Upper Introductory Reading and Writing for English Language Learners

Reading Skills

1. Identify main idea, key information, and supporting details in descriptive and narrative texts.
2. Identify purpose, topic, key information, factual details in business/service texts (eg. brochures, bills, pamphlets, and letters).
3. Identify purpose, gist, factual details and inferred meanings in moderately complex notes, e-mail messages and letters containing compliments, invitations, likes, dislikes and preferences.
4. Locate 2 pieces of information in ESL software or selected www sources, or from print reference sources or tables of context, indexes and glossaries.
5. Demonstrate understanding of standard maps, basic diagrams and pie or bar graphs.
6. Follow 7-10 step everyday instructions and procedures, including instructions on a computer.
7. Scan for details (eg. words, phrases, numbers).
8. Determine meanings of unfamiliar words in course materials.
   • Continue to use an English-English dictionary.
   • Guess meaning from context.

Writing Skills

1. Write informal and formal personal messages, short notes or letters (e.g. Invitations, thank yous, regrets, cancellations, apologies)
2. Fill out moderately complex forms (e.g. a college application)
3. Copy short texts (e.g. from dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks) to record information for personal use, to complete tasks, or to learn information (e.g. record information from an encyclopedia entry).
4. Write informal descriptions of people, places, objects or personal situations.
5. Write informal personal narratives.
6. Write informally about past and future events.
7. Keep a journal.

Accuracy

For explicit instruction and evaluation:

1. Verb tenses (simple present, present continuous, simple past, simple future).
2. Basic parts of speech and basic sentence parts.
3. Simple and compound sentences (and, but, or, so).
4. Simple spelling, capitalization, and punctuation (period, comma, question mark) conventions.

Classroom Skills

1.  Take responsibility for the following:
   • Attendance and punctuality.
   • Classwork and assignments.
   • Participation and teamwork, collaboration in groups and decision-making.
2. Follow instructions, communicate with peers and instructors and ask for clarification.
3. Show an awareness of cultural differences and general features of their culture and the world.