A5 Syllabus, Fall 2014

Community English Program Fall, 2014

Teachers College, Columbia University
Instructor: Kim Edmunds
E-mail: kme2131@tc.columbia.edu
Level: Advanced 5
Classes: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
Class time: 10:00am-12:00pm
Classroom: Mondays and Wednesdays=Grade Dodge Hall 361
Thursdays=Grace Dodge Hall 285
*Rooms may change. Changes will be announced via email.
Class website: www.cepa5fall2014.weebly.com
Course Description:
The course is designed to help Advanced English language learners develop English
listening, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills that are applicable to both
everyday life and in-depth, analytic uses of English. Using a theme-based teaching approach,
students will learn grammar, pronunciation, and relevant vocabulary to meet daily needs.
Each class will be centered on a theme in order to centralize learning and functions
associated with each particular topic.

About the CEP

The Community Language Program (CLP) 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 and foreign language instruction to adult learners of diverse nationalities and
backgrounds. In addition, the CLP 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 CLP 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. Ongoing assessment and program evaluation allow us to
make the CLP a better program.

Week 1
Week 9

Monday, Sept 22
Friday, Sept 26
Monday-Thursday, Nov 24, 26 & 27

First day of classes

Last day for refunds and transfers
Thanksgiving break: No classes
1

A5 Syllabus, Fall 2014

Week 10

Monday-Wednesday, Dec 1 and 3

Thursday, Dec 4

Final exam (2 parts)

Last day of classes

Important dates:

A5 Syllabus, Fall 2014

th

Course Textbook and Workbook: (available at the Columbia University Bookstore at 115
and Broadway)
1. In Charge 2 (2nd edition). 2003. Longman.
2. In Charge 2 Workbook (2nd edition). 2003. Longman.
We will cover units 5 - 8.
Course Objectives:
At the end of the course students will be able to develop:

Listening and speaking skills through classroom participation, discussions, and oral
presentations
Reading comprehension skills through reading and interpreting texts on and from
everyday life sources
Writing skills
Grammar by focusing and practicing form, meaning, and use.

Course Requirements:
Unit tests 1, 2, 3: 15% each (45% total)
Final test: 30%
Attendance and Participation: 10%
Homework: 15%
Note: Each big weekly
assignment will be worth the
same as 3 regular
assignments.
Attendance Policy:
If a student misses 5 or more classes, s/he cannot pass the course.
If the student is late for 10 classes, s/he cannot pass the course.

Assignments
In addition to smaller homework assignments to practice grammar and vocabulary, I will
assign big homework assignments on weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8. The assignments will be
given on the Wednesday of that week (posted on the website), and will be due by the
following Sunday at 5:00pm. These assignments should be submitted either via email or
Google Voice (see below).
You are required to complete 4 of the 5 assignments.
2 of the assignments you do must be speaking/listening assignments, and 2 must
be reading/writing assignments (you may choose which ones you do and when).
Your assignment grade will drop by 10 points for every day it is late.

A5 Syllabus, Fall 2014

Class Dictionary
Each student is responsible for adding 3 new entries to the class dictionary every week. Each set
of 3 entries counts as a homework assignment. See the website for further instructions.
Tests:
There will be three unit tests. Each test will be around 40 minutes long and will cover 1
unit and all 4 skills. Some sections of the test may be take-home sections, due at
midnight (12:00am) the night they are assigned.
Please see the Approximate Schedule for dates.
There will be a final test in Week 10.
The final speaking component will be a formal oral presentation to be given on
December 1 or 3 (TBD).
Grading:
A+/B+/C+/Fail/Repeat
W

Excellent
A+ 97 100%
A 94 96%
A- 90 93%
Good
B+ 87 89%
B 84 86%
B- 80 83%
Satisfactory
C+ 77 79%
C 73 76%
C- 70 72%
(pass)
Poor (no pass)
69% or Below
D 63 66%
D- 60 62%
Withdrawal (With permission from the teacher and the Director,
the student withdrew from the course due to extenuating
circumstances)

Audio Homework Assignments

For certain homework assignments, you will be asked to submit a recorded speaking sample. The
easiest way to do this is to call a Google Voice number:
1. Call this Google voice number: (347) 460-4057
2. Indicate that you want to leave a message
3. Say your name
4. Record your response
Please only leave one recording.
If you do not want to use Google Voice, you may create an audio file (.mp3 or .wav) and email it to
me at kme2131@tc.columbia.edu.

A5 Syllabus, Fall 2014

APPROXIMATE
SCHEDULE
Week Theme

Grammar

Listening and
Speaking

Reading and
Writing

Test
Dates

1 & 2 Unit 5:

Function:
Identifying people
and objects;
Giving background
information;

Listening for
tone: A class
discussion about
advertising

Reading:
Distinguishing facts
from commentary

Test 1:
Oct
1&2
(2 parts)

Amazing
Invention
s

Pronunciation:
Varying intonation
Form:
patterns
Relative clauses:
according to
with whose, which, sentence type
(statements,
and reduced
information
phrases
questions,
tag questions)

Writing: Analyzing
a research paper

Speaking: Oral
presentation skills
3&4

Unit 6:
Hooked on
Horror

Function: Making
and rejecting
suggestions;
Talking about
cause and effect;
Talking about
purpose;

Listening for
supporting arguments:
A radio interview with
a horror writer

Pronunciation:
Reduction and holding
Form:
with similar-sounding
Causatives and expressions
of
consonants
cause and effect;
Expressions of
purpose

Test 2:
Reading:
Oct 17
Recognizing tone and level
of
formality
Writing:
Generalizing and
organizing ideas
brainstorming,
time lines, idea maps,
outlines

Speaking:
Introductions of oral
presentations

A5 Syllabus, Fall 2014

5 & 6 Unit 7: A
Hard Act to
Follow

Function:
Assessing abilities;
Making
recommendations;
Expressing
necessity
Form:
The subjunctive

Test 3:
Listening for excerpts Reading:
Oct 30
and summaries: Two
Conversations
roommates discussing
books
Writing: Quoting and
paraphrasing sources
Pronunciation:
Recognizing
various spellings
of the same
sound (Part 1)
Speaking:
Using visual
aids in oral
presentations

7 & 8 Unit 8: The Function: Talking Listening: Taking

Time of Your about preferences question-and-answer
Life
and personal
notes
characteristics
Pronunciation:
Form: Gerunds
Recognizing various
spellings of the same
and Infinitives
sound (Part 2)

10

Speaking: Delivery of
an oral presentation
Revision and Final Exam

Reading for
credibility
Writing: Taking notes
and creating a
bibliography of
sources

Final
Exam:
Dec 1
&3

A5 Syllabus, Fall 2014

Program Policies:
The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities.
Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with
Disabilities (OASID) for information about registering with the office. You can reach OASID by
email at oasid@tc.columbia.edu, stop by 163 Thorndike Hall or call 212-678-3689. Services are
available only to students who are registered and submit appropriate documentation. As your
instructor, I am happy to discuss specific needs with you as well.
It is the policy of Teachers College to respect its members observance of their major religious
holidays. Students should notify instructors at the beginning of the semester about their wishes to
observe holidays on days when class sessions are scheduled. Where academic scheduling conflicts
prove unavoidable, no student will be penalized for absence due to religious reasons, and
alternative means will be sought for satisfying the academic requirements involved. If a suitable
arrangement cannot be worked out between the student and the instructor, students and instructors
should consult the Program Director. If an additional appeal is needed, it may be taken to the
Provost.

Have a great semester!