General English I

Course Title: General English I

Course No. : Eng. Ed ………                                          Nature of the course: Theoretical

Level: B. Ed                                                                  Credit hours: 3

Semester: First                                                            Teaching hours: 48

1.         Course Description

This is a general English course designed to develop students’ proficiency in grammar, academic vocabulary, reading and writing. The grammar component includes elements ranging from tenses to transformation. Vocabulary component covers words from different academic fields. The reading component deals with a wide variety of carefully selected materials that include informative passages on contemporary and critical issues. The writing component includes materials required for effective communication on matters of general and academic interests.

2.         General Objectives

The general objectives of this course are as follows:

·         To help students use grammatically correct English.

·         To expand students’ repertoire of general and academic vocabulary.

• To develop students’ ability to comprehend and interpret different kinds of written texts.
• To enable them to compose different kinds of writings for effective communication on matters of general and academic interests.

3.         Specific Objectives and Contents

Specific Objectives	Contents
·   Make sentences using appropriate tenses ·   Use modals and verbs correctly ·   Supply correct prepositions, adjectives and adverbs ·   Apply conditionals in the given contexts ·   Form words and sentences	Unit I. Grammar                ( 10) 1.1.     Tenses 1.2.     Modals 1.3.    Questions, multi-words, verbs and verb structures 1.4.    Determiners and prepositions 1.5.    Adjectives, adverbs, 1.6.    Passive and conditionals 1.7.     Word formation and sentences
·       Identify and use academic vocabulary in a given discourse. ·       Apply appropriate ways to enrich their academic vocabulary.	Unit II: Vocabulary                  (8) 2.1 Working with academic vocabulary 2.2  Word combinations 2.3  Vocabulary at academic institutions 2.4  Ways of talking about 2.5  Opinions and ideas 2.6  Functions 2.7  Reading and vocabulary 2.8  Reference
·       Extract general idea from texts. ·       Find specific information in the text. ·       Answer questions for the details in the given text. ·       Read and make notes of the important points. ·       Draw inferences from varieties of reading texts. ·       Give opinions and express attitudes. ·       Interpret different types of texts. ·       Solve problems and puzzles	Unit III: Reading              (15) 3.1  Determining co-references 3.2  Matching things 3.3  Understanding instructions 3.4  Unscrambling texts and anagrams 3.5   Scanning: locating and extracting information 3.6  Skimming: finding out main point and the central idea 3.7  Drawing inferences and implications 3.8  Assessing opinions and attitudes 3.9  Solving problems and puzzles
·       Rewrite given texts in different forms. ·       Compose short and long texts in the given topics. ·       Maintain coherence and cohesion in writing. ·       Write letters, resumes, summaries, reports, news and  essays.	Unit IV: Writing                   (15) 4.1 Rewriting: rephrasing, paraphrasing 4.2 Parallel writing 4.3 Completing a text 4.4 Organizing a text: sequencing instructions, ordering information, connecting ideas 4.5 Writing summaries 4.6 Writing letters: personal, official, business, job application 4.7 Writing curriculum vitae (resume) 4.8 Writing reports: events and news 4.9 Writing essays: descriptive, expository, narrative, argumentative

Note: The figures in the parentheses indicate the approximate teaching hours.

4.      Instructional Techniques

The instructional techniques for this course are divided into two groups.  First group consists of general instructional techniques applicable to most of the units. The second group consists of specific instructional techniques applicable to specific units.

4.1        General Instructional Techniques

Following general techniques are suggested for the overall delivery of the course.

·   Lecture

·   Discussion

·   Explanation

·   Illustration

·   Demonstration

·   Quizzes

·   Presentation

It is expected that students are fully engaged in the lesson and sessions are interactive while presenting the lesson.

4.2        Specific Instructional Techniques

Some specific techniques are suggested to ensure the active engagement of the students.

Unit I	Small group discussion for the various grammar elements, pair work to find out the rules of language, mini-projects to research the various grammar elements in the texts. Groups will present their work followed by teacher’s feedback.
Unit II	Individual practice, small group discussion and pair work.
Unit III	Individual study, pair work for reading tasks and presentation.
Unit IV	Individual assignment on various writing tasks, small group discussion and presentation.

In addition to the techniques mentioned above, observation of an English language class where children with different abilities are studying followed by presentation is also encouraged in all the units.

5.         Evaluation

5.1 Internal Evaluation 40%

Internal evaluation will be conducted by course teacher based on following activities:

1.      Attendance                                                       4 Points

2.      Participation in learning activities                   6 points

3.      First assignment/midterm exam                      10 points

4.      Second assignment/assessment (1 or 2)         10 points

5.      Third assignment/assessment                          10 points

Total                                                     40 points

5.2 External Evaluation (Final Examination) 60%

Examination Division, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Education will conduct final examination at the end of the semester. Type of questions and the marks allocated for them are as follows:

1.      Objective type question (Multiple choice 10 × 1 =        10 points

2.      Short answer questions (6 questions × 5 points )  =      30 points

3.      Long answer questions (2 questions × 10) =                   20 points

Total                                                                               60 points

6.         Recommended Books and Reference Materials

Recommended Books

Awasthi, J. R. ,Bhattarai, G. R. & Khaniya, T. R. (eds.) (2008). New Generation English. Kathmandu: Vidyarthi Publication. (For units III to IV)   (Lessons from 1 – 26: page 1 - 138)

McCarthy, M. & O’Dell, F. (2009). Academic Vocabulary in Use. Delhi: Cambridge University Press.    (For unit II)

Lloyd, M. and Day, J. (2011). Active Grammar, Level 2. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. (Unit I)

Reference Materials

Hornby. A.S. (2010). Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (8^th Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.