Hello, Class! This is Towako from MEL School.
How are you doing?
This week, we continued Unit 3: How does social media change the way we travel? in Q Skills.
Our main focus was critical thinking: identifying pros and cons. We discussed how travel bloggers and influencers can help us discover new places, but may also create unrealistic expectations by showing only the positive side of travel.
We also practiced expressing our opinions in writing, using specific reasons and examples to support our ideas.
See you next week!
Towako
<Lesson Review>
ELST Listening A2.2 #25
We practiced listening individually, checked the conversation together, and reviewed useful vocabulary and expressions before pair role-play.
Some expressions we discussed included:
I hate to tell you, but ... — Used when introducing disappointing or unwelcome news.
pick someone up — To collect someone by car.
half past one — 1:30.
Remember to write unfamiliar words and expressions in My 練習帳, together with their meanings in context.
Q Skills for Success Reading and Writing 1
Unit 3: How does social media change the way we travel?
Reading 2: Travel Bloggers — The Good and the Bad (pp. 49–52)
We listened to and reviewed the article, examining both the benefits and drawbacks of travel blogs.
Global Skills — Critical Thinking: Identifying Pros and Cons
We organized the information into two categories:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|
| Discover new destinations | Unrealistic expectations |
| Get useful travel tips | Important problems may be left out |
| Learn about different experiences | Popular destinations may become overcrowded |
We also discussed how beautiful photographs do not always tell the whole story. A hotel or destination may look wonderful online but turn out to be quite different in reality.
D. COMPOSE — Supporting Your Opinion
We considered:
Do you read travel blogs to make travel plans? Why or why not?
The important skill was to use information from the article to support our answers, rather than simply saying yes or no.
Write What You Think
We discussed two questions:
What is the most interesting fact you learned in this article?
Do influencers affect your decisions about where to travel?
One interesting example was how an influencer's recommendation inspired Momoka to try traditional Thai clothing during a trip to Thailand.
We practiced organizing our responses into three sentences:
Topic Sentence → Supporting Detail → Specific Example
When revising your writing, avoid vague expressions such as specific details. Explain exactly what you mean.
Also, remember that Thai is the adjective we use in expressions such as Thai food and traditional Thai clothing.
Lesson Review
Reminder: Please confirm that you need to attend the proficiency test scheduled for Monday, November 16, 8:00–9:00 PM.
