English as a Second Language
Central College
ESOL 0349– Level 3 Conversation (Advanced- Intermediate Conversation)
CRN: 55347 - Fall 2011
Central Campus – Room: FAC 301 Time: M/W 11:30-2:00
3 hour lecture course and 2 Lab hour / 80 hours per semester/ 16 weeks
Instructor: Troi Ferguson
Instructor Contact Information: troiferguson@yahoo.com
Office location and hours:
FAC 310 - Hours by appointment
You do not need to wait until you have received a poor grade before asking for my assistance. Your
performance in my class is very important to me. I am available to hear your concerns and just to discuss
course topics. You can make an appointment to meet with me in person or by email.
Instructional Materials:
Contemporary Topics 2: Academic Listening and Note-taking, Kisslinger and Rost, Pearson.
Course Description:
A continuation of ESOL 0345, this course is designed to further develop conversational skills by incorporating
more complicated vocabulary and grammatical structures. Students are also required to present oral reports at
various times during the semester.
Prerequisites:
A satisfactory score on the CELSA.
College Grading System:
Students in ESOL 0349 classes may receive a letter grade of A, B, C, IP or F. IP means "in progress." This is
not a failing grade, but it is given to students who complete the course but who are not yet ready for the next
level. Anyone who receives an IP must take ESOL 0341 again. However, if a student has already received an IP
in this course during a previous semester, that student will receive a letter grade: A, B, C, or F this semester.
A= 90-100
B= 80-89
C= 70-79
IP/F= 0-69
ESOL 0349 Grading Formula:
Oral Presentations (3)
50%
Listening Quizzes
25%
Participation
5%
Lab
5%
Final
15%
100%
Page 1 of 7
Level 3 Conversation 16-week Calendar
Week 1
8/29 & 31
Week 2
9/7
Week 3
9/12 & 14
Week 4
9/19 & 21
Week 5
9/26 & 28
Week 6
10/3 & 5
Week 7
10/10 & 12
Week 8
10/17 & 19
Week 9
10/21 & 23
Week 10
10/24 & 26
Week 11
10/31 &
11/2
Week 12
11/7 & 9
Week 13
11/14 & 16
Week 14
11/21 & 23
Week 15
11/28 & 30
Week 16
12/5 & 7
Introduction to course, classmate introduction
Unit 1-Sociology: Names
Introduction to note-taking and note-taking strategies
continue Unit 1-Sociology: Names
Listening Quiz #1
Unit 2 –Linguistics: Global English
continue Unit 2 –Linguistics: Global English
Listening Quiz #2
Unit 3-Psychology: Phobia
Listening Quiz #3
Unit 4 Culinary Arts: Owning a Successful Restaurant
PRESENTATION 1
continue Unit 4 Culinary Arts: Owning a Successful Restaurant
Listening Quiz #4
Unit 5 Education: How We Each Learn
continue Unit 5 Education: How We Each Learn
PRESENTATION 2 (POWERPOINT)
Listening Quiz #5
Unit 6 History: The Silk Road
continue Unit 6 History: The Silk Road
Listening Quiz #6
Unit 7 – Business: Team-Building
continue Unit 7 – Business: Team-Building
PRESENTATION 3 (POWERPOINT)
Listening Quiz #7
FINAL EXAM
Page 2 of 7
ESOL 0349- Level 3 Conversation
PRESENTATIONS
PRESENTATION 1- This presentation must be 2-3 minutes. Choose one of the
following two topics.
Topic 1-The education system in your country compared
to the education system in the United States.
(Examples of things you may want to talk about: number of years of study, books,
teaching methods, hours of classes, exams)
or
Topic 2- Your lifestyle in your country compared to your
lifestyle in the United States.(examples of things you may want to talk about:
shopping, transportation, free time activities, studying)
PRESENTATION 2 – Topic: How to Do Something or about Something. (POWERPOINT)-3-5 minutes
1. Teach us how to do something (EXCEPT cook a particular
dish)
or
2. Be a teacher. Teach us about a subject of your choice, such
as something about art, economics, history, poetry,
music, fashion, etc.
PRESENTATION 3 -Topic: A World Problem and Its Solution(s) (POWERPOINT)-5 minutes
Think of a problem in the world or your country (social, environmental, or medical).
Explain why it is problem and offer a possible solution.
Presentation Requirements:
1. Students should be guided in research of their topics on the Internet and/or in the library.
2. Students should adhere to a time frame in which to speak, (recommended starting with 2 – 3 minutes, and
progressing to longer lengths of time as the semester progresses.)
3. Students should be informed about how their presentations will be graded. Aspects to include are:
Content and preparation
Delivery (clarity, eye contact, volume, and use of visuals)
Communicative ability (grammar and vocabulary choices)
Organization of the ideas
Although being grammatically accurate is important, students should not be expected to speak in
grammatically perfect sentences or to have perfect pronunciation. However, they should be expected
to be comprehensible to a sympathetic native speaker.
4. Students should create visual aids, including posters and/or PowerPoint demonstrations for use with their
presentations as needed.
Page 3 of 7
Classroom Policies:
As your instructor and as a student in this class, it is our shared responsibility to develop and maintain a positive
learning environment for everyone. Your instructor takes this responsibility very seriously and will inform
members of the class if their behavior makes it difficult for him/her to carry out this task. As a fellow learner,
you are asked to respect the learning needs of your classmates and assist your instructor achieve this critical
goal.
To this end all cell phones, pagers, IPods, or any other electronic devices that may cause a distraction
in class must be turned off. No laptops are permitted to be used during class. You may use an electronic
dictionary (stand alone) with the sound turned off. You are not permitted to leave class to answer or return calls
unless an absolute emergency; doing so will be counted as a tardy. If a student is using a cell phone at any time
during the class period, I will remind the student about the policy once. After that, I will ask the student to leave
class and mark him or her absent.
Students are expected to arrive to class on time with ALL THEIR MATERIALS INCLUDING THE
TEXT BOOKS. Returning late from a break or leaving class early counts as being tardy. Being tardy twice
will equal one absence (whether ten minutes or one hour). If you miss 10 hours of class, you can be dropped
without notification and will, therefore, be out of compliance if you are an F-1 student. If a student misses a
class, it is his or her responsibility to see the instructor about the work that was missed.
Course Work:
The course calendar lists all of the assignments that will be done. While doing all the homework and attending
class is not a complete guarantee of success, it is certainly true that not doing it is a guarantee of failure.
Make-up Policy:
If you must be absent on the day of a test, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor as soon as possible by
leaving a message for me at the number or e-mail address listed above. Normally, a make- up exam is done on
the day you return to class, but please note that any make-up exam is at the convenience of the teacher. This
may mean coming in on a Friday.
Course Goal:
ESOL 0349, Intermediate Conversation, seeks to prepare students for college level academic or workforce study
by advancing them from high beginning to high intermediate level in the following English language skills:
•
•
•
•
listening comprehension
oral fluency
active vocabulary
pronunciation
Student Learning Outcomes:
The student will be able to:
1. Comprehend a somewhat simplified spoken passage;
2. Demonstrate comprehension and use of level-appropriate vocabulary;
3. Demonstrate fluency in conversations and discussions with classmates on an assigned topic;
4. Produce reasonably accurate pronunciation of English words and sentences that is comprehensible to those
accustomed to interacting with non-native English speakers;
5. Produce a fairly brief, informative presentation that is comprehensible to those accustomed to dealing with
non-native English speakers.
Page 4 of 7
Learning objectives:
Students will:
1a. Predict the direction that a speaker's discourse will take;
1b. Identify main idea and details of speaker's discourse;
1c. Summarize speaker's discourse;
1d. Infer conclusions about speaker's intended meaning;
2a. Understand and use new vocabulary relevant to topics of discussion in class;
2b. Understand and use American English idioms appropriate to topics of discussion.
3a. Practice a range of ideas and emotions on a given topic for conversation;
3b. Determine meaning by seeking clarification from others;
3c. Differentiate student's opinions from those of other students, and analyze these differences.
4a. Use appropriate word and sentence stress;
4b. Produce accurate stress and intonation patterns to distinguish between statements and questions;
4c. Use perceptible plural forms in speech;
4d. Use common contractions and reductions in colloquial speech.
5. Produce a presentation of from 3-5 minutes on a familiar topic preapproved by the instructor;
Basic Speaking/Listening Requirements for ESOL 0349:
Students in ESOL 0349 will have 4 graded speaking assignments and 7 graded listening assignments (including
final exam):


Student presentations may include the following: individual, pair, group, and panel.
It is recommended that at least one presentation include taking a stand on an issue and then supporting it
with specific reasons and details. (Some teachers hold formal or informal debates.)
Listening quizzes consist of note-taking.
Final Exam:
The final exam should test students’ listening comprehension and speaking abilities. The final could be a paired
presentation with one student arguing the pros and the other the cons of a controversial issue. The exam will
also usually include a listening comprehension test.
HCC Policy Statement: Academic Honesty
A student who is academically dishonest is, by definition, not showing that the coursework has been learned,
and that student is claiming an advantage not available to other students. The instructor is responsible for
measuring each student's individual achievements and also for ensuring that all students compete on a level
playing field. Thus, in our system, the instructor has teaching, grading, and enforcement roles. You are expected
to be familiar with the University's Policy on Academic Honesty, found in the catalog. What that means is: If
you are charged with an offense, pleading ignorance of the rules will not help you. Students are responsible for
conducting themselves with honor and integrity in fulfilling course requirements. Penalties and/or disciplinary
proceedings may be initiated by College System officials against a student accused of scholastic dishonesty.
“Scholastic dishonesty”: includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion.
Page 5 of 7
Cheating on a test includes:





Copying from another students’ test paper;
Using materials not authorized by the person giving the test;
Collaborating (working together) with another student during a test without authorization;
Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part the contents of a
test that has not been administered;
Bribing (giving money to) another person to obtain a test that is to be administered
Plagiarism means the appropriation of another’s work and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in
one’s own written work offered for credit.
Collusion mean the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work offered for credit.
Possible punishments for academic dishonesty may include a grade of 0 or F in the particular assignment,
failure in the course, and/or recommendation for probation or dismissal from the College System. (See the
Student Handbook)
HCC Policy Statement: Class Attendance
Class Attendance - It is important that you come to class! Attending class regularly is the best way to succeed in
this class. Research has shown that the single most important factor in student success is attendance. Simply
put, going to class greatly increases your ability to succeed. You are expected to attend all lecture and labs
regularly. You are responsible for materials covered during your absences. Class attendance is checked daily.
Although it is your responsibility to drop a course for nonattendance, the instructor has the authority to drop you
for excessive absences.
If you are not attending class, you are not learning the information. As the information that is discussed in class
is important for your career, students may be dropped from a course after accumulating absences in excess of
12.5% hours (10 hours) of instruction (F-1 students should particularly take note of this so as not to affect your
YOU WILL BE DROPPED IF YOU MISS 4 CLASSES.
visa status).
The ten hours of class time would include any total classes missed or for excessive tardiness (more than 10
minutes tardy will equal ½ absence, one hour tardy will equal 1 absence; leaving early will be counted the
same as tardys). Remember: Class attendance equals class success.
HCC Course Withdrawal Policy:
If you feel that you cannot complete this course, you will need to withdraw from it prior to the final date of
withdrawal (November 3, 2011). Before, you withdraw from your course; please take the time to meet with the
instructor to discuss why you feel it is necessary to do so. The instructor may be able to provide you with
suggestions that would enable you to complete the course. Your success is very important. Beginning in fall
2007, the Texas Legislature passed a law limiting first time entering freshmen to no more than SIX total course
withdrawals throughout their educational career in obtaining a certificate and/or degree.
To help students avoid having to drop/withdraw from any class, HCC has instituted an Early Alert process by
which your professor can “alert” you and HCC counselors that you might fail a class because of excessive
absences and/or poor academic performance. It is your responsibility to visit with your professor or a counselor
to learn about what, if any, HCC interventions might be available to assist you – online tutoring, child care,
financial aid, job placement, etc. – to stay in class and improve your academic performance.
Page 6 of 7
If you plan on withdrawing from your class, you MUST contact an HCC counselor or your professor prior to
withdrawing (dropping) the class for approval and this must be done PRIOR to the withdrawal deadline to
receive a “W” on your transcript. If you do not withdraw before the deadline, you will receive an F or an IP
(see below) as your final grade.
Repeat Course Fee:
The State of Texas encourages students to complete college without having to repeat failed classes. To increase
student success, students who repeat the same course more than twice, are required to pay extra tuition. The
purpose of this extra tuition fee is to encourage students to pass their courses and to graduate. Effective fall
2006, HCC will charge a higher tuition rate to students registering the third or subsequent time for a course. If
you are considering course withdrawal because you are not earning passing grades, confer with your
instructor/counselor as early as possible about your study habits, reading and writing homework, test taking
skills, attendance, course participation, and opportunities for tutoring or other assistance that might be available.
Use of Camera and/or Recording Devices:
As a student active in the learning community of this course, it is your responsibility to be respectful of the
learning atmosphere in your classroom. To show respect of your fellow students and instructor, you will turn
off your phone and other electronic devices, and will not use these devices in the classroom unless you receive
permission from the instructor.
Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is prohibited in classrooms, laboratories,
faculty offices, and other locations where instruction, tutoring, or testing occurs. Students with disabilities who
need to use a recording device as a reasonable accommodation should contact the Office for Students with
Disabilities for information regarding reasonable accommodations
HCC Policy Statement – ADA:
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs
to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Ability Services Office in Room 102 Learning Hub, or
call (713) 718-6164 to make necessary arrangements at the beginning of each semester. Your instructor is
authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the office of Ability Support Services.
Page 7 of 7