ADVANCED ESL Reading Solutions Spring 2008 Office hours: 1:004:30pm (appointments must be made 24 hours in advance) I. Overview: This course offers a dynamic and entertaining method to not only improve basic English skills, but to also keep the students motivated and interested in learning the foreign language. II. Course Aims and Objectives: Understand the approach and methods of using READING skills to fully comprehend short, factual passages. The advancement of basic GRAMMAR and WRITING skills in order to clearly convey information and ideas. LISTENING and SPEAKING skills are exercised in a manner which allows consistent usage. Application of these skills will be exercised through essay writing, presentation skills, and debating. Specific Learning Objectives: By the end of this course, students will have completed: •
Verb forms and other grammatical structures
• •
Communicative structures for expression of opinions
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• • •
Listening comprehension focusing on varying elements of vocabulary and structure Reading Comprehension skills Established paragraph writing and arrangement skills Novel reading and discussion. Roleplays in various authentic situations
III. Format and Procedures: Reading Skills: Multiple passages will assist students in developing their reading skills. These passages are not only useful, but they are also fun to read through. The various subjects that will interest students include science, the Earth, animals, food, and matters related to everyday life. Vocabulary and Idioms: Special attention is paid to learning new vocabulary words and idioms. Students can see how these words and phrases are used, and then they can see a clear explanation of each one. To help them remember, there are exercises designed especially for students to practice writing and using each new part of their vocabulary.
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Writing: Exercises are designed to train students to develop their writing skills through frequently practicing writing. As students complete more writing exercises, they will see an improvement in their overall ability. Common errors are corrected and reinforced by the instructors Listening: Various listening passages are explained and reviewed, paying attention to main ideas and details. This is both conversation and lecture based material. Speaking: Organized sentence structure and memorization are important in developing proper speaking habits. The students write and perform scripts and reports that support this theory. Also, freetalking and classroom discussion is encouraged by the instructors. Testing: Students take tests that will allow them to see how well they have been able to understand the information they have read. These tests include multiple choice questions, true and false questions, and fill in the blank exercises. Both reading comprehension and vocabulary are regularly tested to assess the students’ performance.
IV. Course Requirements: Course readings: 1. Reading Solutions 2.
Grammar Sense
3.
Wordly Wise Vocabulary
4.
Various Newbery Novels
V. Tentative Course Schedule [based on level course that meets twice a week for two hours]:
Topics Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Assignments Test Projects Reading Solutions 15 Reading Comprehension Listening 12 Vocabulary Vocabulary 14 Reading Solutions 610 Reading Comprehension Listening 34 Vocabulary Vocabulary 58 Novel Book Report Reading Solutions 1115 Reading Comprehension Listening 5 Vocabulary Vocabulary 912 Reading Solutions 1620 Reading Comprehension Listening 6 Vocabulary Vocabulary 1316 Novel Book Report Reading Solutions 2125 Reading Comprehension Listening 78 Vocabulary Vocabulary 1720
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Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Reading Solutions 15 Listening 910 Vocabulary 14 Reading Solutions 610 Listening 11 Vocabulary 58 Reading Solutions 1115 Listening 12 Vocabulary 912 Reading Solutions 1620 Listening 1314 Vocabulary 1316 Reading Solutions 2125 Listening 15 Vocabulary 1720
Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Novel Book Report Reading Comprehension Vocabulary
Presentation preparation begins
Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Novel Book Report Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Reading Comprehension Vocabulary
Final Presentation
VI. Academic Integrity Should copying occur, both the student who copied work from another student and the student who gave material to be copied will both automatically receive a zero for the assignment. Penalty for violation of this can also be extended to include failure of the course and disciplinary action. During examinations, you must do your own work. Talking or discussion is not permitted during the examinations, nor may you compare papers, copy from others, or collaborate in any way. Any collaborative behavior during the examinations will result in failure of the exam, and may lead to failure of the course and disciplinary action.
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