Freshman Aural-Oral Training

Instructor: Dr. Bennett Y-H Fu
Schedule: Tue. 13:20-15:10 and Thu. 13:20-14:10
Office Hours: Mon 12:30-14:00; Wed 10:30-12:00; Thu 10:30-12:00 Office: 國青 419
Email: bennettfu@ntu.edu.tw

Course Description

The main focus of this class is to train the FLLD students to understand spoken English and to improve their pronunciation. As most of the students are more familiar with North American accents (American and Canadian), the course, on the one hand, aims to help the students to review and fine-tune their accent, and on the other hand, allows them to identify individual speech characteristics and create a detailed profile of problem areas. The class is designed to assist the students to learn and practice correct speech patterns (articulation, rhythm, and intonation) on individual tapes or sound files and to learn how to self-monitor and self-correct for problem areas. Every student must bring a blank cassette, which will be used for various assignments and listening exercises. Weekly journal on individual area problems is also required

Required Materials

Targeting Pronunciation: Communicating Clearly in English (Second Edition) by Sue F. Miller
A blank cassette and a binder with journal entries

Grading

In-class Performance and Quizzes: 30%
Participation and Attendance: 10%
Assignments on the cassette: 20%
Final Exam (Oral, Aural, Written): 20%
Journal Writing: 10%
Self-Evaluation: 10%

Weekly Schedule

Week 1: 09-19: Placement Test (No Class)
Week 2: 09-26: Introduction
Week 3: 10-03: Unit 1, Class Activity (TBA)
Week 4: 10-10: No Class
Week 5: 10-17: Unit 1, Workshop
Week 6: 10-24: Unit 2, Quiz (dictation)
Week 7: 10-31: Unit 2, Class Activity (TBA)
Week 8: 11-07: Unit 3, Class Activity (TBA)
Week 9: 11-14: Unit 3, Submission of the Cassette I
Week 10: 11-21: Unit 4, Class Activity (TBA)
Week 11: 11-28: Unit 4, Class Activity (TBA)
Week 12: 12-05: Unit 4, Quiz (dictation)
Week 13: 12-12: Unit 5, Class Activity (TBA)
Week 14: 12-19: Unit 5, Class Activity (TBA)
Week 15: 12-27: Unit 6, Class Activity, Submission of the Cassette II
Week 16: 01-03: Unit 6, Review
Week 17: 01-10: Final Exam, Submission of Journal, Submission of Self-Evaluation