I need some help from the only people I know who can help me: current or former ESL teachers. The reason being is that everyone around me is gung-ho on Grammar-translation teaching and the current curriculum is absolutely not working well for these type of fast-learning, large working memory, high IQ students. What would you deem absolutely necessary to get your students to Advanced C1-C2 level (Upper-advanced) over the course of a few years, 4 or 5?Case-description:Ideal class environmentno word cramming nor any explicit grammar
How will we reach the climate goals made in Paris in 2016? At this time, it seems quite unlikely. Nuclear energy is a source of energy that should be considered because it is reliable and safe. Nuclear power plants should output more energy and become less expensive. Moreover, they would be a great alternative to burning fossil fuels.Firstly, the main reason that more nuclear power plants should be built is that they are extremely reliable and safe. This means that one of the only ways to reach our climate goals is to build more nuclear plants. This is particularly evident when it is known that about 40 times more deaths per unit of energy are caused by the burning of natural gas than by the production of nuclear energy. This evidence shows that nuclear energy is indeed remarkably safe.Secondly, nuclear plants produce more energy than burning fossil fuels and are less expensive overall. In other words, building nuclear plants would increase the output of energy. This is best illustrated by the fact that the amount of fuel required to produce the same amount of power by other power plants is much greater than the amount required for nuclear power plants. This shows that nuclear plants are a lot more efficient. Therefore, building more nuclear reactors would increase the output of energy.Thirdly, burning fossil fuels should mostly be replaced by nuclear energy. This is necessary because using nuclear energy would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This is true because nuclear power plants do not emit any greenhouse gasses. This evidence shows that nuclear energy is better for the environment than other energy that does emit greenhouse gasses. In brief, more nuclear plants should be built in order to replace burning fossil fuels.In conclusion, more nuclear power plants should be built. Not only are they stable and secure but also highly efficient and relatively inexpensive, especially in comparison to other sources of energy like burning fossil fuels. Furthermore, they do not contribute to the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. All in all, nuclear energy should at least be considered as a viable option while we are trying the meet the challenges that solving the problem of climate change poses to the world.
Could you imagine the wildfires consequence on your neighbourhood? Because hundreds of families encounter this catastrophic event to wipe out all their possessions. Only in the US are 4.5 million homes extremely at risk due to wildfires. And all of this is getting worse while we continue ruining the climate. Because by doing so the amount of wildfires will increase, which will worsen global warming even more. How can we interrupt this cycle of deterioration?One element of wildfires which must be considered is that global warming improves the conditions for wildfires. Specifically, global warming decreases the water in the ecosystem, through hotter droughts and temperature increasement. This dries out plants and trees, which leads to ready-to-burn material waiting to be burst into flames. This is best illustrated by making a campfire, it is easier to make one with dry kindling, than by using soaked kindling. This small example shows that the possibilities of wildfires will increase when the temperature keeps rising. To sum up, global warming makes the conditions to start a wildfire easier.On the flip side, wildfires are contributing to global warming. When plants are burning they send huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, which will create more carbon dioxide. Furthermore, fires release specific black carbon that traps heat in the atmosphere. By doing so these particles magnify the warming of the Earths surface. The black particles can be compared to black canvas. Farmers lay those canvasses over their fields to keep their cultivation warm, because black retains warmth. This illustrates the effect of wildfires on temperatures. In brief, global warming improves the conditions for wildfires, while wildfires are increasing global warming. This causes a cycle of more wildfires and rising temperatures. The two possibilities to stop this vicious loop are to interrupt the cycle from the climate side or the fire side. Firstly we need to decrease global emissions to stop the climate side. This can be achieved by reducing the fossil fuels dependence and applying cleaner energy sources to every-day usage. Secondly the fire side can be interrupted by using prescribed fires. That are controlled fires managed by experts. Those controlled burns are preventing wildfires by safely reducing the amount of firewood and they reduce the damage by encouraging the regrowth of native flora. However, prescribed fires are still fires, therefor experts are extremely cautious with using this method. So if we would use our knowledge and skills to reduce fossil fuels and dirty energy, the cycle of increasing wildfires and global warming can be stopped.In conclusion, while mankind is worsening climate change, the wildfires conditions are only getting better. Global warming dries out vegetation, which will lead to easier ignitions of fires. On the other hand are wildfires contributing to global warming by releasing enormous amounts of carbon in the atmosphere. This leads to a vicious cycle of more wildfires and increasing global warming. We can only stop this loop by using our skills and knowledge to reduce the usage of harmful fuels and to apply efficient prescribed fires. Why wait to intervene while hundreds of families are at risk due to wildfires?
