Course Syllabus. English Level 1 ( ) Weighting Formation continue Département de langues. Fall 2008

Transcription

1 Languages Department Cégep du Vieux-Montréal Course Syllabus English Level 1 ( ) Weighting Formation continue Département de langues Fall 2008 Course Objective : 0015 To understand and express simple messages in English Prerequisite: on TCALS Placement Test Professor: Andrea Ryf Office: 8.08 Tel: # aryf@cvm.qc.ca

2 1 Course Description English Level 1 (Formation générale commune) addresses beginner/low-intermediate level students of English as a second language and is the first of two required English courses. As such, it proposes an introduction to basic level skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking through the use of general interest themes. This course is the prerequisite for the second English course. 2 General Course Objective To understand and express simple messages in English. 3 Target competencies and specific course objectives 3.1 Listening: to understand a simple oral message of approximately 3 minutes - to recognize the main structure of the message - to identify the main ideas and principal details of a three-minute message, spoken at a normal pace and using standard vocabulary - to develop listening comprehension skills - to acquire level-specific vocabulary 3.2 Reading: to understand a general interest text of approximately 500 words - to identify the main idea and supporting arguments of a general interest text - to examine the relationship between main idea and supporting arguments in a text of approximately 500 words - to acquire level-specific vocabulary 3.3 Speaking: to communicate intelligibly for approximately 2 minutes - to give a 2-minute presentation following specific guidelines - to use appropriate vocabulary - to use basic grammatical structures accurately - to use appropriate language register 3.4 Writing: to compose a text of approximately 200 words - to write a 200-word text on a familiar subject, using complete sentences and following essay structure guidelines - to use accurate grammar and spelling - to use level appropriate vocabulary This course is thematically based, drawing from topics of general interest and current affairs. The subject matter is presented to students through written text, as well as audio-visual material, both of which use the vocabulary and grammatical structures of everyday speech. Students are asked to explore and share their opinions on these topics in spoken and written form. Grammatical structures studied include pronouns, verb tenses (simple present, present continuous/progressive, simple past, and future) as well as the modal auxiliaries. The weighting of this course is This means that there are two hours of class time, one hour of lab work (written or listening), as well as three hours of work to be done outside of class. This homework is essential for the successful progress of students, and is comprised of assignments in any of the four skills, as well as activities such as visits to the monitor, and laboratory work. 2

3 4 Methodology This course will include a variety of activities that introduce students to the basics of the English language. As well as teacher-centered presentations (grammar and theory) and individual work in the lab and classroom, students will participate in pair and group activities on a regular basis. As well as the required course notes, materials include audio and video cassettes, acetates, and handouts. 5 Weekly Calendar This calendar serves as a guideline and only includes general themes, grammar points, and summative evaluations. I have not included other specific and formative activities or homework, but you should expect some every week. The formative activities are essential to prepare you for the evaluated (summative) activities. As a result, to succeed in this course, your presence in class is very important. If I need to make changes to this calendar to better meet the needs and interests of the class, I will inform you in class. WEEK CONTENT AND ACTIVITIES 1 Sep. 3/08 Introductions to course, teacher, classmates 2 Sep. 10/08 Unit 2: Fast Food Nation Grammar: Simple Present 3 Sep. 17/08 Unit 2: Fast Food Nation Grammar: Simple Present/Present Progressive 4 Sep. 24/08 Unit 2: Fast Food Nation Grammar: Prepositions / Punctuation and Capitals Reading (5%) 5 Oct. 1/08 Unit 3: Changing Relations (Families) Grammar: Pronouns Writing (5%) 6 Oct. 8/08 Unit 3: Changing Relations (Families) Grammar: Pronouns and Review to date 7 Oct. 15/08 Unit 3: Changing Relations (Families) Listening (5%) 3

4 8 Oct. 22/08 Go over evaluations and progress to date Grammar: Simple Past Writing (5%) 9 Oct. 29/08 Unit 6: Off the Beaten Track (Travelling) Grammar: Simple Past 10 Nov. 5/08 Unit 6: Off the Beaten Track (Travelling) Grammar: Simple Past / Introduce Future and Modals Reading (5%) Presentations (7.5%) 11 Nov. 12/08 Unit 6: Off the Beaten Track (Travelling) Grammar: Future and Modals Personal project (due date: next class) Presentations (7.5%) 12 Nov. 19/08 Unit 5: Downloaded (Ethical Questions) Grammar: Review to date Listening (5%) Personal project due (5%) 13 Nov. 26/08 Unit 5: Downloaded (Ethical Questions) Discuss final exams Grammar Quiz (10%) Reminder: There is a double seuil in this course. You must obtain a minimum of 60% in the final exams (= 24/40) AND pass the course with a minimum of 60% (60/100). 14 Dec. 3/08 Final Listening Exam (10%) Final Reading Exam (10%) Information about final speaking exam 15 Dec. 10/08 Final Writing Exam (10%) Final Speaking Exam (10%) 4

5 6 Evaluation Strategies 6.1 Formative evaluation During this course, students will be able to evaluate their progress and assess their understanding of the concepts covered in class. They will do this with in-class correction of homework, quizzes, and teacher feedback on assignments and in-class activities. 6.2 Summative evaluation Course Work (60%) Competency Activity Value Record Your Grades Reading 2 Evaluations 5% each Listening 2 Evaluations 5% each Speaking 1 presentation 7.5% Evaluated every class 7.5% Writing 2 Evaluations 5% each Grammar 1 Exam 10% total Personal Project 1 Evaluation 5% total Final exam 40% (includes 4 components) Reading 10% Listening 10% Writing 10% Speaking 10% 6.3 Description and criteria of the final evaluation The final evaluation will determine if students have attained the target competencies of the course (see section 3 of this course outline). It consists of a final exam with four sections: reading, writing, listening, speaking. The exam will be held in class on the last two classes of the semester. Students will receive individual grades (not a group mark) for each component. The exam counts for 40% of the course grade. For the speaking and writing components of the final exam, the evaluation criteria are as follows: Language use (grammar/vocabulary) 50% Content and organization 35% Speaking skills (pronunciation/fluency) OR Writing skills (mechanics: spelling, etc.) 15% 5

6 6.4 The passing grade for this course is 60%. There is a double threshold (double seuil) in this course. In order to pass the course, students must: 1. pass the entire course with a minimum of 60% 2. complete and pass the final evaluation with a minimum of 60%. A student who fails this double requirement will receive a maximum grade of 55%. 7 What is expected of the student: - Students are expected to speak English at all times in the class - Students must prepare for class by doing all the assigned homework - If students miss a class, it is his/her responsibility to find out what homework was assigned. Students should get the phone numbers or addresses of 2 classmates - Students are expected to arrive in class on time - Students are expected to stay in class until the end. An early departure will be recorded as an absence and a zero will be given for any summative work done in class - Students are expected to abstain from bringing food to the class - Students are expected to behave in a respectful and cooperative manner and contribute to a positive learning environment 8 Required Materials: To bring to class each week: a) Apostrophe (by Nancy Sarchuk) and Apostrophe Grammar (by Deborah Payne) Buy the Combination Pack at the CVM bookstore (magasin scolaire) on the 3 rd floor. DO NOT BUY USED COPIES OF THESE BOOKS. The exercise and practice pages will already be completed or not there, so the books will not serve you well. b) A bilingual dictionary. You should bring this to every class. 9 Mediagraphy Sarchuk, N. (2003). Apostrophe: Integrated Skills in English. (textbook, videotape, audiocassette) Anjou: Les Éditions CEC. Payne, D. (2003). Apostrophe Grammar. Anjou: Les Éditions CEC. 6

7 10 Département de langues : politiques générales 1. Le bon classement des étudiants est une condition de réussite dans les cours de langues. Par conséquent, le département de langues peut exclure du cours tout étudiant mal classé. 2. Les étudiants dûment inscrits en date de la première séance du cours mais qui ne se présentent qu après la troisième séance de la session ne seront pas admis au cours. Ils doivent, en outre, s adresser à l Encadrement scolaire pour faire annuler leur inscription. 3. De façon générale, les activités des cours de langue portent, de concert ou de façon autonome, sur quatre compétences : la rédaction, la lecture, la compréhension orale et l expression orale. Dans la mesure où même le locuteur natif a des forces et des faiblesses relatives, l échec par rapport à une seule compétence langagière n aboutit pas forcément à un échec au cours. Par contre, l échec par rapport à deux compétences, même lorsque la note finale globale est de 60 pour cent ou plus, constitue un échec au cours. 4. Les travaux d équipe constituent une activité d apprentissage et d évaluation de premier plan des cours de langue. Ils exigent, tant pendant les cours qu en dehors des cours, une collaboration active de la part des étudiants. 5. Les travaux remis en retard peuvent faire l objet de pénalités, jusqu à concurrence de 10% par jour de retard, et ce par jour ouvrable. En outre, dans un souci d équité, une fois que le corrigé d un travail, d un contrôle ou d un examen est fait en classe, ou qu un travail corrigé est tout simplement remis aux étudiants, le travail n est plus recevable. 6. En cas d absence, il revient à l étudiant de faire les démarches nécessaires pour se renseigner sur le déroulement du cours et les travaux à faire pour les cours suivants. Sauf justification médicale ou autre cas de force majeure dûment consigné, la reprise des travaux et examens se fait à l entière discrétion de l enseignant. 7. Attendu que certaines activités pondérées, surtout des exercices oraux réalisés en classe ou au laboratoire, sont difficiles sinon impossibles à réaliser en dehors du contexte premier, le professeur n est pas tenu de permettre une reprise de l activité à un étudiant qui a été absent ou qui n a pas réalisé l activité malgré sa présence. 8. En vue d assurer une formation cohérente, le Département de langues ne permet pas aux étudiants de rattraper (ni par la remise tardive de travaux, ni par des activités de rechange) un nombre trop important de travaux ou d autres activités pondérées. L étudiant pourvu d une raison fortement valable pour expliquer ses absences et le non-respect des exigences de cours et des échéances a le droit de demander un incomplet permanent aux instances collégiales. 9. Le professeur a le devoir de sanctionner tout manquement aux principes de probité intellectuelle (plagiat, fraude, recours à des documents proscrits, etc.) de la part d un étudiant. Ces sanctions, à appliquer en fonction de la gravité du manquement, consistent soit à donner la note 0 pour le travail ou examen en question, soit à donner la note d échec au cours. 7

8 10. L étudiant doit conserver tout travail, en vue d une éventuelle demande de révision de note, jusqu à l expiration des délais pertinents. 8