Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia

Sila Samādhi Paññā

FACULTY OF EDUCATION
Commitment to Excellence Form Personality Enrich Knowledge Develop Skills

COURSE SYLLABUS
Course title: Reading Development Course code: ENGL203
Number of credits: 3 Number of hours: 48/term
Lecturer: MEY Samon, MED-TESOL Room: KAMPONG REAP
E-mail: samonmey@gmail.com Teaching Schedule:

Course Description
This course is designed to develop students’ reading skills and general background knowledge to the
upper level. It is dedicated to meeting the academic needs of students by teaching them how handle the reading
demands and expectations of freshman-level college classes. It helps develop the students’ ability to
comprehend and interpret authentic and college-level texts in content areas by applying appropriate reading
strategies. The reading topics to be studied in literature, study skills, psychology, environmental science,
economics, and education present concepts and language that many students will encounter in the future
courses. This course will also lead students to become more independent readers with critical thinking of
various aspects as mentioned above. Moreover, writing skill is integrated into this course.

The Course Learning Outcomes

After completing the Reading Development course, the students will be able to:
1. demonstrate comprehension of academic texts with general education content from a range of
disciplines;
2. adjust reading strategies according to textual demands (e.g., varying reading rate, interpreting charts
or graphs) and reading purposes (e.g., test preparation, searching an appendix);
3. analyze the use of facts and examples to support and explain generalizations, statements of theory, and
implicit main ideas or assumptions;
4. use a wide range of textual clues to compare meaning, structure, and style of academic materials;
5. develop vocabulary by applying effective strategies to clarify, analyze, and learn the meaning of new
words in nonliterary text, and interpret the use of figurative language in literary text;
6. discriminate, select, learn and use important words pertinent to specific academic reading contexts;

Generic Skills:
7. make plausible inferences or interpretations;
8. develop perspectives through exploration of beliefs, arguments, and theories;
9. ask significant questions;
10. clarify understanding of issues raised in texts;
11. articulate plausible implications or consequences;
12. generate or assess solutions;
13. explain and justify opinions in response to readings;
14. apply knowledge gained from readings to other contexts and academic tasks such as discussion,
writing, and test takin;
15. evaluate the level or degree of credibility of sources; and
16. interpret an author’s purpose, point of view, or tone when reading literary text.

1
Course Outline:
In order to achieve the aforementioned expected learning outcomes, the students will study the following lessons.
Session Date Topics/Themes Main Activity
1 - Introduction to the course - Presentation
- Diagnostic test on reading skills - Group discussion
- Diagnostic test
2 12-Apr-22 Chapter 1: Remembering Our - Participate in class
Lives discussion
- Academic Focus: Literature - Previewing vocabulary
- Reading Assignment 1: La - Checking comprehension
Gringuita
- Demonstrating Comprehension
3 - Recognizing Inferences - Making a logical conclusion - Making inferences
- Exploring a Theme on information
- List some details or
examples for the selection
19-Apr-22 that support the main idea
4 - Learning Vocabulary - Understanding academic
vocabulary
- Recognizing less common
word meanings
5 - Identifying Tone - Convey an informal tone
26-Apr-22 - Practicing with tone
6 - Figurative Language - Interpreting figurative
language
- Idiomatic Expressions - Studying idiomatic
- Review and Discussion expressions
- Writing in reading journal
7 - Reading Assignment 2: My - Participating in class
Mother discussion
- Previewing vocabulary:
2
Expected Outputs
-Students’ expectations
- Course syllabus revised
-Tests collected
- Personal views
- Answers to the
questions
- Understanding of the
memoir
- Increase reading speed
- Expand academic
vocabulary
- Recognize meanings of
words based on their
contexts
- Feelings of an informal
tone
- Recognizing adjectives
expressing tone
- Tone reflections
- Guessing
- Knowledge of idiomatic
expressions
- Linking concepts
- Different views on
answers
- Identification of
Assessment Methods
- Oral personal view of
the course
- Written diagnostic test
- Oral personal views
- Answer checking
- Multiple-choice
answers
- Multiple-choice
answers
- Written lists of
answers
- Pair work oral
discussion
- Answers on crossword
puzzle
- Written answers
- Oral opinions
- Multiple-choice
answers
- Table of written
answers
- Written journals
- Oral group answers
- Class discussion
- Multiple-choice
 cultural references
- Recognizing inferences
- Learning vocabulary
8 - Reading Assignment 2: My - Reviewing comprehension
Mother - Participating in field study
03-May-22 Chapter 2: Reading and - Predicting from a title
Learning - Outlining and linking
- Academic Focus: Study Skills concepts
- Participating in class
discussion
9 - Academic Focus: Study Skills - Predicting from a title and
illustration
- Previewing vocabulary
- Filling in your discovery
wheel
- Practicing with expressions
10-May-22 in collocations
10 Reading Assignment 3: Muscle - Writing in your reading
Reading journal
- Outlining
- Reviewing comprehension
11 Chapter 3: Studying Memory - Participating in class
- Academic Focus: Psychology discussion
- Reading Assignment 1 - Collecting data
- Tabulating and analyzing
findings
12 17-May-22 - Reading Assignment 1 - Checking comprehension
- Comparing texts
3
cultural reference terms answers
- Demonstration of - Matching answers
reference comprehension
- Identify meanings of
the poem
- Concept map and - Oral and written
reading for thorough answers
comprehension - Oral class discussion
- Getting ready to read - Written answers
- Increase predicting - Oral answers
ability
- Determination of
reading outline, purpose
and speed
- Getting ready to read
- Getting ready to read - Written answers
- Meanings of bold - Multiple-choice
words answers
- Assessment of students’ - Completed discovery
learning wheel
- Sentence constructions - Written sentences
- Getting ready to read - Oral answers
- Assessment of students’ - Filling-in-the-gap
learning answers
- Comprehension of main - Oral discussion
concepts
- Getting ready to read - Class discussion
- Class findings - Interview results
- Understanding of the - Written answers
selection - Class discussion

13 - Reading assignment 2
14 - Reading assignment 2
24-May-22
15 - Reading assignment 2
Chapter 4: Leaving Footprints:
Nature’s Memory
- Academic Focus:
Environmental Science
31-May-22 - Reading Assignment 1:
Environmental Science
16 - Reading Assignment 1:
Environmental Science
17
18 - Reading Assignment 1:
Environmental Science
07-June-22
19 - Reading Assignment 2: Old-
growth Forests of the Pacific
Northwest
- Using a textbook’s chapter
outline
- Using examples to enhance
learning
- Noticing context to enhance
understanding
- Reviewing academic
vocabulary
- Working with academic
words in collocations
- Matching cited sources and
research themes
- Reviewing comprehension
- Understanding science
disciplines
- Participating in class
discussion
- Checking comprehension
- Recognizing an author’s
purpose
Midterm Exam
- Learning science vocabulary
- Studying a common prefix
and common suffixes
- Relating personal
knowledge to reading
- Participating in class
discussion
- Answering multiple-choice
questions
- Studying pants and animals
4
- Observation check
- Getting ready to read - Written answers
- Meaning enhancement - Identified examples
of technical terms - Written answers
- Learning vocabulary
and sentence concepts
- Vocabulary - Oral and written
development discussion
- Cited references and - Matching answers
themes
- Practicing for chapter - Written answers
test - Matching chart
- Getting ready to read - Oral answers
- Demonstrating - Written answers
comprehension - Table of answers
- Purposes defined
- Understanding the - Completed answers
meaning of the bold - Filling-in-the-gap
words answers
- Paper answer collected
- Personal knowledge
expansion to reading
- Getting ready to read - Oral answers
- Demonstrating - Multiple-choice
comprehension answers
- Identification of plants - A list of specific plants
and animals in the with their descriptions

20 14-June-22 - Reading Assignment 2: Old-
growth Forests of the Pacific
Northwest
21 - Reading Assignment 3:
Environmentalists at Work—
Case in Point: Lake Washington
22 21-June-22 - Reading Assignment 3:
Environmentalists at Work—
Case in Point: Lake Washington
23 - Reading Assignment 3:
Environmentalists at Work—
Case in Point: Lake Washington
24 28-June-22 Unit 5: Seeing the Big Picture
- Academic Focus: Economics
and Macroeconomics
- Reading Assignment 1:
Macroeconomics: The Big
Picture
25 - Reading Assignment 2: Real
GDP Over Time
05-July-22
26 - Reading Assignment 2: Real
GDP Over Time
27 - Reading Assignment 3: Real
GDP Over Time
- Learning vocabulary
- Relating ideas from two
texts
- Solving problems
- Studying changes and
consequences
- Reading to find answers
- Making a process diagram
- Working with collocations
- Working with idiomatic
expressions
- Identifying process steps in
a scientific study
- Following the scientific
method
- Reviewing comprehension
- Thinking about economics
- Previewing concepts
- Defining concepts
- Elaborating with examples
- Previewing to learn
concepts
- Defining concepts
- Elaborating with examples
- Interpreting graphs
- Checking comprehension
- Planning your reading
strategy
5
reading
- Review of academic - Oral discussion
vocabulary - Presentations
- Linking concepts - Written answers
- Improving problem-
solving skills
- Reading for thorough
comprehension
- Getting ready to read - Oral answers
- Demonstrating - Written answers
comprehension
- Leaning vocabulary - Matching answers
- Concept map - Filling answers
- Using skimming and - Table of answers
scanning strategies - Handed written
- Practicing for a chapter answers
test
- Getting ready to read - Oral answers
- Demonstrating - Written answers
comprehension
- Sentence constructions
- Getting ready to read - Oral answers
- Demonstrating - Defined concepts
comprehension - Gap-filling answers
- Use scanning strategy - Gap-filling answers
- Critical thinking - Written answers
development
- Concept map - Oral answers
- Demonstrating - Gap-filling answers

12-July-22
28 Chapter 6: World Roots of
American Education
- Academic Focus: Education
- Reading Assignment 1: World
Roots of American Education
29 - Academic Focus: Education
- Reading Assignment 1: World
Roots of American Education
19-July-22
30 - Reading assignment 2:
Overview: Key Periods in
Educational History, To A.D.
1600
31 - Reading assignment 2:
Overview: Key Periods in
Educational History, To A.D.
26-July-22 1600
32
- Recalling and verbalizing comprehension
key concepts
- Analyzing graphs
- Writing self-reflections in a - Getting ready to read - Oral answers
reading journal - Oral discussion
- Arranging for a class
observations
- Applying a reading strategy
- Answering multiple-choice - Demonstrating - Multiple-choice
questions comprehension answers
- Practicing with more tests - Linking concepts - Oral and written
- Understanding issues raised - Reading for thorough answers
in texts comprehension
- Developing perspectives
- Reading strategy: Focusing - Getting ready to read - Oral answers
on categories - Demonstrating - Written answers
- Clarifying the historical comprehension
frame
- Recognize educational - Practicing skimming - Table answers
purposes and scanning strategies - Written answers
- Summarizing educational - Critical thinking
features improvement
Final Exam
6
Teaching Methods
• Language Lab (online and computer base)
• Class discussions and activities
• Learning teams
• Library and Internet research
• YouTube
• Simulation
• Lectures

Assessment Methods:

a. On-going assessments 70%

- Homework/ Assignment/ Out-of class activity 20%
- Quizzes/Revision test/ in-class activity 20%
-Attendance 10%
- Mid-term 20%

b. End-of-term examination 30%

Attendance policy:
Every student is required to attend the class regularly and punctually. Any student who….
1. never cuts any lesson and never arrives later than 10 minutes after the start shall receive the
attendance scores of 10% (as mentioned above).
2. asks for permission shall be accepted when s/he can submit a formal request letter for permission
to their professor with a reasonable reason at the beginning of the session.
3. arrives 15 minutes for 6 times is equal to one 90-minute session missing. In other words, any
student who comes 15 minutes late for 30 times means s/he misses five 90-minute sessions. So
s/he shall receive 15% deduction of their overall score.
4. misses 10 sessions shall receive 30% deduction of their overall score.
5. misses more than 10 sessions for unknown reasons shall be marked with W (W grade) as an
automatic withdrawal from the course.
6. gets the excused absence for an extended period of more than 13 sessions shall result in W grade.

Core Material:

- Benz, C., & Schuemann, C. (2006). College Reading 4: English for Academic Success. USA:
Cengage Learning.

Supplementary Materials and References:

- Juan, Z., & Wong, A. (2015). Basic IELTS Reading. Vietnam: Beijing Language and Culture
University Press.