Overview

The purpose of this course is to provide linguistic tools for effective interaction strategies in the professional context, according to what is established in the lower-intermediate level (B1) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Organizations from different sectors, such as agriculture, mining, industry, and hotels and tourism, require officials and administrators capable of using and applying English competitively in their work activities, to facilitate their interaction with English-speaking peers and thus position and consolidate themselves in the national and international markets. For this reason, by expanding your lexical and grammatical inventory in the English language, the professional value increases, increasing labor skills and, consequently, providing greater mobility in this regard. The course, which is self-instructional, uses videos and reading texts in order to contextualize recurring work situations. The lexical and syntactic forms reviewed in each module are presented through characters and avatars that are part of the course narrative. There are also content application exercises in response to the virtual teacher's expository capsules.

Syllabus

Introduction: Welcome to the course!

Welcome to English for Interactions in the Workplace! In this course, we will analyze the essential lexical-grammatical structures in the linguistic expression of effective interaction strategies, such as: work context, personal events, events and work habits in the workplace, at an intermediate level. Each module is divided into two lessons. Lesson 1 of each module contains a video of the English used in context, and then a Focus on Grammar and a Focus on Vocabulary. Lesson 2 contains a reading text, and then a Focus on Grammar and a Focus on Vocabulary. At the end of each module, you’ll find a Formative Test, a Module Test, a Glossary, and a Summary. Notice that each Module Test counts as 10% of your final grade. During the final week of the course, be sure to complete the Final Exam, which counts as 60% of your final grade. We’re glad to have you with us! Let’s get started! During this first week, take time to familiarize yourself with the contents of the entire course. You can begin working on Week 2 anytime you like.

Module 1: First job and Company history

The first part of this module is based on the topic "First job experience". The grammar structure that is analyzed here is the form and use of the past simple tense. Then, in the second part, we’ll be focusing on the ‘’Company History’’, examining some useful expressions to describe the history of a company. In terms of grammar, we’ll analyze the prepositions of time.

Module 2: Working Under Pressure

The objective of the module is to apply relevant lexical-grammatical structures to describe emotions and their management in situations of pressure at work.

Module 3: Discussing Quantities

The module opens with a video showing a typical conversation between two colleagues at lunchtime. In this part, our attention is focused on the expressions used to describe different types of food and also on quantifiers, countable and uncountable nouns. The module continues with a text about shopping during the pandemic where more quantifiers are being presented. Also, in the second part we’ll be analyzing the expressions used when shopping.

Module 4: The Sales Meeting

The topic of the module is sales and the way of improving them in a business. By watching the video at the beginning of this module and reading the text that opens the second part of the module, we’ll become familiar with various grammar structures, such as conditional clauses and forms to express future plans. In addition, we’ll be analyzing expressions to describe strategies used to improve the sales of a business.