Upon completing the course students will have a good knowledge of both practical grammar and grammatical terminology and insights into pronunciation rules and the relationship between spelling and pronunciation. Students should be able to communicate well and in idiomatically correct English, both in oral and written form. Students will also have acquired a basic knowledge of linguistic concepts and theories. Students will also be able to read and analyse literature written in English.
Course Description
In this course, students will practise a percentage of grammar, reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The lessons will encourage speaking and practise fluency. The general course goals are; to develop the communication skills of students, to provide a learning environment where students feel comfortable to use language effectively and experimentally, and to encourage individual students to own their learning experience. It will include different topics on:
Methodology
Communicative approach
The communicative approach is based on the idea that learning language successfully comes through having to communicate real meaning. When learners are involved in real communication, their natural strategies for language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language.
Students will take part in the following interactions and activities:
• Role-plays, debates and class discussions, pair work, problem-solving, creative designs
Example
Practising question forms by asking learners to find out personal information about their colleagues is an example of the communicative approach, as it involves meaningful communication.
In the virtual classroom
Classroom activities guided by the communicative approach are characterised by trying to produce meaningful and real communication, at all levels. As a result, there may be more emphasis on skills than systems, lessons are more learner-centred, and there may be use of authentic materials.
Purpose of the Course
This course aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need, to; ask and answer simple questions on very familiar topics, use simple phrases and sentences to describe where they live and the people they know, understand familiar words and very basic phrases about themselves, their family and immediate surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly and repeats, understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and posters or in lists, write a short, simple postcard, for example, holiday postcards, fill in forms with personal details, etcetera.
Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes for this course are:
• Students will heighten their awareness of the correct usage of English grammar in writing and speaking
• Students will improve their speaking ability in English both in terms of fluency and comprehensibility
• Students will give oral presentations and receive feedback on their performance
• Students will increase their reading speed and comprehension of academic articles
• Students will improve their reading fluency skills through extensive reading
• Students will enlarge their vocabulary by keeping a vocabulary journal
• Students will strengthen their ability to write academic papers, essays and summaries using the process approach.
• Students will review the grammatical forms of English and the use of these forms in specific communicative contexts, which include: class activities, homework assignments, reading of texts and writing
• Students will attain and enhance competence in the four modes of literacy: writing, speaking, reading and listening
• Students will develop their ability as critical readers and writer
• Student will produce a short research paper using the drafting process
• Students will develop reading skills and reading speed
• Students will read university texts and expand their vocabulary
• Students will read for intensive information retrieval and interpretation required by university studies
• Students will develop abilities as critical thinkers, readers and writers
• Students will attain and enhance competence in the four modes of literacy: writing, speaking, reading & listening
• Students will use online library databases to locate appropriate academic sources
• Students will write two academic essays in which they demonstrate their understanding of writing as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing and synthesizing sources and as a process that involves planning, drafting, revising and editing
• Practice writing through assignments that ask you to plan, draft, revise and edit your essays over time.
Assessment
Student performance in the Writing Skills Course will be assessed through a combination of assignments, exams, and participation in class discussions. The course may also include assessment components such as fluency, pronunciation, comprehension, and accuracy.
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