Community English Program (CEP)

Level: Intermediate 5 (I5)

Teachers College, Columbia University

Summer 2013 

 

Instructors: Amanda Loy & James Byun    

Emails: akl2145@tc.columbia.edu; jhb2191@tc.columbia.edu            

Class Website: https://sites.google.com/site/tccepi5/

Class Time and Dates: May 28 – June 27; Mon,Tue,Wed,Thurs; 9:30am – 12:00pm 

Location: Horace Mann 332

 

 

About the CEP (source: CEP Handbook)

The Community English Program is a unique and integral part of the TESOL and Applied Linguistics Programs at Teachers College, Columbia University. It provides English as a second language to adult learners of diverse nationalities and backgrounds. In addition, the CEP serves as an on-site language education lab in which TESOL and Applied Linguistics faculty and students enrolled in the programs teach the courses and use the CEP as a setting for empirical inquiry. Here at Teachers College we believe that observation and classroom research are the best way to learn about how we teach and gain insights into how teaching might take place. Thus, we encourage observation and classroom research and want people to use it as a tool for learning.

 

Course Description

Intermediate 5 is an integrated skills course that will help students improve their English speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills through a variety of individual and group activities. Activities will reflect authentic and meaningful experiences that will promote communicative skills in real world settings.

 

Course Goals

The goal of the course is to help students develop their English proficiency by covering units 5 through 8 of the On Target 2 text. Students will have opportunities to employ various skills in in-class activities. To maximize students’ opportunities to speak in class, lessons will be taught through a communicative approach rather than lecture-style.   

 

Course Objectives

Students will be able to (SWBAT):

a)        Develop a broad range of skills for using the English language

b)        Increase their vocabulary usage

c)         Improve speaking and listening skills

d)        Acquire reading and writing strategies

e)        Employ technology in and outside of the classroom to enhance the English language experience

 

Course Materials*

Purpura, J. & Pinkley, D. (2000). On Target 2, Second Edition (Textbook)

Purpura, J. & Pinkley, D. (2000). On Target 2, Second Edition (Workbook)

*course materials available for purchase at the Columbia University bookstore 

 

Course Requirements

Attendance – Classes will begin at 9:30am, please come to class on time! Students who miss five (5) or more classes will automatically fail the course. Students who are late for ten (10) classes will not pass the course.

 

Participation – Please come to class prepared. Please be ready to participate in the in-class discussions and activities, and any online discussion forums. Students are encouraged to avoid depending on their native language in class and maximize their English usage. Please turn off cell-phones before coming to class. Be respectful and supportive of your classmates.

 

Unit Tests – Students will take 3 unit tests throughout the course. Beginning in Week 2, students will be given a weekly unit test that will cover the previous weeks’ lessons. All tests will include reading, writing, listening, speaking, and grammar components.

 

Final exam – The final exam will be given on June 26th, Wednesday and will cover all 4 units (Units 5, 6, 7, and 8).

 

Grading Breakdown

Unit tests: 15% each (45% total)  

Participation: 10%

Final exam: 30%      

Homework Assignments: 15%

 

97 – 100       A+         87 – 89        B+          77 – 79       C+           69 and below Fail/Repeat

94 – 96         A           84 – 86        B            74 – 76       C

90 – 93         A-          80 – 83        B-           70 – 73       C-            

 

Tentative Schedule

Week 1

Introduction (5/28)

• Needs Analysis

• Class-building Activities

Unit 5 –The Real You? (5/29-5/30)

• To talk about personality traits

• To use gerunds and infinitives

• To take notes

• To discuss feelings

• To write a personal lette

• To categorize compound adjectives that describe personalities 

 

Week 2

Unit 5 Test (6/3)

Unit 6 –If I Had My Way (6/4-6/6)

• To talk about changes, dreams, and preferences

• To talk about unreal situations using the second conditional

• To contrast first and second conditionals

• To ask for and give advice

• To encourage and discourage

• To get meaning from text

• To write an analysis

• To understand and use the prefixes under-, mis-, and over- 

 

Week 3

Unit 6 Test (6/10)

Unit 7 –What’s So Funny? (6/11-6/13)

• To talk about humor

• To report what someone said

• To report what someone asked

• To listen for definitions of terms

• To report someone else’s ideas

• To recognize tone

• To write a definition paragraph

• To use tell, say, speak, and talk     

 

Week 4

Unit 7 Test (6/17)

Unit 8 –So That’s How….! (6/18-6/20)

• To describe processes

• To use the passive voice in the present and past tenses

• To identify steps in a process

• To stress new information

• To express interest or indifference

• To use chronological order

• To write a process paragraph

• To understand and use the suffixes –-er/-or, -ian, and –ist. 

 

Week 5

Review of Units 5 – 8 (6/24-6/25)

Final Exam (6/26)

Last day of class – Wrap up (6/27)

 

 

CEP Office Contact

Office: 46E Horace Mann Hall

Office Hours: Mondays – Thursdays: 9:00am – 10:00 pm; Fridays: 9:00am – 3:00pm

Email: clp@tc.columbia.edu

Phone: 212-678-3097