Course Description
This course is for students who wish to upgrade their reading and writing skills for personal, educational and/or employment purposes. The course focuses on extending reading and writing skills to improve confidence and develop basic proficiency in reading and writing. Course activities will include reading at Canadian Language Benchmark Levels 3 and 4 and writing at Canadian Language Benchmark Level 3. The reading and writing practice will also provide opportunities for language skill development including grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary.
Course Content
Reading Skills
- Identify key information in descriptive and narrative texts.
- Identify purpose, topic and key information in simple business/service texts (eg. brochures, notices, flyers).
- Get gist, key information, and important details from short personal notes, letters, and email messages.
- Locate specific information in formatted texts (eg. forms, tables, schedules, bills).
- Understand simple maps and diagrams.
- Follow 1-5 step common everyday instructions and instructional texts.
- Scan for details (eg. numbers).
- Determine meanings of unfamiliar words in course materials.
- Begin to use an English-English dictionary.
- Guess meaning from context.
Writing Skills
- Write informal personal messages (e.g. Invitations or personal requests).
- Fill out simple forms (e.g. a library card application, an emergency contact form)
- Copy short texts (e.g. from dictionaries or textbooks) to complete tasks or learn information (e.g. record a dictionary definition).
- Write short informal descriptions of people or daily routines.
- Write short informal personal narratives.
- Write informally about present and past events.
- Keep a journal.
Accuracy
For explicit instruction and evaluation:
- Verb tenses (simple present, simple past, simple future).
- Basic parts of speech and basic sentence parts.
- Simple sentences.
- Simple spelling, capitalization and punctuation conventions (period, question mark).
Classroom Skills
- Take responsibility for the following:
- Attendance and punctuality.
- Classwork and assignments.
- Participation and teamwork, collaboration in groups and decision-making.
- Follow instructions, communicate with peers and instructors and ask for clarification.
- Show an awareness of cultural differences and general features of their culture and the world.
Learning Activities
Whole and small group instruction will be combined with individual assistance and student-directed learning. Students will participate in the setting of goals by identifying their communicative and language developments needs and will participate in the selection of learning activities. Students will receive assistance with difficulties arising from lack of familiarity, structure, lexicon and cultural content. The instructor will facilitate, observe, and evaluate students’ participation in classroom activities. Students will discuss personal rights and social responsibilities in their area of study, intended occupations and personal life; this may depend on course materials used.
Means of Assessment
- Complete assigned skill-development tasks
- Copy text clearly and accurately, including capitals, lower case and punctuation
- Write at least two short informal compositions that meet instructor specified criteria for content, organization, language use, accuracy and format. These assignments could include the following:
- describing a partner or daily routine.
- writing a story from a set of pictures in present or past tense.
- writing a short, informal invitation.
- Fill out a simple form such as a membership application (e.g., library, video store) or an emergency information form (e.g. hospital)
- Complete quizzes, both skill and content-based
- Maintain a personal journal
- In student-teacher conferences, identify their own strengths and weaknesses as communicators
- Complete at least one self-assessment of learning strategies, progress and classroom skills to be discussed with the instructor
Student achievement will be assessed using the mastery grading system in accordance with college policy.
Learning Outcomes
Overall Objective
Extend fluency and confidence in reading and writing for a range of personal, educational, and/or employment purposes.
Specific Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Read and understand short text, materials on familiar topics about daily life and experience to obtain information and expand vocabulary.
- Demonstrate ability to write about everyday needs.
- Monitor and apply strategies to improve accuracy in grammar, sentence structure and word choice to a specified level of accuracy.
- Participate effectively in a college class.
- Assess progress.
Textbook Materials
Students may be required to purchase a textbook to be determined by instructor.