Syllabus | Assignments | Tronclass
BEN11505 English Conversation 1
W 8:10-10:00, Rm R0310
Week 1: 9/13 Introductions
Talk about yourself & the class
- Introduction to course. Make groups. Get acquainted.
Week 2: 9/20 Family
Talk about yourself & family
- HW. Write 5 sentences about yourself, four are true and one is not. Share these with classmates and they will guess which is the lie. Bring a picture of yourself/family and prepare to talk about it.
- Presentation 1: Family
Week 3: 9/27 Friendship
Talk about friendship: Introduce a friend.
- HW. Write a short description of a friend. Explain how you met, what you do together, and this person’s personality.
- Presentation 2: Friendship
Week 4: 10/4 Community
Talk about your community
- HW. Print out three pictures of the community or neighborhood you live in and briefly explain each picture. (Local park, your home, your building, the street you live on, special nearby buildings, nearby landmarks, etc.)
- Presentation 3: Community
Week 5: 10/11 College
Talk about college Life (read advice from former students and respond)
- HW. Find advice for college students on the internet. Which advice looks most helpful? Which do you think is least helpful? Explain.
- Presentation 4: College Life
Week 6: 10/18 Technology
Talk about technology. Does it really make life better?
- HW. Think twice about technology in your life? In what ways does it really make your life better and what challenges does it present to you that are difficult to deal with?
- Presentation 5: Technology and people.
Week 7: 10/25 Gender
Talk about gender. How are males and females similar and different?
- HW. In general, are males and females more similar to or different from each other? Explain.
- Sign up for a country (not an East Asian country) to research
- Presentation 6: gender roles
Week 8: 11/1 Midterm Discussions
- Groups of two or three
- Sign up for a time
Week 9: 11/8 Midterm Discussion
- Groups of two or three
- Sign up for a time
Week 10: 11/15 Introduce
Introduce your country.
- HW. Look up detailed information about your county (size, language, culture, geography, population, cities, economy). Write about the most interesting information. (Remember to use your own words!)
- Presentation: Something surprising about your country (1 Minute). 1. Luke, 2. William, 3. Daniel, 4. Jerry H., 5. Vian
Week 11: 11/22 Food
Talk about food in your country
- HW. What do people in your country eat? Write about the typical daily diet of someone in your county. Be prepared to introduce a typical meal (with pictures).
- Presentation: Something surprising about your country (1 Minute). 6. Amy, 7. Jennie, 8. Lydia, 9. Winnie, 10. Lico
Week 12: 11/29 History
Talk about your country’s past
- HW. Write about an important historical event in your country. What happened and why is it important? Prepare to explain much more to classmates than you actually write about.
- Presentation: Something surprising about your country (1 Minute). 11. Amanda, 12. Elaine, 13. Anita, 14. Yvonne, 15. Wendy
Week 13: 12/6 News
Talk about the news in your country
- HW. Write about a current event in your country. What is happening in your country now? What issues are important? How does it appear in the local or international news?
- Presentation: Something surprising about your country (1 Minute). 16. Stella, 17. Athena, 18. Cindy, 19. Jamie, 20. Mandy
Week 14: 12/13 Travel
Talk about travel in your country
- HW. Create a travel brochure for one place in your country. Try to sell a short trip to this place in your country to your classmates. Include information about travel and costs. Bring photos.
- Presentation: Something surprising about your country (1 Minute). 21. Patti, 22. Juliana, 23. Peggy, 24. Anson, 25. James
Week 15: 12/20 Christmas
Talk about Christmas in your country
- HW. Write about an interesting Christmas (or other holiday) tradition from your country.
- Presentation: Something surprising about your country (1 Minute). 26. Elijah, 27 Jerry C., 28. Howard, 29. Annie, 30. Geoffrey, 31. Jessie
Week 16: 12/27 Final Interviews
- Final Interviews
- Say something new about your foreign country
Week 17: 1/03 Final Interviews
- Final Interviews
- Say something new about your foreign country
Week 18: 1/19
- Feedback Day