¿Qué contenidos o resultados de aprendizaje trabajaremos?

En esta tarea realizarás  la modificación de una reserva en un hotel.   

Para poder realizar esta tarea, deberás consultar los contenidos de la Unidad 7 "Guided Tours" ya que en ella encontrarás todo el material necesario para realizar los distintos ejercicios.

Con esta tarea se contribuye a alcanzar los resultados del aprendizaje descritos en la imagen abajo. 

Con esta tarea alcanzarás los siguientes objetivos:

• Entender textos con vocabulario específico relacionado con los viajes. 
• Desarrollar la destreza auditiva con audios sobre monumentos. 
• Distinguir entre distintas estructuras, la voz pasiva y los condicionales. 
  
• Utilizar el vocabulario de manera adecuada y adaptada al contexto.
• Aprender a redactar un email en el cual se ofrecen alternativas a una reserva ya hecha.

Caso práctico

¿Qué te pedimos que hagas?

Reading comprehension

ED DEBEVIC'S

There are very few restaurants where you can have this kind of fun and good food. It's Ed Debevic's.

Ed Debevic's, the wacky, retro diner-bar-cafe that has conquered Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles and even Osaka, Japan. You know, the place where the waiters and waitresses dress up like prom queens, surfer boys, nerds and bongo-playing hippies; where the staff sings songs from the 1960's and the customers jitterbug and do the Wave in the aisles; where the menu features foods like meatloaf sandwiches, wets (french fries with gravy) and Oreo chocolate pie; where there is a green neon Burp sign over the front door and everyone, customers too, wears little pins on their lapels that say things like, "Eat at Ed's Cuz You Can't Bowl There." Where the average check is about eight bucks.

"The bottom line is that it is not our craziness and creativity that make us work," said Richard Melman, the 48-year-old founder and president of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises , the privately held corporation based in Chicago that manages and owns 30 restaurants, including Ed Debevic's, in the United States and Japan. "It's our discipline. We run a tight ship. We make money. That's what keeps us alive."

Lettuce's formula, which combines theatrical flair with good value, permeates all its restaurants, which span the budget spectrum and include Mexican, Italian, seafood and those that offer more serious, formal fare. The bulk are in the Chicago area, with the exception of the seven Ed's and two additional restaurants in Phoenix. Behind each is a finely drawn blueprint of efficiency that has become known in the industry as the "Melman style," in which menus are marketing tools, waiters are carefully trained sales personnel and each restaurant itself is an elaborate stage set finely tuned to a precise price range and audience.

The decor, too, has a slightly different edge. Instead of sticking exclusively to the chrome-Formica-jukebox motif of the 1950's, Mr. Melman has added an undulating 40's-style bar featuring songs by Frank Sinatra and groups like the Andrew Sisters, and a 60's room, dubbed the "Anti-Establishment Cafe," with lava lamps, black-light posters and tie-dyed curtains.

There are two secrets behind the success of Lettuce Entertain You, Mr. Melman and his partners say: keeping its staff well trained and happy and running an extremely tight operation. At Ed's the goal is to keep prices low and to turn over tables at least four times a night. (At the Chicago Ed's, where 24,000 meals are served a week, the wait for a table is often two hours.) Everything is carefully orchestrated. Customers, for example, are always approached for their drink orders two minutes after they are seated. They are served their food within eight minutes after they order and are encouraged to leave 45 minutes after arriving. "We depend on high-volume," said Steve Ottman, 35, a vice president of Lettuce, who has worked with Mr. Melman for 13 years.

Staff members, from dishwashers to cashiers, are trained for a minimum of two weeks and must pass a written examination. Everything, from what is on the menu to how long individual dishes take to prepare, must be committed to memory. And the staff is taught to sit down next to customers to tell them, charmingly, what management expects of them. A picky customer asking for a boneless breast of chicken that is not available might be asked, "Did your mom debone the chicken for you?" said Susan Southgate-Fox, director of training for Lettuce. "Well, bring in your mom." Customers who dawdle, she said, might be jokingly told: "We don't want squatters in here."

The company runs frequent contests for waiters and waitresses, who can win money or things like color television sets for selling the most bottles of wine. "We've always said that if the waiters are happy, the customers will be happy," Mr. Melman said.

But policing the kitchen on a routine basis is just as important. When the number of shrimps consumed at one of the seafood restaurants, for example, turned out to be twice the number sold, an investigation was begun. When it was determined that staffers were eating the shrimp, a lock was installed and hundreds of dollars a week was saved.

The number of chefs at one of the Mexican restaurants was reduced when a study revealed that the nine chefs employed were only operating at half their expected efficiency.

A technique called "reading the garbage" has been put into effect: refuse is combed with a pitchfork for lost silverware and napkins. "Much of what we do is creative," said Mr. Ottman, adding that garbage is also evaluated for what customers choose not to eat. "But a lot is also scientific."

Mr. Melman said the signs were important to Ed's. They set the tone and had to be true to Ed Debevic's character, which Mr. Melman says is based on four different people. The fictional Ed Debevic is stuck in 1952, fought in the Korean War, has a beer belly and loves to bowl. All the signs and sayings on the restaurant's walls have to be something that might come out of Ed's mouth. "If you don't like the way we do things, buy me out," one sign says. "If you can find a better diner, eat there," says another.

Adapted from thenewyorktimes.com

1.1. Read the text and find one synonym for each of the following words (0.6 points).

a) corridors

b) fussy

c) crazy

d) dollars

e) elegance

f) cutlery

1.2. Explain the following phrases from the text (0.4 points)

a) To run a tight ship.

b) Finely drawn blueprint.

1.3. Answer the following questions about the text. Use full sentences. (1 point)

a) What is the restaurant's theme?

b) Why the name Lettuce Entertain You?

c) How is the staff at Ed Debevic's different ?

d) What does reading the garbage mean?

e) What is Ed Devebic's character like?

Oral production

2. Read the following paragraph from the text and record yourself using Vocaroo. (2 points)

Ed Debevic's, the wacky, retro diner-bar-cafe that has conquered Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles and even Osaka, Japan. You know, the place where the waiters and waitresses dress up like prom queens, surfer boys, nerds and bongo-playing hippies; where the staff sings songs from the 1960's and the customers jitterbug and do the Wave in the aisles; where the menu features foods like meatloaf sandwiches, wets (french fries with gravy) and Oreo chocolate pie; where there is a green neon Burp sign over the front door and everyone, customers too, wears little pins on their lapels that say things like, "Eat at Ed's Cuz You Can't Bowl There." Where the average check is about eight bucks.

Listening comprehension

3. Listening to the following audio and answer the questions. Make sure you use full sentences.  (2 points)

a) What does each of the presidents represent?

b) What difficulties did Gutzom Borglum (the sculptor) come across? 

c) What was the original idea for Mt Rushmore?

d) How long did it take to build?

e) Was Borglum happy with the result?

Use of English

4.1. Fill in the blanks with the following words. (0.5 points)

audience/ cast/ cellar/ conducted/ engraved/ gazebo/ listed/ perform/ pottery/ sketch

1. The best bottles are kept in the _____________.

2. After the ceremony, a buffet dinner will be served in the _________.

3. Dunan's castle is __________ as it is considered of high cultural value.

4. I'm having this ring _________ with the date of our wedding.

5. Have you seen my _________ book? I need it for my Art class.

6. Irish _______ is famous worldwide. Don't forget to at least bring me a mug from your trip.

7. Anna is a ballerina and she is due to ________ in New York next month.

8. The __________ loves it when the actors interact with the public.

9. The whole ______ and crew of Suits attended the Royal Wedding.

10. Andris Nelson _____________ the New Year's Concert beautifully.

4.2. Rewrite the following sentences twice using the passive voice. (1 point)

a) The man in the grey suit gave the key to Mrs. Pearson.

b) I left you an extra ticket at the front desk.

c) Fiona gave the final report to Mr. Hallaway.

d) They offered the job to Sam from Accounting.

e) Did you send the email to Olga?

4.3. Rewrite the sentence using the words in brackets. Make sure you use grammar from Unit 7. (0.5 points)

a) People say that she has two jobs. (said)

b) She is not ambitious. That's why she did not send the applucation form. (sent)

c) She has very poor health. (only)

d) I should have been a better student. (wish)

e) Messi could not play. He was injured. (due)

4.4. Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition (0.5 points).

a) She does not believe _____ the afterlife.

b) These car keys belong _____ the client in Room 3.

c) Have you even heard ______ Lisa Donovan?

d) You can always depend ____ your family.

e) Are you even listening ____ me?

Writing

5. You run a small hotel. You are all booked up for the holidays but now, due to the Pandemic, you must cancell all reservations. You must email your clients, who have already paid for full room and board, and offer alternatives. (2 points)

Remember that your text should not be a list of items but a well-connected text. Pay special attention to linking words and vocabulary and grammar from the Unit.

Recursos necesarios y recomendaciones

Aquí tienes distintos recursos que te pueden servir de ayuda para completar la tarea:

• Para consultar dudas de vocabulario y/o pronunciación: Wordreference
• Para realizar el ejercicio oral puedes usar cualquier programa de audio, como Vocaroo, y pegar en enlace en la plantilla.  

Indicaciones de entrega

Criterios de evaluación del módulo implicados

RA1 – Reconoce información profesional y cotidiana contenida en todo tipo de discursos orales emitidos por cualquier medio de comunicación en lengua estándar, interpretando con precisión el contenido del mensaje:

a) Se ha identificado la idea principal del mensaje.

b) Se ha reconocido la finalidad de los mensajes radiofónicos y de otro material grabado o retransmitido pronunciado en lengua estándar identificando el estado de ánimo y el tono del hablante.

c) Se ha extraído información de grabaciones en lengua estándar relacionadas con la vida social, profesional o académica.

d) Se han identificado los puntos de vista y las actitudes del hablante.

e) Se han identificado las ideas principales de declaraciones y mensajes sobre temas concretos y abstractos, en lengua estándar y con un ritmo normal.

f)  Se ha comprendido con todo detalle lo que se dice en lengua estándar, incluso en un ambiente con ruido de fondo.

g) Se ha extraído las ideas principales de conferencias, charlas e informes, y otras formas de presentación académica y profesional lingüísticamente complejas.

h) Se ha tomado conciencia de la importancia de comprender globalmente un mensaje, sin entender todos y cada uno de los elementos del mismo.

RA2 – Interpreta información profesional contenida en textos escritos complejos, analizando de forma comprensiva sus contenidos:

a) Se ha leído con un alto grado de de independencia, adaptando el estilo y la velocidad de la lectura a distintos textos y finalidades y utilizando de forma comprensiva sus contenidos.

b) Se ha interpretado la correspondencia relativa a su especialidad, captando fácilmente el significado esencial.

c) Se han interpretado, con todo detalle, textos extensos, y de relativa complejidad, relacionados con o no con su especialidad, siempre que pueda volver a leer las secciones difíciles.

d) Se ha relacionado el texto con el ámbito del sector a que se refiere.

e) Se ha identificado con rapidez el contenido y la importancia de noticias, artículos e informes sobre una amplia serie de temas profesionales y decide si es oportuno un análisis más profundo.

RA3 – Emite mensajes orales claros y bien estructurados, analizando el contenido de la situación y adaptándose al registro lingüístico del interlocutor:

b) Se ha expresado con fluidez, precisión y eficacia sobre una amplia serie de temas generales, académicos, profesionales o de ocio, marcando con claridad la relación entre las ideas.

RA4 – Elabora documentos e informes propios del sector o de la vida académica y cotidiana, relacionando los recursos lingüísticos con el propósito del mismo:

a) Se han redactado textos claros y detallados sobre una variedad de temas relacionados con su especialidad, sintetizando y evaluando información y argumentos procedentes de varias fuentes.

b) Se ha organizado la información de manera coherente y cohesionada.

d) Se ha cumplimentado documentación específica de su campo profesional.

e) Se han aplicado las fórmulas establecidas y el vocabulario específico en la cumplimentación de documentos.

g) Se han utilizado las fórmulas de cortesía propias del documento a elaborar.

h) Aplica actitudes y comportamientos profesionales en situaciones de comunicación, describiendo las relaciones típicas características del país de la lengua extranjera.

RA5 – Aplica actitudes y comportamientos profesionales en situaciones de comunicación, describiendo las relaciones típicas características del país de la lengua extranjera:

a) Se han definido los rasgos más significativos de las costumbres y usos de la comunidad donde se habla la lengua extranjera.

b) Se han descrito los protocolos y normas de relación social propios del país.

d) Se han identificado los aspectos socio-profesionales propios del sector, en cualquier tipo de texto.

e) Se han aplicado los protocolos y normas de relación social propios del país  de la lengua extranjera.

¿Cómo valoramos y puntuamos tu tarea?

La tarea se valorará sobre un máximo de 10 repartidos de la siguiente forma:

• Criterio 1 - Reading Comprehension: 2 puntos 
• Criterio 2 - Listening Comprehension:  2 puntos
• Criterio 3 - Use of English: 2 puntos 
• Criterio 4 - Writing: 2 puntos
• Criterio 5 - Oral Production: 2 puntos