FOCUS ON READING

Teaching as a Career

Teaching is a universal activity. It is found in all societies and during all historical periods. Without teaching – or the intentional transfer of knowledge – civilization quite simply would disappear. Those to whom the title «teacher» legitimately can be applied are relatively few in number. Unlike parents instructing their offspring or village elders sharing experiences with young neighbors, contemporary teachers approach their responsibilities in a systematic way. Teachers are expected to be trained, certified, and held accountable for their actions, they are considered to be professionals.

To teach effectively, you must possess considerable skill, knowledge, patience, caring, and commitment. But these are not enough. You also must possess understanding. You must understand yourself and those with whom you work. In addition, you must understand the various contexts in which you will work. For example, you will work in a classroom context: your classroom and its students will be similar to and different from other classrooms and groups of students. You also will work in a school and a school system. Failure to understand the relations between these contexts or how they can influence your teaching can lead to ineffective performance, frustration, and career change.

For those, who can meet the intellectual and social challenges of the job, teaching offers a bright and rewarding career. Most people express their faith in education. Modern society needs schools staffed with expert teachers to provide instruction and to care for children while adults work.

In our society teachers are given professional status. As experts and professionals, they are expected to use best practice to help students learn essential skills and attitudes. It is no longer sufficient for teachers to be warm and loving toward children, nor is it sufficient for them to employ teaching practices based on intuition, personal preference or conventional wisdom. Contemporary teachers are held accountable for using teaching practices that have been shown to be effective, just as members of other professions, such as medicine, law, and architecture.

Learning to be a good teacher in today’s world is a long, complex, and exciting journey. Beginning teachers should do their best to master the knowledge base and the skills required of a professional teacher.

1. Answer the following questions:
2. Define the notion «teaching».
3. What requirements should modern teachers meet?
4. What qualities should a teacher possess to teach effectively?
5. Is it enough for today’s teachers to be warm and loving towards children?
6. Why do you think learning to be a teacher is a complex journey?

2. Fill in the missing words:

1. Teaching is a  … activity.
2. Contemporary teachers approach their   …   in a systematic way.
3. For those, who can meet the intellectual and social    …  of the job, teaching offers a bright and rewarding    …     .
4. Teachers are expected to use best    …    to help students learn                              skills and attitudes.
5. Contemporary teachers are held accountable for (несут ответственность за) using teaching practices that have been shown to be   …   , just as members of other professions, such as  …  ,    …    , and     …               

3.Make your own sentences using the following words and expressions:

intuition –

teaching practices –

to master knowledge and skills –

ineffective performance –

career change –

to possess understanding –

to do one’s best –

a rewarding career –

FOCUS ON GRAMMAR

1.2.: The Use of the Articles

What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.

English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.

the = definite article

a/an = indefinite article

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific book.

Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.

Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

Indefinite Articles: a and an

"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:

• "My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.
• "Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.
• "When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.

Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word:

• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
• an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle
• an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
• a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
   
  • In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred.

A historical event is worth recording.

Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms:

Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles first-year writing at the University. Therefore, an ICaP memo generally discusses issues concerning English 106 instructors.

Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms or initialisms start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds:

An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan (Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the worst.

If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:

• a broken egg
• an unusual problem
• a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)

Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:

• I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
• Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
• Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)

Definite Article: the

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:

"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.

"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.

"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.

Count and Noncount Nouns:

The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

• "I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).
• "He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

• "I need a bottle of water."
• "I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.

Geographical use of the:

There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.

Do not use the before:

• names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States
• names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
• names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
• names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
• names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
• names of continents (Asia, Europe)
• names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

• names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific
• points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
• geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
• deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Omission of Articles:

Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

• Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")
• Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
• Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science

Выполните упражнения по ссылкам:

https://www.englishpage.com/articles/articles_7.htm

https://www.englishpage.com/articles/articles_8.htm

https://www.englishpage.com/articles/articles_9.htm

https://www.englishpage.com/articles/articles_10.htm

https://www.englishpage.com/articles/articles_11.htm

FOCUS ON PRONUNCIATION

Reading Rules. Consonants.

Graphic Equivalents of the [t], [d] Phonemes

[t] is pronounced when spelt as:

[t] is not pronounced:

1. in the following words:

2. in words ending in -stle, -sten:

3. in French borrowings:

[d] is pronounced when spelt as:

[d] is not pronounced in the following words:

Изучите правила чтения и правописания по ссылке:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J10luQA6_dg

References:

1. Совершенствуй свой английский: грамматика, чтение, говорение, письмо = Improve Your English: Grammar, Reading, Speaking, Writing : учеб.-метод. пособие : в 2 ч. / Н. Г. Оловникова [и др.]. – 2-е изд., доп. и испр. – Минск : Белорус. гос. пед. ун-т, 2009. – Ч. 1. – 199 с. C. 142–143, 146-148.
2. Коммуникативная грамматика английского языка = Communicative English Grammar : учеб.-метод. пособие : в 2 ч. / Н. Г. Оловникова [и др.]. – 2-е изд. – Минск : Белорус. гос. пед. ун-т, 2010. – Ч. 1. – 192 с. C. 46–47, 67-68.
3. Murphy, R. English Grammar in Use for Intermediate Students / R. Murphy. – Cambridge : Cambridge Univ. Press, 2014. – 350 p. p. 140-143.
4. Ockenden, Michael. Situational Dialogues / Michael Ockenden. –  Longman, 2005 –  92 p. p. 36-37.

https://www.esl-lab.com/intermediate