Intermediate Oral Skills Syllabus
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This document provides information about an Intermediate Oral Skills course offered through the Minnesota English Language Program in Spring 2014. The course aims to improve students' listening and speaking skills for academic purposes. It will be held Monday through Friday from 2:30-4:25pm, with some Thursday classes in Jones Hall. Students will develop their skills through activities like discussions, presentations and language lab work. Assessment will include presentations, tests, homework and a final exam. Students are expected to attend regularly and participate fully in English. The document outlines course objectives, materials, policies and support available.
Intermediate Oral Skills Syllabus
- 1. Minnesota English Language Program ESL 230: Intermediate Oral Skills Spring 2014 Course Number: ESL 230 Section: 001 Location:KoltH 133& Jones Hall (most Thurs.) Days: Monday-Friday Time: 2:30-4:25pm Instructor: Crystal Rose Email:rosex466@umn.edu Office:MELP Office in McNamara Office Hours:T & W 1:30-2:15pm A. Course Description: This course helps intermediate non-native speakers of English improve listening and speaking skills for general and academic purposes. Students listen to both adapted and authentic texts to develop academic listening and speaking skills. Students identify main ideas and details, make inferences, take notes, and synthesize what they have heard. Students will improve spoken fluency and accuracy in formal and informal academic speaking contexts, including conversations, small group and class discussion, and presentations. This course will help students improve pronunciation, spoken grammar, and vocabulary use. B. Course Outcomes: After successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Apply language skills and communication strategies for effective academic discussions. 2. Apply language skills and communication strategies in interactive contexts. 3. Demonstrate use of appropriate vocabulary and accurate grammatical structures in speech. 4. Demonstrate fluency in prepared and impromptu speaking contexts. 5. Prepare and deliver effective academic presentations. 6. Demonstrate and monitor clear pronunciation. 7. Apply skills and strategies to demonstrate listening comprehension in academic and interactional contexts. 8. Apply appropriate note-taking strategies and use notes to recall, review, and respond to content. 9. Demonstrate awareness of diversity in communication styles, language, accent, and cultures. 10. Demonstrate self- and peer- evaluation skills. C. Course Format Class time will be divided among lecture/demonstration, discussion, small group work, individual and group presentations, language lab activities, tests and quizzes, and listening to a variety of recordings and speakers. D. Required Materials: Please bring these to class EVERY DAY! Pathways 3: Listening, Speaking, & Critical Thinking Pocket folder (for keeping class handouts and assignments) Notebook paper (for notes during class) and a pencil or pen Additional notebook for Success Journal (this should be separate from your in-class notebook so your teacher can collect it every 2 weeks) Access to a computer with microphone for recording speaking assignments. If you do not have a computer with a microphone to record, you will need to complete these assignments in the computer lab in Jones Hall. E. Grading Information and Policies This course will be graded S/N. 1 Presentations & Speaking Assignments 40% 2 Listening Tests & Quizzes 30% 3 Homework 20% 4 Final listening exam & final project 10% 70-100% = Satisfactory (S) You pass. 69% and below = Not Satisfactory (N) You don’t pass. How to pass this course: 1. Attend at least 90% of your classes. 2. Earn a final grade of 70% or higher. 3. Demonstrate your proficiency in both listening and speaking.
- 2. Presentations & Listening Assignments (40%): You will be expected to participate in various speaking assignments and formal presentations during the semester. Your speaking assignment and presentation grade will be based on each of these assignments. You will receive specific grading criteria for each assignment or presentation as they arise. You will also be asked to do an oral interview at the end of the semester with your teacher. Listening Tests & Written Quizzes (30%): You will take listening tests and other written quizzes over the course of the semester. You will be told about the listening tests a few days in advance so you can study the material. Written quizzes could be about vocabulary, pronunciation, or other topics we cover in class. There may also be “pop quizzes.” Homework (20%): It is a MELP policy that you can expect to have about 3 hours of homework per day (if you’re a full time student). That means you will have about 1 hour of homework for Oral Skills each day. Homework assignments could be in our textbook, on Moodle, or on handouts given in class. You will also have an Out-of-Class semester-long assignment. This semester-long assignment includes practicing listening and/or speaking outside of class, keeping a Success Journal, and recording reflection video journals. Please refer to your Out-of-Class Assignment sheet for more information about this part of your homework grade. Final Listening Exam &Final Project (10%): Near the end of the semester we will have a final listening exam and a final speaking project. These assignments will give you the opportunity to show what you’ve learned over the course of the semester. You will receive more information about these assignments later in the semester. F. Attendance and Participation Policies Attendance is a very important part of being successful in the Minnesota English Language Program; the classroom is where learning takes place, and attendance is a requirement for your student visa. You are expected to attend every class, arrive on time, and speak in English. If your attendance is below 90%, your overall grade will be significantly reduced and you may fail the class. In addition, program certificates are only awarded to students who attend 90% or more of each of their courses. If you are 1-10 minutes late, you will be marked absent for half of the class (1 hour). If you are 11 or more minutes late, you will be marked absent for the whole class (2 hours). It is very important to be on time. The only excused absences are religious holidays recognized by the University of Minnesota. You must tell Crystal before you are absent if you are going to miss class for a religious holiday. Absences for illness, doctor’s appointments, and other personal issues are not excused. Students are allowed to miss 10% of the course hours for these reasons. Daily homework assignments cannot be turned in late. It is your responsibility to complete your work on time. If you know you will be absent for any reason, it is your responsibility to contact your teacher BEFORE you are absent to schedule make-up tests and other work.Please contact Crystal if you know you will be absent for any reason. G. University of Minnesota Policies The University of Minnesota has rules for instructors and students to support teaching and learning, and the Minnesota English Language Program follows these rules. You can find a list of these rules on the University of Minnesota’s Web site and in the MELP Student Handbook. If you have any questions or concerns about these rules, please talk to your instructor. The U of M has rules for: student dishonesty and behavior student learning responsibilities making up missed work grade definitions sexual harassment respecting diversity accommodating disabilities mental health and stress management academic freedom and responsibility
- 3. H. Student Academic Honesty At the University of Minnesota, all students must do their work fairly and honestly. If you do coursework in a way that is not fair and honest, you could receive an F or a zero on the assignment or in the course. To improve your English, use your own words and language in all assignments. The University of Minnesota considers these activities dishonest (don’t do these things): copying a classmate’s work on an assignment or test plagiarizing (using someone else’s words or work without showing who wrote it and where you found it) cheating on tests by sharing answers, talking to classmates, or using materials without permission falsifying information For more information, go to: http://www.oscai.umn.edu I. Moodle and Email We will use Moodle, an online course management system regularly. You will be able to do homework and practice activities on the Moodle site. To access our class Moodle site, visit: https://ay13.moodle.umn.edu and sign into your UMN account using your X500 username. Our class is ESL 230: Intermediate Oral Skills. We will use a variety of online tools, but Moodle will be our primary course website. You are also expected to check your University email account every day. You can access your account by visiting www.gmail.com (after you change your Gopher Mail account to a Google account). You will get important information about our class by email, so you should check it regularly. We will also use Google to do online assignments. What things should you include in an email message to your teacher? J. Extra Help or Special Needs Please see me any time you need extra help. Come to my office during office hours, or talk to me before or after class to schedule a different time to meet. You may also email me with problems or questions. Also, if you are sick or know you will be absent for any reason, please contact me to get your homework and schedule make-up work. It is my goal to help you learn English and do well in this class, so don’t be afraid to ask for help! If you have special needs that affect your class performance, such as difficulty seeing, hearing, or reading in your first language, please let me know. I can help make this course accessible to you. There are also resources on campus to help make classes accessible to you. You can find a list of resources on our Moodle site or you can speak with someone in the MELP office.
- 4. K. Classroom Expectations & Behavior What do you expect from your teacher? The teacher will… What can your teacher expect from you? Students will… What are some rules we should have in our class so we can have a successful semester? 1. 2. 3. 4.