Course Description

Integrated Intensive English – Level 2 is a learner- centered syllabus designed to develop an overall English language proficiency at the pre- intermediate level in order to prepare the students for the challenges of the intermediate studies in level 3. It revises and extends many of the structures covered at the Elementary level and perfectly offers a higher level of communicative activities ranging from controlled to free tasks encouraging the students to explore the language within contexts related to daily life. The course facilitates the students’ critical thinking which leads them to become active and autonomous learners.  Moreover, it helps the students learn a wide range of high frequency vocabulary and develop their writing proficiency using realistic topics and language functions which are motivating and useful in real life situations.

Department Goals Addressed in this Course:

This course addresses the following department goals:

1. To help students acquire adequate proficiency in the English language and prepare them for their undergraduate studies, at the academic departments.
2. To prepare students in their study skills and learning patterns through note-taking, searching for and collecting information from different sources, doing projects and writing assignments that help them in their academic studies.

Department Program Objectives:

By the end of this course, the following program objectives will be achieved:

1. Participate in a discussion on a topic relevant to their studies by asking questions, agreeing/disagreeing, asking for clarification, sharing information, expressing and asking for opinions.
2. Paraphrase information (orally or in writing) from a written or spoken text or from graphically presented data.
3. Prepare and deliver a talk of at least 2 minutes. Use library resources in preparing the talk, speak clearly and confidently, make eye contact, use body language to support the delivery of ideas and respond confidently to questions.
4. Write texts of a minimum of 100 words, showing control of layout, organization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary.
5. Take notes and respond to questions about the topic, main ideas, details and opinions or arguments from an extended listening text (e.g. lecture, news broadcast).
6. Follow spoken instructions in order to carry out a task, with a number of stages.
7. Listen to a conversation between two or more speakers and be able to answer questions in relation to context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g. formal or informal).
8. Read a text of about 300 words and identify the main idea(s) and extract specific information, in a given period of time.

Course Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Grammar:

1. Distinguish between the uses of different tenses in a real-life context.
2. Use future forms in a real-life context while speaking and writing.
3. Integrate active voice, passive voice and reported speech correctly and appropriately both in speaking and writing.
4. Compare people, places, things and ideas using comparatives and superlatives of adjectives to ask/give clarification/information and/or express/ask opinion.
5. utilize different modals accurately in a given context to express ability, make requests, offers etc., while speaking and writing.
6. Use infinitives to express purpose in an appropriate context.
7. Relate various quantifiers with different forms of nouns correctly while writing and speaking.
8. Use real and unreal conditional sentences in an appropriate context.

Vocabulary:

1. Expand vocabulary through recognizing nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, collocations and prepositions.
2. Differentiate between words, phrases and expressions needed in social interaction like inviting people, using the phone, etc.
3. Use the newly-learnt vocabulary items, in everyday situations.

Speaking:

1. Paraphrase information from a spoken text.
2. Participate in discussions on a topic relevant to their studies by following and formulating questions, instructions and requests.
3. Use reasons to explain and justify their personal opinions.
4. Produce a clear and confident talk of about 2 to 3 minutes with accurate pronunciation and appropriate fluency, making eye contact and using body language.
5. Use intonation, tone, sequence words and conjunctions in conversations.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary and idioms used in everyday situations.

Listening:

1. Identify the gist/main ideas of a spoken text.
2. Demonstrate critical involvement in listening activities which become more complex as they progress through the level.
3. Show understanding of comprehension questions when listening to formal and informal conversations.
4. Organize information using strategies such as note taking and classifying.
5. Identify the use of intonation, tone, sequence words and conjunctions in conversations which help detect feelings, attitudes and useful information.
6. Infer the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases from the context of a familiar topic.
7. Follow spoken instructions in order to carry out a task/tasks.

Reading:

1. Identify the topic and main ideas of a given text of around 300 words.
2. Read a one to two-page text for specific details using an increasing range of skills, strategies and knowledge.
3. Use context to explain unfamiliar words while reading.
4. Understand how texts are made cohesive through the use of linking devices such as pronoun reference.
5. Infer information using clues from text and background knowledge in order to read critically.

Writing:

1. Use conjunctions to link or to write complete sentences.
2. Use ‘time order words’ to complete a paragraph or to reorder sentences to get a meaningful paragraph.
3. Revise sentences and paragraphs including the punctuation, spelling and grammar mistakes.
4. Organize paragraphs correctly using topic sentences, supporting details and concluding sentences.
5. Write well-formed pieces of writing (about 150 words) of different genres.

Embedded Outcomes Related to General Study Skills

Managing Time and Accepting Responsibility

1. work in pairs or groups and participate accordingly.
2. Bring required materials (pens, pencils, folder, etc) to class.
3. Work to imposed deadlines.
4. Show respect to for teachers and others and their rights to have a difference of opinion.
5. use a variety of study techniques.
6. Complete homework on time.
7. Organize and keep a portfolio of one’s work.

Research Skills

1. List the key ideas to guide search for information
2. Use the library system for finding, borrowing and returning library material.
3. Use an English- English dictionary for language learning.
4. Find specific information using internet search engines and electronic resources.
5. Summarize and paraphrase information using in one’s own words.

Taking Notes

1. Recall and define main concepts.
2. Utilize abbreviations’ and symbols.
3. Use English rather than Arabic for notes in margins and glossing vocabulary.
4. Support key points with relevant additional details.
5. Organize information to enable quick reference at a later date.
6. Use notes to create a summary.
7. Reproduce key Information and supporting details from notes in one’s own words.

Giving Presentation

1. Outline and define main concepts.
2. Address questions from the audience.
3. Speak in a clearly audible and well-paced voice.
4. Achieve the key aim of informing the audience.
5. Make use of audio/ visual aids when giving oral presentations.
6. Maintain some eye contact with the audience.
7. Observe time restrictions in presentations.
8. Organize and present information in a logical order at a comprehensible speed.