Last Updated

January 23, 2008

UNIVERSIDAD DE LA SABANA
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
INTERMEDIATE
01-2008

PROFILE

Upon finishing Intermediate, you will be able to:

• Understand, analyze, synthesize, compare and deduce information from authentic spoken and
written texts using appropriate learning strategies.
• Plan, write, revise and edit well-structured cause and effect, comparing and contrasting and
argumentative essays using appropriate grammar and vocabulary. 160 to 180 words
• Participate in debates and short talks on academic and professional topics using appropriate and
accurate grammar, vocabulary, fluency, intonation and pronunciation.
• Plan, monitor and self evaluate your learning in order to become an autonomous learner.
• Identify, understand and interpret cultural aspects and behaviors from different communities.
• Develop international exam-type tasks using the appropriate strategies.

COMPETENCES

• Understand and deduce general and specific information from telephone conversations and short
talks.
• Understand, analyze and deduce key and reference words in spoken texts
• Read authentic sources critically and evaluate the writer’s point of view.
• Plan, write, revise and edit cause and effect, comparing and contrasting and argumentative
essays according to an appropriate rhetorical structure.
• Use spelling and punctuation accurately.
• Ask, answer questions and exchange ideas or information on varied topics to start, maintain and
end conversations.
• Speak spontaneously, fluently and accurately to convey meaning using adequate vocabulary and
grammatical structures.
• Use word stress, intonation, and word endings correctly to communicate meaning.
• Identify, adjust, adapt and adopt strategies autonomously in order to enhance reading, writing,
listening and speaking skills.
• Understand, identify, classify and analyze information in order to relate the acquired knowledge
to your personal, academic and professional life.
• Identify, analyze and compare differences in cultural aspects and behavior between your own
and other cultures.

Copyright © 2004 Universidad de La Sabana., Foreign Languages Department, All Right Reserved,
No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of its developers
 Copyright © 2004 Universidad de La Sabana., Foreign Languages Department, All Right Reserved,
No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of its developers
SYLLABUS

Module 1: CONNECT/WORK
Tasks:
1. Listen and deduce general information from telephone conversations and short talks.
2. Read to analyze, synthesize, compare and deduce general and specific information from authentic texts
3. Write coherent cause and effect essays on varied issues.
4. Participate in discussions to provide and justify arguments to support your ideas on topics
related to social, environmental and worldwide issues.
5. Give short talks about worldwide events, people and relationships
6. Complete international exam-type tasks such as: multiple choice (2), true-false-not given,
matching (speakers to ideas/ heading to paragraphs), chart/ table/ diagrams / sentence /
summary completion, open question, and text organization.
KNOW

GRAMMAR present perfect simple and continuous

Total English Upper Intermediate units 1 and 2, pages 4 to 32

past modals of deduction, inference and prediction
VOCABULARY adjectives from nouns, noises, phrasal verbs about relationships,
verb phrases about work, collocations with prepositions
CONNECTORS although, nevertheless, as a matter of fact, even though, whereas,
due to the fact
PRONUNCIATION sounds /b/, /d/, /g/ and /p/, /t/, /k
word stress
PUNCTUATION punctuation errors; punctuation signs
CULTURE Family, work, old or new, cultural practices, history
KNOW HOW TO

STRATEGIES • Identify the topic, main idea and supporting sentences in

texts
• Identify specific information, key words, reference words
and their function in written and spoken texts
• Deduce meaning of a wide range of expressions and words
using the context
• Predict content from pictures and titles
• Skim and scan written texts
• Identify and use the rhetorical structure of cause and effect
essays
• Plan, write, revise and edit cause and effect essays
• Analyze and follow written and spoken models
• Gather and organize information effectively using mind
maps and graphic organizers
• Identify speakers and situational events in spoken texts.
• Get the gist of spoken texts
• Recognize the difference between facts and opinions in
written and spoken texts
• Transfer information to charts and tables
• Take notes from written and spoken texts
BEKNOW HOW TO

• Participate actively in class

• Use the portfolio as a tool to improve weak language skills
ATTITUDE AND • Improve motivation level towards language learning
COMMITMENT • Use learning strategies to improve weak language skills
• Commit to course goals and responsibilities

Copyright © 2004 Universidad de La Sabana., Foreign Languages Department, All Right Reserved,
No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of its developers
Module 2: OLD OR NEW/ RISK
Tasks:
1. Listen and deduce general information from telephone conversations and short talks.
2. Read to analyze, synthesize, compare and deduce general and specific information from authentic texts
3. Write coherent comparing-contrasting essays on varied issues.
4. Participate in discussions to provide and justify arguments to support your ideas on topics
related to social, environmental and worldwide issues.
5. Give short talks about worldwide events, people and relationships
6. Complete international exam-type tasks such as: multiple choice (2), true-false-not given,
matching (speakers to ideas/ heading to paragraphs), chart/ table/ diagrams / sentence /
summary completion, open question, and text organization.

GRAMMAR future modals of possibility

KNOW

Total English Upper Intermediate units 3 and 4, pages 33 to 60

if structures
contrast of parts of speech
VOCABULARY time expressions, verb phrases with take, physical movements,
phrasal verbs with out
CONNECTORS although, nevertheless, as a matter of fact, even though, whereas,
due to the fact
PRONUNCIATION sounds /tʃ/, /ʃ/ and /dЗ/, /З/
stress change according to parts of speech
PUNCTUATION punctuation errors
punctuation signs
CULTURE Family, work, old or new, cultural practices, history
KNOW HOW TO

STRATEGIES • Identify the topic, main idea and supporting sentences in texts
• Identify specific information, key words, reference words and
their function in written and spoken texts
• Deduce meaning of a wide range of expressions and words
using the context
• Predict content from pictures and titles
• Skim and scan written texts
• Identify and use the rhetorical structure of comparing-
contrasting essays
• Plan, write, revise and edit comparing-contrasting essays
• Analyze and follow written and spoken models
• Gather and organize information effectively using mind maps
and graphic organizers
• Identify speakers and situational events in spoken texts
• Get the gist of spoken texts
• Recognize the difference between facts and opinions in written
and spoken texts
• Transfer information to charts and tables
• Take notes from written and spoken texts
•
BEKNOW HOW TO

Participate actively in class

• Use the portfolio as a tool to improve weak language skills
ATTITUDE AND • Use learning strategies to improve weak language skills
COMMITMENT • Commit to course goals and responsibilities

Copyright © 2004 Universidad de La Sabana., Foreign Languages Department, All Right Reserved,
No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of its developers
Module 3: THE PAST
Tasks:
1. Listen and deduce general information from telephone conversations and short talks.
2. Read to analyze, synthesize, compare and deduce general and specific information from authentic
texts.
3. Write coherent argumentative essays on varied issues.
4. Participate in discussions to provide and justify arguments to support your ideas on topics related to
social, environmental and worldwide issues.
5. Give short talks about worldwide events, people and relationships
6. Complete international exam-type tasks such as: multiple choice (2), true-false-not given,
matching (speakers to ideas/ heading to paragraphs), chart/ table/ diagrams / sentence /
summary completion, open question, and text organization.

Copyright © 2004 Universidad de La Sabana., Foreign Languages Department, All Right Reserved,
No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of its developers
 KNOW

GRAMMAR narrative tenses,

Total English Upper Intermediate unit 5, pages 61 to 74

used to/get used to/ would

VOCABULARY adjectives with –ing, -ed endings

vocabulary in idioms to talk about description
CONNECTORS although, nevertheless, as a matter of fact, even though, whereas,
due to the fact
PRONUNCIATION sounds /m/, /n/, /ŋ/
joining words
PUNCTUATION identifying punctuation errors
use punctuation correctly
CULTURE Family, work, old or new, cultural practices, history
KNOW HOW TO

STRATEGIES • Identify the topic, main idea and supporting sentences in

texts.
• Identify specific information, key words, reference words
and their function in written and spoken texts.
• Deduce meaning of a wide range of expressions and words
using the context
• Predict content from pictures and titles.
• Skim and scan written texts.
• Identify and use the rhetorical structure of argumentative
essays.
• Plan, write, revise and edit argumentative essays.
• Analyze and follow written and spoken models
• Gather and organize information effectively using mind
maps and graphic organizers
• Identify speakers and situational events in spoken texts.
• Get the gist of spoken texts
• Recognize the difference between facts and opinions in
written and spoken texts
• Transfer information to charts and tables
• Take notes from written and spoken texts
BEKNOW HOW TO

ATTITUDE AND • Participate actively in class

COMMITMENT • Use the portfolio as a tool to improve weak language skills
• Use learning strategies to improve weak language skills
• Commit to course goals and responsibilities

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

• ASSESSMENT

You will be given feedback constantly by your teacher. It is intended to help you progress and prepare
better for formal evaluations and international exams.

Copyright © 2004 Universidad de La Sabana., Foreign Languages Department, All Right Reserved,
No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of its developers
  EVALUATION

The evaluation system will be strictly determined by classroom activities and procedures which provide
enough practice and facilitate the achievement of the competences and sub-competences. For
evaluation purposes, you should be prepared to perform the specific tasks outlined in this program and
that require the use of strategies and knowledge acquired during the term. Formal feedback will be
provided after the formal evaluation process.

The percentage values of the evaluations for Intermediate are:

FIRST EXAM 30% WRITING TEST 10 %

Divided into: SPEAKING TEST 5%
READING TEST 5%
LISTENING TEST 5%
BLOG/PROJECT WORK 5%

ONGOING ASSESSMENT 30% QUIZZES 25 %

Divided into: BLOG/PROJECT WORK 5%

FINAL EXAM 40% WRITING EXAM 10 %

Divided into: LISTENING EXAM 10%
SPEAKING EXAM 5%
READING EXAM 5%
BLOG/PROJECT WORK 10 %

Independent work:
All activities assigned as homework and reinforcement are mandatory to be prepared for class and
evaluations.

Quizzes:
Evaluations where you show strategies and knowledge acquired on specific topics studied.

Blog /project:
Through an on line project, students will put into practice the topics and content learned in class during
the semester within multicultural and multidisciplinary fields. The assignments will be completed
individually and in teams, and are due on specific dates at midnight, unless otherwise noted.

The Blog or Project Work is part of your evaluation and it is graded according to a rubric.

CLASS TEXTBOOK
Acklam, R. and Crace, A. TOTAL ENGLISH, UPPER-INTERMEDIATE. Student’s Book. Longman. England.
2006.

RESOURCES:
• Upper-Intermediate Web Page. Online. Available: http://fld.unisabana.edu.co/efl6.htm
Copyright © 2004 Universidad de La Sabana., Foreign Languages Department, All Right Reserved,
No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of its developers
 • Evans Virginia. Successful Writing, Upper-intermediate and Proficiency. Express Publishing. 2000.
• Gear Jolene. Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test. Cambridge University press. 2003.
• Phillips Deborah, Longman Introductory course for the TOEFL test. Longman. 2001.
• Phillips Deborah, Longman complete course for the TOEFL test. Longman. 2001
• Evans Virginia. Mission FCE 2. Express Publishing.
• A Monolingual Dictionary.
• Learning and Practice Guides for independent study.
• Studium.
• Tutoring and counseling sessions.
• www resources.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Universidad de la Sabana. Documento de reestructuración curricular para el programa de
proficiencia en Lengua Extranjera en la Universidad de la Sabana. 2002.
• Proyecto Educativo Institucional Universidad de la Sabana.
• Reglamento de estudiantes. Universidad de la Sabana. 2003.

Copyright © 2004 Universidad de La Sabana., Foreign Languages Department, All Right Reserved,
No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of its developers