ESL 102 - ESL Reading & Vocabulary Development II

1. Catalog Description:
An intermediate level course designed to extend the range of ESL students' vocabulary and reading ability. The focus is on improving reading skills and strategies as well as understanding and use of academic vocabulary.   Academic vocabulary development is also an emphasis. Students gain both a passive and active command of word form and word choice for the intermediate level. Students learn a variety of words and how to use them.  Students are encouraged to take this class concurrently with ESL 100.

2. Course Prerequisites
None

Recommended Preparation
ESL 098 (a "C" grade or better) or advisory placement in ESL 100 or ESL 103 based on an ESL assessment process.

3. Course Objectives
The students will demonstrate the following competencies by the end of the class:

a. Read prose and non-prose texts with familiar content with some fluency and speed.

b. Apply appropriate reading strategies in prereading, reading, and post-reading of texts that are more grammatically complex or are on unfamiliar topics.

c. Understand high-frequency intermediate level English vocabulary used in the texts.

d. Classify different word forms:  noun, verb, adjective, adverb.

f. Apply knowledge of  word stems and affixes in comprehension of new words.

g. Distinguish between a variety of textual clues, such as sentence connectors and pronoun reference, to comprehend the meaning and structure of a text.

h. Apply skills necessary in using an English-English dictionary

4. Minimum Student Materials

a. Textbook
b. English-English dictionary
c. Writing Materials

5. Minimum Instructional Facilities

a. Classroom with movable chairs.
b. Overhead projector
c. TV & VCR

6. Course Content

a. The essential distinction between this course and the beginning level, ESL 098 is the complexity of the texts and the fluency level of the reader. Like ESL 098, the course provides students with necessary practice of reading skills for ESL students.

b. Students do various tasks designed to improve their reading ability and vocabulary: using context clues, drawing conclusions, understanding factual information, finding the main idea, reading for specific information, sequencing material, making predictions, making outlines to understand texts and organization, summarizing information, and increasing reading speed.

c. Students also learn the meaning of various word roots and affixes.

d. Students apply skills and techniques for retaining and applying new vocabulary.

e. Students also learn many new intermediate-level words  through contextual analysis and dictionary work.

f. The content includes prose and nonprose selections in addition to fiction and nonfiction texts.

g. Prereading, reading and post-reading activities are done both in and out of class.

7. Method of Instruction
The overall goal of the method and pedagogy is to develop independent readers. The techniques and exercises that make up the method are all designed to develop the various reading and vocabulary skills that are essential to achieving the goals of the reader. Texts are studied at various constituent levels. Word study includes context clue exercises, stem and affix exercises, and dictionary exercises. Sentence study relates grammatical information to the meaning and rhetoric of the passage. Paragraph study give students practice in doing a sentence-to-sentence analysis of the syntax and vocabulary used in the paragraph. Discourse study focuses on skimming, scanning, predicting, and inferring skills. The method of teaching vocabulary is through practice. Words are practiced through a developmental set of exercises. The exercises start simple and get more complex. The first exercises are highly controlled, and the final tasks are more open-ended. Students also move from recognizing the words in context to creating their own contexts with the words. The pedagogy begins by presenting words the students know then builds on this familiar vocabulary. Students learn specific techniques for unlocking the meaning of new words. Thus, after the course, the students can use these techniques to continue to increase their vocabulary.

Reading is seen as problem solving. Each reading task is different involving different skills and strategies necessary to complete the task. Prereading activities allow the class to share what everyone knows about the topic and introduce salient points about the topic. Students use various strategies to thoroughly comprehend the text. Students read for general information and scan for specific facts, figures, and other details. Students also practice drawing inferences from general and specific information from the passages.

8. Method of Evaluation

a. Completion of in-class program of study.
b. Written homework assignments.
c. Written unit, midterm, and final exams.

9. Texts and References

Materials typically used in the course may include, but are not limited to:
(1) Clarke, Mark. Barbara Dobson, Sandra Silberstein. Choice Readings. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of  Michigan Press. 1993.