Welcome to University English Track 1 Instructor: Chris Gunn

Today’s class we will: (1) Discuss the course aims. (2) Discuss the course content. (3) Discuss assessment in this course.

Course Aims Part 1: For the first half of the course, we will work on listening comprehension to better prepare us for the midterm exam. Part 2: For the second half of the course, we will work on oral communication strategies.

Course Content Course Textbook Touchstone 4 Student Book by Michael McCarthy Jeanne McCarten Helen Sandiford

Assessment The class will be assessed on a curve. In other words, there will be a relative scale. Some of you will get As, some of you will get Bs, and some of you will get Cs.

Our curve The curve I give to the school will be: A=30% B=40% C=30% Fortunately, for track I, the school will take my curve and your midterm and make a new curve: A=40% B=40% C=20% However, this is a track wide curve so that means on average 40% in this class will get an A

Assessment Your individual assessment will be based several factors. (1) participation in class (2) attendance (3) your notebook. (4) your quiz score (5) midterm exam (track wide) (6) final oral group discussion

Participation in Class This counts for 10%. Good participation includes being awake, participating in discussions, asking questions, arriving on time and turning off your cell- phones.

Attendance This counts for 10%. Missing 1 hour will result in – 1%. Illness, military, and death in the family are excused absences. MTs and sports days are not.

1 Free Absence Policy You get 1 free hour of absence so use it wisely.

Your Notebook This counts for 15%. You need a proper notebook. There is a heavy emphasis on note taking skills in this course. Your notebook should be organized and clearly reflect the amount of work you put into this course.

Your notebook. Your notebook should include the dates as well as good titles and task instructions when I put them on the board as well as excellent notes from the listening selections. You will need your notes for writing selections sometimes weeks after you have done the listening. If you don’t have good notes you will not be able to do the writing.

Quiz Score There are 5 quizzes that each count for 3% of your mark.

Midterm This counts as 20%. It is a standardized test. Every track 1 student takes the exam at the same time. The teachers will not know the contents of the test ahead of time. However, the test will be based on the first 3 units of the text book.

Final Group Discussion This counts for 30%. Group discussion format. 4 students per group. Two topics per group. Total time = 20 minutes. (10 minutes for each topic).