Basic English II is the second prerequisite English class under the new curriculum. This course will provide students opportunities to improve their English proficiency through reading, speaking, listening and writing activities. Technical reading skills will be instructed and active participation in speaking activities is expected. Students will be required to give formal-style presentations to the class. Students will plan and write short (five paragraph) essays with a variety of structures. Grammar instruction will be a regular part of the course and grammatical skills will be evaluated in the writings and exams. Students must understand that writing style depends on context, and that this course focuses on developing an appropriate academic style. After completing this course, students will be able to express their opinions and ideas in verbal and written forms with greater competence.

In order to receive an S grade, you must have a point total of at least 90 (typically the standard “A-”). Active participation in the Xreading program is also required. Students who do not read 50,000 words will receive a U for the course.

The prerequisite for this course is successful completion of GEDU111--Basic English I.

Eight writing assignments 40%
Two oral presentations 15%
Mid Term Exam 12.5%
Final Exam 12.5%
Attendance, participation, and quizzes 20%

Files will be uploaded to the Announcements tab on the class LMS page.

Week 1: Introduction and course explanation
Week 2: Course work in primary texts
Week 3: Course work in primary texts
Week 4: Course work in primary texts (Quiz 1)
Week 5: Course work in primary texts
Week 6: Course work in primary texts
Week 7: Student presentations
Week 8: Midterm examinations (October 25th at 10:00 am)
Week 9: Course work in primary texts
Week 10: Course work in primary texts
Week 11: Course work in primary texts
Week 12: Course work in primary texts (Quiz 2)
Week 13: Course work in primary texts
Week 14: Course work in primary texts
Week 15: Student presentations
Week 16: Final examinations (December 16th at 10:00 am)

Writing
1 Plan an opinion essay
2 Complete the essay from the first assignment
3 Plan a comparison/contrast essay
4 Complete the essay from the third assignment
5 Expository Essay
6 Process Description Essay
7 Advantages and Disadvantages Essay
8 Argumentative Essay


Presentations
Presentations will be three to five minutes and must be supported by Powerpoint visuals (or similar tools). One will be a book report on a library book. The other will be a topic chosen by the instructor.


Exams
Each exam will consist of five parts, each of which accounts for 20% of the exam grade. The Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension sections will be based on the readings selected by the instructor for homework and class activities. The Grammar section will be based on the grammar topics covered in class. The Reading Skills and Writing sections will be jointly administered to all GEDU112 sections.




Attendance
Students must attend class regularly. Each absence will result in a 3% deduction from the final grade. Practically speaking, this means that 4 absences is an automatic U, and 3 absences mean that near perfection is required. Note that some absences may be excused, but this generally requires official documentation for the cause of the absence.

Daily course operation is group based flipped learning. Reading/listening should be done as homework. Class time is spent in groups discussing and answering traditional homework style questions from the textbook.

Transparent grading rubrics will be available for download on the LMS at the beginning of the course.