UNIT 11. LESSONS 11.1 - 11.2

Main ideas / lessons (UNIT 11.1–11.2)

• This unit is presented as the “most important” in the course’s second level, with skills that will be expanded in future (3rd–5th) levels.
• The unit combines two lessons:
  • Lesson 1: I have never been happier
  • Lesson 2: Social media likes (present perfect used for experience + social media context)
• Core theme: social media and online life, including:
  • Positive uses (entertainment, sharing, learning, connection, sometimes happiness/achievement)
  • Risks/dangers (fake accounts, sexual content, racism/offensive comments, privacy issues, scams, hacking, unsafe apps)

Method / classroom structure

• Two activities are planned:
  • Activity 1: individual practice (exact timing not specified in the subtitles)
  • Activity 2: group-related, but the teacher says the format may vary; participation contributes to grading
• Teacher emphasis:
  • Students who miss class should watch the recording and not “let it pass” like water.
• Practice tools:
  • The teacher repeatedly provides QR codes / links for self-practice outside class.
  • Practice is described as something that takes weeks, not a few hours (60 verbs vocabulary).
• Reading + grammar explanation:
  • A textbook page (around page 108–110) is read and discussed before break.
  • Students are asked to take notes on verb forms and rules.

Key language concepts taught

1) Present Perfect: structure and purpose

• The grammar focus is Present Perfect used to talk about:
  • Experiences in life
  • Actions completed in the past but without a specific time
  • Whether something has happened at an unspecified time up to now
• Form (Present Perfect):
  • Subject + have/has + past participle + (optional complement)
  • Have → I / you / we / they
  • Has → he / she / it
• General rule across sentence types:
  • All sentence types use the auxiliary have/has.
  • Negative and question forms still include have/has, not “do/does” patterns.

2) Ever / Never / Sometimes (frequency & question words)

• The teacher highlights:
  • Ever is used in questions (e.g., “Have you ever…?”)
  • Never is used for strong negation of experience (e.g., “I have never…”)
  • Placement rule: ever/never go relative to the main verb (avoid double-negative confusion).
• Examples discussed:
  • “Have you ever uploaded a video that went viral?”
  • “Have you ever been hacked?”
  • “I have never been happier.”
• Warning:
  • Avoid double negatives (don’t combine an extra “not” with “never” if the intended meaning is “never”).

3) Present Perfect vs Simple Past (core contrast)

• Simple Past:
  • Used for actions at a specific time in the past
  • Uses did/didn’t for questions/negatives
  • Time expressions like “last year / yesterday / two days ago” are typical
• Present Perfect:
  • Used for experience and actions without specifying when
  • Even though it’s about the past, the time is considered up to the present

Social media vocabulary & verb list (present perfect focus)

• The teacher focuses on verbs/verb phrases for social media actions (stated as 20 key ones), practiced via a set totaling 60 forms/entries due to multiple verb tenses/forms.
• Examples explicitly mentioned:
  • upload (“upload a video”)
  • go viral
  • find (e.g., “find love online”)
  • waste money on an app
  • download
  • search
  • follow
  • add (friends / as friends)
  • send a message
  • open an account/app
  • swipe (left/right)
  • join a group
  • like
  • block someone
  • log in
  • save / bookmark
  • share
  • create/make (e.g., “make a video”, “create a website”)
  • change password
  • click / click on a link
  • made (used as an example to demonstrate past participle)

Regular vs irregular verb handling (teacher’s explanation)

• Regular verbs
  • Past participle typically ends in -ed
  • The teacher discusses sound/spelling rules like “-d” when verbs already end in e
• Irregular verbs (major “problem” set)
  • Do not follow the -ed spelling pattern
  • Examples taught include:
    • build → built → built
    • go → went → gone (used in “go viral”)
    • made (from “Made in China”)
  • Note: see is discussed in the video context; generally, learners are expected to memorize past participles.

Grammar “mini-method”: how to identify verb forms in context

• For present perfect sentences:
  • Students need the past participle (not the simple past) after have/has.
• For verb phrases:
  • Often the first word is the verb (e.g., “open a social media account” → base verb open).
• For sentence-building:
  • Use the template: Subject → have/has → past participle → complement
  • Place time expressions with simple past, not with present perfect when expressing experience (as stressed in examples).

Emoji/attitude prompt (speaking activity concept)

• Students select an emoji representing their current feelings (July 11 context).
• The teacher emphasizes that challenges and negative/positive experiences build experience.
• Grammar connection:
  • “Experience” becomes the conceptual bridge to present perfect (experiences are remembered, not necessarily tied to an exact date).

Speakers / sources mentioned

Speakers (names referenced in dialogue/credits)

• Teacher / Oscar
• Jessica
• Shirle
• Erika Román / Erika
• Alejandra Campués / Alejandra
• Fernanda Cortés
• Dianita / Miss Davila Diana Dávil
• Odalis Díaz
• Milena / Milena Andrade
• Sara / Miss Waján
• Carla Vargas
• Yanelis / Yanelis Guaján
• Erika Quimbiam (appears in the grading/participation section; likely the same student as “Erika”)
• Luis Fonsi (viral example)
• Cautionary/real-world examples mentioned:
  • Luis/Jeffrey Epstein
  • Donald Trump
  • Kim (context unclear due to subtitle errors)

Platforms / media referenced

• TikTok
• Instagram
• WhatsApp
• Facebook
• X (Twitter)
• YouTube
• Netflix
• Disney Plus
• Paramount Plus
• Magic TV
• Claro and Movistar (telecom providers referenced in a privacy/insistence anecdote)

Other media / real-world references

• Titanic (movie) — director James Cameron
• Jeffrey Epstein documents (real-world reference)
• World Cup / Ecuador vs Mexico (real-world comment example)