Statement of purpose：

This course aims to provide various activities to enhance and improve students listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities. Being able to communicate and share ideas and opinions in English at ease is the focus of this course. Group work is an important part of the class to help students gain back the autonomy and initiative of learning. Therefore participation in discussions and making presentations will be how students are assessed in this class.

Reading and Oral Training

1. First hour: lecture; second hour: group presentation and class discussion; third hour: weekly news. Weekly news is the time when each student gets 10 minutes to share one new thing with the class. It can be as small as a personal story, or as big as an international headline. 


2. Ten group presentations. Each group is responsible for the topic of the week. The task is to prepare a 15-minute presentation and 5 discussion questions. 


3. 1 group oral presentation 20%, 1 midterm presentation 20%, 1 weekly news 20%, 1 group final presentation 20% and class participation 20%.

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 actively participate in class discussions and pair/group work. Your final grades are determined by the following course components:

1 group oral presentation 20%, 1 midterm presentation 20%, 1 weekly news 20%, 1 group final presentation 20% and class participation 20%.

Note: for group assignments, individual grades will still be awarded reflecting your individual effort, participation and achievement in the group. In short, not every member of the group will receive the same grade.

ASSIGNMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS

Attendance & participation

Your attendance and participation grade will be based on your attendance, 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.

Written assignments

Written assignments based on the course readings will be assigned. The assignments may ask you to respond to key issues in the readings, write summaries, analyze passages or write short compositions comparing/contrasting cultural issues. You are required to complete the assignments at home by due dates so that you can join discussions in class. Late submission will lead to lower grades of your assignment. You will combine all the writings you have done and submit them in a portfolio by the end of the semester. See the attachment for the grading rubric for these assignments.

Oral presentations

You will give three types of oral presentations during the semester:

• In-class discussions: In these discussions, you will share opinions, discuss questions brought up by the instructor or your classmates, and/or present your written assignment work.


• Group presentation on an assigned topic


• Individual oral presentation during final exam week: You will give a formal presentation recommending your favorite book to the class.

See the attachment for the grading rubric for these presentations.

• Supplementary readings: To be distributed in class.


• Resources:

VoiceTube: https://tw.voicetube.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com

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

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