FACULTY OF EDUCATION

PRE-INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

1. GENERAL INFORMATION.
Faculty of Education PROGRAM B.A in English teaching
FACULTY
DISCIPLINAR Disciplinary COURSE Pre-Intermediate English

COURSE ID SEMESTER 2017-II

3564
NUMBER
NUMBER OF
DATE AUGUST 2017
CREDITS 6
HOURS OF
HOURS OF IN-
INDEPENDENT 192
CAMPUS WORK 96 WORK

PROFESSOR E-mail

2. RATIONALE.
Pre-intermediate English focuses on contextualizing students in terms of language
development, language exposure, intercultural awareness, and potential
pedagogical skills needed to successfully become a 21 st-century educator. This is
achieved by encompassing communicative skills and competences framed in the
CEFR, with a guided reflection on the importance of teachers' role in a growing
multicultural society. Pre-service teachers are expected to be exposed to culturally
meaningful representations of language that help them cope not only with linguistic
elements but also with multiple communicative situations. Therefore, this course
fosters self-awareness in terms of the social responsibility and impact attached to
educators.

To successfully achieve the aforementioned, autonomy is a key characteristic that

must be developed and acquired by pre-service teachers. It is understood as the
individual processes carried out, based on the organization and planning of
outside-classroom activities, that help them achieve the expected outcomes. The
course provides opportunities for continuous self-assessment that promote
learners abilities to identify and tackle their strengths and weaknesses.
Technology, in this sense, plays a paramount role due to its ubiquity and ease of
access. All in all, the course contains all necessary elements to provide meaningful
contextualized language and professional skills for their careers.
In sum, this course allows students to interact through pre-intermediate English in
order to become independent users of the language by using different phrases and
expressions associated to simple contexts with a certain degree of fluency,
accuracy and confidence. Pre-service teachers also have a more elaborated
repertoire of words and simple phrases related to personal experiences, plans and
intentions which may have an impact in the community, where they are daily
involved.

3. GENERAL OBJECTIVE.
To enable students to develop culturally-situated communicative skills and
competences through different pedagogical strategies and sources that allow
learners to interact with others in their immediate contexts in terms of B1
competences according to the CEFR.

4. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES.
Listening:
 To understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters
regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
 To understand the main point of many radio or T.V. programs on current
affairs or topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is
relatively slow and clear.
Reading:
 To understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency every day or job-
related language.
 To understand the descriptions of events, feelings and wishes in personal
letters.
Writing:
 To write simple, connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal
interest.
 To write personal letters describing experiences and impressions.
Speaking:
 To connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and
events, my dreams, hopes and ambitions.
 To give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
 To narrate a story or relate the plot or a book or film and describe my
reactions.

5. AREA DISCUSSION PROBLEM.

Which are the necessary pedagogical, communicative, technological and
investigative competences in the pre-service teachers’ education in order to foster
meaningful changes in their social context?

6. COURSE DISCUSSION ISSUES.

 How the Pre-service teachers understand and use simple information
related to areas of relevance?
 Why the need for communication must be relentless, leading to the
emergence of communicative language learning in pre-service teachers?
 How the Pre-service teachers handle the use of English to communicate
with a proficiency level?

7. COMPETENCES.

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Bilingualism:
 Use of L1 and L2 to interact, understand and communicate with others in the
light of linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic aspects based on national
and international standards.
 Assimilate different cultural elements to adapt a critical position and share
points of view as a way of enriching cultural awareness through L1 and L2.
Social Responsibility:
 Strengthen their personal and professional skills through the ongoing self-
reflection, autonomy, and community service.
ICT:
 Analyze educational contexts based on cognitive, physical, and
psychological development of students with the purpose of establishing
technological breakthroughs to benefit learning processes.
 Design and assess digital and technological teaching resources to facilitate
Foreign Language Learning processes within a given context.
Citizenship:
 Design and apply strategies that lead to conflict resolution in terms of
coexistence and social acceptance, based on social and educational
contexts.
Innovation:
 Maximize resource usage and propose spaces different to the traditional
classroom for developing and strengthen the required skills in an L2.
 8. PROGRAM COMPETENCES

Education:
 Design and implement effective EFL teaching and learning strategies of
English as a second language by identifying and analyzing needs inherent
to educational contexts.
 Select, produce, and make use of teaching and learning materials based on
local needs and international language teaching standards framed within
national educational policies.
Research
 Identify issues related to language learning and teaching processes by
taking into account theory and socio-cultural contexts.
Community and social development:
 Design and implement pedagogical strategies aimed to integrate people with
special educational needs through the identification of national policies of
inclusion.
 Lead socially relevant projects for the surrounding community framed in
English teaching learning environments.
Entrepreneurship:
 Design and implement educational programs and projects based on second
language communication needs.
 Create supplementary material according to different contexts needs in
order to improve teaching and learning processes.

9. COURSE SPECIFIC COMPETENCES

Linguistic Competence:  Can produce brief everyday expressions in order to satisfy

simple needs of a concrete type: personal details, daily routines, wants and needs,
requests for information. Can use basic sentence patterns and communicate with
memorized phrases, groups of a few words and formulae about themselves and
other people, what they do, places, possessions etc. Has a limited repertoire of
short memorized phrases covering predictable survival situations; frequent
breakdowns and misunderstandings occur in non-routine situations.
Socio-linguistic Competence: Can perform and respond to basic language
functions, such as information exchange and requests and express opinions and
attitudes in a simple way. Can socialize simply but effectively using the simplest
common expressions and following basic routines. Can handle very short social
exchanges, using everyday polite forms of greeting and address. Can make and
respond to invitations, suggestions, apologies, etc.
Pragmatic Competence: Can adapt well-rehearsed memorized simple phrases to
particular circumstances through limited lexical substitution. Can expand learned
phrases through simple recombination of their elements. Can use simple
techniques to start, maintain, or end a short conversation. Can initiate, maintain
and close simple, face-to-face conversation. Can ask for attention. Can tell a story
or describe something in a simple list of points. Can use the most frequently
occurring connectors to link simple sentences in order to tell a story or describe
something as a simple list of points. Can link groups of words with simple
connectors like ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘because’.
Pedagogical Competence: Can research within academic environments to analyze
the methodological strategies of language acquisition and the assessment process.

10. ACTIVITIES.
Teaching
Week Topics Teaching Activities
Time
Syllabus Presentation
Setting class goals and
agreements.
What are class
expectations?
Does a warm up activity to
How do children get
1 describe daily activities or
fun around the
routines
world?
Is it different from
Presents a video of games
us?
for children in other
countries and help students
to identify commands
What type of
elements would you Leads a reflection about the
use to determine the sources at hand students
reliability of news may use to get information
sources in a ‘Post about the latest news
Truth’ World?
Explains students how they
can find the topic and
2 supporting sentences
through a workshop
http://bit.ly/2wk5f2X
http://bit.ly/2uwH5QF
Asks students to look for
news in different sources
Self-
Student’s activities learning
Time
Taking the test and
checking feedback.
Getting the syllabus
program and organizing
weekly tasks.
Students choose a
6 12
Colombian sport woman
or man to talk about daily
activities
Groups search for
information about games
around the world and do a
product about it
Students develop the
workshop assigned and
search information
according to the teacher´s
instructions
6 12
Next week assignment:
Students prepare the
analysis of a question
from FCE exam.
Students read the first
story for the reading task

3 Leads an analysis process 6 Students create three 12

in which students are going topic sentences with their
to determine the topic and corresponding supporting
supporting sentences as evidence with the aim of
well as the general being published in a local

grammatical structure
Suggested language
contents: Simple present
tense.
Library visit: The teacher
explores library material
and prepares a task-based
activity to take advantage of
library resources
Plays a video and analyze
What type of
the differences between
sources can provide
general and specific ideas
4 us with general
http://bit.ly/2jYZ68s
truths? What makes
them reliable?
Leads a discussion in which
students are going to
answer the query
Suggested material
http://bit.ly/2hBbpZ0
5 What have you
learnt? Teacher provides the first
midterm exam (based on
PEP format) and gives
feedback of the ongoing
academic process
Teacher leads an activity in
which students will study
techniques to predict the
type of information to listen
for
The teacher leads some
activities related to the
executive function of the
brain and self-regulation
that would enable students
to learn vocabulary or
expressions about general
truths
newspaper
Watch the tutorial
http://bit.ly/2vDgHJ3
Create an article
http://bit.ly/2ddr51R
Next week assignment:
Students develop weekly
reading task
Students prepare the
analysis of a question
from PEP exam.
Students are going to
search sources that
contain general truths and
analyze the structure.
Students develop a
workshop provided by the
teacher and prepare
some questions in which
they can identify the
patterns (structure,
6 12
context) of the simple
present tense.
Next week assignment:
Students develop weekly
reading task
Students prepare the
analysis of a question
from PEP exam.
6 Students keep working on 12
the workshop
Students take a PEP
mock exam about the
topics studied.
Students check test
results and look for ways
to improve.
Students will practice the
techniques by using
different resources
(audios or videos)
Students will join in a
speaking circle in which
they will use the
vocabulary and
expressions learnt to talk
about their opinions

Shows an old fashioned TV
program and discusses the
What is the impact of differences with the class
TV Programs in
6 6
Families? Suggested language
contents: Simple past
tense.
Presents a biography of
someone important that is
still alive
How much important
is it reflecting about
history and past
Leads information about
events?
7 how to write a past event
Students go to the
story
International
Congress of
Suggested language
Education
contents: simple past tense
-word formation
-collocations
Modeling childhood
situations and guiding the
students to reflect about
What memories do their past
you have about your
8 6
childhood? Suggested language
contents: Used to/ simple
past
-word formation
-collocations
9 How did we Leads the presentations of
perceive each other the products from the
when we were previous assignment.
kids?
Suggested language
contents: physical,
personality and
related to general truths
Students talk to their
parents or close relatives
about a classic TV
program
Next week assignment:
12
Students develop weekly
reading task
Students prepare the
analysis of a question
from PEP exam.
Students write about the
worst experience in life
and tell the class about it
Next week assignment:
6 12
Students develop weekly
reading task
Students prepare the
analysis of a question
from PEP exam.
Students tell the class
how their life used to be
different from now.
Next week assignment:
Students develop weekly
reading task
Students prepare the
analysis of a question
from PEP exam.
Search information about 12
a person who had had
hard times during the
childhood
and overcame the
difficulties to become well
known human being,
inspiring others. All this
with the aim of recording
the story using images
from a comic as a
supporting material.
6 Draw two posters 12
1. a poster that contains a
human shape in which
students can paste
adjectives that best
describe their personality
(positive and negative
things) and their physical
 appearance when they
were kids
2. and another, with the
information they found
during the previous
assignment about the
well-known person.
psychological description;
simple past
Next session
-word formation
assignment:
-collocations
Students develop weekly
reading task
Students prepare the
analysis of a question
from PEP exam.

The teacher guides a

reading comprehension
activity based on assigned
story.
Students take the second
Teacher provides the mid-term test.
What have you second mid-term exam and
learnt and how can gives feedback about the Students search
10 you use that ongoing process. The test 6 information about learning 12
knowledge in assesses four strategies to overpass
context? communicative skills, so it is their weaknesses in terms
divided into different of language learning.
sessions.

PROVIDE SECOND EXAM.

Feedback and revision of
the academic process
Students comment about
the video

Plays the video

How does cultural http://bit.ly/1lT1PeX In groups, students find
awareness allow me The teacher provides the information to carry out
to know, reflect and instructions to carry out the the tour
11 ghost tour about the 6 12
understand other
ways of living and haunted locations in La Next session
thinking? Candelaria assignment:
http://bit.ly/2ueIlsk Students develop weekly
reading task
Students prepare the
analysis of a question
from PEP exam
How does cultural
awareness allow me Students carry out the
Leads the presentations
to know, reflect and presentations
13 and checks the previous 6 12
understand other Make a co-evaluation in
assignments
ways of living and class
thinking?
14 How could you use Helping the students to 6 Sharing information about 12
narratives as a way narrate past events different narrations using
to improve your life? proposing different topics past tenses.

How can literature Teacher leads the visit to Read the tale and retell
 the library and asks
students to choose a short
the story by keeping in
tale from the available
mind the sequence of the
books.
enhance the events
learning process in
Suggested language
the course?
contents: simple past and
progressive

Students develop the

Leads a reading about the
How can the context workshop
story and provides a
15 provide information 6 12
workshop
about grammar?
Study for the final exam
Students analyze final
What did you finally exam results and prepare
learn? Was it PROVIDES FINAL EXAM an oral presentation
16 significant and Feedback 6 12
experience? Students face an
interview using the topic
learnt through the course

11. READING PLAN.

Students should read at least two full books according to the students’ level.
Reading activity assessment will be agreed between students and teacher.

NOTE: During class time, teacher will train students to take a mock international
exam (PET) at the end of the semester. In the same way, the class will visit the
library at least twice in order to further concepts addressed in the course.
Regarding students’ autonomous work (192 hours), students are required to work
on activities designed for the purposes of the course, following teacher’s guidelines
and assignments. Students will also have two hours practice (weekly) in the
English laboratory.
 1. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA.

LEARNING ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT

CYCLE CRITERIA WEEK PERCENTAGE
OUTCOMES ARTIFACTS S/P/T

Classwork and
class participation
(Quizzes,
assignments, T-P 1-4 5%
dialogues, reading
task,
presentations, etc.)
1.1 Identifies some
elements to analyze
information. Reading
To understand the P 2-5 10%
30%Exploration

. assignments
main points of clear
standard input on
familiar matters
Workshop
regularly
(Topic and
encountered in work, P 2 5%
supporting
school, leisure
sentences)

Article design T 3 5%

1.2 Demonstrates a
degree of English
language proficiency
through the First Strike test T 5 5%
presentation of an
international mock
exam.(PET)

Reading
P 6-10 5%
assignments

2.1 Narrates a story

or the plot of a book Worst experience
P 7 5%
or film and describe paper
30%Development

To produce simple his/her reactions.

connected text on Audio Commic T 9 10%
topics which are
familiar or of personal Poster P 10 5%
interest..
2.2 Demonstrates a
degree of English
language proficiency
through the Second Strike test T 10 5%
presentation of an
international mock
exam.(PET)
40%Application

To enhance knowledge 3.1 To demonstrate

of grammatical rules an enhanced Reading
and structures and knowledge of P 6-10 5%
assignments
basic insights into grammatical
linguistic terminology terminology and how
various options. it is identified and
used.

Worst experience
P 7 5%
paper

Audio Commic T 9 5%

Poster P 10 5%
 3.2 Self-evaluates
Rubric S 16 5%
his/her process

3.3 Demonstrates a
degree of English
language proficiency
through the Final test (PET) T 17 15%
presentation of an
international mock
exam.(PET)

* S = Self- Assessment P= Peer Evaluation T= Teacher Assessment

12. REFERENCES

Cabot. M., Collins. A., & Donnelly. K. (2005). The Princess diaries. Oxford:
Macmillan
Colbourn, S. (2007). Robin Hood. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann ELT
Collins. A., & Cabot, M. (2007). The princess diaries 4. Oxford: Macmillan
Heinemann ELT
Dumas, A., Buss, R. (n.d). The Count of Monte Cristo.
Evans, V. & Dooley, J. (2008). Basic Bibliography. Student’s book.
Gray, E. & O’Sullivan N. (2000). Practice Tests for the PET. USA: Express
Publishing House.
Murphy, R. (2003). Channel your English-Beginners. London: MM
publications.READING PLAN
Mitchell H.Q. & Malkogianni Marileni (2012) Grammar & Vocabulary Practice
prepares students for all exams intermediate B1.MM Publications
Redston, C. & Cunningham, G. (2000). Grammar in Use. Cambridge University
Press.
Schrampfer, B. (2005) Face2Face. Cambridge University Press.

Databases and electronic books available through the Library System

Service at Universidad La Gran Colombia: EBOOKS 7-24.

* The University’s Moodle platform or other ICT tools (webpages, blogs, wikis, etc.)
could be integrated into this course as an option to enhance the previously
proposed teaching and learning tasks. This decision can be taken by the professor
according to students’ specific needs and interest.
 ASSESSMENT RUBRICS

Written papers
1.5 = minimal 2.5 = adequate 3.5 = strong 5.0=
outstanding
Mechanics Many spelling, Some spelling Few spelling Correct
grammar, and grammar and grammar spelling,
errors; most errors; correct grammar, and
and
sentences have punctuation; punctuation;
punctuation
punctuation complete complete
errors;
and are sentences sentences;
sentence complete; uses correct use of
fragments; upper- and capitalization
incorrect use lowercase
of

capitalization
Ideas & Key words are Main idea or Good main Interesting,
Content not near the topic is in first idea or topic well-stated
beginning; no sentence; semi sentence; main main idea or
clear topic; no defined topic; idea is fairly topic sentence;
beginning, attempts broad; has uses logical
middle, and beginning, good plan with an
end; ideas are middle and beginning, effective
not ordered end sections; middle, and beginning,
some order of end sections; middle, and
main idea and main idea and end; good flow
details in details are of ideas from
sequence sequential, as topic sentence
appropriate to details in
sequence
TOTAL

Oral presentations
Total Points

Category Scoring Criteria Score

The type of 5
presentation is
Organization
appropriate for the
(15 points) topic and audience.
 Information is 5
presented in a logical
sequence.
Presentation 5
appropriately cites
requisite number of
references.
Introduction is 5
attention-getting, lays
out the problem well,
and establishes a
framework for the rest
Content
of the presentation.
(45 points) Technical terms are 5
well-defined in language
appropriate for the
target audience.
Presentation contains 10
accurate information.
Material included is 10
relevant to the overall
message/purpose.
Appropriate amount of 10
material is prepared,
and points made reflect
well their relative
importance.
There is an obvious 5
conclusion summarizing
the presentation.
Speaker maintains good 5
eye contact with the
audience and is
appropriately animated
(e.g., gestures, moving
Presentation
around, etc.).
(40 points)
Speaker uses a clear, 5
audible voice.
Delivery is poised, 5
controlled, and smooth.
Good language skills 5
 and pronunciation are
used.
Visual aids are well 5
prepared, informative,
effective, and not
distracting.
Length of presentation 5
is within the assigned
time limits.
Information was well 10
communicated.
Score Total Points 100
Reading and comprehension Rubric
Category 4 3 2 1
Interpretation Answers are Answers are Answers are Answers do
mostly correct often correct occasionally not reflect
and and correct and accurate
demonstrate demonstrate demonstrate comprehensio
excellent good an incomplete n of the
comprehension comprehension comprehensio topic(s).
. Opinions are . Opinions are n of the topic. Opinions are
always fully adequately Opinions are unjustified.
justified. justified. sometimes
justified.
Detail Answers are Answers are Answers Answers lack
mostly usually contain some the required
complete, complete details. detail or are
extensive, and and include incomplete.
include many several
details. details.
Use of Answers Answers Answers Answers do not
Information mostly include usually include include include
supporting supporting occasional supporting
evidence from evidence from supporting evidence from
the text/lesson the text/lesson evidence the text when
when when from the text necessary.
necessary. necessary. when
Quotations or Quotations or necessary.
paraphrases paraphrases
are often are sometimes
included in included.
answers.
Clarity Answers are Answers are Answers are Answers are
very easy to always easy to sometimes difficult to
understand. understand. understandable understand.
They are clear , but need to be
and concise. more to the
point.
Mechanics Conventional Conventional Work Work
spelling and spelling and contained contains
grammar is grammar is several many
mostly correct. usually correct. spelling and spelling and
grammar grammar
errors. errors.
Taken from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/assessment/readingassess.htm#sample
 4 3 2 1 Total
Purpose Clearly Relates to Some Does not
and relates to the the learning relation to relate to the
Content learning objective or the learning learning
objective or illustrates a objective or objective or
illustrates a concept. concept. does not
concept. illustrate a
concept.
Storyboard Completed Completed Completed Storyboard
Planning detailed storyboard storyboard not
storyboard with all of with at least completed.
with all of the two of the
the following: following:
following: statement of statement of
statement of purpose, purpose,
purpose, script, and script, and
script, and storyboard storyboard
storyboard of the video of the video
of the video “clips”. “clips”.
“clips”.
Titles, Titles and/or Titles and/or Attempts to No titles or
Transitions, transitions transitions use titles transitions
and Effects enhance the do not and/or exist.
video. detract from transitions,
the video. but they
detract from
the video.
Video / Video and Videos and Videos and No videos or
Photos Photos relate photos photos are photos relate
to the mostly relate few and to the
subject. to the some are off subject.
subject topic.
Audio Movie Movie Movie has Movie has
includes includes only music. no sound.
voice and voice and Audio levels
music. music. are too low
Audio levels Audio levels or too loud.
are just are too low
right. or too loud.
Use of Skilled Satisfactory Minimal Incorrect
Technology operation of operation of operation of operation of
 computer computer computer computer
and program and program and program and program
enhances during during detracts
presentation. presentation. presentation. from
presentation.
Presentatio Shared final Shared final Shared final No final
n product with product with product with product to
audience, audience, audience share.
answered all answered and
questions in some attempted to
knowledgea questions in answer
ble way and knowledgea questions
explained ble way and and explain
the steps to explained steps to
production the steps to production
clearly. production.

Mechanics Presentatio Presentatio Presentatio Presentatio

n has no n has fewer n has three n has four
misspellings than two or more or more
or misspellings misspellings misspellings
grammatica and/or and/or and/or
l errors. grammatica grammatica grammatica
l errors. l errors. l errors.
Design Clips and Clips and Clips and The clips
photos are photos photos and photos
appropriate communicat barely interfere
to the e the content communicat with the
content and information e the communicat
communicat in an information ion of the
e the effective intended. content. The
information manner. Most clips clips do not
at a high Some clips are too long make sense
level. Clips are either or too short and are
are long too long or and confuse randomly
enough to too short to the content. placed.
convey be
meaning but meaningful.
without
being too
lengthy.
Retrieved from: http://www.schrockguide.net/assessment-and-rubrics.html