation details, methodologies, and curricular aspects. In our second session, we began with Unit 1 titled "Academic Biography and Networking," which has the following learning objectives:

• Presenting and talking about yourself in an academic context.
• Describing, comparing, and contrasting people.
• Discussing past and present academic experiences.
• Developing interpersonal communication skills (persuading and convincing).
• Grammar focus (B1): past and present tenses.

To achieve these objectives, we started a brief class discussion on the historical figure of Malala Yousafzai, introducing the topic of narration to discuss biographies. We then conducted a listening comprehension activity about Malala, followed by a joint analysis of key elements for effective narration in English, paying particular attention to the subtleties in the use of different verb tenses, with a review of concepts from previous levels.

• As stated in the course schedule, next class, there is an evaluated class activity, which we will start within the class' framework, and it will be finished out individually. It wil be focused on the development of a Biodata.
• This activity is graded and constitutes 5% of the overall evaluation. During the first session, we will prepare for this evaluated task, reinforcing and reviewing relevant content. A related homework assignment has been posted on the platform for additional practice.

All class materials can be found in the "Material Docente" section on U-Cursos.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Prof. Masías O. 

Dear Students,

I hope this message finds you all well and in great spirits!

First of all, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to each and every one of you for reaching this important milestone in your language learning journey. Welcome to English V, corresponding to the B1+ level of the CEFR. I am Jordán Masías O., and I will be your language-learning guide as we explore and improve your English skills together.

I’m excited to confirm that our course will officially begin next Wednesday, August 14th. Our classes will take place on Wednesdays, from 16:15- 19:30, in room Aulario A-sala 8.

Remember, every step you take in learning a language brings you closer to new opportunities and experiences. Let’s make this course an inspiring and rewarding journey!

Looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday. If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to reach out. I'm here to support you.

Best regards,

“One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen, can change the world” 
- Malala Yousafzay.