English Language IV - 2008
Mg. Carlos Lizárraga,
calizar@arnet.com.ar
Schedule
Tuesday 8:20-10:30pm
Thursday 9:10-11:20pm
Overview of class
This is an annual language class for prospective teachers of EFL/ESL whose main objective is to enable you to hone your linguistic skills in English up to a native or near native speaker’s level of proficiency. By the end of the year, you will have acquired a level of fluency and precision that will allow you to excel as a teaching professional.
By the end of this year you should:
- Read with ease virtually all forms of the written language, including abstract, structurally or linguistically complex texts such as manuals, specialized articles and literary works.
- Have no difficulty in understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast, even when delivered at fast native speed, provided you have had some time to get familiar with the accent.
- Take part effortlessly in any conversation or discussion and have a good familiarity with idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms.
- Express yourself fluently and convey finer shades of meaning precisely. If you do have a problem you can backtrack and restructure around the difficulty so smoothly that other people are hardly aware of it.
- Present a clear, smoothly-flowing description or argument in a style appropriate to the context and with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points.
- Write clear, smoothly-flowing text in an appropriate style.
- Write complex letters, reports or articles which present a case with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points.
- Write essays, summaries and reviews of professional or literary works.
Source: C2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages,
which equals the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English examination.
General expectations
The basic tenets of this class are respect, honesty, work ethic, and curiosity. As a prospective teacher, you should develop the qualities that you will expect from your own students. A love of learning, hard work and empathy toward others are the characteristics that will ensure you will be a successful student and teacher.
As part of your training to become a teacher, you are expected to achieve a high level of proficiency. Therefore you should plan to devote a minimum of two hours in preparation for every class period you attend. This includes reading and writing on a daily basis.
You are expected to read every day. Being informed of the latest news in town, the province, the nation and the world is a good way to build a solid knowledge foundation. Also, articles from respectable publications and literary works available online are a valuable option. Your daily reading is a formal component of your grade for this class.
You are expected to write your morning pages every day. You should plan to devote between 25 and 30 min. to your creative journal writing. Extensive practice in expressing yourself freely is indispensable for you to become accustomed to articulating your ideas coherently and cohesively. This writing should be collected in a journal that is also required to pass this class.
If you are not already, you are expected to acquire some basic computer literacy. Part of the assignments will be available only online, and their completion will be online as well. Therefore you should expect to become adept at using the Internet, email, and computer-produced texts.
Attendance and involvement are expected in every class. You should get to class on time, have your material and assignments ready, use only English throughout the entire period, and strive to excel in every activity. In a word, you should be a good language learner.
The good language learner
… is highly motivated to learn the language. He is willing to practice the new language. He actively seeks opportunities to use the new language and communicates with it whenever possible.
… wants to communicate with native speakers of the language. She empathizes with them and is interested in their ideas, experiences, attitudes and customs.
…is relaxed about his new language and can live with uncertainty. He is willing to abandon his first language reference system and to think in the second language.
… tolerates difficulties and frustrations. She is not afraid to make mistakes and learns from errors.
… is self-critical, adventuresome, independent, open, outgoing and friendly.
…understands that language is arbitrary and makes inferences about the language he is learning. He constantly searches for meaning.
… has an aptitude for learning languages. She can distinguish different sounds in a second language and understands the grammatical functions of different kinds of language elements.
… relates new things to those previously learned and can convert passive knowledge into active knowledge.
… is systematic about language learning and uses specific techniques of effective study. He can adapt to almost any learning condition.
… accepts responsibility for her own learning and sets her own goals.
Source unknown
Evaluation
The evaluation consists of parciales, prácticos and attendance. The grade for the class is determined by outstanding class performance or by your performance in the final exam.
There will be three parciales: two written term tests and the presentation of your portfolio. Prácticos include essays, unit tests on textbook and literary works, journal, reading logs (article summaries and reactions), oral presentations, class involvement and participation, etc. If you cannot be present to any of these evaluation instances, it is your responsibility to let your instructor know ahead of time. If you do not or cannot, you will be excused only if you provide written proof of the reason for your absence. If you fail to do so, you will get a grade of 0 on that particular instance. In any case, alternative arrangements are at the discretion of your instructor.
There are two ways to pass this course. One is through class performance (promoción), and the other by taking a final exam.
Class performance (promoción)
Students who fulfill the following requirements will be exempt from the final exam:
a) a passing mark in at least 75% of prácticos – with no make-up opportunities;
b) a passing mark in all three parciales with an average of at least 70% - you will get a chance of taking a make-up exam for each written parcial;
c) 75% class attendance.
Final exam
At the end of the year, there will be two types of final exam, one for students in good standing (alumnos regulares), and another one for auditing students (alumnos irregulares)
Final exam for students in good standing (regulares)
Students who fulfill the requirements listed below will be considered ‘in good standing’ (regulares) and will take a final exam consisting of a written and an oral component. For the oral section, students are required to present their Portfolio.
Requirements:
a) a passing mark in at least 50% of prácticos;
b) a passing mark in all parciales with an average below 7
c) 50% attendance
Final exam for auditing students (alumnos irregulares)
Students who do not fulfill these requirements will need a take a final that may include any content from prácticos. This means that the exam is likely to be longer. Also, the instructor will require the presentation of a portfolio with all of the contents listed below, such as journal entries, reading log, essays, etc. The exam will be written and oral, and a passing mark in both is demanded.
Assignments
Portfolio
It should include the following artifacts:
- Your research on a current topic or a collection of articles on current issues. It will include:
Summary of articles, or extracts from books, etc. – cite source and date of publication.
Reaction paper. - General longer essay or report on topic of choice based on a set of articles – due at end of the process.
- Reflection piece on your learning with each topic.
- Essays assigned in class. You should include
- Corrected drafts if applicable and/or correction of a graded essay
- Analysis of your own strengths and weaknesses on each corrected essay with improvement goals you set for your next writing assignment
- Personal reflection on any content from class, any current or philosophical issue. - A selection of your best journal entries.
Creative Journal/blog writing:
Three weekly entries of about 20/30 min each. Handwritten or online.
Oral presentations
On topics of your interest based on your research for your portfolio or specifically assigned by your instructor.
Required texts
Evans, Virginia & Jenny Dooley (2002). Upstream Proficiency. Newbury, Berkshire, UK: Express Publishing.
Evans, Virginia & Jenny Dooley (2002). Upstream Proficiency Workbook. Newbury, Berkshire, UK: Express Publishing.
Golding, William (1954). The Lord of the Flies.
Guilford, Chuck. Paradigm Online Writing Assistant at http://www.powa.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Hosseini, Khaled (2003). The Kite Runner.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye.
Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass.
Recommended texts
Vince, Michael. English Advanced Practice. (You should plan to complete all of the exercises in this book as preparation for the final exam)
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