LNG550 Remedial English Course for Post-graduate Students Page | 3
Course Syllabus
Course code: LNG550 Course name: Remedial English Course for Post-graduate Students
Credits: 2(1-2-3) Prerequisite: None
Course Description:
The purpose of this remedial English course is to help new students prepare for their coursework in their respective postgraduate programs. Students will be able to review their basic language skills as well as develop learning skills and new skills in the areas of academic reading, writing, listening, and speaking. In addition, a part of the course is devoted to self- study to enable the students to analyze their strengths and weaknesses and be responsible for improving those areas where they feel improvement is needed.
Objectives: To be able to
1. Identify main ideas and supporting details
2. Write different types of sentences and paragraphs
3. Listen and take notes with one word
4. Express and discuss ideas and opinions
5. Select appropriate resources for self-study
Criteria to pass this course: Get S (satisfied) which means pass, if the scores are not less than 60%. Get U (unsatisfied), if the scores are less than 60%
How to access online material:
· For teachers URL: http://sola.kmutt.ac.th/lng Password: 550@t59
· For students URL: http://sola.kmutt.ac.th/lng Password: 550@59
Final Exam Date: Sat. 13 May 2017 (Time: 9.00-11.00 a.m.)
Tentative schedule
Note: S = Speaking R = Reading W = Writing L = Listening
Week / Unit/Page / Skill / Activity / Task1 / Course outline and introduction
U1 / Intro to the self-study
p.7 / S+L / Introducing and discussing useful words
p.8-12 / R+L / Previewing and scanning
Identifying the purpose of parts of the text
Vocabulary: Reporting verbs
2 / U1 / Intro to the task
p.13-15 / W / Using compound sentences / ‘Reading kit’
Grammar: Modals
Task: On p. 15, underline compound sentences and highlight modal verbs; rewrite other sentences by using compound sentences and modals.
Digibook U1 / L / Watching a video: Living with supermarkets
Practice: Scanning and identifying the purpose of parts of the text; writing compound sentences
3 / U2 / Listening task 1 (1%)
p.17 / S / Introducing and discussing useful words
pp.18-22 / R+L / Skimming and mapping
Vocabulary: Word building: suffixes that changes verbs into nouns
Week / Unit/Page / Skill / Activity / Task
4 / U4
p.43-45 / W / Grammar: Comparatives and superlatives
Writing complex sentences / Submission of self-reflection 1 (5%)
Task: On p. 45, underline complex sentences; rewrite other sentences by using compound and complex sentences.
U8
pp.84-85 / W / Grammar: Defining relative clauses
Task: On pp. 84-85, underline the main topic and relative clauses; rewrite answers by using complex sentences, especially relative clauses.
Digibook U2 / L / Watching a video: Safety and freedom
Practice: Skimming and mapping ideas; writing complex sentences
5 / U3 / Listening task 2 (1%)
p.27 / S / Introducing and discussing useful words
pp.28-32 / R+L / Identifying definitions and creating a text plan
Vocabulary: Scientific terms with Latin and Greek roots
6 / U3
pp.33-35 / W / Grammar: Passive voice
Using a variety of sentence types
Task: On p. 35, underline verbs in passive voice; rewrite answers by using a variety of sentence types
Digibook U3 / L / Watching a video: Crowding out our brains
Practice: Practicing creating a text plan; writing a variety of sentence types
7 / U4 / Listening task 3 (1%)
p.37 / S / Introducing and discussing useful words
pp.40-42 / R+L / Pronoun references
U5
p.47 / S / Introducing and discussing useful words
pp.48-49 / R+L / Identifying main ideas
p.52 / Vocabulary: Finding synonyms
U10
p.102 / R / Vocabulary: Finding meaning from synonyms or antonyms
8 / Consultation on the “Reading Kit” project
9 / U7 / Submission of the task
p.67 / S / Introducing and discussing useful words / ‘Reading kit’
pp.68-72 / R+L / Using topic sentences and identifying supporting details
Vocabulary: Verb and preposition collocations / ‘Writing a paragraph’
10 / U7
p.73, 75 / W / Developing paragraphs
Task: On p. 75, identify the main idea and supporting details / Submission of self-reflection 2 (5%)
Digibook U7 / L / Watch a video: Fear of animals
Practice: Identifying topic sentences and supporting details; writing a variety of sentence types
11 / U8 / Listening task 4 (1%)
p.77 / S / Introducing and discussing useful words
pp.78-81 / R+L / Fact and opinion, and identifying reasons
Week / Unit/Page / Skill / Activity / Task
12 / U8
p.83 / W / Definition paragraphs
U9
p.87 / S / Introducing and discussing useful words
pp.90-92 / R+L / Finding supporting evidence for main ideas
Vocabulary: Cause and effect
Digibook U8 / L / Watching a video: Bad news
Practice: Identifying main ideas and reasons; writing a variety of sentence types
13 / U9 / Listening task 5 (1%)
pp.93-95 / W / Using statistics
Grammar: The passive of present and past perfect
Task: On p.95, write a paragraph with a main idea and supporting details; write a variety of sentence types
Digibook U9 / L / Watching a video: Water politics
Practice: Identifying main ideas and supporting details, finding statistics data; writing a variety of sentence types
14 / Consultation on the task: Writing a paragraph
Speaking Quiz (10%)
15 / Speaking Quiz (continued) / Submission of the task ‘Writing a paragraph’
Assessment
1. Tasks 40%
1.1 Reading kit (Group work) 20%
1.2 Writing a paragraph (Individual work) 20%
2. Listening tasks from the Digibook 5%
3. Speaking quiz (Discussion with the teacher = 15 marks) 10%
4. Self-study (2 pieces of video reflection clips = 20 marks) 10%
5. Final exam (70 marks) 35%
Total 100%
1. Description of the tasks 40%
1.1 Task 1: Reading kit (Group work) 20%
Aims: 1. To prepare a reading material for further practice.
2. To illustrate a clear understanding of the chosen passage by forming and answering questions about it.
3. To foster cooperative learning by working and helping each other in groups.
Instructions: You are suggested to follow the steps below carefully:
1. Form a group of 4.
2. Choose a reading passage that everyone in the group is interested in. Use previewing and skimming techniques to get an overview of the text and to make sure that the whole group really likes it.
* The passage should be about an A-4 page long. Also check that the original text does not come together with any reading exercises. Note down the detailed reference or the source of the text.
3. Ask for your teacher’s approval of the chosen text. Also give your teacher the source(s) of the text.
4. After getting the approval, start reading its details. Make sure that everyone in the group clearly understands the text. Then form 20 questions about the content and prepare the answers. See ‘Guide to Questions’ for more details.
5. Hand in the ‘first draft’ of your reading kit to the teacher and make an appointment for feedback. Your first draft should consists of – the passage, the questions, and the answer key.
6. Revise the questions and the answers to prepare for the final draft. You can decorate you reading kit to make it more attractive and user friendly.
7. After every group has finished their reading kit, submit the reading kit to the teacher. Optionally, the teacher can arrange a sharing session for everyone to enjoy reading. You will also vote the best reading kit of your class.
Guide to Questions: Your reading kit should consist of 4 parts (20 items):
1. Comprehension Questions (10 items): The questions in this part should focus on the main idea (3-5 items) and important details (5-7 items).
2. Pronoun references and vocabulary (10 items):
2.1 Pronoun references: the questions should focus on the pronoun references (3-5 items) being obviously shown by context.
2.2 Vocabulary: The focus of this part should be on important or interesting words relevant to vocabulary skills you have learned from the lessons, such as synonyms, antonyms, collocation, etc. Try to draw the words that can be wisely guessed from contexts (5-7 items).
3. Fun Activity (optional): You are encouraged to decide the focus of this part. You can exercise your creativity freely. Play around with this!
* Please note that the questions can be of any test types, such as open-ended, multiple choices, matching, true-false, gap-filling, etc. These 3 parts may appear in any order, but they should appear in an appropriate sequence. You can consult your teacher on this point.
** Please do not forget to provide the instructions for each of your activities in the three parts.
Marking Criteria: Your reading kit will be marked based on the following criteria:
Total score = 40 marks ÷ 2 (20%)
First draft = 30 marks
1. Following all requirements (passage, questions, answer key) 5
2. Appropriate questions (selecting important points / information to ask) 5
3. Accurate answers 10
(This is for selecting appropriate questions. If not, the questions must be revised and resubmitted. In case of resubmitting, the scores on ‘following requirements’ and ‘appropriate questions’ must be based on the original draft, not the revised one.)
4. Language accuracy 10
(Using a variety of sentence types and writing with their own words)
Final draft = 10 marks
1. Revision of the first draft 5
(Revising all the points suggested in the consultation both in terms of content and language)
2. Format (Having instructions / parts / separated answer keys) 3
3. Creativity / Attractiveness 2
1.2 Task 2: Writing an expressing opinion paragraph (Individual work) 20%
Description
Writing an expressing opinion paragraph on a topic given is a written task, which is focused on one idea. A basic paragraph structure usually consists of three parts: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.
Objectives
1. To practice writing an expressing opinion paragraph that defines a topic and gives supporting details showing facts, reasons, and opinions.
2. To have the students practice writing a paragraph consisting of different types of sentences: compound and
complex sentences.
3. To have students practice writing processes.
Instructions: Students are suggested to follow the steps below carefully:
1. Choose a topic of interest about science, technology, health, innovation, or an environment.
2. Complete the outline of your paragraph consisting of the following parts: a topic/term, a topic sentence or main idea, supporting sentences (facts and opinions) and a concluding sentence.
3. Hand in your outline of a paragraph to the teacher and get the teacher’s feedback. Your outline needs to consist of 3 parts: a topic sentence, supporting sentences with some examples, and a concluding sentence. (5%)
4. After your outline’s approved, develop the outline to a complete paragraph and try to meet the requirement: the length of the expressing opinion paragraph should be about 150 - 200 words
5. Submit your first draft of your paragraph for teacher’s assessment. (10%)
6. Get your teacher’s feedback and do self-correction on your paragraph.
7. Submit the final draft of the paragraph to the teacher to get an assessment. (5%)
Criteria for marking (20%)
1. Outline of the essay (5%)
- Relevant ideas 3
(Supporting ideas should be relevant to the topic sentence of the paragraph)
- Complete Organization consisting of 3 main parts 2
2. First draft of the paragraph (10%)
- Content (clarity, relevant ideas) 4
- Grammar (accuracy) 4
- Organization (sequence, logical order, coherence) 2
3. Final Draft of the paragraph (5%)
- Edit and can correct every mistake as suggested by the teacher 5
- Edit and can correct most of mistakes but still ignore a few of them 4
- Try to edit and correct mistakes but still ignore some of them 3
- Edit and correct a few mistakes and ignore most of them 1-2
- No submission of the second draft 0
2. Listening tasks from the Digibook 5%
Description
· The listening task is an activity that is one of the most effective ways to teach students to write. The task helps to develop short-term memory. Students practice retaining meaningful phrases or whole sentences before writing them down.
· There are five listening tasks during weeks 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13 respectively of the semester.
· The whole listening task activity takes about 5-10 minutes during each lesson time.
· The passage is selected from the class text book with which the students are already familiar.
· A good time to deliver the task is at the beginning of class (within the first 10–15 minutes).
Objectives
1. To give students more listening, writing, and spelling practice
2. To give students the opportunity to notice features of pronunciation
3. To give students further exposure to native speaker accents
4. Opportunities to learn new vocabulary in context
Instructions
1. The teacher gives the students a worksheet for practicing the listening task in the classroom and plays the CD to them.
2. Students listen and write down the missing words.
3. Students listen to the recording twice.
4. Before beginning the task, the teacher writes on the board any proper nouns, abbreviations
(such as etc., e.g., i.e., and so on) or acronyms within the task.
5. After finishing the task, the teacher allows the students a minute or two for final corrections.
6. At the end, the teacher shows correct answers on the board and the students work in pairs to
read and then correct each other's work.
Criteria for marking the task
1. Award 1 mark for each answer with correct spelling.
2. Give 0.5 mark for an answer with misspellings, missing the ending morphemes.
3. Give no marks for wrong answers (deficit of comprehension).
3. Speaking quiz (Individual discussion with the teacher) 10%
Description
LNG550’s speaking quiz assesses students’ abilities to express themselves with appropriate responses in order to carry out functions at the pre-intermediate level.
Objectives
1. To talk freely on matters of personal opinion
2. To ask and understand questions and make appropriate responses