Course Title ( Credits )

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Miyazaki International College Course Syllabus

Course Title ( Credits ) SA201-2 English (ESL) Course Designation for TC

Language Teacher

Instructor George Knapman

E-mail address [email protected] Office/Ext Office 1-408 / Ext. 733

Office hours Monday/Tuesday, 4.00 – 5.00 p.m. Wednesday 12.30 – 1.30

Course Description:

Intensive practice in English speaking, reading, writing and listening. Students are placed in classes according to their level of English proficiency. Students who remain at M.I.C. for their 2^nd year, 2^nd semester studies will be required to attend the SA201 English class. The course will be a continuation of the English language program already undertaken but will have a different focus. In particular, the course will seek to expose students to “natural” English, similar to the kind of language their peers who are overseas will be benefitting from. Specific features of “natural”

English to be explored will include phrasal verbs, connected speech and colloquial/slang expressions. Students will also be expected to report on and engage in disscussion about news and current affairs/media on a regular basis. In addition, the course will also give attention to specific academic vocabulary and advanced English grammar, which will be likely to assist students in their independent study, and in their future writing of a senior thesis. Review quizzes will be given at regular intervals. Finally, extensive reading (M-reader) will be continued during students study abroad on campus period. The course will involve all 4 skills (reading, listening, speaking, and writing) with a particular emphasis on oral communication.

Course Goals/Objectives:

Students will acquire understanding of, and be able to use a large number of phrasal verbs within the context of various discussion topics. These topics will facilitate role plays and scenarios within which students will be expected to demonstrate improvement in speaking proficiency, communication and critical thinking. Students will be expected to participate in conversation exchanges typically experienced in social situations – such as conversation about the news/

media. Students will learn skills related to conversational improvisation. Students will be expected to gain mastery of a new set of academic vocabulary appropriate to their needs. Students will be expected to improve in reading fluency, using M-reader for extensive reading.

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Tentative Course Schedule

Day Topic Content/Activities

1 Intro to syllabus

Assessment of student needs and priorites.

Phrasal verbs Introduction

*Ice-breaking activities / speaking fluency activities

*Questionnaire on learning preferences – students identify what they would like to learn in this course – allowing for customization for individual students.

*Introduction to Phrasal verbs (multi-word verbs).

*Activities to detirmine whether text meaning is literal or figurative (non-literal).

*Activities to enable students to recognize features of phrasal verbs, such as: the meaning of particles (prepositions), frequency and style, multiple meanings, word order, and the four basic types of multi-word verbs.

2 Topic: Being a student: study habits, classroom

experiences

Academic vocabulary unit 1

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (U.I.) unit 1 Students will work in pairs to discuss study

problems. Students will read a case study, identify the multi-word verbs therein, and recount the information to a parnter. Students will match multi-word verbs to correct meanings. Students will listen to sentences and be able to repeat them substituting a multi-word verb in place of existing verbs. Students will use multi-word verbs to interview a partner about their study habits.

Students will recognize idiomatic expressions used in reference to study and school. Students will write the correct idiomatic expressions under pictures. Students will role play a situation in which one student has study problems, and the other must give advice. They will be expected to use multi-word verbs covered in this unit.

3 Hobbies and Free time New Headway Talking Points Unit 1

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Hobbies and Free time

* General - Discussion and research of hobbies and free time leisure activities enjoyed in various countries and cultures. Critical thinking questions related to motivation and psychology for pursuing hobbies– further areas of deeper inquiery for advanced students.

* News item 1 – 1 student researches and presents a news item related to this topic. Students work in pairs or small groups to discuss the news item.

* Talking about pictures of free time activities.

* Practicing key language gambits used in presentations

* Reading 1– Leisure actiivites in the U.K

*Compare and contrast U.K. leisure activities with Japanese culture.

Reading 2 – The “hobby doctor” (couch counsellor)

* Role play – a consultation with the “hobby doctor”

* Improvisational English – 1 minute to talk about your favourite pastime and why you like it.

4 Accomodation I

“Looking around a flat”

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (U.I.) unit 2 General topic – finding a place to live /

accomodation – describing accomodation with common phrasal verbs.

*Students will use the multi-word verbs presented to gap fill key sentences.

*Students will check their answers through listening.

* Report on renovations made to a house (listening) using the phrasal verbs presented.

* Substitution activity using the phrasal vebs presented.

* Idiomatic expressions related to the topic e.g.

“home sweet home”.

* Use of pronoun objects to replace noun objects within phrasal verb expressions and how stress is

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used within the natural vocalization of these expressions

* Role play using prompts – a real estate agent showing a client around a flat.

* Writing homework – Dialogue between the client (above) and his / her partner

Revision quiz –

* Phrasal verbs and idioms (U.I.) unit 1

* Academic vocabulary unit 1 5 Accomodation II

“Living in a place of your own”

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (U.I.) unit 4

General disussion – what are the advantages and disadvanages of living alone / away from home / share acommodation?

*Reading – letter written from one student to another, describing one student’s experience of living alone.

*Phrasal verbs related to this topic – matching activity – matching the phrasal verbs to their correct meanings.

*Listening and gap fill (phrasal verbs)

*Idiomatic expressions used within this topic –e.g.

– “gets on my nerves / fed up with my job / be in two minds about something”

- Students use the idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs presented to talk about their own accomodation.

- Structural analysis of the particle “up” as used in this topic’s phrasal verbs.

- Telling a story (about a person’s search for accomodation) based on picture prompts (using this topic’s phrasal verbs).

6 Accomodation III and families I

Housing and families

New Headway Talking Points Unit 12 – not including section on love/marriage

News item 2 – 1 student researches and presents a news item related to this topic. Students work in

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pairs or small groups to discuss the news item.

- Understaning common English used to describe housing – e.g. in newspaper or real estate agent advertisements.

- Students match people and their preferences to available acommodation postings.

* Roleplay – looking for a home / real estate agent.

- Practicing language – agreement / opinion / explanation (related to this topic)

* Conversation improvisation (preparing for the next topic and linked to the current topic) – “are friends or family more important? Why?)

Revision quiz –

* Academic vocabulary unit 2 7 families II

Family Relationships

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (U.I.) unit 6 General – family relationships.

* Students discuss similarites and differences within familes.

* Students listen to three interviews of family members (featuring phrasal verbs for this unit) and answer questions about them.

* Students match this unit’s phrasal verbs to their meanings e.g. “take after someone / get along with someone / look up to someone / get through to someone”

* gap fill

* Idiomatic expressions e.g. “see eye to eye with someone / to get one’s own way” etc.

* Interview another student about their family using this unit’s phrasal verbs.

* word stress in phrasal verbs – pronunciation.

* Critical thinking debate / discussion – should boys and girls be “brought up” the same way , OR

“what are the advantages / disadvantages of being an only child?”

* Writing – use this topic’s phrasal verbs to write about a relationship that has had an important

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influence on you.

Revision quiz –

* Phrasal verbs and idioms (U.I.) unit 4 8 Health / medical

New Headway Talking Points Unit 15

News item 3 – 1 student researches and presents a news item related to this topic. Students work in pairs or small groups to discuss the news item.

9 Healthy body, healthy Mind Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (U.I.) unit 3 Revision quiz –

* Academic vocabulary unit 3

10 Love and Marriage New Headway Talking Points Unit 12/13

11 Across a crowded room Academic vocabulary unit 4

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (U.I.) unit 12 Revision quiz –

* Phrasal verbs and idioms (U.I.) unit 3 12 Happily ever after Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 9

13 Clothes and Fashion New Headway Talking Points Unit 17

Revision quiz –

14 You are what you wear Academic vocabulary unit 5

15 Advertising and Business New Interchange Revision quiz –

* Phrasal verbs and idioms /(Adv.) unit 9 16 Selling like hot cakes Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 7

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Revision quiz –

* Academic vocabulary unit 5 17 Science and technology /

inventions

News item 6 – 1 student researches and presents a news item related to this topic. Students work in pairs or small groups to discuss the news item 18 News / media /

communications

Revision quiz –

* Phrasal verbs and idioms (Adv.) unit 7

19 What’s in the news? Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (U.I.) unit 11

20 Crime

21 Crime doesn’t pay Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 6 Revision quiz –

22 Money Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 5

23 Personal tragedies

Stories of personal disasters A narrow escape

Personal tragedies

Stories of personal disasters

Revision quiz –

* Phrasal verbs and idioms (Adv.) Unit 6 24 A nightmare journey Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (U.I.) unit 10

Revision quiz –

* Phrasal verbs and idioms (Adv.) unit 5

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* Academic vocabulary unit 8 25 Culture and Entertainment

26 Arts review Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 3 Revision quiz –

* Phrasal verbs and idioms (U.I.) unit 8 and unit 10

27 Animals / Endangered species/

News item 9 – All students research and present a news item related to this topic within small groups with discussion.

28 Weather and Climate New Headway Talking Points Unit 10 Revision quiz –

* Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 3

29 The environment

News item 10 – All students research and present a news item related to this topic within small groups with discussion.

30 Going by appearances Appearances and impressions

Revision of Phrasal verb and idioms

Proverbs

Test preparation

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 4 Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 11 Final Revision quiz

* Phrasal Verbs and Idioms (Adv.) unit 4

Required Materials:

Vocabulary notebook / A4 loose leaf folder / dictionary

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All study material will be copied and supplied by the teacher

Course Policies (Attendance, etc.)

A maximum of 5 unexcused absences will be allowed. More than 5 will result in an automatic course withdrawal. Students arriving more than 20 minutes late for class will be given 0.5 absence.

Class Preparation and Review

Students are expected to spend at least one hour preparing for every hour of lesson, and one hour reviewing and doing Homework

Grades and Grading

10% Participation – this will include participation in discussions and role play. Students who do not enter conversations and discussions actively will lose points.

20 % Journal – students will be expected to keep a journal. The journal will include study notes on class topics, personal research on news items, vocabulary, homework, and regular reflective entries. The journal should be well presented and graded according to both content and presentation. It will be collected for assessment at regular intervals by the teacher.

30% Class quizzes

20% Extensive reading – M.reader. Students will be give specific goals for extensive reading.

Failure to achieve the goal will result in a loss of points.

20% Final exam.

Notes:

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Study material used in this class:

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms upper Intermediate (Graham Workman). Oxford University Press 1993.

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms advance (Graham Workman). Oxford University Press 1993.

New Headway Talking Points (James Gould). Oxford University Press 2005

Check your Vocabulary for Academic English 3^rd Edition (David Porter) A&C Black, London 2007 New Headway Upper Intermediate (Liz and John Soars), Oxford University Press 2005

New Interchange book 3 3^rd Edition (Jack C. Richards). Cambridge University Press 2005

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