Freshman English Conversation
BEN10102 & NEN10103
103b Assignments
Weekly Writing
This conversation class depends on your preparation. Each week, you have an assignment to complete to find and prepare information and ideas to share and discuss. Most important, is the preparation you do in your own mind, and writing down your thoughts helps you to better work through your own ideas and prepare better for speaking.
Each week, your written work is due at the beginning of class and should be placed on the teacher's desk as you enter the room. If you feel that you need what you wrote to help you speak during the class, you may make an extra copy for yourself. I will return your paper the following week with very brief comments.
Midterm Talk Shows
For your midterm this semester, you will perform an English talk show in front of the class. You can imitate the style of any popular talk or come up with your own ideas. One group member is the host while others are guests. You can be yourself, act like a particular famous person, or play another sort of role. Your talk show should have a theme/topic that guides your conversations. You can choose to involve your audience if you like. If you want to include pre-recorded video, that is welcome.
The topic should allow guests to talk a lot about something they know and to be able to talk between themselves in addition to back and forth with the host.
Some topic ideas
- People react to recent news. Each guest is a witness or expert of some sort.
- Guests all have a similar situation, such as recovering from an unhealthy relationship
- Guests may have similar experience, such as travel experiences or school experiences
- Guests are all authors of recent best-sellers.
Teach the class
- Each group will have a turn to determine the topic for one class section and help to teach the class.
- This includes prepare materials and activities for students to do.
- If you wish for the class to read an article or do something else to prepare for the class, give that information to students the week before your presentation.
- Tell me your group’s topic before the midterm.
- You are not solely responsible for this. Talk with me about your ideas at least two weeks before your turn. Generally, I will control the class for the first hour, and your group will control the class for the second hour.
- Each group (or representatives from your group) should make an appointment to meet with me in my office 2-3 weeks before your group teaching day.
Some things to consider.
- Topic or theme for the class
- Questions for discussions
- Activities students can do
- articles students should read before the class
- Handouts can be given out in class
- Games can be played
Final Interviews
These are similar to last semester. Each interview is conducted individually in my office within 10 minutes.
Remember that it's important to
- make clear and specific points.
- talk more in depth about few topics than say a little about many things
- give clear examples to show what you really mean
- demonstrate that you really know something about your topic
- show that you can speak naturally and clearly making meaningful points
- These are the tree main criteria for evaluation
- Content: depth & detail
- Fluency: ability to keep talking without pauses, pronunciation, intonation
- Language: Word choice & grammar (accuracy & sophistication)
- The chart below provides more detail.
Grading reference for Oral exams, both midterm and final
Score |
In General |
1. Content: Depth & Detail |
2. Fluency
|
3. Grammar |
4. Vocabulary |
9-10 |
Easy to understand and subtleties expressed well. |
Makes meaningful, insightful and relevant points. |
Few pauses. Can easily speak at length. Can naturally link ideas together to speak in depth. |
Uses a variety of sentence structures, including simple and complex sentences. Verb tenses, etc. |
Uses a variety of words accurately and precisely. |
7-8 |
Small errors do not cause problems with understanding |
Good ideas, but not always explained in detail |
Few pauses, can speak at length, not always easy to connect ideas |
A variety of sentence structures and lengths with errors that don't cause trouble for understanding |
Uses good words to express ideas. |
5-6 |
Understandable with a little effort |
Makes general points but seldom explains deeply or gives meaningful examples. |
More pauses to search for words and. Sometimes restates rather than develops ideas. |
Mostly simple sentences. Complex sentences often have errors. |
Can express meaning but sometimes words are not accurate. |
3-4 |
Understandable with much effort |
The points made are understandable, but not explained. |
Difficulty speaking at length. Longer pauses and short statements that are not always logically connected |
Most sentences have errors making understanding somewhat difficult. |
Word choices sometimes cause confusion. |
1-2 |
Mostly difficult to understand. |
It is difficult to undertstand what points are being made. |
Short answers to direct questions. Little or no elaboration. |
Few sentences without errors making comprehension very difficult. |
Word choices frequently cause confusion. |
|
