Level Coordinators:

Jean Bodman Office E-706 Phone: 908-965-6096  E-mail: bodman@ucc.edu

 

Prerequisites 

ESL Basic Placement Test or Native Language Proficiency Test

 

Course Description

ESL Level 1 is a group of four coordinated courses (012, 013, 014, 015) that begin an academic sequence of courses leading to full-time college study.  Level 1 is designed for low beginning students whose native language is not English.  Admission to the class is by placement testing, or by teacher recommendation.  The course meets 4 days a week, 12 hours a week for 15 weeks (including exams). The purpose of this level is to develop students' proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  The emphasis is on developing students’ fluency in the language needed for a variety of everyday communications, such as asking about and expressing information about themselves, their family, their house, their neighborhood, and their basic needs.

 Students who are successful in passing this level move on to Level 2.  Students who need more time at this level must repeat the entire course.  In some cases a student may be able to skip to Level 3.

 

Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

·       To demonstrate cultural awareness and knowledge of everyday topics such as personal information, family, home, neighborhood, shopping, weather, food, and holidays

·       To understand basic requests and classroom directions.

·       To understand the main idea of short dialogues and narratives on every day topics spoken at slow native speed

·       To participate in simple conversations with limited fluency, accuracy, and pronunciation

·       To understand basic dialogues and texts with bilingual/picture dictionary.

·       To comprehend basic vocabulary in context

·       To write short paragraphs that demonstrate control of content vocabulary and structures

·       To comprehend and produce the items in the grammar/theme chart with accuracy and minimal fluency in controlled situations.

·       To log on/off , locate, and use Level 1 software programs with assistance.

 

Information Literacy

By the conclusion of the semester, all students who pass this course will show developing familiarity with library sources.  This should include attending a library orientation, obtaining at least one library source and incorporating it into an oral or written project. 

 

Requirements

• Take a midterm and departmental final examination to assess listening, reading, and writing skills.  Midterm exams include grammar, listening (including dictation), reading and writing assessment.  All classes take the same final examination.
• Receive a holistic rating (1-10) for oral competency in small group and while class discussions based on level appropriate accuracy, fluency and pronunciation in classroom performance.
• Take regular quizzes and dictations.
• Complete workbook assignments and 6-8 simple compositions or writing projects.
• Demonstrate developing oral and aural proficiency in small-group and whole-class discussions.

 

Students Resources

Required

• English in action 1.  Student book 1.  Foley, B.H. & E.R. Neblett.  Boston, MA: Heinle and Heinle Publishers.
• English in action 1.  Workbook 1.  Foley, B.H. & E.R. Neblett.  Boston, MA: Heinle and Heinle Publishers.
• New Interchange: Intro Student’s Book.  Richards, J.C.  New York: Cambridge University Press.
• NewIinterchange:Intro. Workbook, Richards, J.C.  .  New York: Cambridge University Press.
• The Heinle Picture Dictionary.  Boston, MA: Thomson/Heinle Publishers.

 Optional

• So the story goes DeSandies, A. & Wollman, L.  2003.  Englewood, NJ: ADL Musication Publisher
• Easy True Stories, Heyer, S.  1994.  .  White Plains, NY: Longman.
• All new easy true stories, Heyer, S.  2004.    White Plains, NY: Longman.

 CALL

·       Bodman, J. & Lanzano, M.  No hot water tonight. Boston, MA: Heinle and Heinle.  (10 Lessons)

           (Available on the “T” drive in the language lab at no cost to the students.)

·       Software Available: WIDA Suite,  Dyned, Focus on Grammar, Live Action English, English Mastery, Longman Interactive I.

 

Suggested Final Grade Calculation

To pass the course and go to Level 2, a student must receive 75% as an overall final average for the semester. Student work for the complete semester will determine the final grade.  Possible final grades are: Satisfactory (S) , Unsatisfactory (U) or Stopped Attending (UF). Students who receive a U or UF must repeat the entire course.

Suggested Final Grade Calculation:

Participation               10%

Homework                  10%

Computer Lab             10%

Quizzes                       10%

Midterm Exam            10%

Final Exam                 40%

Speaking                     10%

                                 

 Final Exam

Reading:                      20 points

Writing:                       20 points

Grammar:                    35 points

Listening:                    15 points

Speaking                      10 points

 

Suggested Methodologies and Activities

 Speaking

• Students will practice speaking every class meeting.  By the end of the semester, students will be able to ask and answer questions about everyday topics as delineated in the course objectives.
• Students will use basic vocabulary in context.
• Students will engage in small group and whole group activities.

 Listening

• Students will listen to slow native speech and demonstrate comprehension through verbal and non-verbal activities.

 Reading

• Students will read and demonstrate a general understanding of dialogues and short texts by  focusing on getting the facts and finding the main idea. 
• Through reading, students will learn new vocabulary words in context . 
• In addition, students will be introduced to making inferences, stating opinions, separating important facts from details, making simple book reports (summarizing) and drawing analogies.  For samples of these activities, see No Hot Water Tonight in the computer lab.
• Through reading students will be encouraged to share information and discuss the stories orally and in writing. 
• Students will make simple oral/written book reports on books checked out of  the UCC Library on their campus.  (See CALL below.)

·       Other reading activities may include: writing a letter to a character in the book, writing from the point of view of a character, relating the story to his or her experience or writing a new ending to the story.

Writing

·       Students will write basic sentences.

·       Students will learn to use basic writing conventions (i.e. capital letters, periods, commas, question marks, apostrophes) by copying, imitating or reconstructing model paragraphs and dialogues

·       Students will write from dictation.

·       Students will also have practice in extensive writing—putting ideas on paper with minimal  pressure to write without errors.  Student journals are useful in extensive writing.

·       Vocabulary in writing will be tied to student needs.  Students may be assigned to write an autobiography by filling in a framework provided by the instructor.

·       Students will be assigned regular homework that may include exercises in the workbooks associated with the class textbooks. 

·       By the end of the semester, students should be able to write in-class compositions of at least 6-8 sentences long about subjects from texts and class at a level of proficiency appropriate to Level 1.

 
CALL/ALC

Students will use networked  and Web software in the computer lab with their classes once a week. Students are encouraged to spend additional time using the programs in the Academic Learning Center (ALC) labs.

Suggested strategies

·       Students will begin to learn the mechanics of the CALL programs.

·       Students will become familiar with the features of the CALL programs.

·       Students will use CALL software in the ALC with assistance.