Welcome and Overview

 English III Academic Writing and English IV Academic Reading will be taught together. English III and IV will help you develop the basic academic writing and reading skills necessary for study in classes in the U.S. This course involves many activities and assignments which will help you practice and improve on these skills. You will learn:

• how to write "on demand" - you will learn how to easily write on a given topic in English
• how to do word processing
• how to write a good paragraph in English
• how to write short essays in English in several rhetorical modes: description, compare/contrast, process, enumeration, explanation, opinion, and argument
• how to edit and revise essays
• how to proofread your written work
• how to express your opinions in writing and in discussions about readings
• how to read a variety of texts in English
• to increase your reading speed
• to increase your reading comprehension
• how to use an English-English dictionary to find synonyms, find out about word stress and pronunciation, find the right definition, find the word form, and find information.
• how to build your vocabulary
• how to participate in group discussions

Teaching and Learning Approach in the Courses

• Your writing and reading courses will be closely integrated and will also relate to the skills and information you are learning in your listening and speaking courses (English I and II).
• Topics and skills for writing and reading will be linked to language and culture, especially American university culture.
• Active learning and class participation is required. The harder you try to use and understand the language, and the more you participate in class, the more you will learn.
• Production (the ability to use what you have learned) as well as comprehension (the ability to understand course material) will be emphasized.
• It will be very important for you to take notes in class and to review your class notes every day. You will also need to keep your papers in a 3-ring binder which you should bring to class everyday along with your textbooks.

General Course Requirements

• Use English in class as much as possible.
• Attend and actively participate in all classes and during in-class activities.
• Complete all in-class and homework assignments.
• Show satisfactory performance on quizzes and tests.
• Make satisfactory progress in academic writing skills.
• Make satisfactory progress in academic reading skills.
• Demonstrate satisfactory improvement in group discussion skills.
• Attend weekly tutoring sessions.
• By the end of the course, exhibit a level of English proficiency and knowledge of U.S. academic culture sufficient to participate in summer-term classes.

Course Texts

We will be using the following texts for English III & IV:

• Contact USA, A Reading and Vocabulary Text. Prentice Hall Regents. 2003

• "News for You" (weekly newspaper). New Readers Press. 2004

• Longman Dictionary of American English. Longman. 2003

Grades

• You will receive a grade for English III and a separate grade for English IV. Final grades can be A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, or F. Plus or minus will reflect borderline grades and extra effort of lack of effort. Unsatisfactory work may be done again if a student made a serious effort the first time.

You will be graded on the following:

• performance of tasks in writing, reading, vocabulary, and discussion
• class participation - it is expected that all students will participate fully and actively in class. You will receive daily points (0, 1, or 2) based on your participation. You will receive a zero if you sleep in class, are late, fail to participate in a class activity at a minimum level, or are unprepared for class.
• classwork/homework - quality of work on class activities and homework.
• quizzes/exams - quality of work on in-class tests of material studied.
• attendance - (Check the TIUA Information Catalog for TIUA policies on class attendance).
  • more than seven absences and you will automatically receive an F.
• tutoring sessions attendance and progress - quality of preparation, participation, and progress. Each tutoring session is worth 10 points.
• overall progress in academic reading and writing skills

Attendance

• Come to every class and arrive on time. Please get enough sleep and eat properly BEFORE you come to class.
• If you miss more than 20% of the classes, you will receive an "F".
• 3 tardies = 1 absence.
• If you will not be in class, please talk to me, leave a voice mail message for me, or send me an e-mail in advance. This is polite behavior in all small college classes in the U.S.
• All absences are unexcused, and you are always responsible for both classwork and homework, even if you are ill. Please do NOT miss class because you have not done your homework, or have not studied for a test. (Check the TIUA Information Catalog for TIUA policies on class attendance).

How to contact Professor Danan:

• By phone: 373-3331 (my desk) or x3300 (reception)
• By e-mail: mdanan@willamette.edu
• In person: in the academic wing of TIUA, office 207

LEARNING EXPERIENCE:

Classroom

For these courses, you will be in the classroom for 6 hours each week. It is concentrated time to develop your academic English reading and writing skills. To get the most out of the class time, you need to make a serious effort. Our classroom time will focus on introducing topics and important information you need to know. You will work in more detail, and you will practice using the new information, by doing homework outside of class, and by attending weekly tutoring sessions.

Students are expected to participate in all classroom activities and complete all assignments on time. Participation is an important part of your grade.

 

Student Homework

You will do much of your language learning outside the classroom by doing homework assignments and by meeting with your tutor. Homework is not optional. Each student is expected to do approximately 2 hours of homework every night for these courses. Also, unless the professor tells you differently, homework is to be done individually, and you should use your own words. Homework that is copied will receive an "F".

 

Tutoring Sessions

Each class has at least two tutors (these people are Willamette students who work for TIUA as English tutors) who will work with students individually (one student and one tutor) or in pairs (two students and one tutor) during scheduled eveing meetings each week during spring semester. Each student in this class is required to attend at least one tutoring session per week with one of our Willamette University tutors. The tutors are available to help answer questions you have about class assignments, and to help you improve your conversation, pronunciation, and basic grammar skills. You must prepare your work BEFORE the tutoring sessions, so the tutor can help answer questions you may have.

 

On Your Own

The best way to learn English is to use it as much as possible:

• read English newspapers, magazines, signs, and books.
• keep a diary (a daily journal of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences) in English
• write letters in English
• write something in English every day.
• listen to songs in English,
• listen to the radio,
• watch the news in English on TV
• listen to people talking around you.

It is also important to speak English as much as possible every day with American students, your professors, your classmates at TIUA, your roommate, campus workers, townspeople, etc.

Don't be shy, and don't give up if some people don't understand you; just keep trying to communicate your ideas! Use your English every day even if you make mistakes. Making mistakes will help you learn, and your English will improve after much practice.

If you want to be successful at TIUA, take your classes seriously, and work harder than you have ever worked before; use your English every day! You will be amazed at how much YOU can learn and accomplish. IT'S UP TO YOU.

 

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