Listening and Speaking Skills for Upper Intermediate Students of English as an Additional Language

Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Department
English Language Learning and Acquisition
Course Code
ELLA 0750
Credits
6.00
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
20
Method Of Instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
This is an integrated listening and speaking course for students who wish to upgrade their listening and speaking skills for personal, educational and/or employment purposes. Activities will help students understand and communicate effectively in a variety of settings. Emphasis will be on participating in extended communicative situations. Students will continue to develop language skills, including grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation elements.
Course Content

Listening

Follow conversations and discussions, informal reports, presentations and talks (up to 15 minutes in length), and instructions (10-12 steps).

  • Use pre-listening techniques to prepare for a listening task.
  • Make predictions about content before and during listening activity.
  • Identify the purpose, topic, main ideas, supporting ideas, factual details and implied meanings.
  • Identify rhetorical discourse markers and patterns of chronological order and sequence, condition, result, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect.
  • Identify fact and opinion.
  • Recognize conversational gambits/functional language.
  • Recognize a range of registers and styles.
  • Refer to pre-listening and reference materials, and use context clues (e.g., definitions, examples, restatements) to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases.
  • Take simple notes.

Listen for discrete items including from online course materials and selected internet archives.

  • Listen for specific information (e.g., place or company names, categories, statistics).
  • Listen for specific pronunciation elements (e.g., word stress, thought groups, rhythm and intonation, final sounds, reductions).
  • Write from dictation.
  • Transcribe speech.
  • Complete graphs from listening tasks.

Use study skills.

  • Use notes to prepare for quizzes.

Use software and online resources for listening assignments and to communicate with instructor and classmates.

 

Speaking

Prepare for and give formal and informal presentations (up to 10 minutes in length).

  • Provide necessary information according to assignment.
  • Develop and outline introduction, development and conclusion.
  • Integrate multiple pieces of information coherently.
  • Use  pictures and other visuals (simple graphs, charts and tables) to support presentation.
  • Use appropriate discourse markers.
  • Use a range of appropriate nonverbal clues and signals such as eye contact and body language.
  • Adapt speaking style and register to different audiences and situations.
  • Use rhetorical styles to show cause/effect, comparison/contrast and chronological order.

Prepare and participate in small group discussions and interviews.

  • Introduce a topic; change topic.
  • Request/give opinions, advice, suggestions, warnings or recommendations.
  • Agree/disagree appropriately.
  • Ask follow-up questions to keep conversation going.
  • Summarize/paraphrase information and ideas to clarify and confirm understanding.
  • Report main points of a contribution by someone else.
  • Hold the floor, share the floor, and thank others for their contributions and information.
  • Interrupt appropriately.
  • Give instructions on how to do something.

Participate in impromptu talks.

  • Talk on spontaneous topics and under timed conditions.
  • Give feedback to other students which can include suggestions, recommendations and advice.

Participate in social conversations (face-to-face, on the phone, or via digital media) to express/respond to appreciation, make complaints, express satisfaction, dissatisfaction and hopes.

  • Use short expressions to open, close and extend conversation.
  • Ask follow-up questions to keep conversation going.
  • Change the topic appropriately.

In all of the above tasks, practice using appropriate pronunciation (individual sounds, reductions, linking, intonation, rhythm, etc.)

 

Reading and Writing

Read to prepare for, support, and extend listening and speaking skills.

  • Follow written assignment instructions.
  • Use pre-reading techniques.
  • Recognize purpose and/or issue, overall key idea, main ideas, and key details.
  • Follow sequences of information and ideas.
  • Use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words.
  • Use readings as background material for listening and speaking tasks.
  • Write reflectively.
  • Write with a specified level of accuracy to extend speaking skills.
  • Write notes, dictations, outlines, interview questions and answers, reports and summaries.
  • Use written materials in listening and speaking tasks (e.g., informal reports).

Accuracy

For explicit instruction and evaluation:

 1. Grammar and Sentence Structure:

  • Correctly form and use simple past, past continuous, present perfect and present perfect continuous tenses; use these tenses in appropriate ways (event before now with unspecified time, frequency and length of experience) using appropriate time markers.
  • Correctly form and use basic reported speech (including tense changes, questions and instructions).
  • Correctly form and use basic modals to express advice, obligation, and possibility.
  • Correctly form and use basic infinitives and gerunds.
  • Identify and correct plural/singular errors with frequently used count and non-count nouns.
  • Correctly form and use adverb clauses and basic conditional sentences.
  • Expand the range of connectors to join ideas.
  • Identify and correct errors in word order.

2. Vocabulary

  • Use an expanded range of  concrete, abstract and technical language related to every day topics.
  • Identify and correct errors in word forms (nouns, adjectives, adverbs).

3. Pronunciation

  • Apply pronunciation elements such as individual sounds, word stress, thought groups, tone, rhythm and intonation.

4. Register

  • Identify and use a range of different styles and registers appropriate for formal and informal everyday audiences and situations.

Self-monitor for accuracy:

  • Apply knowledge of parts of speech, word choice, register, sentence elements, specified sentence types and mechanics as specified for this and previous levels to identify and correct errors.

 

Classroom Skills

Take responsibility for the following:

  • attendance and punctuality,
  • class work and assignments,
  • participation and teamwork,
  • group work – take turns as leader, reader, recorder and group presenter.

Use common software to communicate and to complete simple information management tasks such as to word process assignments, send emails, or sign into myDouglas or Blackboard.

Methods Of Instruction

The instructor will facilitate, observe and evaluate students’ participation in communicative 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 development needs, and will participate in the selection of learning activities.

Means of Assessment

Student achievement will be assessed using the mastery system in accordance with College policy. Evaluation will be based on CLB and instructor specified criteria. Mastery will be granted to students who achieve an average of 70% on the following portfolio items for both listening and speaking.  For final evaluation at the end of term, student portfolios will contain at least six listening tasks and six speaking tasks; some tasks may be a combination of both skills.

Evaluation will include, but may not be limited to, the following tasks.

Listening

Listen to and understand at least two academic style listening texts (each up to 15 minutes in length) such as a short academic lecture, presentation, college announcement or informal talk.

Complete at least one listening and note-taking activity (up to 10 minutes in length).

Listen to and understand at least one short group interaction, discussion or meeting such as an interview, college club meeting, or student project meeting.

Assessment criteria for the above tasks may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Identify factual details, main ideas and supporting details.
  • Make inferences.
  • Identify rhetorical discourse markers and patterns of chronological order and sequence, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect.
  • Identify facts and opinions.
  • Interpret factual information, explanations and opinions.

Listen to and understand at least one set of directions or instructions (10-12 steps) such as an instructor’s directions on how to complete a certain assignment, a brief campus safety presentation (e.g., what to do in certain situations), or recorded instructions on how to register for classes, join the student union or find information about college clubs. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Follow sequence markers, cohesive devices (connecting words, reference, parallel structure, substitution) or other linguistic clues to infer order of steps.
  • Seek clarification and confirmation if needed.
  • Respond with actions to directions and instructions.

Listen to and understand at least one listening text intended to influence or persuade such as an advertisement or short debate. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Identify the purpose, main ideas and factual details.
  • Identify implied meanings.
  • Identify the functions of utterances (such as requests and reminders).
  • Follow discourse indicators signaling cause and effect, condition and result.
  • Interpret requests, reminders, orders and pleas.
  • Predict consequences and outcomes.

Listen to and understand at least one social interaction in which someone is expressing or responding to gratitude, hopes, appreciation, complaints, disappointment, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, approval or disapproval. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Identify implied meanings and stated and unspecified details.
  • Identify language functions.
  • Identify formal and casual style and register.
  • Understand the intent of the expressions and the responses.
  • Identify emotional state, mood and attitude from tone and intonation.
  • Interpret feelings such as gratitude, hope and appreciation.
  • Identify situation and relationship between speakers.

 

Speaking

Give at least one short formal presentation (up to 10 minutes) such as a poster or power point presentation to tell a story, or to describe, compare or contrast in detail two events or procedures. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Present information using connected discourse.
  • Use an introduction, development and conclusion.
  • Use connective words and phrases correctly.
  • Provide clear and detailed descriptions and comparisons.
  • Show developing awareness of appropriate eye contact, body language, volume and rate.

Give at least one set of instructions or directions for a technical or non-technical task, procedure or process such as how to apply/register for college courses or programs, how to use Blackboard or MyDouglas, or how to research information on the Internet for a class project. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Use correct sequence of steps.
  • Use clear reference and provide necessary details.
  • Use sequencing intonation effectively.
  • Check with audience to confirm understanding.

Participate effectively in at least one small group discussion or meeting regarding a group project or task. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Provide necessary information.
  • Ask and address relevant questions.
  • Summarize information and ideas to clarify and confirm understanding.
  • Hold the floor, share the floor, and thank others for their contributions and information.
  • Give a summary or report of the main points contributed by someone else.
  • Participate effectively in interactions with little support from others.

Participate effectively in at least one face-to-face/small group discussion to express or respond to appreciation, complaints, satisfaction or dissatisfaction such as having a discussion with an instructor about a previous assignment grade or overall performance in the course. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Open and maintain a short formal conversation, closing with three customary steps (pre-closing, closing, leave-taking).
  • Introduce a person formally to a group in a way that is appropriate to the situation and audience.
  • Ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation going.
  • Show developing ability to hold the floor and to resume after an interruption.
  • Change the topic appropriately.
  • Confirm own comprehension by repeating or paraphrasing.

Participate effectively in at least one face-to-face conversation to give a suggestion, recommendation or advice such as giving feedback and advice to a fellow classmate on a class presentation. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Use appropriate persuasive arguments.
  • Use modals with the appropriate level of politeness.

Participate effectively in at least one routine telephone call such as leaving a message for an instructor regarding an absence or clarifying a homework assignment. Assessment criteria may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

  • Answer the phone, greet the caller and close the conversation using appropriate conventions and expressions.
  • Provide information or leave an accurate message in some detail.
  • Clarify and confirm information.

Students may also be required to give short impromptu talks to a small group on a course topic or issue.

Students may also be required to complete quizzes, both skill-based and content-based. 

 

Classroom skills

Complete at least one self-assessment of learning strategies, progress, strengths, weaknesses, and classroom skills to be discussed with the instructor.

 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, learners will be able to: 

Listening

  1. Understand extended (up to 15 minutes) descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations (with visuals) about personal experience, general knowledge or familiar topics (CLB L 7-IV-ii).
  2. Understand moderately complex communication intended to influence, or persuade (such as requests, reminders, orders and pleas) in situations related to personal or general experience (CLB L 7-III).
  3. Understand complex (~10-12 steps) directions and instructions for technical and non-technical tasks (CLB L 7-II).
  4. Understand short group interactions, discussions and meetings on generally familiar topics (CLB L 7-IV-i).
  5. Understand moderately complex social exchanges (such as expressions of and responses to gratitude, hopes, appreciation, complaints, disappointment, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, approval and disapproval) (CLB L 7-I).
  6. Read to prepare for, support, and extend listening skills and to expand vocabulary.

Speaking 

  1. Give presentations (up to about 10 minutes) about moderately complex processes, to tell stories or to describe, compare and contrast in detail 2 events, academic programs or procedures (CLB S 7-IV-ii).
  2. Give instructions and directions for technical and non-technical tasks, procedures and processes (CLB S 7-II).
  3. Give detailed information; express and qualify opinions and feelings; express reservations, approval, disapproval, possibilities, and probabilities one-on-one and in small group discussions or meetings (CLB S 7-IV-i).
  4. Participate in less routine social conversations for many everyday purposes such as expressing and responding to appreciation, complaints, satisfaction and dissatisfaction using appropriate language functions (CLB S 7-I-i).
  5. Give extended warnings, suggestions, recommendations or advice (CLB S 7-III).
  6. Effectively participate in brief routine phone calls about familar matters (CLB S 7-I-ii).
  7. Monitor and apply strategies to a specified level of accuracy in grammar, sentence structure, word choice, and pronunciation.

 

 Classroom Skills

  1. Assess own progress.
  2. Participate effectively in a college classroom.
Textbook Materials

Students may be required to purchase textbooks and/or audio materials

Requisites

Prerequisites

A minimum of CLB 6 in both speaking and listening

A minimum of CLB 5 in both reading and writing is also recommended for this course.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Requisite for

ELLA 0850

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

Institution Transfer Details Effective Dates
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

Winter 2021

There aren't any scheduled upcoming offerings for this course.