2nd year 1st semester syllabus

Year 2 – Semester I

4.21 EN 2101: Practical and Professional Writing III

Professional writing

 Text Types: business letters, reports of discussions, meetings, summarizing, filling in forms (e.g. library membership)

 Focus: use formal and impersonal language

 Writing reports: e.g. you are the secretary of the senior literary society. Write the annual report giving an account of the activities of the society during the year

 Present a model with an activity. e.g. Read the following report and fill in the blanks with the words given below.

Imaginative writing

 Write imaginary dialogues and act them out. e.g. Explaining about a broken window, a conversation between a mosquito and a dog

 Provide a new ending to a familiar story

 Use 3 or 4 familiar objects and get students to write an incident / situation involving them.

Writing poetry

e.g. five-line poem (cinquain) in which the lines are arranged by word/syllable.

Line 1: title 2 syllables or 1word

Line 2: description of the title 4 syllables or 3words

Line 3: action bout the title 6 syllables or 3 words

Line 4: feeling about the title 8 syllables or 4 words

Line 5: synonym for the title 2 syllables or 1 word

Syllable cinquain word cinquain

Water Kittens

Frothy, bubbling Soft, cuddly

Tumbling, twisting, turning Playing, purring, pouncing

Roaring like a fierce lioness Giving joy and happiness

River Babies

- Brochures, advertisements- on presenting a case influencing the reader. e.g. Imagine a local radio station has asked you to write a one-minute commercial advertising a new product.

Imaginative writing

 Text types: plays, stories, poems, autobiographies, imaginary situations

 Focus: creative use of language. Provide questions/pictures to stimulate writing.

- Provide the beginning; An old man sat o a bench in the park watching children playing…

- Provide the ending: …I told you it was a joke

- Supply captions or titles as starting points. These can be taken from news papers. e.g. Boy saved from drowning.

- Imaginary situations: If I were a parent…

Persuasive and argumentative writing

 Writing skills: giving reasons: e.g. why do people gamble/become vegetarians/keep pets/enjoy watching violet films? (Ref: Language in Use: Upper-Intermediate. Classroom Book.Page40, 50)

67

 Text types: letters to the editor of a newspaper, articles, letters conveying opinions: Brochures, advertisements

- Letters to the editor- Provide opportunities to read and collect different letters from newspapers. Discuss structure, reason/argument/request etc. Get students to write their own letters to the editor. Provide the topic and guidelines; help them in planning, writing and redrafting.

Drama and writing

 Text types: write dialogues appropriate to specific situations on different themes and act them out. e.g. buying, selling, bargaining, apologizing, complaining, persuading, arguing, and giving directions. (group tasks)

 Write and act out well-known tales, e.g. folk stories

4.22 EN 2102: Advanced Reading Skills III

Making inferences - understanding indirectly stated ideas and information

 Students are required to interpret or „read between the lines‟ in order to make inferences. It involves students combining their literal understanding of the text with their personal knowledge and intuitions.

 Types of activities: what do you think? e.g. What kind of person wrote this article? Why do you think so? What evidence is there in the passage for the following statements?

Understanding the organization of the text

 Focus: practice in recognizing how sentences are joined together to make paragraphs, how paragraphs form the passage, and how this organization is signified.

 Types of activities:

- In the passage, a number of sentences are missing. Read it through and decide where the sentences given below should go.

- The following sentences are taken from 4 brochures of exhibitions. Separate the 4 texts and match them with the brochure titles.

 Discuss common organizational patterns providing sample texts. e.g. cause-effect, sequence of events, describing a process, analogy and contrast, classification, argument and logical organization etc.

 Types of activities:

- Identify textual connectors in different texts, e.g. cause (e.g. was caused by) effect (e.g. led to)

- Sequencing expressions: at first, then, as soon as, when, an hour later

Reading skills: understanding complex sentences

 Focus: practice in seeing how long sentences which have a complicated style (e.g. a main clause and a number of subordinate clauses) can be simplified

 Types of activities:

- Look at the following sentences and punctuate them. Read them to another student, pausing in suitable places. Then answer the questions (wh-questions on each sentence)

- Identify the clauses and phrases in a complex sentence.

Critical reading to evaluate a text

 This includes literal comprehension and interpretation but it goes beyond both. The reader has to consider what, why and for whom the author has written. The reader also has to recognize the strengths and weaknesses, distinguish opinion from facts, evaluate and pass personal judgment on the quality, the value, the accuracy and the truthfulness of what is read.

 Text types: political and academic essays, advertisements, news items, editorials, cartoons etc

68

4.23 EN 2103: Listening in English III

Telephone conversations

 Focus: recognize discourse marks/cohesive devices, understanding different intonation patterns and use of stress which give clues to meaning and social setting.

 Types of activities:

- Listening to interactional (social) and transactional (obtain and provide information) conversations and responding to tasks based on them

- Taking part in telephone conversations and responding appropriately.

Using songs for listening

Provide short lessons on vocabulary and grammar followed with different listening activities; e.g. Fill-in-the-blank task with the past tense verbs they hear.

Problem solving tasks

Students hear all the information relevant to a particular problem and then set themselves to find solutions

Story – based techniques

 Activities: Listen and expand the outline-students listen and write the story while the teacher describes expanding the story as instructed.

e.g. The Unicorn

The husband woke up and looked out of the window (describe the husband)

He saw a unicorn eating a lily in the garden (describe the garden) and so on…..

Ref. Morgan John and Rinvoluori 1990,’Once upon a time’

 Types of texts: The best sort of story for this task is a one that can be easily reduced to 5 or 6 sentences. It should be unfamiliar to students.

4.24 EN 2104: Effective Communication Skills III

Conducting and participating in meetings

 Preparing for the meeting; selecting the office-bearers, writing the agenda, minutes

 Practicing appropriate strategies for opening and closing

 Conducting the meeting with whole-class participation

Planning, organizing and participating in social situations

 Focus: how to use conversation for both transactional and interactional purposes, in different social settings and for different social encounters.

 Types of activities: plan, organize and participate in a variety entertainment, „shramadana‟ campaign, picnic etc.

Interviewing different people

 Focus: strategies for managing turn-taking in conversation, how to use a casual style of speaking and a neutral or more formal style.

 Taking notes, preparing reports / articles and presenting them.

 Types of activities:

- Interviewing a lottery winner / a tourist on his impressions of the country / a housewife about the cost of living / a director of a corporation etc.

- Simulation: journalists from different media interview Miss. Sri Lanka

69

Planning and organizing debates and participating in them

 Focus: how to initiate and continue a talk on a topic, how to present counter-arguments

 Procedure: 3 groups - a) proponents, b) opponents, c) judges

Stages:

- All 3 groups pre – debate preparation

- Groups a and b-opening arguments

- Groups a and b - counter arguments

- Group c - announce results with comments

- Write an essay balancing the views of both sides

4.25 EN 2105: Language Structure, Usage and Linguistics III

The verb phrase

 The structure of the verb phrase

 Tense, aspect, voice, modality

 Label the tense, aspect and voice of the verb phrases.

e.g. was teaching-past tense, progressive aspect, active voice

Adjectives

 Characteristics of adjectives

 Functions of adjectives:-

- Attributive, predicative functions

- As the head of the noun phrase

 Position of adjectives

 Adjective phrases

Adverbs and adverbials

 Difference between adverbs and adverbials: adverb-word class, adverbial- a clause element

 Functions of adverbs

 Adverbials: adverbs (quickly), prepositional phrases (with a pencil), noun phrases (this morning)

 Semantic classes of adverbials: adverbials of manner / time / place.

 Syntactic classes of adverbials: adjuncts, disjuncts, conjuncts

Social influence on language use

 Language and accent

 Registers: linguistic varieties that are linked to occupations, professions or topics

e.g. the register of law, the register of medicine

 Dialects: regional variations of language

 Idiolect: the speech of one person at one time in one style

The good language learner

 The qualities / learning strategies of a good language learner

 Implications of good language learner studies for language learning.

70

4.26 EN 2106: Vocabulary Development III

Specialist registers: grouping words together

 Focus: learning sets of connected words e.g. sports / food / work, etc and specialist registers (Words belonging to a particular field; e.g. medicine, law etc.)

Dictionary work: finding and exploring meanings: finding the correct entry in a dictionary

 Focus: understand that the same word belongs to different word classes.

 Types of activities:

- Look at the word „limp‟ in the dictionary and answer the questions.

How many entries are there for the word?

In which word classes are they used?

How many meanings are given for the adjective „limp”?

 Understanding definitions: select the word that each definition describes. Check your answer in a dictionary.

e.g. To walk slowly and noisily without lifting your feet. Limp, hobble, shuffle

Foreign words in English

 Focus: to be familiar with different varieties of English, British, American, Indian,

British English words ending in -our, -re and –ise, usually end in -or, -er and –ize in American English. Students find examples. Check answers in a dictionary.

 Read a few American stories / poems / magazines. List common American English words and their British English equivalents.

e.g. sidewalk- pavement, elevator-lift, apartment- flat.

Words related to worldwide problems

 Focus: becoming familiar with the words connected with disasters/tragedies, verbs connected with these words and words for people involved in disasters

 Types of activities:

- Brainstorm round the words, disasters / tragedies. List the words such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, explosions, volcanoes, epidemics.

Finding the meaning and writing them

- Look for the verbs associated with these words and make sentences.

e.g. A volcano has erupted in Indonesia. Hundreds are feared dead.

- Look for words for people involved in disasters/tragedies

e.g. The explosion / typhoon / flood resulted in 300 casualties (dead and injured)

4.27 EN 2107: Practical Phonology III

Articulatory system and organs of speech

 Places of articulation and manner of articulation-how the speech organs work in English

 For sound information it may help to use a sketch of the mouth and describe the pronunciation of sounds in terms of lips, tongue, teeth etc.

Stress in sentences

 In sentences usually content words and function words are stressed – names, nouns, numbers, main verbs, adverbs, adjectives, question words, demonstratives, negatives. words such as articles. Pronouns, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions, relative pronouns, „be‟ forms, modals are unstressed.

71

 Types of activities

Listen to the conversations. Note where the stress comes. Practice saying them.

A. Where shall we meet? A. Where are you going?

B. At the station. B. to town to buy a dress

Identifying reduced forms of ‘be’

 Practice activities:

- Listen to the tape / teacher.

Unstressed Stressed

I‟m, she‟s, they‟re, he was, we were I am, she is, they are, he was, we were

- Use them in sentences and practice saying them.

- Read the given text / sentences. Underline the forms of “be”. Decide whether they are stressed or unstressed. Put a circle around the stressed words.

Recording and comparing own pronunciation with taped model.

Focus: learning to speak correctly and clearly.

4.28 EN 2108: English Literature III

Teaching poetry

 Recommended text

English and American Poetry

- Alfred Lord Tennyson:1809-1892 Charge of the light Brigade

- Wilfred Owen:1893-1918 Dulce Et Decorum Est.

- Zigfrid Sassoon:1886-1967 How to Die

- William Shakespeare:1564-1616 Let me not to the Marriage of True Minds, Nor Marble nor the Gilded Monument

- John Donne:1572-1631 The Good Morrow:

Sri Lankan and Post-colonial Poetry,

- Patrick Fernando Fisherman Mourned by his Wife

- Derek Walcott Far Cry from Africa

 Consider the following aspects

- Genre: e.g. sonnet, lyric etc

- Background: age, cultural / social setting

- Form: e.g. 3 quatrains and a couplet

- Structure: e.g. 1st 3 quatrains express 3 different ideas, each growing out of the preceding Idea; argument is tied up in the couplet.

- Theme: futility of war, love, beauty of nature, etc.

- Techniques: e.g. use of imagery, repetition, simile, etc.

 Types of activities:

Select tasks which match the cognitive level of the students, which is more developed than the language level. Activities which assist in understanding difficult language will bridge the gap between language level and text level. Activities should aim at developing the following aspects with regard to each poem.

- Understanding the meaning: pre-text task, Introduction to key words, Prediction activities, reorganizing / matching / comparing / scanning activities.

- Understanding the context:

- Learning to empathize: power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person‟s feelings‟ character / events / scenes

- Learning to appreciate the poem: figurative language, theme, genre, words, sounds

- Learning to be creative express feeling s/ mood / tone, describe characters / events / settings.

72

Teaching short stories

 Recommended text

- Saki: Open Window

- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Dying Detective

-

 Draw attention of the students to the following aspects

- Setting: How does the writer establish social / cultural background?

- Plot: how does the writer develop the plot / organize incidents / develop the problem or conflict as the story progresses / the climax of the story / what happens after the climax.

- Characters: How are the characters developed? What does the story tell us about their appearance / qualities? How do they contribute to the development of the plot and to present the theme?

- Structure: Point of view, narrative, use of dialogue etc

- Language: the kind of language the writer has used

- Techniques: symbolism, stream of consciousness, flashbacks etc.

Teaching drama

 Recommended text

- Arthur Miller: The Death of a Salesman or

- Bernard Shaw: The Arms and the Man

 Draw attention to the following aspects

- Background to the drama

- Genre: Comedy, tragedy

- Theatre conventions: props, structure, props, lighting, costume, sounds, asides, soliloquy, chorus

- Themes

- Development of the plot: exposition, initial incident, rising action / growth / complication, the climax / crisis / turning point, falling action / resolution / denouement, conclusion or catastrophe

- Development of the characters

- Significance of language: blank verse, poetry, colloquial

4.29 EN 2109: Computer Assisted Language Learning II

Working with video

Introduce the idea of using short video clips from websites for creative speaking and writing tasks.

Computer conferencing-network with other students

Transmit information from one computer to another e.g. composition writing: thinking about content, planning how to write

Computer adaptive programs

Expose to programs that have been adapted based on text books which offer lexical and grammatical information at predicted points of difficulty.

Computer adaptive testing

Exposure to standard tests which are computer-based., which help to gauge the test taker‟s level as the responses are made. During the early items, right and wrong items are electronically analyzed in order to present later items from a bank of possible items.

73

4.30 EN 2110: English Language Teaching Methodology I

The good language teacher

 What is good language teaching?

 The diverse roles and responsibilities of a successful teacher, discuss under 4 main categories: 1. Source of expertise 2. Source of advice 3. Management roles 4. Facilitator of learning

Classroom management

 Classroom organization: physical environment of the classroom, sight, sound comfort, seating arrangements, chalkboard use, equipment, teacher‟s voice and body language

 Management during the lesson

Classroom language

 Language for social interaction, e.g. why is Rohan absent?

 Language for classroom organization-maintaining discipline

 Language of instruction, e.g. get into groups of four. Listen to me please.

Questioning techniques

 Purpose of teacher‟s questions: 1. Opportunity / impetus to produce language, 2. Initiate chain reaction and speech interaction, 3. Immediate feedback about student comprehension, i.e. teacher can use student responses to diagnose linguistic or content difficulties, 4. to provide a model for language thinking

 Type of questions: have been classified according to different criteria: 1. What kind of thinking is involved-plain recall, analysis, evaluation, 2. Genuine or display questions, 3. Closed or open, 4. Convergent / divergent questions

 Criteria for effective questioning: 1. Clarity, 2. Learning value, 3. Interest, 4. Availability, i.e. can most of the students try to answer it, 5. Extension – does it invite and encourage extended and varied answers, 6. Teacher reaction. Are the learners sure that their responses will be related to with respect

Pair and group work

 Importance of pair and group work in TESL

 Selecting appropriate group techniques, difference between the two types, e.g. pair work: short, linguistically simple, quite controlled in terms of the structure of the task.

 Planning group work

Teaching aids

 Advantages of using teaching aids

 Types of teaching aids: low technology and high technology

 Effective use of teaching aids in the classroom

4.31 EN 2111: Business English I

Business writing: letters, memos, faxes

 Layout and style of business letters, opening, ending

 Reading different business letters, faxes, and memos. Discuss merits and de-merits, the kind of impression they give the readers. List characteristics of a good letter.

 Planning and drafting letters / memos, emails, faxes

 Types of activities: 1. as the marketing manager of a company write a letter to a branch manager confirming the arrangements discussed over the phone, regarding a meeting with the sales executives.

74

Jobs and careers

Applying for a job, writing a resume, covering letter, letters of introduction and reference

Over the phone

 Making a phone call to another company,

- Practice useful phrases in context, e.g. I‟d like to speak to…., I‟m afraid he‟s in a meeting / not in the office.

- Role play conversations with a partner

 Taking a message: different ways of noting down messages,

 Ordering and negotiating over the phone, simulations, draft a follow-up fax to the buyer confirming your call and what you agreed on.

Placing and acknowledging an order, making / replying enquiries

 Make enquiries about a product over the phone, place an order, fax an acknowledgement.

 Answering enquiries: 1. Read the advertisement about the product, 2. Prepare an answer to an enquiry by letter / fax / phone or person.

 The following points should be included in your reply

1. Thank the customer for the interest in your products, 2. Say how the product is suitable for customer‟s needs, 3. Say that you are sending / giving a catalogue, price list, advertising literature, etc., 4. Explain hoe he can get hands-on experience, 6. Offer to send samples, 7. State the location of the distributor‟s showroom near his address

Dealing with problems: complaining, apologizing

 Expressions used to make complaints without sounding rude or aggressive, e.g. “I‟m sorry to have to say this but …” “I think you may have forgotten…”

 Apologizing, e.g. “sorry, my fault”, “I‟m very sorry I didn‟t realize…”

 Replying a complaint: situations-order has not arrived, I was charged more…, the order was for 80 boxes containing 144 items in each, Each box we have opened so far contains only 100 items.

Job interviews

 Practice using polite and clear speech for greeting / introducing / apologizing / asking for information / thanking / leaving

 Read different dialogues .Answer questions based on them. Enact them in class.

 Write a dialogue between the applicant and the interviewer and enact it. Then reverse the roles

4.32 EN 2112: Journalism I

Language for writing journals

Looking at different news items in news papers and journals. Examine them under the following headings: vocabulary, sentence structure, prose style, organization. Discussion

News writing style

 What characteristics does good writing demonstrate? Discuss the following under two headings. Authoring (creating document) and crafting (actual writing)

- Authoring: a sense of the audience and style (appropriateness), a sense of purpose (content), a sense of direction (developing the ideas)

- Crafting: organization-clear and in a logical manner, using the conventions-spelling, lay out, gestting the grammar correct, varied sentence structure, linking ideas in different ways, having a good range of vocabulary

Writing news reports

 Familiarization with headlines of different news items, sub-head/s, straight news, lead. Writing in the third person point of view

 Planning, drafting, revising, re-drafting, publishing

75

Feature styles

 How feature writing differs from „straight‟ news. Examine the two types, can slip into 1st person point of view, making the piece of writing more personal.

 List characteristics of different feature articles

Crafting a news story

 Focus: how parts are linked together through cohesive devices, how sentence structures can vary to develop meaning, the role that is played by punctuation.

 Use a checklist which focus on the overall content and organization Answer these questions.

- Audience: who is your audience? What interest do they have in the subject? What do they already know about this subject?

- Purpose: What do you want to accomplish by wring this news item / feature article? Is it to entertain / educate / inspire them to do something / help them understand something new / see something from a new point of view / change their minds about something?

- Writing stage: write main idea in a complete sentence, ask your self, Is it clear to you / your audience? Write support material. Ask yourself, do you need to be more specific / develop any idea more? Does your discussion move smoothly? Analyze your conclusion.