English Conversation I

Course Information

College	Akashi College	Year	2022
Course Title	English Conversation I
Course Code	4309	Course Category	General / Compulsory
Class Format	Lecture	Credits	School Credit: 2
Department	Mechanical Engineering	Student Grade	3rd
Term	Year-round	Classes per Week	2
Textbook and/or Teaching Materials	Speak Now 3 - Communicate with Confidence - Student's Book with Online Practice by Jack C. Richards and David Bohlke (Oxford University Press)
Instructor	HERBERT John C.

Course Objectives

1) Read aloud or speak considering the basic rhythms, intonations, and sound connections in phrases and sentences in order to convey one's meaning to a listener.
2) Learn the rules of English pronunciation and accents and use them properly in order to speak clearly and convey one's meaning to a listener.
3) Memorize the vocabulary learned in junior high school. Learn new vocabulary in accordance with the curriculum guidelines for high school and technical English terms required for professional education, and use them properly.
4) Learn grammar and sentence structure in accordance with the curriculum guidelines for high school in addition to the grammar and structure learned in junior high school, and use them properly.
5) Listen to and catch the necessary information from the content spoken in a clear pronunciation at a speed of about 100 words a minute, regarding everyday life and familiar topics.
6) Speak one's opinions and impressions in English using basic terms, regarding everyday life and familiar topics.
7) Make explanations and tell stories at a speed of about 100 words a minute in a manner that conveys one's meaning to a listener.

Rubric

	Ideal Level	Standard Level	Unacceptable Level
Achievement 1	Clear pronunciation and natural intonation	Understandable pronunciation and recognizable intonation	Poor pronunciation using only Japanese katakana to try to speak English and flat intonation
Achievement 2	Natural accent, stress, and rhythm	Understandable accent, stress, and rhythm	Incomprehensible accent, stress, rhythm
Achievement 3	Mastery of all textbook vocabulary	Mastery of most of the textbook vocabulary which the teacher focused on in class lectures	Mastery of only a few of the textbook vocabulary which the teacher focused on in class lectures
Achievement 4	Mastery of all the grammar from the textbook and from the teacher's lectures	Mastery of most of the grammar from the textbook and from the teacher's lectures	Mastery of only some of the grammar from the textbook and from the teacher's lectures
Achievement 5	Able to maintain a basic conversation fluently	Able to maintain a basic conversation somewhat fluently	Not able to maintain a basic conversation
Achievement 6	Able to express opinions in English clearly	Able to express opinions in English somewhat clearly	Not able to express opinions in English
Achievement 7	Able to explain ideas fluently in English	Able to explain ideas somewhat fluently in English	Not able to explain ideas in English

Teaching Method

Outline:

This course focuses on English conversation practice and confidence building. Students will make the English they have learned from previous classes come alive in its spoken form.

Style:

Each lesson will involve plenty of conversation practice with a different theme and grammar point each week. This course also includes the practice and assessment of pronunciation and intonation. Written tests will be given at the end of each semester and speaking tests will be held during class time in the 7th and 14th weeks of each semester.

Notice:

Active participation in English is essential for completing this course successfully. Active learning as an individual and as a member of a group is 10% of the final grade for this course. Students who do not stay focused and those who are more than 10 minutes late for class may be counted absent.
Students who miss 1/4 or more of classes will not be eligible for a passing grade.

Characteristics of Class / Division in Learning

Active Learning

Applicable to Remote Class

Course Plan

			Theme	Goals
1st Semester
	1st Quarter
		1st	Course Orientation and Introduction to the Online Homework LMS, "Oxford Learn" Textbook Lessons 1&2: Talking About People (Part One) Discussing personality types	Describe people in English. Stress important words.
		2nd	Textbook Lessons 3&4: Talking About People (Part Two) Describing differences and similarities between people	Learn to interrupt politely and how to return to the topic tactfully.
		3rd	Review of textbook lessons 1-4 Pronunciation/Intonation Check	Speak with clear pronunciation and natural intonation.
		4th	Textbook Lessons 5&6: Travel English (Part One) Checking into a hotel	Link sounds between the ends and beginnings of certain English words. Check into a hotel smoothly and learn the hotel rules in English.
		5th	Textbook Lessons 7&8: Travel English (Part Two) Dealing with problems at a hotel	Address problems and offer help in English.
		6th	Review of textbook lessons 5-8 Pronunciation/Intonation Check Speaking Test Practice	Prepare for the 1st Speaking Test. Speak with clear pronunciation and natural intonation.
		7th	1st Speaking Test Test partners and conversation prompts will be randomly selected immediately before each test begins.	Make fluent English conversations using the vocabulary and grammar covered in Lessons 1-8 and conversation prompts on pages 11 and 21.
		8th	Textbook Lessons 9&10: Errands (Part One) Talking about things you need to get done	Ask indirect questions. Point out mistakes politely.
	2nd Quarter
		9th	Textbook Lessons 11&12: Errands (Part Two) Making appointments and making recommendations	Confirm information and appointments. Make and acknowledge recommendations.
		10th	Review of textbook lessons 9-12 Pronunciation/Intonation Check	Speak with clear pronunciation and natural intonation.
		11th	Textbook Lessons 13&14: Telling Stories (Part One) Talking about one's childhood Reporting what others have said	Use the reduced sounds of "used to" and "use to" correctly. Use reported speech correctly.
		12th	Textbook Lessons 15&16: Telling Stories (Part Two) Talking news and announcements	Use reduced vowel sounds correctly. Ask for and add new information to an English conversation.
		13th	Review of textbook lessons 13-16 Pronunciation/Intonation Check Speaking Test Practice	Prepare for the 2nd Speaking Test. Speak with clear pronunciation and natural intonation.
		14th	2nd Speaking Test Test partners and conversation prompts will be randomly selected immediately before each test begins.	Make fluent English conversations using the vocabulary and grammar covered in Lessons 9-16 and conversation prompts on pages 31 and 41.
		15th	Review of textbook lessons 1-16	Prepare for the Spring End-term Exam
		16th	End-term Exam (1st Written Test) on the grammar and vocabulary covered in textbook lessons 1-16.	Understand how to use the grammar and vocabulary covered in textbook lessons 1-16 in written conversations.
2nd Semester
	3rd Quarter
		1st	Textbook Lessons 17&18: Friends (Part One) Talking about what is important in a friendship	Use proper intonation in reply questions. Ask about and describe what is important.
		2nd	Textbook Lessons 19&20: Friends (Part Two) Making suggestions, offering solutions, and expressing regrets	Use unreleased consonant sounds correctly. Make positive and negative comments about suggestions. Express regrets and offer solutions to problems.
		3rd	Review of textbook lessons 17-20 Pronunciation/Intonation Check	Speak with clear pronunciation and natural intonation.
		4th	Textbook Lessons 21&22: Business (Part One) Describing job qualifications Discussing probability and possibilities	Link the same consonant sounds. Avoid answering questions.
		5th	Textbook Lessons 23&24: Business (Part Two) Talking about business trends	Explain trends in English. Ask about what is necessary.
		6th	Review of textbook lessons 21-24 Pronunciation/Intonation Check Speaking Test Practice	Prepare for the 3rd Speaking Test. Speak with clear pronunciation and natural intonation.
		7th	3rd Speaking Test Test partners and conversation prompts will be randomly selected immediately before each test begins.	Make fluent English conversations using the vocabulary and grammar covered in Lessons 17-24 and conversation prompts on pages 51 and 61.
		8th	Textbook Lessons 25&26: Culture (Part One) Talking about customs and cultural expectations	Pause between meaningful language chunks. Describe expectations and ask what things mean.
	4th Quarter
		9th	Textbook Lessons 27&28: Culture (Part Two) Talking about consequences and speculating what could happen	Describe consequences. Speculate with varying degrees of certainty.
		10th	Review of textbook lessons 25-28 Pronunciation/Intonation Check	Speak with clear pronunciation and natural intonation.
		11th	Textbook Lessons 29&30: The Future (Part One) Making predictions	Use emphatic stress correctly. Make probable and definite predictions.
		12th	Textbook Lessons 31&32: The Future (Part Two) Talking about plans, goals, and promises	Use stress correctly in two-word verbs. Discuss plans, goals, and promises.
		13th	Review of textbook lessons 29-32 Pronunciation/Intonation Check Speaking Test Practice	Prepare for the 4th Speaking Test. Speak with clear pronunciation and natural intonation.
		14th	4th Speaking Test Test partners and conversation prompts will be randomly selected immediately before each test begins.	Make fluent English conversations using the vocabulary and grammar covered in Lessons 25-32 and conversation prompts on pages 71 and 81.
		15th	Review of textbook lessons 17-32	Prepare for the final exam.
		16th	End-term Exam (2nd Written Test) on the grammar and vocabulary covered in textbook lessons 17-32.	Understand how to use the grammar and vocabulary covered in textbook lessons 17-32 in written conversations.

Evaluation Method and Weight (%)

	4 Speaking Tests	2 Written Tests	16 Pronunciation/Intonation Quizzes	32 Short Online Homework Assignments	Active Learning	Total
Subtotal	40	10	32	8	10	100
Basic English Communication	40	10	32	8	10	100