Fall 2010
De Anza College
ESL 251.61 High Intermediate Listening and Speaking
Room: L33
Time: Monday 6:30pm-9:15pm
Instructor: Gretchen Himes
Email: himesgretchen@fhda.edu
Website: http://faculty.deanza.edu/himesgretchen/
Telephone:
Office hours: you may talk to me after class and by appointment. Also feel free to email and call
with questions.
Teaching Philosophy: I am here to guide you and help you the best I can. I will do my best to
create an interesting and student-centered atmosphere with many opportunities for learning and
practicing English, but you are ultimately responsible for what you learn. You will get out of this
class what you choose to put into it.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of ESL 244 or qualifying score on the ESL placement test.
Course Description: The purpose of this class is to improve your English speaking and listening
skills in a variety of contexts. Help you develop vocabulary appropriate in both formal and informal
situations and guide you in discussions and analysis of topics in American culture and cultural
differences.
Required Materials:
 Internet access (available at De Anza College)
 A good monolingual learner’s dictionary such as Newbury House or Longman.
Grading Criteria: Your grade will be decided by the following criteria.
Class Participation
5%
CCP Assignment & Contact Assignment 10%
Presentations
10%
CNN & Vocabulary
15%
Quizzes
15%
Midterm
20%
Final
20%
Grading Scale:
A= 90%--100%; B= 80%--89%; C= 70%--79%; D= 60%--69%; F= 59% and below
Attendance: If you wish to improve your English, it is important that you come to every class.
Students who miss class anytime in the first two weeks of class without contacting the instructor
will be dropped. Two late arrivals (15 minutes or more) equal one absence. After 3 absences,
you may be dropped or receive a failing grade in the class. Remember that it is your responsibility
to drop the class if you stop attending.
Class Participation: Class participation is extremely important because it gives you the
opportunity to use and practice your English skills. The class will also be more interesting for
everyone if you participate.
Participation and behavior are all a part of your class participation grade. At the end of the quarter
I’ll assign a grade from 100 points based on the following factors (in no special order):
1. Did you come to class prepared to participate, meaning your work was done before
class?
2. Did you participate in class activities?
3. Did you talk only when it was your turn and follow the class rules?
4. Did you volunteer answers to the teacher’s questions and answer when called on?
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5. Did you help create a positive learning atmosphere by encouraging your fellow
classmates/group members to take turns expressing their opinions and offer positive
and supportive feedback?
6. Did you do your share of group work?
7. Were you considerate to your classmates and the teacher?
8. Did your phone not interrupt the class?
Assignments: Assignments are extremely important in this class. You can expect at least 6
hours of homework and study each week in order to keep up with the assignments, which will
include the text, recordings, presentations, and current events. Some homework will be turned in
for credit and some will be used to prepare you for class participation and your own improvement.
I will accept written assignments (not quizzes or other assignments up to one week late, but I will
lower the grade 10%. If you are absent when an assignment is due I will accept it the next class
without lowering your grade. It is your responsibility as soon as you return to class to turn in any
assignments due on the day you were absent. Failure to do so will result in 0 for the assignment.
Please contact a classmate, NOT YOUR INSTRUCTOR, to find out everything you missed if you
are absent or late.
Classmate #1______________________________Phone:_____________________________
Classmate #2______________________________Phone:_____________________________
♦CNN Online News Videos: Every week you will choose and watch one of the videos
from the CNN website at www.cnn.com/video. Choose from the list of “Top Stories.” You
must choose a video that is at least 2 minutes long. Watch the video several times until
you understand the story. As you listen, take notes. Write the title of the video and the
date you watched it at the top of the page. Write a summary of the story in your own
words. In class, you will explain the story to your classmates. Turn in your summary each
week. Tips for a good summary: A proper summary is in your own words and shorter than
the original. Do not try to quote all the people who tell their experiences in the story, just
tell the main idea. Also, change any first person pronouns, (I, we…) to third person
pronouns (she, he, they…). If you shorten names, use last names when possible because
these people are not your personal friends (e.g. refer to Bernie Madoff as Madoff not
Bernie).
♦Vocabulary: You will receive reading/listening assignments with related vocabulary
words to study and turn in.
♦Cross-Cultural Partners: Through CCP you will be matched with a speaker of a
language different from yours. You will meet for at least five hours during the quarter. You
will write a journal about your meetings in which you summarize your discussions and
your thoughts about them. The journal entries should be made at the CCP website and
also printed out and given to me. The journals will be due November 29th near the end of
the quarter. Sign up at www.deanza.edu/ccpartners and make sure you register under
HIMES:ESL251-61. You will also find a link to it on my web site. Some of you will have
trouble finding a partner through the program or lose your partner during the quarter. In
such a case please contact me and we can discuss other options for finding a partner for
you.
♦Contact Assignment: You will be given a list of words and phrases from the movie
Some Like it Hot that you will find meanings and uses for by asking native speakers.
♦Presentations: You will give two presentations in this quarter. If you are absent on your
assigned presentation day, you will most likely have to miss your presentation and you will
receive a 0 for the assignment.
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Quizzes: We will have several announced and unannounced quizzes that will test items covered
in the homework and in the previous class. Quizzes allow me to test to make sure you are doing
your homework and measure what you are understanding in class. Any missed in-class quizzes
cannot be made up. Out-of-class quizzes can only be made up if the answers have not yet been
given to the class. I will drop the lowest quiz score.
Exams: The midterm and final will include class material and material from the text, listening
comprehension, summarizing, paraphrasing, and vocabulary. Missed exams can only be made up
at the teacher’s discretion. Students may not take the final exam early. If you are planning on
going out of town and missing the final, then drop this class now.
Cheating: Some examples of cheating follow: communicating in any way with any person other
than the instructor during a quiz or a test; using any written materials other than the exam or quiz;
using an electronic device such as a phone or electronic dictionary. If a student cheats while
taking a quiz or exam, the first time he/she will receive a zero on the assignment. The second
time somebody is caught cheating will result in the student's final grade in the class being lowered
one grade. After that a student may be dropped from the class and receive an F for the course.
Plagiarism: When you turn in an assignment with your name on it, you are saying that it is your
work. If you copy words or phrases from someone, you must cite it (say who wrote it). Any copied
material that is not cited is plagiarism, a form of cheating. I can usually tell when work has been
copied, so don't do it. If I suspect that your assignment is plagiarized, you will be asked at my
discretion to redo it for a lower grade or receive a 0 on that assignment. Further, you may be
asked to leave the class and receive an F for the course.
Important Dates
Last day for non-resident and foreign students to drop for a refund.
Last day for Residents to drop with a refund
Last day to add
Last day to drop a class with no grade
Last day to request Pass/No Pass grade
Last day to drop with a “W”
Final exam
Saturday, Sept 25
Saturday, Oct 2
Saturday, Oct 2
Saturday, Oct 8
Friday, Oct 15
Friday, Nov 12
Thursday, Dec 6
6:15-8:15 pm
Where to Get Help:
Writing and Reading Center (WRC) in AT 309 -- http://faculty.deanza.edu/writingcenter/
De Anza Listening and Speaking Lab in AT 304 -- http://faculty.deanza.edu/ifftmaryanne/
Tutorial and Academic Skills Center in L 47 -- http://www.deanza.edu/tutorial/
Counseling/Academic Advising -- http://www.deanza.edu/counseling/
Disabled Student Services -- http://www.deanza.fhda.edu/specialed/
Educational Diagnostic Center -- http://www.deanza.fhda.edu/edc/index.html
If you are worried you may not pass and need any help in class,
please come see me for help right away! The earlier you come
see me the better I can help you.
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