Modern English Grammar
TEAE 4501/5501/6501
3 Credit Hours
Course Information
Course Description:
Modern English Grammar will familiarize students with the basic structure of English,
particularly those areas that cause most difficulty for non-native speakers. The course
has several goals: to become familiar with grammatical terminology and practice
identifying and labeling sentence structures; to develop an understanding of how English
syntax works to convey meaning; and to become familiar with various techniques of
teaching grammar to those whose first language is not English.
Students will complete weekly assignments that include identifying and addressing errors
in authentic student texts, analyzing sources of errors and their relative significance, and
evaluating resources available for ESL students. Students will take weekly quizzes on
specific grammar structures and participate on a discussion board and a final exam.
Students registered at the graduate level will complete additional readings and quizzes.
Course Objectives:
The primary objective of this course is to give students an understanding of grammatical features of the
English language which are most troublesome to non-native speakers.
Students will also learn
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how to explain to the ESL learner those elements of the language which are routine and intuitive
for native speakers of English,
how to provide effective feedback on grammar problems,
how to accurately assess the grammatical competence of ESL students, and
how to evaluate ESL grammar texts with respect to their linguistic bases.
Prerequisites and Corequisites:
None
Course Topics:
Nouns, articles and quantifiers
The verb system
Tense and aspect
Question formation
Adjectives and adverbs
Comparative and superlative forms
Modal verbs
Prepositions
Verbals: infinitives and participles
Conjunctions
Reported and direct speech
Conditionals
Passive constructions
English sentence structure
Teaching approaches
Error correction
Specific Course Requirements:
None
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks:
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
RODP Online Bookstore
Supplementary Materials:
None
Hardware Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at
http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/students/hardware_software.htm.
Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at
http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific software
requirements for this course include Real Player, Acrobat Reader and Microsoft Word.
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as
well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures:
Students will complete weekly quizzes on elearn as well as a final exam.
Grading Procedure:
Undergraduate students:
22 Weekly quizzes,@ 100= 2200 points
2 Dropbox assignments @ 100 = 200 points
Final exam @ 200 = 200 points.
10 Discussion Boards @ 100 = 1000
Total= 3600 points
Graduate Students:
22 Weekly quizzes @ 100 = 2200 points
4 GS quizzes @ 100= 400 points
2 Dropbox assignments @ 100 = 200 points
Final exam @ 200= 200 points
10 Discussion Boards @ 100 = 1000
Total= 4000 points
Successful students will demonstrate knowledge of the grammatical system of English,
as well as an understanding of the acquisition processes of language learners and
appropriate strategies for teaching grammar based on the age, skill level and goals of the
learners.
Grading Scale:
93-100---A (ug-3348-3600 points; gs 3720-4000)
86-92---B (ug 3096-3347 points; gs 3440-3719)
78-85---C (ug 2808-3095 points; gs 3120-3439)
70-77--D (ug 2520-2807 points; gs 2800-3129)
Assignments and Participation
Assignments and Projects:
Class Participation:
Students must participate on a Discussion Board in lieu of classroom interaction. .
Feedback on weekly assignments may include requests to re-do the assignment to
demonstrate better mastery of the skills and knowledge.
Punctuality:
Each course module has a due date. All work for the module should be completed by
that date.
Course Ground Rules
Expect to spend an average of 6 to 9 hours a week reading, writing responses to
assignments, taking quizzes, responding to messages on the Discussion Board and
communicating with the instructor. Please address technical problems immediately,
Observe course netiquette at all times.
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
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Always include a subject line.
Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful
in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
Use standard fonts.
Do not send large attachments without permission.
Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided
unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
Respect the privacy of other class members
When submitting assignments, include the module number in your subject line.
Discussion Groups:
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Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a
discussant.
Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be
respectful of other's ideas.
Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your
remarks.
Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
Chat:
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Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
Be constructive in your comments and suggestion
Web Resources:
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Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
Library
The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree
Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary
loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and
Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as
background reading must be included in all courses.
Students With Disabilities
Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic
accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their
home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor
must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from
the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to
initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the
established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.
Syllabus Changes
The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes
are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify
students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both
notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.
Technical Support
Telephone Support:
If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems,
please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling
1-866-550-7637 (toll free)
or go to the AskRODP website at:
http://askrodp.custhelp.com