Marcela's E-Portfolio

• Personal Information:

Hello. My name’s Marcela Bascourt. I am from Coronel. I live with my parents and siblings.  I’m nineteen years old, and I come from "Antonio Salamanca Morales” highschool. I live with my parents and siblings. About me, I’m kind and respectful, and my friends say that I’m shy. I like listening to music, watching movies, to play computer games and to read.

• Foreign languages I know:

I know the English language, but just the basics. So, I going to work hard for learn it well. That I hope.

• When, where, how, and why I have learnt the foreign languages I know:

I started learning English at fifteen years old (15). The place where I learned it was the school and the high school. Those place principally. I learned it through of classes, of course, and also a little, watching movies, series, listening to music and things like that.
I learning the English language because I like it a lot, I always found it interesting and amazing, so for that I wanna learn and practice it.

• English Subject school qualification:

My English qualifications at school were good, not excellent, but I always had between six and seven in my qualifications.

• English proficiency examination(s) I have taken and results:

I never have made any English proficiency examinations, I done it the “English SINCE”, but I don’t know the results.

• English proficiency level I thought I had at the starting point of this course:

When I started this course, I thought I had the level: “A” Basic User, beginner “1” (A1). Description according to Wikipedia page: “Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/her and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help”.

• What I think I can do in English at this stage:

Listening:

I can understand numbers.

I can understand classroom instructions.

I can understand greetings.

I can understand a short interview.

I can understand a description of a person.

I can understand simple phone conversations.

Reading:

I can understand a short article.

I can understand the main ideas in a short article.

I can find the information I need in an article.

Speaking:

I can introduce myself.

I can ask and answer question about nationality and age.

I can talk about my favourite activities.

I describe someone.

Writing:

I can complete a form.

I can write a phone message.

I can write a card for a special occasion.

I can give someone advice in a letter.

I can write about my town or city.

• My results in English Diagnostic Tests:

The results of my QPT test, writing and oral, were A2 (Basic User, Elementary).

• English language learning strategies I use:

Strategies I use before reading:

I think about the cover, title, and topic.

I read the back cover and the print on the inside of the jacket.

I skim the pictures, charts, and graphs.

I think about what I know about the topic.

Strategies I use during reading:

I stop and check to see if I understand what I’m reading.

I make mental pictures.

I identify unfamiliar words.

I reread to understand confusing parts and unfamiliar words.

Strategies I use after reading:

I think about why I liked or didn’t like it.

I speak, draw, and/or write reactions.

I reread to find details.

• My predominant learning style:

My predominant learning style is visual; according to a questionnaire at page: http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a3_aspects/pages/vak_quest.htm

• My feelings and needs about English language learning:

My mother tongue is Spanish.

The languages I can speak:

1. These languages would be useful for me to learn in the future:
   I thing that the English language is the most important in my future. J
2. I find it quite difficult to learn a language.
3. I think that the most important thing in learning a language is to be able to speak and listen in the new language.
4. The most difficult thing for me is speaking.
5. I would like to improve my pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, grammar and fluency; I mean all.
6. English is important for me because: I like it, I study it, so I have to learn it very well.
7. I will need English in the future to: my work and for travel to countries with English language.

• Factors I think have helped me or prevented me from learning English:

It has helped me to learn the language a little more; things like listening to music, especially in English, of course, and the interest for translate some songs. Something that prevented me learning the language could be the lack of resources, like the Internet and English books.

• Expectations I have about this course:

For this course, my expectations are: improve the grammar, my pronunciation and my vocabulary in English. I hope also, come out well in the exams for pass the course.

• My strategic plan to be successful as a language learner:

My plan to be successful is study hard for the tests, reading books and practice my pronunciation. I going to worry too of assist classes and pay attention to the teacher. Until now, I thought in that.

March, 2012