2018-01-26 TOEFL: speaking 4, ind writing

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-history-of-the-cuban-missile-crisis-matthew-a-jordan
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146309/ - A movie about the crisis
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Notes from yesterday’s example:
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symbiosis = int. relat. bet. org’s
1 mutualism = both benefit (+ +)
2 parasit- = + -
3 commensal- = + 0
    obligate = necessary
    facultative = optional
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(review of the three types)
not all relationships are clear
- bee orchid: looks like a bee to trick male bees into pollinating; (plant + / bee ?)
sometimes the relationship changes
- skin bacteria: normally C, but if there’s a burn it can cause infection and harm us (P)
- shrimp and crabs on coral: normally C, but if starfish attack coral, the animals help it (S)
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Notice that the prompt only asks about the relationships that change. You can immediately cross out the notes you took about the bee orchid, because you won’t need those to answer the question.
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Outline of a response:
1 Introduction: “The reading and lecture are about symbiotic relationships. There are three types…”
2 Lead-in: “The professor describes two symbiotic relationships that can change.”
3 Point 1: “The first is bacteria on our skin.”
4 Detail: “This is normally a commensal relationship, because the bacteria benefit and don’t affect us. However, when the skin is burned, …”
5 Point 2: “The other example is the relationship between crabs and shrimp and coral.”
6 Detail: “This is also normally commensal, because…. When the coral is attacked, it becomes…”
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ETS 1 Test 1 - Read and listen and take notes. Then take 5 minutes with your partner to prepare a “perfect” response to this prompt.
Test 2 - Give your response to your partner.
Tests 3-5 - Record your responses on your phones.
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Listen to your own responses and decide which one we can hear as a class.
Listen to your classmates’ responses. Did they include all the important parts? Were they easy to understand? What score should they get according to the descriptions on DELTA p. 331?
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BREAK
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Look at your writing from last week. Do you understand the comments I made?
dead - adjective
death - noun
died - past tense of the verb “die”
live/alive - adjectives
life - noun
live - verb
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Independent Writing: Second of the two writing tasks (after integrated)
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The prompt is a choice question, usually between two options.
- some people / other people: “Some people think… Others prefer… Which is better for you?”
- agree / disagree: “Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? …”
After the prompt, there is always a sentence like, “Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.” This means you have to write an essay, not just an answer.
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Do you agree or disagree that parents are the best teachers?
- If you disagree, one strategy is to say who you think really are the best teachers, and explain why they’re better than parents.
- When the question doesn’t state it, you can decide for yourself what “teacher” means in your essay.
- You can also disagree partially, by stating that some types of information or children of certain ages need to learn from other people, but that parents are the best teachers for some things.
	(This “it depends” opinion is usually a lot more difficult to support well.)
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Your response should generally be 5 paragraphs.
1 Introduction (hook and your opinion)
2-4 Body (reasons for your opinion)
5 Conclusion (restate your opinion, give a takeaway)
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You can write your thesis statement first, but you should probably write at least basic body paragraphs before you go back and flesh out the introduction with a hook and background information.
Body paragraphs should:
- State one reason for your opinion
- Support that the reason is true (this is often where you’ll use examples)
- Support that the reason supports your opinion
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Homework: Respond to this prompt (from DELTA p. 566):
Some people think that we learn our most important lessons in school. Others think that the knowledge we acquire outside of school is the most important. Which view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.