General introduction

This is the course material corresponding to the course Anglès tècnic, which is part of the studies of the CFGM ‘Producció agropecuària’. 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 calculated that the course requires 7 hours of work per week, but be aware that 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 short reading text which serves to introduce the contents, to provide a basis for the reading skills and to introduce technical words related to the agricultrual studies.
  The contents are divided into two parts:
  • Communication section: you will learn how to use the language to fulfill a variety of communicative goals, as for example, to introduce yourself, to express opinions, to give advice, to write a summary, to write a curriculum vitae, etc.
  • Grammar section: you will find the grammar points that you will need in order to use the English language.

• 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 topics whereas the self-correcting exercises mostly refer to the grammar and vocabulary topics of each section. Apart from the activities and exercises, some 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 the professionals in the field of farming. 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 farmers. It is an English course focused on language. The texts in the book tell the story of Núria Martínez and Jordi Gómez, two young people who manage a farm, and their relationship with Laura Smith, a British student who has come to the farm to do her training as part of an European training programme.

As you read the texts, you may probably notice that many situations do not correspond to the reality of your job. I am no expert in agricultural techniques, but, as I said before, this material is not intended as a manual, but as an English course whose main objective is to provide students with the linguistic tools to use the language in their work environment.

Each unit is focused on a different aspect.

Unit 1 is called “A new life” because it describes the beginning of Núria and Jordi’s life in the farm. In the three sections of the unit, you will be introduced to the characters that will accompany you through the course. You will learn some basic aspects of the English language, like greeting and introducing people or speaking on the phone, for example, but you will also get some ideas to help you practise the speaking skills.

Unit 2, which is called “Agricultural production”, deals with different aspects related to the farming of fruits and vegetables. This unit is basically focused on the written skills, so you will find some ideas to read technical manuals. You will learn to summarize and translate a text, as well as to write emails and fill in forms and documents. As for the oral skills, you will get some ideas to help you understand a speech and you will also learn to speak about the future, especially to talk about the weather and to express wishes.

Unit 3 is called “Stock breeding” because on this occasion the emphasis is on the breeding of livestock, like cows, and other farm animals, like pigs, hens or bees. As in all the other sections, you will find lists of technical words related to the topic. You will learn how to deal with different communicative situations, like making requests and suggestions, giving advice or expressin opinions. You will also learn to compare things and, in case you ever wish to apply for a job or for a post in an international organization, you will learn to write a CV and a cover letter, and how to deal with a job interview.

The contents follow the official curriculum of “Anglès tècnic” of the CFGM ‘Producció agropecuària’ 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. This might seem too difficult for some of you. In order to facilitate the comprehension, the material is written in short and simple sentences. The reading texts and the explanations of the contents have been adapted to the A2 level, but we have also used some real materials so you get familiar with the authentic language. Please note 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, although some people will try to facilitate your comprehension, do not always expect it to be so. We are well aware that you may not have the necessary level to follow this course easily. This is why 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. If you need any further 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 should also be 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 follow the course:

1. The minimum technical requirements are: a good internet connection, a web browser (Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome), a microphone, a webcam, the LibreOffice suite, a media player (Windows Media Player or VideoLan, for example) and a pdf viewer (like Adobe Reader).
2. Read the ‘Pla de treball’, which is attached to 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: Speaking, Listening, Writing and 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, even though your level of English might be 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. Good luck.