Level Coordinator:

Prof. Ellen Stavitsky    Office E -211 Phone:  (908) 659-5122 E-mail: stavitsky@ucc.edu

 

Prerequisites
ESL Placement Test or ESL 055

Co-requisites 
ESL 082 and ESL 092

 

Course Description

ESL 064/065 is a full-semester advanced academic sequence designed for students whose native language is not English.    ESL 064/065 meets twice a week (6 hours), for 15 weeks, including exam week.  The general objective of this level is to raise the English language and cultural competence of non-native speakers so that they can succeed in credit courses and/or work effectively in jobs requiring native-like English skills.

 

Students who are successful in passing this level are finished with non-credit ESL, and they continue with courses in the writing sequence English 111 and 112, which are equivalent to ENG 101 (3 credits) and a modern language elective (3credits).  Students who need more time at this level must repeat the entire course.

 

Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

·    To demonstrate cultural awareness and knowledge of American education with emphasis on the U.S. college system, as well as familiarity with career choices, current events, and politics.

·    To understand academic lectures and react to the content by applying the information, expressing opinions, and asking appropriate questions

·    To take detailed notes and summarize the main points of a lecture

·    To participate in academic discussions and give reports with good control of syntax and vocabulary in expressing the message.

·    To summarize and paraphrase academic passages and videos through writing activities

·    To identify and correct errors in written texts using a variety of editing strategies

·    To apply academic study skills, including time management, organizing assignments, test-taking, and goal setting

·    To access a variety of advanced ESL software and internet sites and apply CALL strategies

·    To manage e-mail with attachments

 

Information Literacy

By the conclusion of the semester, all students who pass this course will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of research in at least one project, either oral or written.  This will include locating research sources and incorporating them into the project without plagiarism. 

 

Requirements

·       Midterm Exam – All students take midterm exams

·       Final Exam - All students in ESL 064/065 take the same final exam.  The exam will cover all grammar from the entire semester in addition to a listening/note-taking section.

·       Homework and quizzes – Students are given weekly homework and unit quizzes are given throughout the semester.

·       Conferences – Students have midterm conferences with instructors to discuss their progress. 

 

Student Resources

Required

One of the following texts

Focus on Grammar Advanced, Second Edition, Maurer (Longman)

Communicate What You Mean, Second Edition, Pollock and Eckstut (Pearson ESL)

Grammar Links 3, Mahnke (Houghton Mifflin)

 

Supplementary Texts (required by some instructors):

The American Ways, Second edition, Crandall, Datesman & Kearny, (Prentice Hall Regents)

The Least You Should Know About English, Form D, Glazier (Harcourt Brace)

NorthStar Advanced: Focus on Listening and Speaking, Preiss, (Longman)

 

CALL

Programs Available

·       English Mastery

·       Focus on Grammar

·       Longman Interactive English

·       Perfect Copy

·       Skills Bank

·       Internet sites

 

Suggested Final Grade Calculation

To pass the course, a student must receive a passing overall final average for the semester. The minimum grade to pass is 65, which is a “D”. Student work for the complete semester will determine the final grade.  Possible final grades are: A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D, and F, or Stopped Attending (UF). Students who receive an F or UF must repeat the entire course.

Final exam                               25%

Midterm                                  20%

Quizzes                                    25%

Homework/projects                 20%

Attendance/class participation 10%
 

 Final Exam

Grammar:                                75%

Composition:                           10%

Listening/ Note taking             15%

 

Suggested Methodologies and Activities

Grammar

Instruction is contextualized, with structures drawn from authentic materials.  Newspapers, magazines, films and TV programs should be used to illustrate contexts in which structures are used by native speakers. Concerted effort should be made to connect grammar instruction with topics and assignments in students’ concurrent reading and writing classes.  Writing done for ESL 092 and/or ESL 082 classes could be used in ESL 064/065 instruction on editing.  

 Suggested grammar activities 

• Students find and analyze structures in the books that they are reading for their 082 course.
• Students use the characters and context of their novels in their 082 course to practice new structures.
• Students work on editing their 092 essays for new structures being learned and practiced.

 Listening/Note-taking

Instructors will provide opportunities for listening, note-taking and developing cultural understanding by inviting outside speakers, assigning outside lecture or interview reports and showing videos of classic movies or segments of informative programs such as 60 Minutes, Biography, PBS specials, or websites such as pbs.org and npr.org.

Study Skills

Students will develop study skills including time management techniques, organizing assignments and test-taking techniques in their regular instruction and assignments. 

Academic Advising/Career Development

Students will use educational and career planning information presented to them through outside speakers, videos, and the college catalog.  They will develop individual academic/career plans, integrating the career information presented in class.

 

CALL/ALC

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

 Suggested strategies

·       Students learn the mechanics and help features of the CALL programs.

·       Students use strategies to incorporate individualized CALL assignments into the course.

·       Students keep journals of their CALL work and the strategies they use.

·       Students use independent CALL study in the ALC

 

ESL 064/065                              Grammar/Theme Chart
 

To comprehend and produce the items in the chart with accuracy and fluency in personal and academic situations.