ESL 031 F15 1168 - ESL - LEVEL 3A

 

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SYLLABUS ESL 3A (ESL 031), Section Number 1168, Fall, 2015
SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE,
Department of Basic and Transitional Studies

CLASSROOM: RAH 312 (Rainier Hall, Room 312)
CLASS TIME: 6:00 – 8:50 pm
INSTRUCTOR: Patrick Garnett   206 3553676 (text) email patrick.garnett@seattlecolleges.edu

Office: WALL tutoring center, working every day from 10 – 12, Fridays 10-2
Office Hours: 5 – 6 Mondays and Wednesdays

COURSE DESCRIPTION

ESL 3A is a class for high beginners or low intermediate students. It includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and life skills information. It will have grammar, but the main goal is learning to use, understand, and communicate better using English.

COURSE TEXTS AND MATERIALS:

 

Holidays

Nov 11*Veterans’ Day

Nov 26Thanksgiving Day

Nov 27Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec 24Christmas Eve

Dec 25Christmas Day

*Campus open; no classes sc

TEXTBOOK:

English in Action 3, with supplementary material from Futures 3

Longmans Dictionary (Optional)

 

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

3-Ring binder

“College ruled” paper. (With lines for writing)

Both pens and pencils

Worksheets and handouts from the class

Assignments you have completed or are working on


PREREQUISITES:

This class is for learners who have finished Level 2 ESL, and can do at least 75% on the level 2 objectives.

Everyone in this class has completed ESL 2B or a placement test.

To succeed in 3C, you should know how to speak and write simple sentences, using basic grammar without too many mistakes.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The goal of this class is for students to start

  • Knowing how to ask questions and understand the answers.
  • Knowing how to read and understand simple texts for work, home and community
  • Knowing how to write things without too many mistakes.
  • Knowing how to speak about things, maybe not perfectly
  • Knowing how to listen and understand instructions and conversations.
  • Knowing how to understand simple charts and graphs, and fill in forms.
  • Knowing how to write sentences with punctuation and capitalization, basic spelling, and good penmanship
  • Knowing how to find the “main idea” in a text.
  • Knowing how to read words and know the parts of speech.
  • Knowing the grammar targets for Level 3.

Grammar targets for level 3

 

1.   Future tense- using “will” & present continuous

2.  Basic modals for functions & ability

3.  Comparative & superlative adjectives & adverbs (part I)

4.  Real conditional sentences (present & future)

5.  Past tense: ‘be verb” regular verbs & common irregular verbs

6.  Future tense: ‘be going to”

7.  Object pronouns

8.  Possessive pronouns

9.  Conjunctions in compound sentences

 

COURSE OUTCOMES

To move up to level 3B, learners have to show in their work and their tests that they can meet all the ESL 3A objectives.


EVALUATION METHODS / GRADING SCALE: Learners will be evaluated on their homework and writing assignments, their speaking ability, their group work in class, quizzes, and tests. The grading scale is “Y” for learners ready for the next level, “S” for learners who have finished the class but are not ready to move up, and “NC” for learners who have not finished the work.

 Promotion

Students with good attendance, good accuracy on quizzes and tests, good averages on writing assignments, and good results on in-class work will receive a grade of “S” and move on to ESL 3B.

 Students who have attended class and completed the work but not well enough will receive a grade of “Y” and will need to take 3A again.

 Students who attend less than 60% of classes, or stop coming, and students who do not complete the work will receive a grade of “NG.”


SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: It is the school’s policy and the law that every student should have equal access to education here if at all possible. Any student who has a need such as a disability that requires accommodation should tell the instructor, and whatever help is needed will be provided. Speak to your instructor about it, and the school will make things possible.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

How to move up:

Attend every class and be on time. If you can’t, do a lot of extra homework and study more at home.

Bring the things you need to class: Notebook, pencils, pens, paper, homework, handouts.

Participate in class: Practice speaking and writing, listen and read, ask questions if you don’t understand.

Do the assignments, even when you have missed class, and be sure you understand them. Do not let anyone else do your work.

Practice writing.

When something is confusing, ask questions about it.

Learn to remember new words, and remember how to use them.

Plagiarism Policy

 

Do your own work. If there is an assignment that you cannot do because it is confusing or because you do not have time, speak to your instructor and we will try to figure something out.

 

Illness and Emergencies

 

If you are sick or you have an emergency, please contact the instructor. Send a text or an email or both. If you have to miss class, contact other students in the class to learn about assignments, and be sure to make up any homework you miss. Students get two days per academic year without penalty for observance of religious events. Contact your instructor to obtain the necessary forms.

 

 

What we are going to learn

 

Week 1: English in Action Ch 1

9/28-10/1

Introductions, Review of ESL 1 and 2,

College email and Canvas accounts

Subject-verb Agreement

 

Week 2: English in Action 3 Ch 2 and some of CH 6

(10/5--10/8)

Health and Injuries

Future Tense: “be going to” statements and “will”

Modal Verbs (Will, Can, May, Must)

Medical Vocabulary

10/5-10/8

 

Week 3: English in Action 3 Ch 3 and a little of Ch 7

10/12-10/15

Adjectives: Comparative, Superlative,

Travel

Future 4, Unit 4, Travel; Future 2 p.177

Writing a letter

 

Week 4: English in Action Ch 4 and a bit of Ch 8

10/19-10/22

Simple Past Tense, Irregular Verbs

Moving

Making a list of tasks for moving

 

 

Week 5: English in Action Ch 6 and a bit of Ch 9

10/26-10/29

Past Tense

Natural Disasters

 

Week 6: English in Action 3 Ch 7 and a little of Future 2 (p. 176,177)

11/2-11/5

Object pronouns

Possessives

Education

Writing an Education Plan (Using future tense and present progressive)

 

Week 7: Possessive pronouns (11/9--11/12)

modals

more object pronouns

Veterans Day

 

Week 8: English in Action 3 Ch 8 and English in Action 4 (p. 112-113)

11/16-11/19

Conjunctions and Compound Sentences

“For” and “Since”

Sports

 

 

Week 9:

11/23-11/25

Conditionals Present and Future Tense “If it rains, I will stay home”

CASAS Week 1

Writing a career goal paragraph

Thanksgiving Holiday

 

Week 10:

11/30-12/3

CASAS Week 2

Making a financial plan paragraph to match career goal plan

 

Week 11: Review, Testing, Assessments, Evaluations

12/7-12/10

  • Review
  • Final Exam
  • Evaluations

 

 

 

 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due