General introduction

This is the teaching material corresponding to the course Anglès tècnic, which is part of the studies of the CFGM ‘Emergències i protecció civil’. The course has a total of 99 hours. It is divided into three units of 33 hours, and each unit is further divided into three sections. All in all, it has been considered that the course requires 7 hours of work per week, but the actual time devoted to the course will depend on the particular circumstances of each student.

The material is divided into two parts:

• The written material includes the theoretical contents, which are distributed throughout the three units and nine sections of the course. All the sections have the same structure: they start with a text which serves to introduce the contents and to provide a basis for the reading skills. The contents are divided into three parts: 1) communication, 2) grammar and 3) vocabulary. In the communication section you will learn how to use the language to fulfill a variety of communicative goals, as for example, how to introduce yourself, how to express opinions, how to give advice, how to write a curriculum vitae, etc. On the other hand, the grammar section introduces the grammar points that you will need in order to use the English language. Finally, the vocabulary section develops a vocabulary topic and there is also a list of technical words which have been used in the texts of the corresponding sections.
• The web material includes the practical contents of the course. As the written material, it is distributed throughout the three units and nine sections of the course. The web material includes activities and self-correcting exercises that will allow you to put the contents of the written material into practice. As the material is conceived to work on your own, all the activities and exercises include the answers, sometimes with some further information about the topic. The activities generally consist of open-answer exercises related to the communication points whereas the self-correcting exercises mostly refer to the grammar and vocabulary points of each section. Apart from the activities and exercises, most sections in the web material also include annexes with further information about a specific topic. The annexes are generally presented in a pdf document, so they can easily be downloaded and printed.

The course is addressed to would-be or professional firefighters. The contents of the book try to reflect situations in which you might need to use the English language in your working life, but you must be aware that this is not a manual for firefighters, but an English course focused on language. The different texts in the book tell the story of Josep Martínez and Núria Gómez, two firefighters who are at the beginning of their careers, and their relationship with Mark Higgins, a British firefighter that has come to do his training in Barcelona as part of an international training programme.

As you read the texts, you will probably notice that many things do not correspond to the reality of your job but, as we said before, this material is not a technical manual, but an English course whose main objective is to provide students with the linguistic tools to use the language in a work environment.

Each unit is focused on a different aspect, which, however, often transcends the strict limits of the unit.

Unit 1 is called “People” because the contents focus precisely on the people. In the three sections of the unit, you will be introduced to the three characters that will accompany you through the course, you will have a look into a fire station, you will learn how to speak on the telephone and write e-mails, and you will go out on an emergency.

Unit 2, called “The job”, deals with different aspects of the job of a firefighter like putting out fires, participating in people rescue and helping in natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes.

Unit 3 is called “Helping others” because on this occasion the emfasis is on the social dimension of the job. Apart from participating in road accidents, fire extinctions, people rescue and natural disaster relief, firefighters must also provide medical and psychological assistance to the victims and their families. Just in case you want to apply for a job in another country or to volunteer in an international NGO, in this unit you will also learn how to write a curriculum vitae and how to be successful in a job interview, and you will also learn about the advantages and drawbacks of working in another country. All these aspects are presented through texts that introduce the communication, the grammar and the vocabulary contents of the course.

The contents follow the official curriculum for “Anglès tècnic” of the CFGM ‘Emergències i protecció civil’ that is reflected in the five learning objectives of the course. These objectives cover the four skills of the language: speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as the recognition of the English language as an essential aspect of a worker’s formal education. In the current school system, the English course starts at the A2 level of the European Reference Framework and tends towards a B1 level. In order to follow the course appropriately, the students should have a basic knowledge of the English language, at least at level A1.

The material must be necessarily written in English so, in order to facilitate the comprehension, it is written in as short and simple sentences as possible, but, on the other hand, we have tried to use the real language, both in the reading texts and in the explanations of the contents. The reason is to allow you to get familiar with the authentic language. You should think that if you ever need to read an article or talk to people in English, you will be exposed to the real language. The articles will not be adapted to your level and the people will not try to facilitate your comprehension, especially if they are the victims and need your help. We are well aware that you may not have the necessary level to follow this course easily. If this is the case, we have included some complementary material in the virtual classroom.

In the complementary material, you will find the main grammar and communication contents of each unit explained in Catalan. The course also provides different tools for dealing with the English language but, if you need any help, both the teacher and your classmates will be there to help you. Do not hesitate to contact them in case of any doubts with the contents of the book. If your level of English is very low, however, you must be ready to put some extra work into the course, so you may require more than 7 hours of study per week.

Studying online has many advantages, like time and space flexibility, but you must also be well prepared to take an online course. First of all, you must be acquainted with the technical tools that you will need to use during the course. Secondly, you must be very well organized and distribute your study time in such a way that you can do everything on time considering the other obligations that you may have, like family, work and entertainment. Finally, you must be perseverant and never give up in spite of the many obstacles that you will find in your way. In an online course, you may feel that you are alone in your studies, but you are not.

Your teacher, your tutor and your classmates will be on the other side of the screen to help you in anything that you may need, so you must get used to contact them through the communication tools in your classroom: the public forum, which you may use to write messages for your classmates, and the private e-mail, which you can use to get in contact with your teacher.

Here are some tips to help you in this online course:

1. The minimum technical requirements are: a good internet connection, a web browser (Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome), a microphone, a webcam (recommended), the LibreOffice suite, a media player (Windows Media Player or VideoLan, for example) and a pdf viewer (like Adobe Reader).
2. Carefully read the ‘Pla de treball’, which is attached in the classroom. Pay special attention to the ‘Sistema d’avaluació’ and the ‘Dates clau’. Write down the deadlines for submitting the different activities.
3. Go to the classroom and check the activities for the current unit. There are four activities in each unit: EAF Speaking, EAF Listening, EAC Writing and EAC Grammar. Decide how much time you need for each one and distribute your time throughout the submission period. Do not leave everything for the last day to prevent last-minute problems.
4. To do the activities, use the different resources available in the classroom: written material, web material, complementary material and links to external websites. Do not hesitate to ask your teacher or your classmates if you need any further information or you have any questions.
5. Make sure that you submit your activities before the deadline.

If you follow these guidelines and do all the required activities, you will surely be successful in your studies although your level of English is very low, or you have no level at all. Experience tells us that a student who has no knowledge of English but works hard and uses the class resources appropriately can easily pass the course. So, enjoy the course and good luck.