Oral Communication II ENGLB 1322
Course Title : Oral Communication Skills II (ENGLB 1322)
Semester
: Fall Semester
Instructor
: Dr. Abedrabu Abu Alyan
Course Description
This course aims at helping students develop skills and confidence needed to respond to
university lectures and daily life conversations in English. A large portion of class time will
be devoted to improving students’ fluency, listening & speaking, and critical thinking,
covering various topics. Students will listen to different native speakers as well as foreign
accents and develop speaking strategies, functional use of language, idiomatic language,
pronunciation, grammar, and cultural awareness.
Objectives
A- Competence Objectives
1. To acquire and use speaking strategies and idiomatic expressions in real-life
situations
2. To understand native speakers’ pronunciation in natural and spontaneous spoken
language
3. To better understand grammar in everyday conversations
4. To grasp the main idea and specific details of a spoken messages from media or
other sources
5. To converse with native and non-native speakers on a variety of everyday topics
6. To acquire effective presentations and public speaking skills
7. To reflect on and be aware of the importance of culture and cultural differences in
foreign language learning and intercultural communication
B- Skill Objectives
1. To be able to listen and speak effectively in interpersonal and public presentations
2. To be able to use listening and speaking as a means of developing different
language competencies
3. To increase self-confidence in listening and speaking abilities
C- Value Objectives
1. To recognize cultural differences and reflect on native cultural practices and foreign
cultures
2.
To develop positive attitudes towards other cultures, languages, and the other
3.
To promote national identity, Islamic values and behaviors, and learn from
international experiences that do not contradict with own culture and values.
Intended Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. speak with confidence.
2. deliver and reflect on oral presentations: impromptu, informative and persuasive.
3. use appropriate language to discuss controversial issues
4. express ideas and opinions with evidence and precision
5. pronounce problematic words and expressions and use word and sentence stress (emphatic,
corrective, etc)
6. reflect on their verbal and non-verbal communication skills
7. deliver and handle questions and answers in interviews
8. use a broad lexical repertoire.
9. use idiomatic expressions and collocated terms.
10. practice values such as cooperation in teams, tolerance of different opinions and etiquette
of discussions.
11. to practice guessing, predicting, critical listening, inferencing, debating and persuasion,
and analysis and interpretation
Course contents distributed over 15 weeks for fall and spring semesters, and 7 weeks for Summer
Week
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week For
Week Five
Week Six
Subjects
Course Introduction, socializing: begin and end a conversation in a
natural way, react to what you hear, maintain a conversation and
ask follow-up questions, express opinions and defend them
Speaking strategy: agreeing
Pronunciation: rising and falling intonation in tag question
Eating out: understand explanation of dishes on a menu, offer to
pay, complaint about common problems, understand restaurant
reviews
Speaking strategy: complaining in a restaurant
Pronunciation: the schwa
Living away from home: explain accommodation requirement, deal
with problems and complaints effectively
Speaking strategy: asking about alternatives, making your point
more forcefully
Shopping: understand a shop’s policy, ask questions about various
products, bargain and reach an agreement
Speaking strategy: making a complaint in a shop
Pronunciation: intonation related to feelings or excitement and
interest vs. feelings of boredom and lack of interest
The media, describe and discuss films and TV programs,
understand talk about the news, summarize stories, make
predictions about what I will hear
Speaking strategy: talking about films, summarizing
Pronunciation: stress and rhythm
Health: understand the doctor’s diagnosis and instructions
Speaking strategy: Describing symptoms, showing concern and
relief
Pronunciation: linking /w/ and /j/
Week Seven
Week Eight
Week Nine
Week Ten
Week Eleven
Week Twelve
Week Thirteen
Week Fourteen
Week Fifteen
Travel: understand detailed information about travel, ask for travel
information, enquire about renting a car
Speaking strategy: making recommendations, asking for detailed
information
Pronunciation: missing sounds-/t/, /d/, and /h/
Mid-term Exam
Sightseeing: ask for recommendations before going on a trip,
understand the details of a guided tour
Speaking strategy: making polite requests, asking for
recommendations, interrupting politely, asking for further details
Requesting services: insist on what you want politely but firmly,
bargain and negotiate.
Speaking strategies: asking for services, making appointment,
getting what you want, negotiating
Pronunciation: stress for emphasis
Money and mail: ask for a range of services at banks and post
office, understand detailed explanations of different bank accounts,
understand various ways of sending mail abroad, ask for
clarification and explanation
Speaking strategies: understanding details, confirming details,
asking about terms you don’t understand
Pronunciation: corrective stress
Emergencies: report an incident to the emergency services, get
straight to the point
Messages: take complex phone messages, ask for clarification and
check understanding, leave message and check other have
understood, leave clear concise voicemail messages
Speaking strategies: reporting crime, giving description, calling
emergency services, reporting an emergency, giving a statement to
the police
Pronunciation: the schwa
Meetings: participate actively in meetings, bringing others into
discussion, make, accept and reject suggestions, clarify your view
point and correct misunderstanding, bring a meaning to an end
Lectures: understand the main ideas and the themes of a class, take
concise notes, listen for signposts and style of delivery, summarize
the main points of a talk
Presentations and talks: give a short, simple presentation, structure
a talk and use signposts, deal with questions
Speaking strategies: taking a message, getting it right, making sure
you have understood, note taking, leaving a message, leaving a
voicemail
Pronunciation: connected speech
Seminars: understand how to give a well-organized seminar, ,
follow up a question, evaluate your performance.
Speaking strategies: present an argument and reinforce key points
Idiomatic expressions of American English
Presentations!
Assessment
Attendance & Participation
Moodle
Mid-term Exam
Project & Presentation
Oral Exam
Final Exam
10 %
10 %
20%
10 %
10 %
40 %
Methods of Teaching
To accomplish course objectives, I use an eclectic approach to suit the different students’ needs and
learning strategies. Classes usually start with motivational openings to stimulate students’ interest in the
topic. This may involve brainstorming, asking thought-provoking questions, tapping background, or
stating the class objectives. Activities can also include problem-solving, creative thinking, and handout
activities. Students are essentially engaged in all class activities and discussions. The activities encompass
listening & speaking, pronunciation, and public speaking. Due to crowded classes, students can do
exercises individually, in pairs, and in small groups. When students work in groups, the instructor will
assign roles: leader, reporter, timekeeper, and participant. Finally, closing classes can be by wrapping up
the main ideas of a class through teacher or students’ summary.
Text book(s)
1. Craven, M. (2008). Real listening and speaking 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2. Fragiadakis, H. (2007). All clear 3: listening and speaking with collocations. United States:
Thomson Heinle.
3.
Different audio and video materials from the Internet and other sources