English language A - L

Expected results.

Passing the examination at the end of the course should prove that the students have the language skills to live and work independently in an English-speaking country, study on courses taught in English and  understand and produce  the language of pharmacy. Getting these skills means that the students have gone through the logical step in their language learning journey between B1+ and B2.

Aims:

At the B2 level, students should be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialization. They can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. (Not all the students get these skills completely at the end of the course and that means, with the teacher's help, further extra work on their own to get the right results).

Course methodology and structure.

A communicative methodological approach will be employed in order to develop all the communicative skills especially the ability of “speaking”. Particular attention is paid to new vocabulary especially the one required in pharmacy –related studies and professions.

There will be an entry test at the beginning of the course as a diagnostic test to help the teacher check the overall level of the students. For weak students the teacher will give them extra work as homework. Different and varied practice exercises will be given such as reading, writing and listening activities.

 As for listening, this skill will be practiced widely during the class. Videos on grammar and on the specialized language will be watched followed by questions, oral and written reports and vocabulary exercises

Prerequisites

In order to get the B2 level of the CEFR, (Common European Framework of Reference) students should at least be an independent user of the B1+ in all language abilities:

1) Reception (listening and reading), 2) Interaction (spoken interaction and written interaction); 3) Production (spoken production and written production).

Attendance to the course

The course will go through 35 hour lessons. Each lesson consists 3 hours each except for the last one, which is made up of just two. As stated by the course is divided in two parts:

1)    15 hour  grammar-language lessons;

2)    20 hour lessons related to pharmacy studies and professions.

The minimum attendance required is 70% of the course as a whole.

The course aims to develop students' grammar skills of the B2 level and the vocabulary and language functions of scientific and academic English.

By the end of the course, students will be able to understand a wide range of English texts and be able to use the language flexibly and effectively in academic and professional contexts, particularly in the field medical science and health. 
The course will be divided into two parts: the first part will cover aspects of English linguistics, grammar and syntax; the second part will deal with scientific texts and topics in English. 

1^st part: Grammar.

Contents (15 hours)

Grammar: Review of:

1) Future tenses: will, be going to, future continuous and perfect, quantifiers;

 2) Past tenses: present perfect, present perfect continuous, and past perfect, past perfect continuous, used to vs would, + be used to, and get used to;

3) Comparatives and superlatives, expressions using comparison. Have /get something done;

4) Defining relative clauses, non defining relative clauses, -ing form vs infinitive, verb+ing form and infinitive , question tags;

5) Modals: suggestions, speculation and deductions, possibility, certainty, ability, obligation, necessity and advice;

6) The passive voice, first, second, third  and mixed conditionals, the gerund and the infinitive, like, would rather, had better, reported statements, questions, reporting verbs;

2^nd Part  Contents

 Specialized language for Pharmacy.

Contents 20 hours

 1) Pharmacy and Pharmacists,

 2) Pharmacology,

 3) Types of drugs,

 4) Terminology of drug action,

 5) Before using medicines,

 6) OTC pain relievers,

 7) Branded versus generic medicines,

 8 Most common forms of medicines,

9) Types of medicines,

10 Most important  drugs,  

11) Antibiotics and bacteria,

12) Herbalism,

13) Viruses and Covid 19.

Books in use:

1)      Any grammar book referring to B2 of the Common European Framework of reference for languages. 

             English Grammar in use Third Edition Rymond Murphy. Cambridge University Press.  

              A self-study reference and practice book for        intermediate of English, with answers. 

            Grammar reference book : Grammar files Gold, Edward Jordan -Patricia Fiocchi  Publishing House  Trinity Whitebridge.

    Identity Upper intermediate  B2 O.U.P:2) 

2) Language for Pharmacy: “English for the pharmacy students, di Luisa Benigni, publishing house  “Esculapio”

Tests and assessment

The course is made up of 35-hour lessons as a whole. The first part consists of 15-hour grammar lessons while the second part is made up of 20 hours about pharmacy-related studies.

The course includes an entry test, and a final written  test on both grammar and on  topics related to pharmacy studies based. The results of all the final written test will determine whether students have passed or not their final examination.

The students that for any reason will not attend the language course and the students of the previous courses  will take a written test  both on grammar and on topics related to the studies and professions of “ Pharmacy and Pharmacology”, 

Example of  questions of a written  test. ( only six questions and not more than six lines) 

1.How can people make a difference in helping the environmental problems in the world of today?

2. What does DNA consist of ?

3. What do you know  about antibiotics?

4. What is the difference between Gram positive and Gram negative?

5. How did Alexander Fleming discover penicillin?

6. What is the difference between Pharmacy and Pharmacology?

7) What do you know about OTC pain relievers?

8) Branded vs generic medicines.

9) What are antihypertensives ?

 10) What do you know about herbalism?

 11) What is the difference between DNA and mRNA?

12) What do you know about Covid 19 and its variants?

Example of grammar test:

 Esempio di test di grammatica

Choose the correct alternative:

Will you say/tell us what is wrong?

What is the journalist saying/ telling?

The have made/done their beds

Are you making /doing  a living as a flexibly  worker? 

Translate the following sentences:

Se fossi una farfalla volerei alto nel cielo. 

Magari vincessi la lotteria

Complete the sentences

If I had .......................the lottery, I would .........................a new house.

This person,....................son is an actor, lives in Hollywood.