Course Description
This course is for students who wish to upgrade their speaking and listening skills for personal, educational and/or employment purposes. The course focuses on extending speaking and listening skills to improve confidence and develop basic proficiency in speaking and listening. Course activities will include speaking at Canadian Language Benchmark Levels 3 and 4 and listening at Canadian Language Benchmark Level 3 in a variety of communicative situations. The speaking and listening practice will also provide opportunities for language skill development including grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary and pronunciation .
Course Content
Listening Skills
To follow basic everyday communication on familiar topics:
- Identify register/style and infer some situational details including relationships.
- Identify topic of a conversation on a familiar topic.
- Identify a range of common expressions and some factual details.
- Follow a set of sequentially presented instructions related to location, movement, and frequency.
- Identify and respond to requests for personal identification and experience, likes and dislikes and details of familiar everyday topics.
To listen for discrete items:
- Listen for specific information (a. names b. numbers related to weights, measures, amounts and sizes).
- Write from dictation.
Speaking Skills
To participate in conversations and paired/small group speaking activities:
- Introduce self and others, and ask about other person.
- Introduce two people.
- Open, respond to and end a casual short conversation.
- Give short simple everyday instructions and directions.
- Relate simple stories.
- A picture story (external stimulus).
- An everyday activity.
- Describe simple objects and simple daily routines.
- Use language functions, including the following:
- Ask for /give permission.
- Advise and report danger.
- Ask for/ accept assistance and advice.
- Express immediate needs, wants and plans.
- Work on pronunciation elements (word stress, vowels and linking) as needed.
- Assess own skills as communicators.
Accuracy
To demonstrate accurate use of:
- Verb tenses: simple present, simple past, simple future.
- Basic parts of speech and sentence parts.
- Nouns, pronouns and adjectives.
- Prepositions of place.
- Modals expressing requests, ability, and necessity.
Classroom Skills
- Take responsibility for the following:
- Attendance and punctuality.
- Classwork and assignments.
- Participation and teamwork, collaboration in groups and decision-making.
- Follow instructions, communicate with peers and instructors and ask for clarification.
- Show an awareness of cultural differences and general features of their culture and the world.
Learning Activities
Whole and small group instruction will be combined with individual assistance and student-directed learning. Students will participate in the setting of goals by identifying their communicative and language developments needs, and will participate in the selection of learning activities. Students will receive assistance with difficulties arising from lack of familiarity, structure, lexicon and cultural content. The instructor will facilitate, observe, and evaluate students’ participation in classroom activities. Students will discuss personal rights and social responsibilities in their area of study, intended occupations and personal life; this may depend on course materials used.
Means of Assessment
- Complete assigned skill development tasks. These could include:
- dictations and dictocomps (retelling of a story)
- recording onto flash drives (e.g., responses to instructor questions; monologues)
- activities in pronunciation elements
- journal entries and/or contact assignment worksheets
- Identify topic in conversations
- Participate in pair, group, and class conversation and discussion activities.
- Complete listening activities. These could include:
- following a set of instructions related to location, movement and frequency (eg. arrange or rearrange objects according to instructions)
- listening for specific information (names and numbers related to weights, measures, amounts and sizes)
- Complete speaking activities. These could include:
- introducing self and others and asking about others
- giving simple instructions on how to do something
- giving directions to a place
- interviewing a classmate about personal information, needs, wants, or past experiences
- describing a favorite object
- Plan and carry out at least one partner/group project. These could include:
- planning a party
- making a poster about a trip to a popular place in Vancouver
- Complete oral and written tasks to a specified level of accuracy
- Complete quizzes both content and skill based
- Complete at least one self-assessment of learning strategies, progress, and classroom skills to be discussed with the instructor
Student achievement will be assessed using the mastery grading system in accordance with college policy.
Learning Outcomes
Overall Objective
Extend fluency and confidence in speaking and listening for a range of personal, educational, and/or employment purposes.
Specific Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate basic understanding of communication in simple contexts (e.g. conversations and instructions).
- Communicate basic information in simple contexts (as above) about familiar everyday topics.
- Monitor and apply strategies to a specified level of accuracy in grammar, sentence structure, word choice, and pronunciation elements.
- Participate effectively in a college classroom.
- Assess own progress.
Textbook Materials
Students may be required to purchase a textbook to be determined by instructor.