Chabot College
Fall 2005
Course Outline for ESL 109
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Catalog Description:
109 - Vocabulary Skills
1 unit
Build language proficiency by learning new vocabulary and developing vocabulary-building skills. 1
hour lecture, 1 hour laboratory.
[Typical contact hours: lecture 17.5, laboratory 17.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of this course students should be able to:
1. identify common stems and affixes;
2. use a dictionary to find pronunciation, meaning, and usage of unfamiliar words in a given context;
3. identify and use common abbreviations;
4. identify and use new vocabulary from assigned text.
Course Content:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Stems and affixes
Dictionary skills
Common abbreviations
Word lists from assigned text
Methods of Presentation:
1. Lecture and discussion
2. Group activities
3. Individual assignments
Typical Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
a. Complete the "Ten Words in Context" exercise on p. 82 of Groundwork for a Better
Vocabulary. Read the sentence in which each word appears and then use the context to
choose the most likely meaning.
b. Complete the exercise "Usage Phrases" on p. 28 of the American Heritage English as a
Second Language Dictionary Workbook. Look up each word and use the usage phrase from
the dictionary to answer each question.
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Class participation
b. Satisfactory completion of assignments
c. Quizzes and tests
d. Comprehensive final exam
Textbooks (Typical):
Longman Dictionary of American English, 3rd edition., Pearson Education, Ltd. 2004.
Groundwork for a Better Vocabulary, Smith, Johnson, and Mohr, Townsend Press, 1998
Special Student Materials:
None
DK 11/01/04
CURRICULUM/FALL 04/05