MODULE CONTENTS AND TEACHER GUIDE
Year 1 – Semester I
4.1 EN 1101: Practical and Professional
Writing I
Nature and functions of written language
Identifying the difference between the
spoken and written English - conventional features of written texts (pair work)
Types of texts and functions: formal /
informal / personal / business / descriptive / narrative / expository /
argumentative / persuasive
Difficulties in writing: hand writing,
spelling, grammar, vocabulary, content, layout
Writing essentials
Provide samples of writing and discuss
the following:
Cohesion-unity of thought / relation
between sentences in a paragraph and paragraphs in a longer text
Clarity- organize writing using a
clear structure, neat ad clear writing / layout
Use punctuations correctly-to signal
sentence structure and to help the reader
Spelling: using dictionaries, word
banks, proof read their writing for errors - style: adapting style of writing
to suit different forms of writing, variety in sentences
Developing a paragraph
Provide different types of paragraphs.
Ask students to find .topic sentence, supporting details, conclusion
Instructions to write different types
of paragraphs, e.g. Put these sentences into the correct order to make a
paragraph
General guidelines for student
portfolios
Introduction: A collection of students‟ work that demonstrates to students and
others their efforts, progress and achievements. Students should have their own
portfolios which can be a file folder.
Purpose:
To collect students‟ writing during the semester.
To provide a tangible record of
writing for assessment
To provide a tangible record of
students‟ writing
progress
Instructions:
Have students date their samples as
they write or revise them.
Identify writing as “first draft”
“revision” or “final copy”
Check each folder regularly so that
specific needs can be addressed as they arise
Encourage students to share their
writing with peers
Writing skills:
Letter writing
Understand the format of a personal
letter and a formal letter
Formal letter - address, date,
designation and address of the person, salutation, underlined subject of the
letter, body of the letter (introduction, reason, request for action)
conclusion, complimentary close, signature, name and address.
Language differences-provide examples,
e.g. I am writing to you regarding…, I wish to inform you…
Practice writing introductions for
letters of request / inquiry / expressing inability to accept an invitation
Personal letters - express happiness /
sorrow / exchanging news e.g. I was very happy to / delighted to / glad to /
hear that…
Practice writing introductions
Practical writing
Make the students write:
Announcements for school / community
event,
Invitations-sports meet, concert, for
a guest speech.
Thank you notes to visitors / speakers
Letters to a sick student / student
who has moved away, etc.
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Help students with the writing process;
planning, drafting, revising, proof reading and presenting
4.2 EN 1102: Advanced Reading Skills I
Nature and purposes of reading
What is Reading: Give two or three
definitions
- “What the brain does in „reading‟ is to make sense of a particular piece
of written language in the light of prior knowledge and current intentions and
expectations of the reader” (Frank Smith 1982. Understanding Reading)
- Interactive process in which the
reader constructs meaning from a particular piece of writing.
What do good readers do when they
read?
Get actively involved with the text to
understand words, syntax, content (intended message)
What is necessary for good reading?
To understand that:
- Reading efficiently means tackling
everyday tasks with a clear purpose.
- Need to adjust reading strategy to
suit the purpose
- Different reading tasks require
different degrees of attention and understanding
- There is a close relationship between
reading and other skills and therefore reading should be integrated with
writing, speaking and listening.
Get students to list the purposes of
reading and the type of texts
- To learn,
- To function in society
- To satisfy personal interests
Reading skills: scanning and skimming:
develop speed reading
Scanning- read rapidly to locate
specific information.
Text types: reading an index,
telephone directory, a dictionary to find a word, a name, a number. reading
notes, messages, letters, news items etc. to find some specific information,
provide opportunities to scan different text types
Skimming: reading to obtain the
general, overall idea / gist of the whole text
- Make students aware of the parts of
the text which contain the most important information and that they should read
only those
- Read the introductory and concluding
paragraphs, the first and the last sentences of the paragraphs in between. Pick
up the key words such as dates, names, wile moving their eyes down the page
- Imposing time limits and comparing the
time required by various students will be a rapid reading technique.
Literal comprehension: understanding
directly stated information
Techniques: fact questions based
directly on the text
- True/false statements
- Completion
- Multiple choice questions
Text types: brochures, information
manuals, letters, news reports, etc.
Oral reading in meaningful units
Provide activities to:
- Read aloud with understanding and
expression, correct phrasing
- Read to an audience and maintain eye
contact
- Adjust reading rate to specific
purposes and materials
Types of activities:
- Sharing a selection with others (e.g.,
a poem in a magazine / a story)
- Dramatic oral reading: part of a story
/ drama etc
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4.3 EN 1103: Listening in English I
Nature of listening and factors that
affect listening
What is listening? Ability to identify
and understand what others are saying, involves understanding a speaker‟s accent / pronunciation/grammar/
vocabulary and grasping the meaning.
Factors that affect listening:
- Get the students to discuss and write
a list in small groups.
- Whole class discussion. Use the
following factors in the discussion:
Listening passage is heard only once,
content usually not well organized, cannot be listened to at a slower speed
(message on radio, on tape), difficult to recognize individual words in the
stream of speech, may contain colloquial words and expression and redundant
utterances: repetitions, false starts, rephrasing, self-corrections,
elaborations, meaningless utterances (e.g. I mean. you know...), no body
language and facial expressions, etc
Extract specific information – selective
listening
Purpose: not to look for global /
general meaning, but to be able to find necessary information. Students listen
for names / dates / certain facts and events / location / situation / context,
etc.
Types of tasks:
- Listen to news. In the work sheet tick
the category to which the news items you hear fall into.
- Listen to announcements e.g. Airline
arrivals and departures. Fill in the flight numbers, destinations, gate
numbers, departure times etc.
Listening for the main idea and specific
details
Types of activities
- Listen and take notes under given
headings
- Listen and answer comprehension check
questions
Text types: Interviews, speeches
(Ref. Headway Intermediate Page 66)
4.4 EN 1104: Effective Communication
Skills I
Conversational routines
Greetings / thanking / apologizing /
complimenting / leave taking etc.
Types of activities: Dialogues /
conversations in different settings (pair and group work) e.g. at the post
office / office / market
Procedure: listen to the dialogue.
Practise it with a partner. Then write their own dialogues and practise saying
them.
Interaction in ‘service’ situations
Enrolling in a school / institute,
obtaining membership in a library / club / association, reserving seats in a
cinema / train / on the plane
Type of activities: role play,
simulation
Functions: request, explain, justify,
and decide,
Functional dialogues
Buying, selling, bargaining,
complaining
Type of activities: role play
Exponents: Can I have…, I would like
to…, I want to change this shirt…,Can I pay by cheque/credit card?
Enact social situations
Situations: Tea / dinner / birth day
party / theatre / bus queue, .etc
Types of activities: simulations,
dialogue between the host/hostess and guests, guests themselves.
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Language focus: welcoming, thanking,
wishing, congratulating, making, making a short speech, informal conversation.
Conversation between persons in a
queue: about the play / film, long queue etc.
Language focus: explain, discuss,
compare, and complain
4.5 EN 1105: Language Structure, Usage
and Linguistics I
Word classes and their grammatical
functions
Open classes: nouns, verbs,
adjectives, adverbs
Closed classes: determiners, pronouns,
prepositions, conjunctions, operator-verbs, interjections, enumerators.
Types of activities: write examples
for each word class
Rationale for word classes in grammar:
Words which belong to one class only can be used in a particular position in a
sentence. Provide examples.
List the differences between the two
types: e.g. open class-thousands of words. Closed classes- limited number
Some words appear under more than one
word class, e.g. „play‟ as noun and
verb, „that‟ as determiner
and conjunction
Types of activities: write sentences
to show how the word „round‟ appears as noun,
verb, adjective, adverb, and preposition.
Elements of grammar
Units of language:
The sentence-a set of words standing on
their own as a sense unit.
Clause – a kind of mini sentence, a set
of words which makes a sense but may not be concluded by a full stop. A
sentence may have only one clause or 2 or more clauses.
The phrase: A shorter unit of one or
more words e.g. noun phrase
Parts of a sentence
Subject (topic), predicate (everything
said about the topic)-give examples
Sentence elements
- Subject, verb, object, complement,
adverbial
- The most common parts of the sentences
- Object may be direct or indirect, the
complement refers to the same thing as the subject,
- Adverbial adds further information
(words, phrases such as, at home, yesterday)
Activities: make sentences using the
clause elements. Analyse their structure.
The simple sentence
A sentence consisting of only one
clause
Clause types: S V, S V O , S V C, S V
O , S V O O , S V O A , (provide examples)
Activities: Indicate to which of the
clause types the given sentences belong to
The simple sentence: questions,
commands, exclamations, negation
Questions - 3 major classes according
to the type of answer expected
- Yes-no questions- operator is placed
before the subject. If there is no operator, ‟do‟
is introduced, e.g. Has the boat left? Does he like Mary?
- Wh- questions:
- Alternative questions-
Commands: Usually has no subject. It
has an imperative finite verb (the base form) of the verb
Exclamations: sentences which have an
initial phrase introduced by „what‟
or „how‟
e.g. What a noise they are making!
Negation: accomplished by inserting
„not‟, n‟t „between the operator and the
predication
Nouns
Noun classes
Differences between count and mass
nouns, regular and irregular nouns, abstract and concrete nouns.
4.6 EN 1106: Vocabulary Development I
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Word formation in English
Adding prefixes and suffixes
- Suffixes: can change the word class
and the meaning of the word
Noun suffixes: -er. writer, -ee,
employee, -tion. Pollution, -ism. Buddhism, -ist. typist, -ness. Goodness
Adjectives: -able. Readable
Verbs: -ize. Modernize
Other suffixes: excitement, flexibility,
childhood, membership, active, useless, forgetful, delicious
Activity: Form nouns / adjectives /
verbs / using the given suffixes, as in the examples. Use the dictionary to
find the meanings.
- Prefixes: often used to give
adjectives a negative or an opposite meaning; uncomfortable, inconvenient,
dissimilar
Activity: List words with other
prefixes, e.g. anti-, auto-, bi-, ex-
Identifying word families
Focus: How word families are developed
from a single root
e.g. part, particle, partition, partly,
partner, participant, particular
Note the stress in each word. Practice
saying the words with correct stress.
e.g. photograph, photography,
photographic
Brainstorm round a word / an idea (word
networks)
Focus: enhancing the vocabulary
Procedure: place a word, e.g. tree in
the centre and think of words connected with it and write them down. Can use a
prefix, a verb, or a noun as a stimulus, e.g. write the adjectives that go with
the noun; river‟
Words with more than one meaning
Focus: find the right word in context
Types of tasks: discuss different
meanings of these words. Make two sentences which give two different meanings.
e.g. book: I bought a story book.
Book a ticket in advance in the
intercity train.
4.7 EN 1107: Practical Phonology
I
Sounds of English: consonants, vowels,
diphthongs
Focus: Be familiar with different
sounds of English
Types of tasks: English has 24
consonants, 12 vowels, and 8 diphthongs. Practice writing them in phonetic
script giving examples. Practice producing them.
Received pronunciation: standard English
Introduction to RP.
Why study RP? It will help a student
to realize what sounds he uses when he speaks. We also need to recognize that
there must be some model for listeners and speakers to work towards. RP is
easily understood in many countries.
Standard Sri Lankan pronunciation and
pronunciation problems of Sri Lankan speakers
What is standard Sri Lankan English?
(Discussion)
Pronunciation problems and the reasons
- Absence of particular vowel and
consonant sounds
- Consonant clusters: school, street
etc.
- Changing of meaning / word class
according to stress
- Intonation patterns
4.8 EN 1108: English Literature I
Brief introduction to English literature
Different genres; short story, novel,
poetry, drama
Sri Lankan literature in English:
brief introduction of the characteristics
Post-colonial literature: an introduction
to writings of African, Indian, Caribbean, Nigerian writers
Poetry
Different forms: ballad, sonnet, ode,
lyric, free verse. A brief explanation of each form.
Different ages: Elizabethan,
Metaphysical, Romantic, Victorian Augustan, modern
Language in poetry
Difference between a novel and a short
story
Introduction to the novel and the
short story
Difference between the two types in
terms of length, characters, themes, setting, plot
Introduction to drama
Short history
Elements of drama: plot, characters,
theme, dialogue, dramatic conventions, stage craft,
Language skills
The following aspects with regard to
prescribed poetry, novels, short story and drama should be dealt with
throughout the literature program
Language skills for appreciation.
Recognizing and appreciating patterns
of syntax
Aspects of cohesion,
Register – levels of formalities,
Language varieties,
Vocabulary,
Inference
Tone, how dialogue and spoken
discourse operates
How and why linguistic patterns
operate in a text
Language skills for production
Expressing opinions / feelings
confidently, giving information clearly
Reading skills
Use reading skills (activities) to
understand the poem / short story / novel / drama
Literary skills
Identifying and understanding the
effect of figurative language-simile, metaphor etc.
Rhyme, rhythm, assonance, alliteration
Content areas
Setting – social / cultural /
political / educational background
Plot structure, character development,
and theme
Teaching poetry
Recommended text
English and American Poetry
- William Shakespeare: 1564-1616 Under
the Greenwood tree (as You like It)
- Thomas Campion : 1567-1620
Rose–cheeked Laura
- Robert Herrick : 1591-1674 To
Daffodils
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- William Wordsworth: 1770-1850 My Heart
Leaps Up, Daffodils
Sri Lankan and Post-colonial Poetry,
- Kamala Wijeratne Musical, Monument
- Nissim Ezekiel Entertainment
- John Pepper Clerk Night Rain
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
feelings / mood / tone, describe characters / events / settings.
Teaching short stories
Recommended text
- Chitra Fernando: Missilin
- Rabindranath Tagore: The Postmaster
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 the novel
Recommended text
- R.K. Narayan The Guide or
- Ediriweera Sarathchandra: The curfew
and the Full Moon
Consider the following aspects
- Narration: 1st person, 3rd person
- Structure: descriptive, narrative,
dialogue, length of the novel
- Plot and parallel plots, sub-plots
- Themes: Unlike a short story a noel
will deal with many themes
- Characters: central, major, minor
Create awareness of the following
Knowledge of the author, period in which
the novel was written / the period of time the novel is focusing
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Type of activities:
- to understand the plot: arranging a
list of jumbled events in order, summarizing a chapter
- to understand the themes: select from
a number of themes etc.
- to understand literary devices and
their effects: analyze selections of texts to identify literary devices
- to express learner‟s views: presentations on issues related
to the novel, writing appreciations, dramatization
- to identify character traits: identify
relationship between the characters and the development of the relationships
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