Foundation Course
Extensive Reading Skills
Foundation programs are designed for those students who need skills at a bachelor degree level. The courses (in some schools and colleges they are also called modules or subjects) in such programs are designed to meet students' practical communicative needs in an academic environment. One of the most important courses in a foundation program is Extensive Reading Skills.
Extensive reading is reading for pleasure, therefore in some countries this course is also called Pleasure Reading or Home Reading. Students decide what they like to read. They choose the topics / texts they are interested in and read them regularly. In this course students develop their reading confidence in ESL/EFL, the culture of reading, critical thinking skills, and expand their vocabulary. FOUNDATION 2 (Semester 2) Extensive Reading Skills Module Code: F2-ERS Credit Points: 15 Prerequisites: (1) Foundation 1 final examination and continuous assessment result: 51 points or higher. (2) Placement test result: 61 points or higher.
Aims
The module aims to
(1) enable students to achieve fluency in the areas of vocabulary recognition and reading comprehension skills;
(2) equip students with effective extensive reading strategies;
(3) make reading a positive, encouraging experience for all students;
(4) develop the culture of reading and develop critical thinking skills;
(5) encourage students to take charge of their own reading development;
(6) produce independent readers who value reading as a life-long pursuit.
Content
Unit 1. Extensive Reading Component
Self-selection and extensive reading of texts, using various strategies for comprehension and vocabulary recognition; maintaining a log with details of reading accomplished each week; summarizing weekly reading; establishing personally relevant reading goals. Interacting with a variety of texts for different purposes; using critical thinking skills; deducing meaning from context; understanding author’s purpose; using inference; guessing and predicting content ; interpreting a variety of question types.
Unit 2. Intensive Reading Component
Using a variety of before, during and after reading strategies for comprehension of text; initial global understanding of text; using prior knowledge about topic; understanding gist/main idea. Types of reading - skimming and scanning; word recognition strategies.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the student will be able to
(1) use intensive reading strategies;
(2) use extensive reading strategies;
(3) develop an ever-expanding fund of recognized words and their meanings;
(4) read not just for information or to perform a task, but also for pleasure;
(5) establish personally relevant reading goals.
Assessment
The module will be evaluated for a total of 100 marks of which 90 marks will be based on continuous assessment and 10 marks will be based on the end-semester examination (extensive reading - 80; intensive reading - 10; final examination - 10).
Extensive Reading Component
Extensive reading component - 80% continuous assessment based on the log maintained by the tutor. Approximately 250 words in Times New Roman, font size 12 (spaces between lines - 1) can be considered as ONE PAGE. Accordingly, adjustments need to be made for books / magazines / journals, depending on how large or small font sizes are. The table below outlines the grading system for extensive reading. This table is only a sample. It can be adjusted / modified depending on the learners' language level, the age, the duration of the semester and other internal or external factors.
Grading System of Extensive Reading Component
Table
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Number of pages read per week
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Number of pages read during the semester
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Marks awarded(maximum mark: 15)
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20 or more
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340 or more
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15
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15 - 20
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255 - 340
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12 - 14
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10 - 15
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170 - 255
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9 - 12
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5 - 10
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85 - 170
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7.5 - 9
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Less than 5
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Less than 85
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Less than 7.5
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Teaching Tools and Learning Resources
(1) Extensive reading texts are selected by sudents (under the teacher's guidance, if possible); each student reads whatever they have chosen to read;
(2) Intensive reading component texts are selected by the teacher and all students study the same text in class;
(3) Online resources recommended by the teacher.
Regulations and Requirements of the Course
Each student must fulfill the following requirements of the course:
(1) Self-Study
Self-study (minimum 8 hours per week, either at home or in the library) includes preparation for extensive reading, as well as intensive reading classes (components). For extensive reading purposes students read chosen books, magazines or journals on preferred topics. For intensive reading purposes students use a handbook compiled by the teacher. More than 80% of the course is devoted to extensive reading component.
(2) Log
Every student must keep a log which shows how much the student read every week and must demonstrate that s/he understood what s/he read. The log must be kept in the prescribed format.
(3) Discussion
Students must be prepared to discuss with the tutor what they have read. These meetings will take place every second week. The class will be divided into two groups of approximately 10 students each, and each group will meet the tutor on alternate weeks for a face-to-face discussion.
(4) Texts
Students must show the teacher the book/article they are currently reading. If it is online, they need to print and show the hard copy of the text.
(5) Attendance
Attend all classes regularly. Students should be mindful that if they are not in class, for any reason, they miss important schoolwork and are not able to participate in their class's ongoing educational activities. This may be reflected in students' grades. If a student misses more than three classes without a clear reason she/he will not be allowed to continue the course without a special permission from the Head of the Department.
(6) Discipline
Students are not allowed to walk or chat loudly with each other during the lesson without a tutor’s permission. If a student ignores the tutor’s remarks, uses offensive words or offensive body language, leaves the classroom early and without the teacher’s permission, is late for classes or insults other students and the teacher, behaves in an arrogant manner or in any other inappropriate way, the student will be severely punished including expulsion from the College. Expulsion implies that the student should not consider the College for further education.
(7) Examinations
Examination attendance is compulsory for all students. Cheating at examinations is not tolerated and students who are caught by invigilators during examination will automatically fail.
(8) Course Outline
The course outline is the main document of the course and the topics which are written in the course outline must be discussed in class every week. The duty of each student is to study the handouts, according to the course outline, and prepare for class discussions. The course outline is given to each student during the first week of the semester.
(9) Office Hours
Any additional questions related to the above regulations and requirements can be answered or discussed personally by your tutor during the office hours, at the tutorial, after the tutorial or by e-mail. Each student who approaches the teacher by e-mail must write his/her student number, full name and the course or module section number.
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