UGMET READING & SPEAKING

Spring 2017
Instructor: Ann Kumm
Email:
akumm@odu.edu
Office:
Dragas 1008

Class Times: TR: 5:007:00 pm

Classroom: Dragas 1110

Office Hours: W: 1-3 pm

R: 3-5 pm

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an advanced level English language course which focuses on developing academic language proficiency.
In this course we will develop, practice, and refine your reading and speaking skills, so you can succeed as a university
student at Old Dominion University. Developing presentation skills and academic discussion skills are core strands
which will run throughout the semester. Additional emphasis will be on building academic vocabulary. The overarching
goals will be for you to (1) become independent and successful readers, (2) build listening competence and communicative fluency
to a level which is sufficient to handle academic encounters, and (3) build self-confidence in your ability to use English. Specific
objectives are listed below.
READING CONTENT OBJECTIVES
Critical Thinking

Comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate

information.

Vocabulary

Identify common affixes, guess meaning from context and

learn academic terms and words.

Main Idea vs.

Details

Recognize and distinguish main ideas from supporting

details.

Note-taking

Annotate and take notes on readings.

Tone & Purpose

Recognize an authors style, tone, and purpose.

Transitions

Identify cohesive devices and patterns of organization in

readings.

Visual Data

Interpret graphs and other visuals.

Inference

Understand ideas that are not directly stated.

Summarizing

Paraphrase and summarize in response to readings.

Fact vs. Opinion

Distinguish between fact and opinion.

Source Reliability

Evaluate the reliability of sources for use in academic

research

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
University Success Reading, Transition Level
(w/MyEnglishLab), by Zwier and Vosters (2016)
ISBN: 978-0134400785

REQUIRED MATERIALS
1. Netflix subscription
2. 1 or 2 inch 3-ring binder

EVALUATION CRITERIA

SPEAKING CONTENT OBJECTIVES

Critical
Thinking

Identify, comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate

information in order to make informed judgments during
academic lectures, class discussions, and presentations.

Listening
Comp.

Provide explanations, answer questions, summarize, ask

questions, request clarification, and provide feedback to speech,
presentations, academic lectures, and other audio materials.

Oral
Presentations

Develop and deliver formal and informal presentations at an

academic level (~8-10 min).

Group
Discussions

Explain and support ideas, opinions, and arguments in prepared

and spontaneous speech, including group discussions and
sustained conversations; synthesize read and heard information
in preparation for group discussions and presentations.

10%
10%
15%
20%
30%
15%

Vocabulary Quizzes
Research Presentation
Academic Reading Circles Assignments
Lost Portfolio
Reading Skills Tests
Final Reading Exam

GRADING SCALE
A
93-100
A90-92
B+
88-89
B
83-87
B80-82
C+
78-79

C
CD+
D
DF

73-77
70-72
68-69
63-67
60-62
59 & below

REQUIREMENTS TO PASS MET COURSE

You must meet the following criteria:
Earn at least a B (83%) in both MET courses
Earn a 2.5 average GPA in academic classes

RUBRIC FOR GRADED CLASSWORK & HOMEWORK

PROFICIENCY LEVEL

Score

Excellent
(+)

Perfect; the student demonstrated proficiency at the objective(s)

that substantially exceeded the requirements.

100%

Very Good
()

The student demonstrated proficiency at the objective(s) that

sufficiently met the requirements with minor errors.

85%

Average
(-)

The student demonstrated basic proficiency at the objective(s)

that met the requirements with some major errors.

75%

Poor
(=)

The student did not yet meet the requirements for basic proficiency
at the objective(s). Many errors present.

65%

Fail
()

The student did not complete the assignment, did not show
sufficient effort (e.g. blank answers), or did not follow directions.

0%

ATTENDANCE & HOMEWORK POLICIES

As per ELC policy, you are expected to attend the entire class semester and maintain a 90% attendance rate. In addition, you may not leave before
the semester ends. If you choose to leave early, you will receive a zero for all assignments and tests missed. If you miss any portion of the final
exam, you cannot pass the course. Early exams will not be provided. If you need to leave early you must request permission from the Assistant Director of Student Services (i.e.
Mark Galloway) early in the session. Sponsored students will need to secure permission from their embassy.

If you are unable to attend class, it is your responsibility to check the Class Schedule for homework or missed work. Being absent does not excuse
you from doing homework or allow you extra time to turn it in. If you have any issues, please email me immediately.
BEING PRESENT BEING PREPARED.
Sometimes we will be continuing something you completed for homework. If you
didnt complete the assignment, you will not be able to participate in class and
will be marked absent and/or asked to leave. In addition to completing reading
and writing assignments, preparing for class means that you are ready to discuss
and intelligently question issues raised by the material. This does not mean,
however, that you must master the material. On the contrary, it is perfectly
reasonable that you may be confused by some readings the first time we
encounter them, but in such cases you should be prepared to discuss what you
specifically found puzzling, aggravating, thought provoking, engaging, or difficult
about the assignment. In other words, if you feel you have nothing to say about a
topic or reading, YOU should actively develop a list of questions about it.

MY CLASS POLICIES
1.

2.
3.

4.
5.
6.

Speak only English in class. You are here to learn a new

language. In addition, you dont want to isolate your
classmates.
You need to be in your seats and prepared to work
before class begins. Before time is on time.
Fancy devices (phones, iPads, smart watches,
espresso machines, etc.) are a distraction and should
not be seen or heard. I will identify you by name
every time I see your phone.
Avoid noisy food packages or easily spilled drinks.
Check the Class Schedule every single day.
Use your ODU email for email communication.

Please be aware that being physically present in class is not enough; you must also be
Please speak up if you have an issue so we can address it
mentally present. Sleeping, engaging in distracting behaviors (such as interrupting
immediately. Im here to help you. Let me know if anything
discussions, texting, playing on social media, doing work for other classes, etc.), or
impedes your learning.
refusing to participate in class activities and discussions is unacceptable and is
grounds for being counted absent. If you have a hard time staying awake,
concentrating, or sitting still at your desk, you may stand up or move around, provided you do so in a non-distracting way.

CONTACTING ME
The best way to contact me is through my faculty email akumm@odu.edu. If you merely verbalize something to me without getting it in writing, I
will probably forget about it despite my best intentions. So please write it down for me.
Emailing Protocol (adapted from Kathy Moulton)

Always include a subject heading in English.

Begin: Dear Ann, ... ; End: Best/Kind regards,

Do not use texting abbreviations (e.g., lol, ttyl).

ALWAYS capitalize I. DO NOT use i.

Use your ODU email. Do not use personal email accounts.

Check your email for spelling and grammar errors before hitting send.

THE OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY HONOR PLEDGE

I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic
dishonesty or deception, such as cheating and plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic
community it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violations of the Honor Code. I will report to a
hearing if summoned.

ACCOMODATION STATEMENT
Old Dominion University is committed to ensuring equal access to all qualified students with disabilities
in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) is
the campus office that works with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable
accommodations.

If you experience a disability which will impact your ability to access any aspect of my class,
please present me with an accommodation letter from OEA so that we can work together to
ensure that appropriate accommodations are available to you.

If you feel that you will experience barriers to your ability to learn and/or testing in my class but do not have an accommodation letter,
please consider scheduling an appointment with OEA to determine if academic accommodations are necessary.
The Office of Educational Accessibility is located at 1021 Student Success Center (phone: 757-683-4655). Additional information is available at
the OEA website: http://www.odu.edu/educationalaccessibility/

While we have a structured syllabus and course schedule, I reserve the right to adapt or change the course to better reflect the classs needs and
performance.