INTENSIVE ENGLISH LEVEL THREE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Total Number of Hours: 250
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Noble International University’s Intensive English course builds on students’ previous education and language knowledge to introduce the English language and help students adjust to their new cultural environment. The course is designed to expand students’ abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing for essential academic purposes. The students will develop necessary knowledge and skills through participating in activities that develop spoken and written English for a variety of purposes. They will be engaged in social interaction, reading and responding to short passages from fiction and non-fiction texts designed and adapted for high intermediate and advanced learners of English. They will be working on a variety of forms and demonstrate an understanding of knowledge of and adaptation to Canadian Society through oral interaction.
The course has been divided into two sub-levels with the instruction time of 125 hours each:
Intensive English Level Three A (low advanced level, Weeks 1-5)
Intensive English Level Three B (high advanced level, Weeks 6-10)
Each of these levels consists of five-week periods and four components which have equal weight in the Intensive English course.
“North Star” component (62.5 hours) consists of 10 thematic units that are organized like the TOEFL iBT into listening, reading, speaking and writing sections. Each unit includes focused integrated skill practice to develop critical thinking and communicative competence. The students develop academic skills in English, while building test-taking confidence.
“Focus on Grammar” component (62.5 hours) helps advanced students of English to understand and practice English grammar. Each unit presents a balanced approach with a variety of activities so that students of all different learning styles can benefit.
“Writing to Communicate” component (62.5 hours) uses many ways to teach writing to English-language learners. In addition, each chapter includes a section on the mechanics of writing.
Reading component (62.5 hours) helps the students develop key reading strategies for decoding and comprehension of written texts through reading outstanding short stories by American authors and a novel The Outsiders. Focus will be on literature, improving reading, vocabulary and note-taking skills, and developing greater individual and group communication skills.
OUTLINE OF THE COURSE CONTENT
WEEK-BY-WEEK OVERVIEW
INTENSIVE ENGLISH LEVEL THREE A (125 hours)
Week One
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 1: Media
“Focus on Grammar” component: Verb Tenses: Present & Future Time, Past Time
“Writing to Communicate” component: Introduction to Academic Writing, Types of Paragraphs
Reading component: Short Story: “Thank You, M’am”
Week Two
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 2: Overcoming Obstacles
“Focus on Grammar” component: Verb Tenses: Past Time, Simple & Progressive: Action & Non-Action Verbs
“Writing to Communicate” component: Organization of Paragraphs
Reading component: Short Story: “All Summer in a Day”
Week Three
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 3: Medicine
“Focus on Grammar” component: Nouns: Count and Non-Count Nouns, Definite & Indefinite Articles, Quantifiers
“Writing to Communicate” component: Coherence & Cohesion; Unity & Completeness
Reading component: Short Story: “The Last Leaf”
Week Four
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 4: Natural Disasters
“Focus on Grammar” component: Nouns: Quantifiers, Modification of Nouns
“Writing to Communicate” component: From Paragraph to Essay
Reading component: Short Story: “The Lottery”
Week Five
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 5: Conservation
“Focus on Grammar” component: Noun Clauses: Subjects, Objects, and Complements; Direct and Indirect Speech
“Writing to Communicate” component: The Thesis Statement; The Introductory Paragraph
Reading component: Research Project “Alternative Therapy”
INTENSIVE ENGLISH LEVEL THREE B (125 hours)
Week Six
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 6: Philanthropy
“Focus on Grammar” component: Gerunds & Infinitives: Gerunds
“Writing to Communicate” component: The Concluding Paragraph, Body Paragraphs
Reading component: Novel study “The Outsiders”
Week Seven
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 7: Education
“Focus on Grammar” component: Gerunds & Infinitives: Infinitives
“Writing to Communicate” component: The Essay – Process
Reading component: Novel study “The Outsiders”
Week Eight
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 8: Food
“Focus on Grammar” component: Adverbs: Functions, Types, Placement, and Meaning; Adverb Clauses; Adverb and Adverbial Phrases
“Writing to Communicate” component: The Essay – Classification
Reading component: Novel study “The Outsiders”
Week Nine
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 9: Immigration
“Focus on Grammar” component: Adverbs: Adverb & Adverbial Phrases; Connectors
“Writing to Communicate” component: The Essay – Cause & Effect
Reading component: Novel study “The Outsiders”
Week Ten
Time: 25 hours
Description:
“North Star” component: Unit 10: Technology
“Focus on Grammar” component: Adjective Clauses: Review & Expansion; Adjective Clauses with Prepositions; Adjective Phrases
“Writing to Communicate” component: The Essay – Comparison & Contrast
Reading component: Novel study “The Outsiders”
Level Three Final Exam
*Summative evaluation in the form of a writing assignment, test, or a project is given at the end of each week.
COMPONENTS OF FINAL EVALUATION
Term Work: 70%
Tests25%
Writing30%
Project 15%
Final Exam:30%
Final Exam15%
Final Essay 15%