English Conversation I-1

Course Information

College	Akashi College	Year	2023
Course Title	English Conversation I-1
Course Code	5316	Course Category	General / Compulsory
Class Format	Lecture	Credits	School Credit: 1
Department	Mechanical Engineering	Student Grade	3rd
Term	First Semester	Classes per Week	2
Textbook and/or Teaching Materials	Conversation Strategies: Pair and Group Activities for Developing Communicative Competence (Third Edition) by David Kehe and Peggy Dustin Kehe (2014) Pro Lingua Associates, ISBN: 978-0-86647-369-9.
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.
8) Use conversation strategies to keep an English conversation lively and meaningful.

Rubric

	Mastery Level	Standard Level	Unacceptable Level
Objective 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
Objective 2	Natural accent, stress, and rhythm	Understandable accent, stress, and rhythm	Incomprehensible accent, stress, rhythm
Objective 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
Objective 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
Objective 5	Able to maintain a basic conversation fluently	Able to maintain a basic conversation somewhat fluently	Not able to maintain a basic conversation
Objective 6	Able to express opinions in English clearly	Able to express opinions in English somewhat clearly	Not able to express opinions in English
Objective 7	Able to explain ideas fluently in English	Able to explain ideas somewhat fluently in English	Not able to explain ideas in English
Objective 8	Able to use all of the English conversation strategies from the textbook skillfully and with ease	Able to recognize and use many English conversation strategies from the textbook	Not able to recognize or use English conversation strategies from the textbook

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. A written test will be given at the end of the semester and speaking tests will be held during class time in the 8th and 15th weeks of the 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 20% 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 evaluation.

Characteristics of Class / Division in Learning

Active Learning

Aided by ICT

Applicable to Remote Class

Course Plan

			Theme	Goals
1st Semester
	1st Quarter
		1st	Unit 1: Using Rejoinders (Short, natural, responses in English conversation) Conversation practice. Finding and correcting common errors in casual English letters. Homework: Common error and lesson review activities online.	Develop the natural use of English rejoinders to keep a conversation going. Reduce the occurrences of common English errors made by Japanese students.
		2nd	Unit 2: Making Follow-up Questions Conversation practice. Finding and correcting common errors in casual English letters. Homework: Common error and lesson review activities online.	Practice creating good follow up questions to keep a conversation going. Reduce the occurrences of common English errors made by Japanese students.
		3rd	Unit 3: Confirmation Questions Conversation practice. Finding and correcting common errors in casual English letters. Homework: Common error and lesson review activities online.	Practice asking for confirmation to avoid misunderstanding. Reduce the occurrences of common English errors made by Japanese students.
		4th	Unit 4: Clarifications with Question Words Last Conversation practice. Finding and correcting common errors in casual English letters. Homework: Common error and lesson review activities online.	Practice asking for clarification of specific information. Reduce the occurrences of common English errors made by Japanese students.
		5th	Unit 5: Keeping or Killing the Conversation Conversation practice. Finding and correcting common errors in casual English letters. Homework: Common error and lesson review activities online.	Practice using expressions to continue a conversation when desired and expressions to end a conversation when continuing is not desired. Reduce the occurrences of common English errors made by Japanese students.
		6th	Unit 6: Expressing Probability Conversation practice. Finding and correcting common errors in casual English letters. Homework: Common error and lesson review activities online.	Learn to express how the certainty of an answer. Reduce the occurrences of common English errors made by Japanese students.
		7th	Review of Units 1-6 Conversation practice. Finding and correcting common errors in casual English letters. Homework: Common error and lesson review activities online.	Put all of the conversation strategies from units 1-6 together in practice conversations. Prepare to use the conversation strategies on the speaking test next week.
		8th	Mid-term Speaking Test	Master the conversation strategies taught in the book.
	2nd Quarter
		9th	Unit 7: Interrupting Someone Conversation practice.	Practice joining conversations by interrupting someone politely.
		10th	Unit 8: Echoing Instructions Conversation practice.	Practice confirming understanding by repeating back what was said.
		11th	Unit 9: Polite Requests, Responses, and Excuses Conversation practice.	Practice making casual and polite requests and responding both positively and negatively to requests.
		12th	Unit 10: Getting a Response Conversation practice.	Practice encouraging others to join the conversation.
		13th	Unit 11: Soliciting Details Conversation practice.	Practice getting more detailed information from a conversation partner.
		14th	Unit 12: Responding with Details Conversation practice.	Practice giving more detailed information to a conversation partner. Put all of the conversation strategies from units 1-12 together to make conversations for your speaking test.
		15th	Final Exam (Speaking Test) on the first 12 units of conversation strategies taught in the textbook.	Master the use of conversation strategies taught in the units 1-12. Prepare for the written exam on conversation strategies.
		16th	Final Exam (Written Test) on the first 12 units of conversation strategies taught in the textbook.	Master the conversation strategies taught in the book.

Evaluation Method and Weight (%)

	Two Speaking Tests	One Written Test	Homework/Quizzes	Active Learning/Behavior	Total
Subtotal	40	20	20	20	100
Basic English Communication	40	20	20	20	100