Class time will be devoted to activities that allow you to practice and interact in English. To successfully complete the course, you must prepare the assigned homework prior to class and, while in class actively participate in discussions and pair/group work. Your final grades are determined by the following course components:

• Participation (including attendance, class discussion, and homework): 10-20%


• Oral presentations and written assignments: 30-40%


• Midterm and final exams: 30-40%


• Others (e.g., in-class exercises/quizzes): 10%

Participation & Participation

You are required to attend classes regularly and on time. Absences (including sick leave and personal leave), tardiness, or early departure will damage your attendance grade. Contact me about your absence before class if you must miss class. *If you have FIVE (or more) unexcused absences, you will not be allowed to take the final exam.

Your participation grade will be based on your homework preparation, and the contribution you make to the learning experience of others. Contribution includes your in-class questions to the instructor, insights and comments regarding class content, answers to the instructor’s questions, and reactions to other students’ contributions. Speaking up in class, either being called or voluntarily, will add points to your participation grade. Try to catch any opportunity to speak up in class to earn bonus points! Writing down your responses to questions on Moodle Discussion Boards will also add points to your participation grade.

In-class exercises/quizzes

Periodically throughout the semester, listening/writing/speaking exercises will be given in class. You should follow instructions and submit your answers, writings or recordings to Moodle or Zuvio in time in class. These exercises can NOT be made up. It is advisable that you upload the images of all the writings you have done for the course to Moodle regularly. I will use these files as reference when I evaluate your writing performance at the end of the semester.

Oral presentations

You will give a group presentation and an individual oral presentation during the semester. For the group presentation in Week 5, you will analyze a superhero from TV, movie, or comic books based on the discussion of Keynote 4 Unit 2 (pp. 25-36). For the individual oral presentation in Weeks 12 & 13, you will give a 4-5 minute presentation on “A fictional character who inspires me” or “My most significant achievement” based on Keynote 4 Presentations 1 & 2 (pp. 49-50 & 87-88). More detailed guidelines for this assignment can be seen on our Moodle course page. The grading rubric for individual oral presentation is available on the class website.

Written assignments

In addition to the periodic in-class and take-home writing exercises, there will be three major written assignments: a summary on an assigned reading, an essay on “Ideal Wealth Distribution in Taiwan” (based on the discussion of Keynote 4 Unit 3, pp. 37-48), and will respond to the writing prompts regarding a cross-cultural issue. Your papers should show you have completed and thought seriously and critically about the readings and videos provided for you. You are also encouraged to research the topic and cite your sources. The grading rubric for the written assignments is available on the class website. Late submission will lead to lower grades of your assignment. There will also be several in-class writing exercises throughout the semester. You need to upload the images of all the writings you have done for the course to Moodle regularly. I will use these files as reference when I evaluate your writing performance at the end of the semester.

Examination

All materials, including the readings, handouts, and information provided in class will potentially be included on the final exam. The final exam is a written test on vocabulary/grammar questions, a reading comprehension section, and short writing tasks. No make-up exams will be given unless you have received the instructor’s permission in advance.

• Textbook: To be determined and announced by individual teachers


• Supplementary readings: To be distributed in class.


• Resources:

VoiceTube: https://tw.voicetube.com

BBC Learning English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish

TED talks: https://www.ted.com/talks

LTTC BESTEP: https://bestep.tw/