Faculty of Language Studies

EL118: Reading

Course Guide

Prepared by

Marine Milad, Ph.D.

Updated by

Nour Dakkak, Ph.D

 Preface

Reading is a skill that engages students in recognizing the script of a language,

identifying the meaning of the words and understanding the meaning in
different contexts. Reading is a complex skill that needs to be improved
through tackling its sub-skills. Simultaneously, this can be achieved by making
use of clues, understanding key concepts and relevant details, distinguishing
main points from secondary points, and identifying facts from opinions.

This is a short course which aims to:

1. Equip you with the necessary reading skills that enable you to
function appropriately in academic, professional, and social settings.
2. Enable you to make sense of the complex nature of academic word
learning.
3. Improve your understanding of written English by enriching your
vocabulary knowledge.
4. Explore your thoughts, opinions, and reflection on a given text.
5. Build your confidence to discuss and share your ideas based on what
you have read in an interactive environment.

This course will train you to read effectively by emphasizing different

activities such as activating knowledge of a particular topic, recycling
vocabulary, working with collocations and class discussions. The course is
designed in such a way so as to focus on invariably the same set of activities
in each unit in order to reinforce the skills learned.

This course is skill-based, and all of what you will be doing will involve
becoming a better reader by being able to decode and process vocabulary.
Written assessments are required to foster understanding and mastery.
Thus, each unit ends with activities such as essay ideas and research
projects that can be used to take the lesson further. The most important
thing to remember is manifesting what you have learned about effective

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reading and vocabulary knowledge in whatever you write.

You should expect that the difficulty level will increase as you proceed
further into the course as the required activities become more and more
complex. You will start with simple topics and straightforward relationships
before you move on to more complex relationships.

This course should prepare you well for all your future university work and
beyond. The skills you learn in this course will allow you to function properly
in formal and informal situations that involve communication, mainly written.
In the real world, the value of reading effectively is beyond doubt. It is always
easier for a good reader to make the transition to a good writer. An effective
communicator will always understand the complete dynamics of the written
word – not only the content of the communication itself, but intentions,
aspirations and worries that are embedded within the written text.

This Course Guide provides detailed information about this course as listed
below:

1. Course Aims
2. Course Description
3. Course Organization
4. Course Assignments/Assessments
5. Course Resources
6. Course Calendar

We advise you to read the Course Guide before you go to your first tutorial.
Of special importance to your starting the course is to know the course
material. Please, make sure that you receive all materials before you go to
your first tutorial. It is always useful to read the assigned material for a
particular tutorial ahead of the tutorial to maximize the benefit to be gained
from the tutorial.

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There will be a two-hour tutorial every week. We would like to advise you to
take an active role in these tutorials. We would also like to advise you to
make use of the office hours which your tutor will set aside for meeting with
you on an individual basis to help you with the course, answer your
questions, and give you guidance and comments on your progress and when
preparing for assessments.

Tutorials and office hours provide excellent opportunities for you to read,
listen to and practice English. It is your duty; therefore, to improve your
English by raising and answering questions in the time set for you by your
tutor, as well as during tutorials and at every opportunity.

Good luck!

September 2017
Marine Milad

January 2022
Nour Dakkak

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 Table of Contents

Page

PREFACE 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 5

1. INTRODUCTION 6

2. COURSE DESCRIPTION 6

3. COURSE AIMS 8

4. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES 8

5. COURSE TEACHING MATERIAL 11

6. RESOURCES 11

7. ASSESSMENT: ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS 12

8. TUTORIALS 13

9. COURSE CALENDAR 14

10. ACTIVITIES 15

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1. INTRODUCTION

Reading skills are learned proficiencies that are needed in academia and many
professional domains. EL118 provides the essential basis for using vocabulary
and reading strategies to better understand English texts from a varied range of
contexts. Through principled instruction and practice with reading strategies
and skills, students will increase their ability to comprehend reading materials.
Likewise, through a principled approach to the complex nature of vocabulary
knowledge, they will better understand how to make sense of the complex
nature of academic word learning.

This course offers different methodologies for approaching words in English.

The course is designed to address the reciprocal relationship between reading
and vocabulary and to use it to help students develop academic proficiency.
Given that word learning and reading are increasingly interdependent, rich word
knowledge facilitates reading, and effective reading skills facilitate vocabulary
comprehension and learning.

2. COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course, Reading (EL118), is a four-credit hour, level one course that aims
to help students become better readers of English texts and build their
vocabulary. It focuses on expanding students’ reading skills and vocabulary
usage so that they can cope with different academic, professional and social
situations effectively. It has EL111 as a pre-requisite.
The course applies the Interactive Reading model where reading is an active
process in which readers draw upon top-down processing (bringing meaning to
the text), as well as bottom-up processing (decoding words and other details of
language) .The top-down aspect of this construct suggests that reading is
facilitated by interesting and relevant reading materials that activate a range of

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knowledge in a reader's mind, knowledge that is refined and extended during
the act of reading. The bottom-up aspect of this model suggests that the
student needs to pay attention to language proficiency, including vocabulary.
As an academic reading course, it addresses the teaching of higher-level
reading strategies without neglecting the need for language support. In
addition, it addresses both sides of the interactive model. High-interest
academic readings and activities provide students with opportunities to draw
upon authentic life experience in their mastery of a wide variety of reading
strategies and skills, including
• previewing
• skimming and scanning
• using context clues to clarify meaning
• finding the main idea
• isolating causes and effects
• categorizing
• interpreting visuals
• describing trends
• making inferences.
• understanding analogies
• analyzing criteria
• analyzing advantages and disadvantages
• identifying ethics and values
• synthesizing information from several sources
• summarizing
• evaluating generalizations

The course optimizes the reciprocal relationship between reading and

vocabulary. Rich vocabulary instruction and practice that targets vocabulary
from the Academic Word List (AWL) provide opportunities for students to
improve their language proficiency and their ability to decode and process
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vocabulary. The course also provides some resources to help students read
well and to use that knowledge to develop both a rich academic vocabulary and
overall academic language proficiency, especially reading skills.

3. COURSE AIMS

The course aims are:

1. Providing students with opportunities to draw upon life experience in their
mastery of a wide variety of reading strategies and skills that include:
previewing, scanning, using contextual clues to get the meaning, finding
the main idea, summarizing and making inferences.
2. Improving the students’ language proficiency and the students’ ability to
decode and process vocabulary.
3. Helping students become independent word learners by encouraging
them to notice and effectively practice new words as they encounter
them.
4. Developing academic proficiency in the students by making them aware
of the reciprocal relationship between reading and vocabulary.

4. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

A. Knowledge:

A.1) demonstrate understanding of any given reading passages by

responding correctly to its tasks and activities whether individually or in
groups.

A.2) illustrate comprehension and active participation in all tasks and activities
to achieve communication with others.

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A.3) demonstrate understanding of the discussed topics and participating in
the discussion

A.4) reveal awareness of appropriate language structures and vocabulary

items suitable for different contexts and situations

A.5) show recognition of the various “meanings” of words to reach a better

understanding of the context and the written word

A.6) exhibit understanding of how language operates at the “word and

language levels”

A.7) enrich their knowledge and vocabulary by referring to other relevant

reading material outside the book.

B. Analytical Skills:

B.1) recite reading passages and articles.

B.2) derive pertinent information from a given passage and/or article.

B.3) reflect and discuss topics of interest.

B.4) process pertinent information and synthesize it in a specialized and

academic way.

B.5) search for and collect specific data related to the topics under
discussion.

B.6) process data and use it in a specialized and academic way.

B.7) analyze different viewpoints regarding the topics under discussion.

B.8) draw conclusions for the discussed topics based on the collected data
and analyzed information.

B.9) expand relevant vocabulary items.

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B.10) be able to decode words and other details of language

B.11) incorporate in writing the words learned in real life scenarios

B.12) improve the analytical and critical thinking skills through the identification
of possible “meanings”

B.13) analyze language functions used and identify useful language

expressions.

B.14) develop their sub-reading skills by practicing reading enrichment and

linking key ideas and terms to diverse academic and professional
contexts.

C. Professional Skills:

C.1) communicate in English orally

C.2) process information on basis of personal knowledge, experience, values
and specialization.
C.3) identify problems in the given topics and providing creative solutions.
C.4) anticipate intentions and suggestions.

C.5) interpret the complex nature of some academic and technical words.

C.6) write essays and research papers to reflect on the given reading
passages.
C.7) give oral presentations using power points, flipcharts, pictures, role
plays, etc. to discuss what has been read orally.
C8.) assess the work done using self/peer-assessment.

D. Transferable Skills:

D.1) enrich vocabulary repertoire through exploring new assigned topics and
writing on those topics

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D.2) develop communicative confidence (as reader and writer), and identify
and use expressions of intensions and mood.

D.3) investigate all available data accurately and raising questions freely.

D.4) humanize relationships successfully through exchanging information,

ideas, opinions, attitudes, feelings, experiences and plans.

D.5) communicate effectively and continuously with the tutor and other
students inside the classroom, during the office hours and online using
LMS forums.

D.6) discuss all posed topics, problems, provided solutions and drawn
conclusions cooperatively.

D.7) apply learned reading strategies and evaluating them in groups and
individually.

D.8) develop effective presentation skills that would minimize stage fright.

D.9) judge the effectiveness of the presentations and written

reflections/comments objectively.

D.10) develop the critical ability to link discussions inside classroom settings
with other academic or professional spaces

5. COURSE TEACHING MATERIALS

The teaching material for EL118 consists of:

1. Online interactive book

2. Hyperlinks in the interactive book for extra activities and materials

3. Link to online recording sessions available on LMS

4. Visual and auditory supplementary material available on CLMS

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6. RESOURCES

1. Two lists of resources are cited separately in the student’s book and in
the instructor’s book.
2. There are 15 references that appear in the student’s book on page ix
under the heading REFERENCES

3. There are 12 references that appear in the instructor’s book on page vii
under the heading REFERENCES.

4. Other helpful websites for comprehension and vocabulary exercises:

a. https://www.myenglishpages.com/english/
reading.php#google_vignette

b. https://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/vocabulary/

c. https://www.english-grammar.at/online_exercises/general-
vocabulary/general-vocabulary-index.htm

7. ASSESSMENT: ASSIGNMENTS & EXAMS

EL118 as a course that examines reading and vocabulary in context is tested in

a written format for reading comprehension and proper vocabulary usage. The
assessment structure comprises two major components:

A) Continuous Assessment:

1) Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) where the student has to apply the
learned reading strategies and vocabulary acquisition within a structured
assignment that is done through two in-class quizzes, and class
presentations of one of the topics discussed in the course book.

2) Mid-term Assessment (MTA) where the student is tested under

invigilated conditions on the reading skills and vocabulary acquisition
covered up to the MTA week.

B) Final Assessment:

Similar to the MTA, the Final Exam is conducted under invigilated

conditions and examines the student’s grasp of the course content.

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 The breakdown of the components of assessment is shown in the
following table:

Form of Assessment Allocated

Components and %

Allocated Marks

1. TMA 20 20%
a. In-class
CONTINUOUS Quiz (1) =
ASSESSMENT 7.5%
b. In-class
quiz (2) =
7.5%
2. In-class
participation 5%

2. MTA 30 30%

FINAL ASSESSMENT FINAL EXAM 50 50%

GRAND TOTAL 100 100%

8. TUTORIALS
The EL118 course is made up of 15 two-hour tutorials of face-to-face interaction
which students have to attend. Given the skill-based nature of this course,
attendance is a must since all the entire class session, will be dedicated to skill
and vocabulary acquisition. In other words, a student has to be physically
present to get the real value and to achieve the learning outcomes of this
course.

Although a student can refer to the interactive book for guidance, there is
absolutely nothing to make up for missing a class where skills are taught. Only
through regular attendance of tutorials can a student make the most out of this
course. Therefore, only full commitment to attending classroom sessions and
active participation will achieve the intended learning outcomes.

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 9. COURSE CALENDAR

EL118 COURSE CALENDAR SPRING 2022/2023

Course book Reading Skills

Week Homework and Self study Assessment

Course Introduction

Unit 1. Reading 1: The Strength to Skimming, Reading 2: Were Humans

1 Survive: Reading 1 Scanning, Outlining Born to Run?

Unit 2. Reading 1: Your Attention, Main ideas, Reading 2: You’re Getting

2 Please Cause/effect Very Sleepy

Annotating/ Reading 2: A Big Gorilla

3 Unit 3. Reading 1: Movie Magic highlighting Started It All

Unit 4. Reading 1:The Power of Reading 2: Guitars: The

4 Music Point of View Quest for Volume

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Unit 5.Reading 1: Sensory Categorizing, Reading 2: Pitch and
Perception Interpreting charts Timbre

Reading Comprehension Exercises Quiz (1) 5%

Suggested Site: A short

comprehensi
https://www.myenglishpages.com/
on text with
english/
reading.php#google_vignette MCQs +
vocabulary
https://englishforeveryone.org/ questions
Topics/Reading-
Comprehension.html

Vocabulary Exercises:

Suggested Site:

www.slido.com
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7 Short Story: The Dinner Party by Reading a short Write a short paragraph
Mona Gardner (Attached) story and describing what you
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 understanding the
main themes and
ideas, highlighting
specific structures
and lexical liked/disliked about the
expressions short story

MTA (30%)

Evaluating
9 generalizations, Write about a time when
Unit 7: Reading 1: Decisions, understanding you made a quick decision
Decisions analogies and regretted it later

Do you think google made

our life easier? Just a short
10 paragraph about the
Unit 8: Reading 1: Searching for Analyzing Criteria, pros/cons of the google
Success Determining degree technology

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Unit 8: Reading 2: Google Analyzing Criteria, Choose a writing Topic
Controversies Determining degree from p. 128

Reading Comprehension Exercises Quiz (2) 10%

Suggested Sites:

https://www.myenglishpages.com/ A short
english/
comprehensi
reading.php#google_vignette
on text with
https://englishforeveryone.org/ MCQs and
Topics/Reading- very short
Comprehension.html subjective
questions +
Vocabulary Exercises: vocabulary
12 Suggested Site: questions

www.slido.com

Analyzing
Advantages and
13 Disadvantages;
Identifying Ethics Reading 1: The Swam Bots
Unit 9: Reading 2: Robots ‘R’ US and Values are Coming, Social Robots

Review Units and Reading

Skills

14 Revision Revision of Skills

15 Final Exam (50%)

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*There are 5 marks allocated to participation and class discussions.

*Note that ALL the target words in the book are included in the final exam.

10. ACTIVITIES

Each of the ten units ends with a section entitled “Writing and Discussion
Topics” that has between two and five topics for discussion on which the
student can practice essay writing and enhance their research skills. The
purpose of this activity is to allow the student to use the words that were learnt
on a particular topic. The course calendar shown above assigns writing and
discussion tasks from those sections and leaves it up to the student to choose
the topic, as the purpose is to put the vocabulary learnt into real usage
(production rather than mere comprehension).

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