ESL 135: Basic Skills in Academic Listening & Speaking
Spring 2016 - Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45 a.m. – NWQB G566 – 3 undergraduate credits
Contact Information
Instructor Name: Eric Duwe
Office: Curtin 695
Email: duwe@uwm.edu
Mailbox: in Curtin 672 (ESL Main Office)
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
(or schedule an appointment at a different time)
Course Description
This course is designed for English language learners (ELLs) who have had little or no experience taking
notes or giving presentations in a university setting. It teaches ELLs to pay attention to the organization
of a lecture and to listen for phrases during a lecture that indicate important information is coming
(topics, main ideas, definitions, examples, contrasts, etc.). Listening materials cover various academic
topics and include short straightforward lectures for students to practice strategies (e.g., using
indentation, outline formats, symbols and abbreviations) and increase note-taking speed.
Students learn to organize their own academic presentations, including narrative, informative, or
comparative talks. There is a strong focus on ensuring that students support their ideas with effective
details and examples in presentations and debates. Student conferences with the instructor address
challenges in organization, grammar, and pronunciation.
To help form well-developed ideas for their presentation topics, students have many opportunities for
discussion with classmates. Students learn and practice phrases to utilize in various situations (such as
sharing an opinion, disagreeing, asking a question, etc.) and get regular practice answering questions and
sharing ideas during these discussions. Guided discussion experiences build students’ needed skills and
confidence for participation in similar real-life discussions.
Required Text and Materials
Contemporary Topics 2.
(2nd Edition)
Author: Ellen Kisslinger
(2009).
ISBN: 978-0-19-441728-0
It’s recommended you purchase the textbook at
uwm.ecampus.com (online) or Neebo (“Panther
Bookstore” on 3132 N. Downer Ave). When you are
ready to purchase, bring your course syllabus with
you so that you have the exact name and number of
the course and the required book.
Also, bring a pen/pencil, notebook, and your class handouts with you to each class
session. The instructor may post content on D2L that you should bring to class. The
instructor will let you know whether these additional resources should be printed or
can be brought in a digital format. Finally, you will be responsible for recording and uploading some
audio files, so you will need an audio recording device.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Academic Listening
• Record main ideas and some details during in-person lectures delivered with clear speech, at a moderate
pace, and with straight-forward organization
• Understand main points of recorded material in his/her field of interest or study
• Recognize language that signals main ideas, definitions, examples, and transitions
• Revise lecture notes and add details that can be of use for study or review
Presentational Speaking
• Organize basic academic presentations with an introduction, body, and conclusion
• Deliver presentations with comprehensible grammar and pronunciation
• Present advantages and disadvantages of various options
• State a position clearly and support his/her point-of-view
• Answer straightforward follow-up questions from the audience
Interactive Speaking & Listening
• Contribute ideas and exchange information on familiar or academic topics with some confidence in
discussions with small groups of peers
• Explore the main points of a discussion with classmates
• Pose questions and contribute relevant points to contribute during discussions
Course Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to take this class. Upon completion of this course, the instructor may
recommend that the student take ESL 145 or ESL 435 to practice, polish, and build on skills learned in
this course.
This course is primarily for English language learners who are dually-admitted to UWM and have not
completed intermediate or advanced levels of an English language program. However, it is open to any
undergraduate English language learner at UWM who wants instruction in basic academic English lecture
listening and note-taking, or presentational speaking skills.
Students may go to ESL Programs for advice on enrolling in ESL 135 or a more advanced academic
listening, note-taking, and presentational speaking course, such as ESL 145 or 435.
D2L
D2L (Desire2Learn) is an online resource that we will use often for this class. To find D2L, navigate from
the UWM homepage or visit: http://d2l.uwm.edu/ and log in with your ePanther ID. You will need to
become comfortable using D2L to find extra materials for class, check your attendance and grades, and
submit assignments using the Dropbox and Discussions features.
Classroom Behavior
These behaviors, common in the U.S. university environment, will help you and your classmates succeed
in this class.
DO:
 Check your UWM email (Office 365) and D2L accounts every day. Your instructor may communicate
important class information with you there.
 Come to class every day on time.
 Communicate with your classmates and teachers in English, even if you share a common language other than
English.
DON’T:
 Do not leave during class time unless you have a medical emergency. Leaving the classroom to answer a cell
phone call is not acceptable.
 Do not use your cellphone, laptop, tablet, or headphones in class unless your instructor allows you to use them.
 Do not chat with classmates during class time, especially when the instructor or a classmate is speaking.
Final Grades
It is expected that students will make great improvements in their English language and academic skills
over the course of the semester. For that reason, more weight is given to work completed towards the
end of the semester.
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D2L Assignments (10) = 20%
Attendance/Participation = 10%
Quiz 1 = 5%
Presentation 1 = 5%
Quiz 2 = 5%
Quiz 3 = 10%
Partner presentation = 10%
Quiz 4 = 15%
Final presentation = 20%
Grading
Scale:
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100-94 A, 93-90 A-, 89-87 B+, 84-86 B, 80-83 B-, 79-77 C+, 74-76 C, 70-73 C-, 69-67 D+, 64-66 D, 60-63 D-, 59-0 F
Homework
Students should expect to do two hours of homework for every one hour in class. As ESL 135 meets for
three hours each week, students should expect to do at least six hours of homework each week. Be
prepared to manage your time well so you can invest the time you need to be successful in this course.
All homework is required. Some homework will be collected, some will be submitted on D2L, and some is
for student exercise. For most weeks of class, students will be responsible for submitting a homework
assignment to D2L. Notice that these small assignments add up to significant portion (20%) of your
grade. Late submissions are penalized and may not be submitted after other students have already
received feedback and grades on the assignment.
It is against university policy to turn in work done by another person. Consequences for this type of
academic dishonesty include failure of a course and expulsion from the university. See the university
policy: http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend all classes. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you
missed in class and what work is due the next day. Students arriving late or leaving early will receive
partial attendance credit for the day. Students missing more than half a period will be marked absent for
the day.
If you need to be absent for a religious celebration, you can (and should) go, but alert your instructor in
the first three weeks of the class to make alternative arrangements for exams or presentations. More
information can be found in the university policy: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S1.5.htm
Students who do not attend the first class may be administratively dropped from the course to make
space for students wishing to add the course.
University Policies
UWM has many helpful policies for students. http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/resources/upload/SyllabusLinks.pdf
Students with disabilities. Verification of disability, class standards, the policy on the use of alternate
materials and test accommodations can be found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/sac/SACltr.pdf
Students called to active military duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of reserves to active
military duty should be noted. http://www4.uwm.edu/current_students/military_call_up.cfm
Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment). Definitions of discrimination. Harassment, abuse of
power, and the reporting requirements of discriminatory conduct are found at the following:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S47.pdf
Complaint procedures. Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic unit or department in
which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be
directed to the head of the department or academic unit in which the complaint occurred or to the
appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy.
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S49.7.htm
Grade appeal procedures. Procedures for student grade appeal appear at the following:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S28.htm
Final examination policy. Policies regarding final examinations can be found at the following:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S22.htm
ESL 135 Calendar of Topics & Grading Schedule
The schedule below contains the tentative schedule of topics to be covered & assignment due dates. It is
subject to change depending on our progress. Please listen carefully in class for announcements about
such changes. In the meantime, please add these important dates to your calendar so you remember to
prepare for them.
NOTE: This schedule does NOT include work required to be prepared for class (readings, vocabulary
exercises, comprehension questions, discussion preparation, etc.)—it is only the larger items on the
grading schedule.
Week 1: Welcome and Diagnostic Evaluations
Week 2: and Skills Introduction
 D2L Assignment #1 due February 3 (Wednesday at noon)
Week 3: Unit 1 (Sociology)
 D2L Assignment #2 due February 10 (Wednesday at noon)
Week 4: Unit 2 (Linguistics)
 D2L Assignment #3 due February 17 (Wednesday at noon)
 Quiz 1: February 18
Week 5: Unit 3 (Psychology)
 Presentation 1
Week 6: Unit 4 (Culinary Arts)
 D2L Assignment #4 due March 2 (Wednesday at noon)
 CONFERENCE WEEK
Week 7: Unit 5 (Education)
 D2L Assignment #5 due March 9 (Wednesday at noon)
 Quiz 2: March 10
SPRING BREAK
Week 8: Unit 6 (History)
 D2L Assignment #6 due March 23 (Wednesday at noon)
Week 9: Unit 7 (Business)
 D2L Assignment #7 due March 30 (Wednesday at noon)
 Quiz 3: March 31
Week 10: Unit 8 (Architecture)
 Partner Presentation
Week 11: Unit 9 (Public Health)
 D2L Assignment #8 due April 13 (Wednesday at noon)
Week 12: Unit 10 (Media Studies)
 D2L Assignment #9 due April 20 (Wednesday at noon)
Week 13: Unit 11 (Biology)
 D2L Assignment #10 due April 27 (Wednesday at noon)
 Quiz 4: April 28
Week 14: Unit 12 (Public Administration)
 Final Presentations
Week 15: Wrap Up
FINALS WEEK: Final Conferences/Advising (if needed)