Course Syllabus

ESL 0970 Level 3 Conversation

Course Description

This eight-week course is designed to give ESL students at the high-intermediate level practice using English. They will improve their use of the language through small group work, problem solving activities, information gap activities, and roleplaying. The ratio of students to tutor is four-to-one.

Justification

The ESL Department at Snow College houses the intensive ESL program. The four-level program provides instruction for students at Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 (elementary through exit levels). This course is a core course for Level 3. It is a prerequisite for entry into Level 4 at Snow College. Placement in ESL 0970 through the ESL department placement exam or successful completion of ESL 0470 with a B (85%) or better.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Successful ESL 0970 students will be able to communicate more fluently in English rather than focusing on error correction. Students will know appropriate vocabulary for various communicative and cultural situations settings within the academic setting. Course activities will improve their listening and speaking skills. They will have an increased confidence when talking with native speakers outside the ESL classroom because of exposure to native speakers through class activities.

Course Content

A typical instruction approach will be the introduction of information via student-tutor oral presentation. Students will then be given an opportunity to practice the new information, that include cultural topics, in small groups with their peers and student-tutors. Cooperative learning techniques are used extensively with students' various cultural and religious backgrounds, identities, and constraints in mind.At a minimum, the following level 3 language areas will be introduced:• Vocabulary: meeting new people, idioms, pronunciation, antonyms, etc. • Explanation: making predictions, getting information, etc. • Discussion: narratives; expressing feelings, storytelling, group poetry, etc. • Culture: classroom culture; paralanguage, holidays, etc. • Interviews: meeting with a teacher, for a job, etc. • Roleplaying: problem situations with classmates & teachers, etc.