Use of English 1 Fall 2021
Links to Current Homework Assignments
Due Monday, September 13, 2021 at 2 PM:
Textbook Exercises or Web Resources
Use of English 1
Tutorial for Creating Quizzes with Google Forms
Template for Presentation
Course Description
The aim of this course is to provide practice in various fields of the English language: to practice grammar phenomena especially difficult for a Hungarian speaker, to practice the areas of language competence needed in the academic environment, to help students perform better at language competence tests, to familiarize the students with the various types of tests and tasks used for the assessment of English competence, to initialize and/or enhance systematic vocabulary building, and to make students aware of different options made possible by the economy of the language.
Materials
Vince, M. & Emerson, P.(2003). First Certificate Language Practice. Oxford: McMillan.
Evans, V. (2008). FCE Use of English I. Express Publishing.
Grading and Evaluation
Homework & Class participation: 5%
Quizzes: 15%
Google Form Project: 10%
Midterm Exam: 35%
Final Exam: 35%
Homework and Class Participation (5%)
Students are expected to come to class and to do their homework. Participation in class is demonstrated by body language that shows engagement, asking questions or making comments regarding the material that advances the student’s and his or her classmates’ understanding of grammatical concepts, and remaining on-topic while interacting in group activities with peers. Out of class, student may participate by commenting on this blog.
On the first day, students will take a pretest to help demonstrate their knowledge of the vocabulary that will be used in the course. This will be marked as done/not done. The score will be noted, but not recorded in the gradebook.
Homework will also be marked according to the percentage of the assignment submitted. Students should choose the ten most difficult exercises and enter them on a Google Form. The instructor will give the link for the Google Form Homework assignment in class each week. It will also be posted on the blog.
Quizzes (15%)
Each week, students will take a quiz based on a part of the AEL exam. The Google Form will be open at the time of the quiz, then closed again until Tuesdays at 4:00 pm, when the quizzes will be open until the end of the semester, offering students an opportunity to review the material.
Google Form Project (10%)
During the first half of the term, students will work in groups to create a quiz on Google Forms. The group will present the quiz as part of a grammar lesson on a pre-assigned topic. The lesson should include the following information:
1. Description of the Part of Speech
What is it?
Is it from an open or closed class? If open, what suffixes are associated with it? If closed, what are they?
Are there different types of ____? (e.g. common nouns, proper nouns, countable nouns)
Where is it and in what order does it appear in a declarative, interrogative, and imperative sentence?
Are there any grammatical or mechanical rules associated with it?
2. Examples of the Part of Speech in Action
Use a paragraph from an article in one of these websites: BBC, CNN, The Australian, VOA
Cite your source.
3. Tips and Techniques
Which type of question is it most likely to show up in? (keyword transformation, word formation, open cloze, proofreading)
How can a person memorize and apply the trickiest rules when using this part of speech in writing, speaking, or taking English tests?
4. Google Form Quiz.
Does the quiz follow the assigned format: open cloze, keyword transformation, word formation, proofreading?
Is there feedback for every question explaining why the answer is correct and suggesting resources for further explanation and practice?
Was it administered to class as part of the presentation?
The instructor will model the presentation and quiz for the students during the first half of the semester, providing a slide presentation template for the student as well as a tutorial of how to create a quiz using Google Forms. Links to these are posted at the top of this blog post. Students are encouraged to ask questions in the comment section.
Projects will be evaluated according to completeness, accuracy, teamwork, and engagement.
Note the parts of the presentation: description, example, tips and techniques, quiz
5 All parts of the project were addressed thoroughly and cohesively in a logical sequence
4 All parts of the project were addressed in a logical sequence
3 All parts of the project were addressed
2 A quiz was created, but little else was done.
1 No quiz was created OR the presentation was partially or fully plagiarized.
Accuracy
5 Information was completely accurate and well-researched; No grammar errors in printed presentation.
Precise and frequent use of academic vocabulary
4 Information was completely accurate and researched; Minor grammar errors in presentation,
formal academic style
3 Information was accurate; Minor grammar errors in presentation, basic English vocabulary
2 Information is accurate because the teacher edited it
1 Information is inaccurate or plagiarized
Teamwork
5 All members invested equal time and effort in the project, fully collaborating on every task.
4 All members invested equal time and effort in the project, fully cooperating while completing tasks.
3 All members contributed to the project. Scores adjusted according to effort.
2 The student abandoned the team and 15% of the score for the project, but completed the work.
1 The student expected all the other members to do the work and made few, if any contributions.
Engagement
5 Audience was interested in the full presentation and found the information useful.
4 Audience was interested in most of the presentation and found the information useful.
3 Audience found the information useful.
2 Audience was bored and did not think the information was useful.
1 The presenter completely ignored the audience.
Mid-term (35%) and Final (35%)
Twice during the semester, students will have the opportunity to take a mock AE exam under exam conditions. If health regulations permit, the exams will be on paper, administered in person. The mid-term is tentatively scheduled for the 7th week of the semester. The final is scheduled for the 13th week of the semester so that students will have an opportunity to receive feedback on their performance and ask questions during the last session.
Tentative Schedule and Assignments
Class Policies
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to come to class every week unless there is a national holiday. If, for some unforeseen emergency (e.g. sickness or death in the family) the student cannot come to class, he or she should contact their group to negotiate how to make amends for his or her teammates. He or she should also get the links for homework and quizzes. Quizzes completed after class will not receive full credit.
Policy regarding Online Learning
This class will meet both online and in person. Class size will be limited to the number of students who can safely sit in the classroom while observing social distancing. Homework assignments and quizzes will be conducted online. Students are encouraged to bring their smartphones or laptops to class in order to fully participate.
Whereas the quizzes will be online, barring any lockdowns, the midterm and final exams will be conducted in person. Students should not bring smartphones or laptops into the exam room.
Policy regarding Teamwork
Learning is enhanced by teamwork. It gives students the opportunity to learn other perspectives. Teaching the materials to others helps ensure that the information will be retained. For this reason, students will be required to work with other students in creating a quiz on Google Forms. They may conduct these small group meetings in person and/or online using any platform or venue that they find most comfortable. During the first part of the semester, class time will be allotted for groups to do their work while the instructor is nearby to answer any questions.
If a team runs into conflict that they cannot resolve on their own, each teammate should submit an email to the instructor describing the problem and the attempts to resolve the problem, and proposing a fair way for the teacher to intervene. They should set a day that all members of the team can meet with the teacher to negotiate the next steps.
Policy on Plagiarism
The following is based on the Institute of English & American Studies’ policy on plagiarism and was provided by Dr. Donald Peckham (note how I have stated where this information came from, that is how I show academic integrity and avoid plagiarism).
Examples of Plagiarism
Plagiarism happens when you give the impression that someone else's work is your own – even if you do not intend to do this. If the information you are giving is not common knowledge, you must give credit to the person who created it. Here are some examples of plagiarism:
A student copies words or ideas from someone then submits the words as if they are his.
Two students turn in the same essay.
One student turns in the same assignment to two or more classes.
Showing Academic Integrity
To avoid plagiarism, write where the exact or paraphrased words, ideas, or data came from. To do so, state the name of the author and the source of any material that is not your own. This is called a citation. Instructors and the Institution website can help students know how to cite their sources correctly.
Penalties
If a case of plagiarism is confirmed by presentation of the plagiarized source, the student who submitted the plagiarized paper will fail the assignment. A second case of plagiarism in the class will result in the student failing the entire course.
Dear Teacher,
ReplyDeleteI have a quiestion about the homework: I thought that come in and come into means the same
(enter) but in the exercise which I did today, there was a sentence where the only solution was come into, and I don't understand why.
Thank you in advance!