The use of computer games in english language teaching and learning (on the example of Dragon Age II)

- reasons behind migration;

- possible difficulties;

- effects and impact on people's lives.

Your talk should last for about 1,5-2 minutes. All ideas should be logically connected and stem from each other.

Writing

Reflect on the previous discussion regarding migration and write a proposal on possible measures governments can take in order to enhance this process. Make sure to include the following:

- the title (e.g. “Proposal for/regarding...”);

- the introduction describing the main aim of your proposal;

- 2-3 ideas on how to enhance the process of migration, including proper reasoning;

- the conclusion.

Write your proposal in 220-260 words in an appropriate style. Remember to organize the text into paragraphs and keep all ideas clear and precise.

If you have trouble beginning paragraphs and introducing new ideas, refer to the examples of sentence starters below:

· The main aim of this proposal is...

· This proposal seeks to...

· One possible solution would be...

· In order to ... the government may...

· Next, the government must/can/might also...

· Moreover, it would be also helpful to...

· To summarize, these measures can contribute to...

· I hope you will find this suggestion...

Listening task transcript

(The context of the extract: Varric has just finished retelling the first part of Hawke's story. At this point in narration, Hawk and his team have finally escaped their hometown thanks to Flemeth and are now fleeing to Kirkwall, the city untouched by darkspawn, where their uncle Gamlen lives.)

Cassandra: “Flemeth?”

Varric: “I thought that part might interest you.”

C: “You expect me to believe that a myth swooped out of the wild to save the champion?”

V: “Oh come now seeker, do I need to recite the tale of the wardens as well?”

C: “No. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised to hear of her involvement.”

V: “I liked my version better, too”

C: “What else aren't you telling me, them? Did she send someone with the Champion?”

V: “In a matter of speaking.”

C: “So it's true. Continue, but if you tell me they all flew to Kirkwall on a dragon…”

V: “Nothing so fanciful, I assure you.”

(Varric's POV)

The witch kept her word and got them to Gawren, where they took ship. They sailed north across the Waking sea, lurched by terrible storms. Two weeks they spent in that dark hold, packed in with the fearful and the desperate, and then they saw it, Kirkwall, The City of Chains. Long ago it was part of the Imperium, slaves coming far and wide to work the quarries. Now it's a free city, but I'd use the word loosely. Sail through those black cliffs and you'll see what the slaves of old saw: the Gallows, welcoming you. That's where their ship landed, along with all the rest.

Aveline: “There not letting anyone into the city.”

Hawke's mother: “What?! That can't be!”

A: “It's true, look at them all”.

Carver: “Are we really surprised? Everyone's fleeing the blight, just as we are”.

A: “And they would throw us all back to the wolves. Unbelievable.”

Hawke: “We are getting into the city, one way or another.”

Hawke's mother: “We need to find Gamlen. Our family has always been highly regarded in Kirkwall, he can do something, I'm sure of it”.

Carver: “Let's hope he received your letters.”

A: “The guards seem to be reporting to that man; perhaps we can talk to him.”



Appendix B

Pre- and post-test questions

Your age:

Your estimated English level:

a) B1 (Intermediate)

b) B2 (Upper-Intermediate)

c) C1 (Advanced)

d) C2 (Proficiency)

BLOCK 1. Use of English.

Choose the correct answer.

1. Thousands of people had to flee ... their country because of the war.

a) outside of

b) of

c) out

d) -

2. In his adventures he has gone far than any human being ever dared before. He truly was a(an) ... explorer.

a) gormless

b) intrepid

c) fearful

d) average

3. One look at her instantly made me feel uneasy. She really had a(an) ... presence.

a) imposing

b) slack

c) alluring

d) lulling

4. “Is this the whole truth?” “In a matter of ...”

a) speech

b) words

c) talking

d) speaking

5. She was only a child when her father left them. Her mother tried to ... any memory of him as soon as possible.

a) efface

b) recoil

c) feign

d) surge

6. I don't care about your excuses. You have to do this, one way or ... .

a) other

b) another

c) the another

d) the others

7. Near the gates stood a mighty ...., cautiously watching all the passers-by.

a) bowman

b) monger

c) sentinel

d) coadjutor

8. Hundreds of men are working in the ..., extracting limestone and slate.

a) chapel

b) factory

c) forge

d) quarry

9. You've just drank a whole bottle of water, you .... still be thirsty.

a) could

b) must

c) can't

d) might

10. She spent two years in France without knowing the language. It ... hard for her.

a) should have been

b) must have been

c) must be

d) could be

BLOCK 2. Specific language skills development

Choose the most suitable option.

1. Do you know the structure of a proposal?

a) yes

b) no

2. How confident do you feel about your proposal writing skills?

a) very confident

b) mostly confident

c) a little confident

d) not confident at all

3. How confident do you feel about participating in an active discussion on the topic of migration?

a) very confident

b) mostly confident

c) a little confident

d) not confident at all

4. How confident do you feel about giving a talk on the phenomenon of migration?

a) very confident

b) mostly confident

c) a little confident

d) not confident at all

5. How confident do you feel about working with texts and vocabulary on the topic of geography?

a) very confident

b) mostly confident

c) a little confident

d) not confident at all

4. How confident do you feel about your knowledge of modal verbs of certainty?

a) very confident

b) mostly confident

c) a little confident

d) not confident at all

BLOCK 3. General language skills development

Choose the most suitable option.

1) How confident on the scale from 1 (“not confident at all”) to 5 (“very confident”) do you feel about your overall develoment of listening skills?

a) 1

b) 2

c) 3

d) 4

e) 5

2) How confident on the scale from 1 (“not confident at all”) to 5 (“very confident”) do you feel about your overall develoment of reading skills?

a) 1

b) 2

c) 3

d) 4

e) 5

3) How confident on the scale from 1 (“not confident at all”) to 5 (“very confident”) do you feel about your overall develoment of speaking skills?

a) 1

b) 2

c) 3

d) 4

e) 5

4) How confident on the scale from 1 (“not confident at all”) to 5 (“very confident”) do you feel about your overall develoment of writing skills?

a) 1

b) 2

c) 3

d) 4

e) 5

BLOCK 4: Freeform feedback (Post-test only)

1. How would you assess the content of the unit?

2. How would you assess the structure of the unit?

3. How would you assess the difficulty of the tasks?

4. How would you access the changes in your level of confidence about completing particular types of tasks? Which ones?



Appendix C

Example answer for the Tast 2 from the listening section (dialog transcript)

Student A: I think that the most important factor that we need to decide today is weak economy and unemployment, because nowadays we live in poor conditions and our economy suffers from a lot of breakouts, I would say, especially taking into account the current situation with coronavirus, and now we can see how economy needs regulations...

Student B: Yeah. May I say something here?

A: Sure.

B: Yeah, I actually agree with you, but I still think that military conflicts might be a more important factor, because economy doesn't kill people, at least. And it makes the situation worse for people, but it doesn't affect them as much as war conflict do. Would you agree here?

A: Yes. I agree here at this point. These conflicts should be urgently stopped.

B: And talking about the least important factor, I think it might be poor education system. I think that if you are willing to educate yourself, you can take online courses in your country of something, and do it yourself, in your country.

A: Yes, I agree here that online learning can be attributed here.

B: And moving on to the next question, what countries do you think people might choose?

A: Well, I'm not good at geography and economic development of different countries, but still, as far as I know, Switzerland is a perfect country for people who want to escape weak economy and unemployment in their own country.

B: Yeah, I agree with you here. And I also think that geographical conditions are also good here, and there are different types of landscape, steppes, everything. And this might be suitable.

A: Yes, and if we talk about sustainability, I think Northern countries are more into this topic. So, Norway, for example, and Finland. And Finland, by the way, has a perfect educational system.

B: Yes, this is a good point too. And talking about how migration can change future lives of people, I think it might go as far as even save them, if there are military conflicts or something, or also maybe help them achieve better level of live in general and efface some financial problems, or some educational problems.

A: Yes, I agree, and especially, if country has weak economy and unemployment, it's a crucial factor for people to move, to migrate to another country. So migration changes a lot, like economical situation and economical map of the world.

B: Yeah, I agree with you here.



Appendix D

Example answer for the Tast 3 from the listening section (monologue transcript)

Well, today migration has become an urgent and very provocative topic for discussion, not only in politics, but in general. So, firstly we need to decide on the definition of the word itself. I think that migration is kind of a process of flux between one country and another, of people moving from one country to another during some reasons: economical, political ones. Especially I think economy plays its role here. It's a crucial reason for me. So, when people feel poor in their country, they are to flee it, because they don't see any future, any possibilities to develop themselves, to become more sophisticated in some spheres. So, it must be economy first of all, to make people move. Talking about the difficulties, I think that the most important one is, of course, the same economical one, because to move countries you have to have a lot of financial possibilities, like money, first of all. Also, education plays role, because if you want to be prosperous, to be highly regarded in another country, of course, you should have education, higher education, and (also) to efface any problems you might face in another country, especially problems with employment. And of course migration influences people's lives a lot, because it changes your life completely, because you need to learn another language, you need to educate yourself in another country, and, of course, start earning money, start your living again.



Appendix E

Example answer for the writing task (a proposal)

Proposal regarding measures to be taken by governments to improve migration

Introduction

The main aim of this proposal is to suggest some steps that can be taken by government of any country to enhance the process of migration for people who had to flee their homelands for various reasons. It can also help to facilitate this process for the governments.

One possible solution would be to provide migrants with possibility to attend some courses to train for a new profession, the one especially relevant in a new country. It does not need to be an extremely profitable job, but the one which can give opportunities to survive in the country. The similar scenario is applied in South Korea when North Korean refugees receive the opportunity to flee the country.

Next, migrants who must have suffered some traumatic events due to wars, revolutions, coups d'йtat, etc and want to efface these painful memories should be provided with professional counselling and support from social service and psychologists. In the future it will help to avoid unnecessary unrest among migrants due to their inner pain.

To summarize, these measures can contribute to the enhancement of the process of migration both for people who decide to move to another country for various reasons and for government itself. I hope you will find these suggestions useful.

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