STRAIGHTFORWARD

UPPER-INTERMEDIATE

Programme

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 1

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 1

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To review the main verb forms in English

- To talk about leisure interests

- To learn and practice ways of saying no politely and appropriately

- To use stress for emphasis

- To write a CV

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Understanding details in an informal conversation between workmates
- Extracting relevant information in a conversation of different speakers about the same topic

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Discussing hobbies
- Learning and practicing ways of saying no politely and appropriately
- Discussing signatures and autographs
- Describing a plan or action for obtaining an autograph
- Using stress for emphasis
- Discussing video games
- Talking about collectors and their collections

3.- Reading comprehension

- Finding specific information in an article about what not to put on a CV
- Understanding the content and significance of an article about autograph hunters

4.- Writing
- Writing a CV
- Writing a job application using capital letters, useful phrases and correct spelling

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Saying no

2.- Thematic contents

- Hobbies
- Collectors and things they collect

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 2

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Verbs form review
- Negatives and questions
- What clauses

Lexical contents - Leisure interests

- Time adverbials
- Expressions with thing

Phonetic and - Emphatic stress

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - Car boot sales

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 164

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 1

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 1

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 3

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 2

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about animals

- To use will/won’t + infinitive to talk about predictable behaviour
- To use keep + verb + -ing to talk about repeated behaviour
- To use verb idioms and functional language to express opinions
- To talk about present and past habits
- To write a covering letter for a job application

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Identifying different views for and against a subject in a debate
- Identifying specific information in a radio debate about culling foxes
- Infer the meaning of specific phrases in a conversation

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Describing and discussing animals
- Discussing controversial topics such as animal rights
- Comparing and contrasting photographs about working animals
- Talking in detail about pets and their owners

3.- Reading comprehension

- Finding linked points in an article about dolphins
- Comparing and contrasting three different texts about animals

4.- Writing
- Writing a covering letter for a job application

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Talking about present and past habits
- Expressing opinions

2.- Thematic contents

- Wildlife
- Animal rights
- Pets
- Dogs that care for people

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 4

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Present habits
- Past habits
- Be/Get used to

Lexical contents - Adjectives (character)

- Verb idioms
- Strong reactions
- Collocations with get

Phonetic and - Sounding angry

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - Dog lovers in the UK

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 165

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 2

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 2

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 5

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 3

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about youth movements and fashion

- To use defining relative clauses to identify people and objects
- To use non-defining relative clauses to give additional information about people and things
- To talk about fashion and trends
- To discuss the Imagined Ugly Syndrome
- To use participle clauses to express causes, results and reasons
- To identify slang expressions
- To write a composition

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Summarising two conversations about fashion
- Understanding key words in an interview

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Discussing youth movements and fashion
- Comparing, contrasting and ranking different physical characteristics
- Making a class survey and presenting the main conclusions
- Describing photos of a man before and after having a makeover

3.- Reading comprehension

- Finding specific information in a magazine article about youth cultures
- Identifying different opinions in an article

4.- Writing
- Using linking expressions to add extra information
- Writing a composition

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Addition

2.- Thematic contents

- Youth movements, cultures and fashions
- People’s taste in fashion
- The Imagined Ugly Syndrome
- Life as a model

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 6

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Defining and non-defining relative clauses
- Participle clauses

Lexical contents - Compound adjectives

- Expressions with look
- Slang
Phonetic and - Consonant clusters
phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - Imagined Ugly Syndrome
- Nike

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 166

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 3

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 3

Teacher’s Resource CD1: Progress Test 1

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 7

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 4

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about fears and phobias

- To describe past events
- To talk about past experiences
- - Talking about actions which started in the past and are still in progress now
- To learn and talk about the Civil Rights Movement
- To use linkers correctly to give a reason for doing something
- To write a composition

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Identifying different opinions in a conversation
- Extracting specific information from a radio report

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Discussing phobias
- Responding sympathetically to someone’s problems
- Comparing cultural differences between countries
- Describing a picture
- Telling a story

3.- Reading comprehension

- Identifying the progression of a text about fears and phobias
- Understanding details in a text about the segregation laws in the USA

4.- Writing
- Writing a composition

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- - Talking about actions which started in the past and are still in progress now
- Describing situations in the past
- Explaining reasons (so that, in order to, in case, otherwise)
2.- Thematic contents
- Fears and phobias
- The Civil Rights Movement
- Rattlesnakes and rattlesnakes shows in America

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 8

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Present perfect and past simple
- Present perfect simple and continuous

Lexical contents - Word building

- Word class
- Homophones

Phonetic and - Word stress

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - The Civil Rights Movement
- Rattlesnakes shows in America
- The British ‘stiff upper lip’

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 167

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 4

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 4

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 9

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 5

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about art and artists

- To use narrative tenses correctly
- To express opinions
- To describe past situations
- To use phrasal verbs to sound more natural
- To write a review

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Understanding general and specific information in an interview
- Identifying the sequence of events in a profile of a famous person

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Discussing the life of a famous artist
- Comparing and contrasting different pieces of art
- Talking about a painting
- Discussing about literary prizes and contemporary writers
- Giving a small presentation about a book

3.- Reading comprehension

- Understanding the sequence of events in a text about a performance artist
- Identifying the progression in a text
- Finding evidence in a text to back different opinions

4.- Writing
- Writing a review

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Describing situations in the past
- Expressing negative and positive evaluations

2.- Thematic contents

- Art and artists

3.- Linguistic contents

Grammatical contents - Narrative tenses
- Past perfect continuous

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 10

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
Lexical contents - Art
- -ever words
- Phrasal verbs

Phonetic and - Long vowels

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - The Man Booker Prize

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 168

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 5

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 5

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 11

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 6

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about politics

- To use conditional sentences to describe a real or imaginary situation and its probable
consequences or results
- To use wish (+ that) or if only to express regrets
- To talk about embarrassing situations
- To use should / shouldn’t have + past participle to make criticisms of past situations
- To write a review of a TV series

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Identifying different opinions in a radio programme about women in politics
- Understanding an informal conversation between two people talking about a problem

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Paraphrasing three stories about celebrities involved in politics
- Talking about prejudices
- Discussing general elections
- Asking for an giving clarification in a discussion
- Discussing embarrassing situations
- Role playing a meeting between a boss and an employee who has been sacked

3.- Reading comprehension

- Identifying the sequence of events in a biographic text
- Comparing the significance of the situations presented in two texts

4.- Writing
- Writing a review of a TV series

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Asking for and giving clarification
- Expressing real and unreal conditions
- Expressing regret

2.- Thematic contents

- Celebrities and politics
- Electoral systems
- Women in politics
- Discriminations

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 12

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Real and unreal conditionals
- I wish and If only
- Should have

Lexical contents - Elections

- Embarrassment
- -isms

Phonetic and - Word stress in word families

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - The vote for women
- Campaigns for fighting prejudice in the UK

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 169

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 6

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 6

Teacher’s Resource CD1: Progress Test 2

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 13

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 7

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To discuss environmental issues

- To talk about the future
- To talk about lifestyle changes
- To make predictions about the future
- To talk about future trends
- To write an e-mail to a friend

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Understanding general points in a conversation about houses environmentally friendly
- Understanding details in a radio programme

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Discussing environmental issues
- Trying to persuade others to adopt a greener lifestyle
- Evaluating different products
- Role playing a coaching session giving verbal support and guidance

3.- Reading comprehension

- Finding specific information in a webpage on environmental issues
- Understanding the organization of contents in a text
- Identifying the main ideas in a text about life coaching

4.- Writing
- Writing an e-mail to a friend

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Talking about the future
- Making predictions
- Giving examples
-
2.- Thematic contents
- Environmental problems and solutions
- Different lifestyles

3.- Linguistic contents

Grammatical contents - Futures review
- Future perfect and future continuous

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 14

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
Lexical contents - The environment
- Expressions with make
- Nouns and prepositions

Phonetic and - Pronouncing o

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - Life coaching
- Martha Stewart

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 170

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 7

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 7

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 15

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 8

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about health

- To use different forms of speculation to make guesses about events in the present, past or
future
- To discuss alternative therapies
- To express permission, obligation and prohibition
- To write a short note or message to a friend

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Understanding details in a radio news report
- Understanding advice and suggestions in five conversations about health problems
- Summarising the main information in a radio news report

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Reporting health symptoms
- Discussing medical care in different countries
- Discussing how to change another person’s lifestyle
- Defending different positions in a conversation
- Changing the topic of a conversation politely

3.- Reading comprehension

- Finding specific information in a text
- Understanding the progression of an article about alternative therapies
- Identifying the intrinsic structure of a magazine article

4.- Writing
- Writing short notes and messages

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Expressing speculation about the present, past and future
- Changing the subject
- Expressing permission, obligation and prohibition

2.- Thematic contents

- Health

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 16

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Modals of speculation
- Modals (Permission, obligation and prohibition)

Lexical contents - Symptoms

- Health idioms
- Phrasal verbs with objects

Phonetic and - Weak forms and contractions

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - Alternative therapies
- The Royal Flying Doctors Service in Australia

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 171

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 8

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 8

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 17

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 9

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about heroes and villains

- To make descriptions using adjectives with the correct modifying adverbs
- To talk about crime
- To use the appropriate linkers to contrast information
- To use the correct intonation to show completion and non-completion
- To write a story

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Understanding specific information in a news report
- Understanding the main ideas in a news programme

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Talking about superheroes and heroines
- Talking about crimes
- Discussing jobs
- Discussing what to say in a hypothetical difficult situation
- Describing films, music and sports stars
- Using intonation to show completion and non-completion

3.- Reading comprehension

- Categorizing information from a reading
- Using reading strategies to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words in a text

4.- Writing
- Writing a story

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Making descriptions
- Expressing contrast

2.- Thematic contents

- Celebrities
- Superheroes and villains
- Crime and punishment
- Jobs

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 18

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Adjective order
- Adjectives and modifying adverbs

Lexical contents - Adjectives with prepositions

- Crimes
- Compound nouns (jobs)

Phonetic and - Intonation (completion and non-completions)

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - Star Wars
- Comics

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 172

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 9

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Test Unit 9

Teacher’s Resource CD1: Progress Test 3

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 19

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 10

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about altruism

- To report someone’s words or thoughts with the correct verb form
- To talk about jobs
- To give advice
- To learn useful language for job interviews
- To write a story

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Understanding details in a conversation
- Understanding questions in a job interview

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Discussing the concept of generosity
- Talking about charity-giving in different countries
- Discussing different hypothetical situations
- Discussing responsibilities in a job
- Answering questions in a job interview

3.- Reading comprehension

- Understanding the transition of ideas in a text about altruism
- Checking information in an article

4.- Writing
- Writing a story with a twist in the tale

CONTENTS

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Giving advice
- Useful expressions when attending a job interview

2.- Thematic contents

- Altruistic behaviour
- Charities
- Aid workers
- Job interviews

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 20

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Reporting
- Reporting verbs and patterns

Lexical contents - Reflexive verbs

- Collocations with give
- Job responsibilities

Phonetic and - Intonation (questions and statements)

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - Charity-giving in the UK

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 173

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 10

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 10

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 21

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 11

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To describe locations and landscapes

- To discuss happiness
- To learn and use binomial expressions
- To identify and use vague language
- To write a report about a place

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Understanding details in a discussion about a website
- Identifying specific information in a radio interview with a location scout

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Talking about places
- Discussing different aspects affecting personal happiness
- Describing locations and landscapes
- Discussing well-known film and TV studios

3.- Reading comprehension

- Understanding detailed information in an article
- Understanding the main ideas in a text and summarizing them
- Understanding the meaning of new words from context

4.- Writing
- Writing a report about a place

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Using vague language
- Describing landscapes

2.- Thematic contents

- Explorers
- Places
- Happiness
- Location scouts

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 22

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - the and geographical names
- Articles
- So and such
Lexical contents - Geographical features
- Binomials
- Describing landscapes

Phonetic and - the

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - The MacArthur universal corrective map
- Universal Studios in California
- The concept of happiness throughout the world

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 174

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 11

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 11

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 23

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
UNIT 12

UNIT OBJECTIVES

- To talk about pirate films

- To describe processes
- To report a news story
- To learn how causatives are formed, and how to use them
- To discuss money
- To write a report about a meeting

CONTENTS

SKILLS
1.- Listening comprehension
- Identifying specific information in a radio programme
- Understanding the sequence of events in a radio programme

2.- Spoken production and interaction

- Discussing films about pirates and treasures
- Discussing proverbs about money
- Talking about ways to make money
- Discussing meaning of phrasal verbs
- Discussing money

3.- Reading comprehension

- Understanding the organization of a text about pirates
- Guessing the meaning of the idiomatic expressions in an article
- Understanding the main and secondary ideas in a newspaper article

4.- Writing
- Writing a news story about a celebrity
- Writing a report about a meeting

LANGUAGE
1.- Functional contents
- Generalizing
- Describing processes
- Using the causative to talk about actions that someone has done for us

2.- Thematic contents

- Pirate treasures and treasure hunters
- Money

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 24

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007
3.- Linguistic contents
Grammatical contents - Passives review
- Passive reporting structures
- Causative

Lexical contents - Idioms (money)

- Phrasal verbs 2
- US & UK English

Phonetic and - Sentence stress

phonological contents
Sociocultural contents - The history of credit cards

EVALUATION

Review Student’s Book page 175

Self-assessment Teacher’s Resource CD1: Self-assessment Checklist 12

Tests Teacher’s Resource CD1: Unit Test 12

Teacher’s Resource CD1: Progress Test 4

Learning Diary CEF Portfolio

Programme Straightforward Upper-Intermediate 25

Macmillan English Language Teaching 2007