Series Two Episode Eight: Happy New Year - With Christmas over, the circle of friends starts thinking about New Year’s Eve.  They discuss New Year’s Eve in their own country and start to make plans.  

  1. Listening/Reading
    1. Prelistening:
      1. Review some vocabulary you’ll hear in the audio, click on the Preparation tab http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/series-2-episode-8-happy-new-year
    2. First time listening to the audio
      1. What is New Year’s Eve like in China?  Does New Year’s Eve sound like fun in London?  Why is Fadi annoyed with Harry?  What do they finally decide to do?
        1. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/series-2-episode-8-happy-new-year
      2. Listen to the episode again.  This time, use the transcript provided below.  With the transcript, you should be able to summarize the episode.  Do you think any of the guys will go out on a date with one of the girls?  Why do you think Olivia wants everyone to go home by midnight?  What other responsibility does she have?
        1. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/series-2-episode-8-happy-new-year
      3. Listen to the episode a third time.  Try not to use the transcript.  
    3. Comprehension
      1. Complete the quizzes by clicking on the tabs marked as task.
        1. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/series-2-episode-8-happy-new-year
      2. Task three asks you to correct the sentences, but there’s no specific grammar.  However, it focuses mostly on clauses and their structure.
        1. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/verbs/verbs-followed-infinitive
        2. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/verbs/verbs-followed-that-clause
        3. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/clause-phrase-and-sentence/verb-patterns
  2. Speaking
    1. Prepare for a conversation with your language partner.  Ask your partner about New Year’s Eve.  What do they do in their country?  What did they do last year?  Do they have plans already for this year?  Look for images on the web about New Year’s Eve in your partner’s country.  Ask him or her about them.
    2. Meet with your language partner.  Try your best to only speak in English for 30 minutes.  Of course, be sure to then provide your partner with an equal amount of time to practice our native language as well.
  3. Writing
    1. Write a summary of your exchange with your partner on the Mixxer blog.  Write a post about New Year’s Eve in their country.