How To Learn Hong Kong Koon Kong English

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1 English Skills for Academic Studies for AD Scheme in Humanities and Communication Semester 2, Written and compiled by Mr Patrick Lee and Ms Esther Tong (2007) Modified and edited by Ms Agnes Pui (2008) Hong Kong Community College, 2008

2 Table of Contents I. Syllabus 2 II. Teaching Plan 5 III. Learning Outcome Matrix 14 IV. Assessment Details 15 V. By Session 26 VI. Supplementary Worksheets Worksheet 1. Worksheet 2. Worksheet 3. Worksheet 4. Worksheet 5. Worksheet 6. Worksheet 7. Worksheet 8. Worksheet 9. Worksheet 10. Worksheet 11. Worksheet 12. Worksheet 13. VII. Annotated Student Samples Skill 1: Writing a Reflection Good Reflection Poor Reflection Skill 2: Writing an Essay Outline Good Essay Outline Poor Essay Outline Skill 3: Writing a Research Essay Good Research Essay Poor Research Essay Essay Analysis My English Learning Self-evaluation Sheet Fragments, Run-on sentences, Unparallel structures Misplaced Modifiers Dangling Modifiers Designing a Questionnaire Interviewing Skills One-sentence Summaries Verbs & Subject-verb Agreement Pronouns & ESL Pointers Behaviour in Group Discussions More Useful Expressions for Successful Discussions Self-evaluation Sheet for Project Task B Skill 4: Writing one-sentence summaries (with identification of sources) Good Sample Poor Sample

3 I. Syllabus CC2001 English Skills for Academic Studies Level 2 Credits 3 Nature Non-Science Medium of Instruction English Teaching Pattern 42 hours of Seminar Prerequisites Nil Assessment 60% Coursework 40% Examination Aims The subject prepares students for successful academic study in an English medium postsecondary learning environment. The main focus of this subject is to develop students confidence and competence in using English within academic contexts relevant to their area of study. Learning Outcomes On successfully completing this subject, students will be able to: Listening Skills take effective notes on key points and ideas in spoken academic contexts Reading Skills apply learned strategies to improve reading for different purposes (e.g. reading for general understanding, reading for details, etc.) Writing Skills write a well-structured paragraph that includes a topic sentence and supporting details paraphrase, summarize, and quote from a source write an academic essay using the process approach which enables students to o generate and select writing topics o plan, organise, and structure an academic essay o edit and revise their work for unity, coherence, support, and sentence skills demonstrate improved control of vocabulary and grammar through appropriate and accurate usage in writing Speaking Skills contribute and justify their comments and respond critically to others ideas in a small group discussion demonstrate improved control of pronunciation through an increased awareness of common pronunciation errors in Hong Kong 2

4 Research Skills conduct library and other research and integrate ideas from other sources to support their positions document information from multiple sources using an established documentation style (e.g. MLA, APA, etc.) Study Skills reflect on learning processes and critically evaluate performance in academic English tasks contribute positively to class learning and group activities Indicative Contents Note-taking and listening skills Reading strategies Process writing Academic essays Referencing Documenting Discussion/ presentation skills Study skills Teaching/Learning Approach Students will be required to participate actively in the learning process. During seminars, students will take part in a wide range of interesting and challenging language learning activities such as role-plays, discussions, individual and group activities, which reflect students needs in their field of studies. In particular, students will be required to plan and collaborate with peers in a major team project/assignment which will give them an opportunity to experience learning from peers as well. In language laboratory sessions, audio-visual materials will be used to improve students listening and speaking skills, and WebCT will be used as a tool to promote extended learning after class. Students are also encouraged to engage in constant reflection on learning processes and to evaluate their own as well as their peers performance in the learning tasks. Through extensive interactive practices, the course helps students gain mastery of the academic language skills needed for effective academic communication. Assessment Approach Students are required to complete the following four assessment tasks which are combined to address all the learning outcomes of the course: 1. Two individual written tasks 2. One individual/ group oral task 3. One group project/ assignment They will demonstrate achievement of course learning outcomes by completing a combination of the following tasks relevant to their discipline of study: i) Paragraph Writing: This task aims at assessing students ability in developing a topic through paragraphing. They need to write a paragraph that includes a topic sentence and supporting details. 3

5 ii) Summary Writing: This task requires students to synthesize information/ideas from an academic article. iii) Group Project/Assignment: The group project/assignment gives students an opportunity to plan and collaborate with their fellow classmates in small groups and apply the learned strategies and skills in researching, writing, reading, speaking, and/or listening. iv) Seminar Discussion: This task assesses students listening and speaking skills. They have to apply the learned strategies to note down key points and opinions of their peers, state their position, and respond critically to peers ideas in a group discussion. v) Academic Essay: This writing task assesses students research, referencing, documenting, and process writing skills. Reflection: This task gives students opportunities to reflect on their learning processes and critically evaluate their group communication skills. In addition, to encourage a spirit of enquiry and sharing and to help students explore the creativity and enjoyment of the process of learning and researching knowledge, part of students grade will be based on their class participation throughout the course of the semester. Indicative Readings Recommended Textbook Langan, John. English Skills for Academic Studies. McGraw-Hill. (latest ed.). An abridged edition of: Langan, John. College Writing Skills with Readings. McGraw-Hill. (latest ed.) Reading and Study Skills. McGraw-Hill. (latest ed.). References Langan, John. English Brushup. McGraw-Hill. (latest ed.). Madden, Carolyn G. and Rohlck, Theresa N. Discussion and Interaction in the Academic Community. University of Michigan Press. (latest ed.). Oshima, Alice. and Hogue, Ann. Writing Academic English. Addison Wesley Longman. (latest ed.). Spencer, Carolyn M. and Arbon, Beverly. Foundations of Writing: Developing Research and Academic Writing Skills. NTC. (latest ed.). Steer, Jocelyn. M. and Schmid, Dawn. The Advanced Grammar Book (Workbook), Heinle & Heinle. (latest ed.). Wallace, Michael J. Study Skills in English. Cambridge University Press. (latest ed.). 4

6 III. Learning Outcome Matrix Teaching Week 1 - Course introduction - Essay structure - Self-reflection 2 - Writing process - Pre-writing strategies - Writing effective thesis statements and topic sentences - Sentence skills 3 - Research skills: Research at a local library and designing a questionnaire - Interviewing skills 4 - Outlining an essay - Supporting the thesis - Sentence skills 5 - Recognising main ideas - Researching skills: Researching on the Internet 6 - Writing one-sentence summaries - Paraphrasing ideas - Research essay consultation 7 - Summarising an article - MLA referencing 8 - Building coherence - Grammar revision 9 - Revising and editing skills - Listening and note-taking skills 10 - Seminar/ discussion skills - Grammar revision - Revising and editing skills Expected Learning Outcomes (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) 11 - Seminar/ discussion skills 12 - Oral assessment task - Revising and editing skills/ Reflection on learning processes, group skills or project skills 13 - Oral assessment task 14 - Course review 14

7 IV. Assessment Details Assignment 1 Reflection on Learning Experience (10%; Individual) In this task, you need to reflect on your experience of using English to learn different academic subjects in college. As the medium of instruction for most HKCC subjects is English, learning academic subjects in the tertiary level may be quite different from that in the secondary level. This assignment enables you to reflect comprehensively on this new and challenging experience. I. Expected Learning Outcomes: The objectives of this task are to assess how well you are able to: reflect and critique on your learning processes; write a well-structured paragraph that includes a topic sentence and supporting details; demonstrate improved control of vocabulary and grammar through appropriate and accurate usage in writing. II. Guidelines: 1. In this task, you are required to write a 300-word reflection to: Review your experience of using English to learn different academic subjects in college, such as English for Business Communication, Introduction to Information Technology and other G.E. subjects and how that differs from secondary school; Review problems you have encountered and/or identify progress you have made; Suggest what you plan to do this semester to overcome the identified problems and/or to further improve your English. 2. Your assignment should be word-processed / typewritten throughout, in double-line spacing. Double-sided printing is welcomed. 3. On top of the first page, please list the following: (a) The name of the assignment, i.e. Assignment 1: Reflection on the Learning Experience of English Language in Semester One ; (b) The course code and title, e.g. CC2001 English Skills for Academic Studies ; (c) Your class group number; (d) Your full name and student number; (e) The date of submission of your assignment. 4. You must be honest! 5. Please be reminded that late submission will induce a penalty 20% of your marks will be deducted. Moreover, your work will not be accepted if you hand it in late by more than 7 calendar days. 15

8 III. Grading Aspects: Criteria I. Content (60%) II. English Language Writing Skills (40%) Descriptions Originality & - All ideas are original. Creativity (20%) - All ideas are creative, interesting, and inspirational. Relevance (10%) - Relevant and appropriate ideas on English learning in different aspects, e.g. experience of using English to learn different academic subjects and how it differs from secondary school, problems encountered/ progress made, suggestions on how to overcome the identified problems/ to further improve your English, etc. Depth of - Plenty of insightful and valuable thoughts Thoughts (30%) on learning strategies used in semester one. - Plenty of insightful and valuable thoughts on future learning. - Clear, well-presented and meaningful ideas. - All ideas are organized logically. - A variety of appropriate transitional devices are used to connect sentences. - Sentences are varied in length and structure. - Very few errors are found in complex sentences. - Grammar, spelling and punctuation are consistently used accurately. IV. Due Date of Reflection: In the lecture/ tutorial (as specified by your lecturer) of Week 4. 16

9 Assignment 2 -Group Project (70%) This assessment task is designed to assess your ability in using English effectively in academic contexts you will encounter in your studies in Associate in Arts, Associate in BC, Associate in EBC, and Associate in LC. You will be completing a series of activities including discussions, research, writing tasks, and a seminar discussion task in which you collaborate with your group members: Task A (Project Preparation and Research Essay): to write a 5-paragraph academic essay of 1, words in which you will analyse an issue significant to Hong Kong society or share your views on a controversial issue in the field of language/communication/culture in Hong Kong, AND Task B (Seminar): to lead a discussion about your research topic. Topic: Each group of students will select a topic from the following. 1. Language and Mass Media 2. Internet Communication 3. Language Policy 4. Biliteracy and Trilingualism 5. Nonverbal Communication 6. Pop Culture 7. Foreign Language Learning 8. Cultural Identity 9. Code-mixing 10. Channels of Communication Project Overview Week Task to be Completed What You Need to Do A. Project Preparation Steps 1-3* [Group] 2-7 Lecture/Tutorial as specified by your lecturer *5 bonus marks will be given to the students who can complete the three project preparation steps on time. Form a group of 3-4 (Week 2). Submit respectively: i) Topic and thesis statement [Step 1] (Week 3), ii) Essay outline [Step 2] (Week 6) After completing the above two project preparation steps, you may need to attend a follow-up meeting with your lecturer [Step 3], if required. (Week 6/7) 7-10 Review lecturer s feedback. Draft the essay. Revise the essay. Prepare the required attachments. 11 Lecture/Tutorial as specified by your lecturer B. Research Essay (30%) [Group] You will be assessed on your writing skills and research skills as a group*. *Individual contribution to the group project will be considered. Submit the Research Essay with i) a copy of the source articles, ii) a table recording the percentage allocation of team member contribution, iii) a table recording the division of work, iv) the completed Declaration of Original Work signed by all group members, and v) your group s Project Preparation Checklist 17

10 Week Task to be Completed What You Need to Do 12 & 13 Lecture C. Oral Presentation/ Seminar (30%) [Individual + Group] Present your project idea to the class. Lead a discussion about your research topic. You will be assessed on your performance in an academic discussion as an individual (70%) and as a group (30%). Project Task 2A Research Essay In this task, you are required to collaborate with your group members to write a 5-paragraph research essay of words (for a group of 4 members). You will have to work in groups to brainstorm ideas, gather information, organize the essay content, review other members writing, and revise your part with reference to the feedback given by your peers. *For groups with fewer than 4 members, the total length of the essay will be set in pro rata. For example, a group with 3 members should write an essay of about words. I. Expected Learning Outcomes: Research Skills Conduct library and other research (e.g. interview, questionnaire) and integrate ideas from other sources to support their positions Document information from multiple sources using an established documentation style (refer to MLA citation style on pp ) Writing Skills Plan, organize, and structure an academic essay Write a research essay using the process approach Write well-structured paragraphs that include a topic sentence and supporting details Paraphrase, summarize, and quote from different types of sources (e.g. newspaper, interview) Edit and revise the essay for unity, coherence, support, and sentence skills Demonstrate appropriate usage of vocabulary and grammar Study Skills Contribute positively to group work II. Project Preparation: Your active participation in the writing process can substantially improve the final quality of your research essay. Before submitting your research essay, you are required to complete THREE project preparation steps: i) select a topic and write a thesis statement, and ii) write an essay outline. Besides, you may need to attend a follow-up meeting with your lecturer (if required). Your group will receive 5 bonus marks on your research essay if ALL project preparation steps are completed by the deadlines stated in the suggested work plan below. You will be required to submit the checklist with each project preparation step and with the final research essay. 18

11 Week 3 (Lecture/ Tutorial as specified by your lecturer) 6 (Lecture/ Tutorial as specified by your lecturer) Project Preparation Steps (5 bonus marks) 1. Topic and Thesis Statement What You Need to Do Choose an issue you are interested in and would like to discuss, and submit the topic and thesis statement for the group project. 2. Essay Outline Submit an extended essay outline*. *Use the template (word file) given by your lecturer on SMILE to write the essay outline. *Refer to the samples in the. Your group will receive feedback from your lecturer in the tutorial of Week 6/ Follow-up (if required) III. Structure of Essay Outline: Attend a follow-up meeting with your lecturer and take appropriate action recommended by your lecturer. Introduction Body Paragraphs 1-3 (Main Ideas 1-3) Conclusion Thesis Statement: In one sentence, state the single central idea with a plan of development tell readers the essay s topic, presents the writer s attitude/opinion, and previews the main points that support that attitude/opinion. Topic Sentence: State your main idea in one sentence. Specific Supporting Evidence: (a) Complete Sentences. Specific evidence/ details used to support the main idea. (b) Complete Sentences. Specific evidence/ details used to support the main idea. (c) Complete Sentences. Specific evidence/ details used to support the main idea. Summary (Optional): Summarise the essay by briefly restating the thesis and the main supporting points General Closing Remarks: Present the final thought about the topic. Important Reminders: Your participation in the Essay Outline step will only be recognised if an extended outline is prepared (See the samples in the ). You must complete the Essay Outline before the deadline to receive feedback from your lecturer. Late submissions will not be accepted. IV. Topic of Research Essay: The topic of your group s Research Essay should be the same as that in the Essay Outline, unless your lecturer recommends you to narrow down/ change the topic. Prior approval from the lecturer is required for changing the topic of your research essay. 19

12 V. Guidelines: Each member should write about 300 words. If a student has no contributions in writing the essay, s/he will have zero mark for the essay. Work out the percentage of contribution of each member. Then, complete and sign Table 1 below: Table 1 Percentage Allocation of Team Member Contribution in Research Essay Names a. b. c. d. TOTAL Percentage allocation: (must add up to 100%) = 100% Signature: At least 5 sources of references (of which 3 should be printed sources) should be cited in the essay to show that research skills have been used. Attach a copy of the source articles to the essay. Note: At least 5 sources have to be sources in English. If you use any additional sources in Chinese, you have to attach a copy of the original Chinese source and translate the quoted parts into English. You may use an interview/ a questionnaire as one of the 5 sources to support your arguments in your essay. If you do so, you need to attach copies of your interview or questionnaire with your essay. Write down the total number of words at the end of your essay. Summarize or paraphrase the quoted materials as far as possible. Direct quotation should not exceed 10% of the total length of your essay. The MLA citation style should be correctly used to document sources in the essay. You must write your own work. Disciplinary action will be taken if a student is found plagiarizing other writers ideas/ words. Prior to your submission of the project, all members of your group MUST fill in the Declaration of Original Work (See Appendix II) indicating that the project you have completed is your own original work. This form must be attached to your research essay for final submission. Your essay outline and research essay must be double-spaced, and wordprocessed/type-written on single-sided A-4 paper. A cover page is needed for the research essay. Please follow the Sample Cover Page shown below. Sample Cover Page The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong Community College CC 2001 English Skills for Academic Studies Project Title: Code-mixing in Hong Kong Group: 2XX Student ID Members Signature xxxxxxxx Hay Mung Moon xx xxxxxxxx Lam Chi Chi Karina xx xxxxxxxx Pang Yi Man Keo xx xxxxxxxx Yip Ching Yee Oliva xx 20

13 VI. Grading Aspects of Research Essay: 1. Content (25%) 2. Unity (25%) 3. Coherence (25%) 4. Language & Mechanics (25%) - Title: informative and able to indicate the aim of the essay - The introduction provides an effective entry to the thesis of the essay using one of the methods introduced in the textbook. - Adequate and specific evidence and sound reasons are provided to support the topic sentences which develop the thesis. - At least 5 sources of reference are given to demonstrate research skills have been used. - The thesis statement introduces the topic of the essay and advances the group s opinion, attitude, idea or point about the topic. - The thesis contains a plan of development. - All ideas in the essay develop and support the thesis. - Each paragraph has a topic sentence, and supporting details are relevant to the topic sentence. - The format of documentation is correct within the paper and at the end of the paper. - The essay is organized systematically. - The paragraphs are well-structured: main ideas are stated at the beginning of the supporting paragraphs. - A variety of transitional devices are appropriately used to connect sentences and ideas (e.g. using keywords, pronouns, connecting words, transitional phrases/ sentences). - Grammar, spelling, punctuation, writing style, mechanics are used appropriately and accurately. - Vocabulary is varied, specific, and appropriate. - Sentences are well-formed, varied in length and structure. - At least 5 sources are given in the Works Cited list. - The MLA citation style is correctly used to document sources. VII. Due Date of Research Essay: In the lecture/ tutorial (as specified by your lecturer) of Week 11. Submit the research essay, together with: i. A copy of the source articles (e.g. newspaper articles, online articles), ii. A table recording the percentage allocation of team member contribution (Table 1 below), iii. A table recording the division of work (Table 2 below), iv. The completed Declaration of Original Work (Appendix II) signed by all group members, and v. Your group s project preparation checklist (Appendix I). Table 2 Peer Review: Division of Work Writer s Name a. b. c. d. Paragraphs *Number the paragraphs in the essay Reviewer s Name 21

14 Appendix I CC Group Project Member List: Checklist for the Project Preparation Steps Steps to be Completed Deadline Completed with Satisfaction? Yes Lecturer s Signature 1. Topic & Thesis Statement Week 3 Lecture/ Tutorial as specified by your lecturer 2. Essay Outline Week 6 Lecture/ Tutorial as specified by your lecturer Follow-up Required? Yes No Step to be Completed Deadline Completed with Satisfaction? Yes Lecturer s Signature 3. Follow-up (if required) 6/7 Tutorial or Appointment scheduled with your lecturer ALL Steps Completed as Required? Yes (5 Bonus Marks) No 22

15 Appendix II THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY Hong Kong Community College CC2001 English Skills for Academic Studies Semester 2, DECLARATION OF ORIGINAL WORK This form must be completed, signed, dated and attached to the group project in hard copy to the subject lecturer for record. Student Name a. Student Number b. c. d. Assignment Title: Submission Date: Name of Subject Lecturer: Declaration: We declare that the attached assignment is entirely our own work. All sources have been properly acknowledged and the assignment contains no plagiarism. We have been taught how to avoid plagiarism and understand that any plagiarism found in our assignment can lead to penalties such as mark deduction, disqualification or even expulsion from the College. Student s Signature(s): a. b. c d. Signing Date: 23

16 Project Task 2B Oral Presentation/ Seminar (30%; Group + Individual) In this task, you and your project group members are required to lead an academic discussion of about 20 minutes on your essay topic in the lecture of Week 12/13. You will be assessed on your performance as an individual (70%) and as a group (30%). I. Expected Learning Outcomes: Listening Skills Take effective notes on key points and ideas suggested by group members/classmates in the seminar session. Speaking Skills Contribute and justify your comments and respond critically to others ideas in the seminar session. Demonstrate competent speaking skills appropriate for an academic presentation and discussion. II. Topic The topic should be the same as that of your research essay. III. Guidelines: Preparation Re-read your essay. Prepare a 5-minute presentation of your research essay to introduce the thesis and supporting points of your paper. You are expected to converse and interact in English, so you may prepare notes in point form only. Scripts are strictly prohibited. A fail grade will be given to those who read aloud from a script. Assessment Day (1) Opening (5 minutes) (i) Your group will have 1 minute to present the background information and the topic. To facilitate the discussion, you need to show the thesis statement and plan of development on the screen/ white board. (ii) Each group member will have 1 minute to present to the class his/her viewpoints and supporting details for the topic. (iii) Every student in the class is required to prepare comments and/ or questions. (2) Discussion (12 minutes) (i) All group members are required to participate actively in the discussion by taking turns: a. To invite class members to give comments and ask questions, and b. To respond to comments given by class members and/or answer questions. (ii) Your group is required to coordinate the level of participation of both group members and class members: a. Avoid dominance by certain group member(s) and/or class members(s), and b. Avoid dead air. (iii) 1 bonus mark (maximum 5) will be given to a class member who participates in the discussion to express his/her opinion which makes a meaning contribution to the discussion.. 24

17 (3) Closing (3 minutes) (i) One member of your group has 3 minutes to give a summary of what have been discussed as a report to the whole class and to the lecturer. This member s performance will affect the group marks only. Note: You may use the white board/ visualiser in the classroom to help you illustrate your points in the presentation/discussion/closing. IV. Grading Aspects: (i). Individual Performance (70%) 1. Interest and Clarity of Ideas (20%) 2. Level of Participation & Interaction with Others (both verbal & non-verbal communication) (20%) - Clear viewpoint - Adequate examples and details to illustrate understanding of the topic - Logical organization of ideas - Active listening and appropriate responses to comments/ questions - Clear clarification of opinions and reasoning - Active involvement of others in the discussion - Positive verbal and non-verbal communication - Smooth and natural expression of ideas - Appropriate pace of speech 3. Fluency of Speech/Expressions (10%) 4. Accuracy of Speech (10%) - Correct grammar - Clear articulation and pronunciation - Appropriate intonation and stress 5. Appropriateness & Variety of Language Used for Discussion (10%) - Appropriate techniques for transition of ideas - Variety of expressions and questions for facilitating a discussion (ii). Group Performance (30%) 1. Group/Class Interaction (20%) 2. Overall Effectiveness of the Discussion (10%) - Active involvement of all group members and class members in discussion - Logical flow of arguments i) Opening - Take turns to present main ideas and supporting points clearly within the responsible group ii) Discussion - Maintain the discussion on a focused topic and task - Pose appropriate questions to generate further discussion - Ensure effective involvement of class members in discussion iii) Closure - Give an effective and meaningful conclusion of main points discussed iv) Time management - Complete the opening, discussion and closure within 20 minutes 25

18 V. - By Session Week 1 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, you will be able to: Get to know about your lecturer and the course requirements; Identify the parts of an essay and explain the importance of supporting a point in writing; Identify the three approaches of writing (first-person, second-person, and third-person) B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 1 Teaching Plan for CC2001 Discussion: o What is academic English? o What tasks are essential to success in your College studies? Essay Analysis (Worksheet 1): Activity 2, 3 and 4, Unit 3, Ch 1, pp C. Supplementary Learning Activities Complete the My English Learning Self-evaluation Sheet (Worksheet 2) Read Unit 3, Chapter 8 Introduction to Essay Development, pp D. Useful Resources Online Exercises on Textbook Companion Website (CWSR) < o A. Ch 7, Writing On- and Offline, Activity 2 - Identifying Approach < hill.com/sites/ /student_view0/chapter7/writing_on- _and_offline.html> o B. Ch 1, Writing On- and Offline, Activities Online Reflective Writing < hill.com/sites/ /student_view0/chapter1/writing_on- _and_offline.html> 26

19 Week 2 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Use various prewriting techniques to discover a thesis for their research essay and develop supporting points for the thesis Analyse the structure of thesis statements and topic sentences Identify the common mistakes in writing thesis statements Write effective thesis statements and topic sentences B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 2 Writing a Reflection (Assignment Sheet) Project Overview & Project Preparation (Assignment Sheet) Prewriting Exercise 1: Techniques for Discovering the Thesis (Freewriting & Questioning): Freewrite and/or ask a series of questions about the topic your group has chosen for the project. Prewriting Exercise 2: Techniques for Generating Supporting Details (Making a List & Clustering): Make a list of everything and/or use clustering to organise the keywords about your topic. Textbook Exercises: o Understanding Thesis Statements: Activity 1, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) o Evaluating Thesis Statements: Activity 10-13, pp (Complete at least 1 question in each activity.) o Writing a Thesis Statement: Activity 15, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises: o Prewriting Techniques: Activity 10, pp o Understanding Thesis Statements: Activity 1, pp (Complete the rest of the questions.) o Writing a Good Thesis: Activity 2, p.160 o Evaluating Thesis Statements: Activity 3, p.163; Activity 10-13, pp (Complete the rest of the questions.) o Writing a Thesis Statement: Activity 15, pp (Complete the rest of the questions.) Project Preparation Step 1: Write a Thesis Statement for the Research Essay 27

20 D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o i. CWSR, Ch 2, Quizzes: Writing On- and Offline (Activity 1-3, Freewriting/ questioning/ making a list) o ii. CWSR, Ch 3, Quizzes: Writing On- and Offline (Activity 1: Begin with a strong thesis; Activity 3, Polishing thesis sentences) o iii. CWSR, Ch 3, Interactive Exercises (Exercise A, Step 1 - Begin with a Point, or Thesis) 28

21 Week 3 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Identify different types of sources they may use to support their positions in the research essay Locate library materials using the library catalogue; Design questionnaires that help collect ideas to support their positions in the research essay. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 3 Project Preparation Step 1: Topic and Thesis Statement (Submit the topic and thesis statement.*) Reading: o Library Catalogue User Guide (Supplementary Notes) o Supplementary Materials on Designing Questionnaires Practice on Writing Questions (Supplementary Notes) * Lecture/ Tutorial as specified by your lecturer C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises (Using the Library): o Unit 2, Ch 3, Activity 2, pp o Unit 2, Ch 3, Activity 7, pp Supplementary Exercise: Designing a Questionnaire (Worksheet 6) D. Useful Resources Library Virtual Orientation < Online Tutorial: View lesson 1 and 2 of Searching the Library Catalogue Effectively at Online Information Literacy Programme: Complete the online information literacy programme at 29

22 Week 2/3 Tutorial (Classroom) & Week 4/5 Tutorial (Classroom) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of these lessons, students will be able to: Identify and correct most common types of fragments, run-on sentences, and unparallel structures; Identify and correct misplaced modifiers; Identify and correct dangling modifiers. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 2/3 & Tutorial 4/5 Revision Exercise: Fragments, Run-Ons, & Parallelism (Worksheet 3) Revision Exercise: Misplaced Modifiers (Worksheet 4) Revision Exercise: Dangling Modifiers (Worksheet 5) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises on Parallelism, Fragments, and Run-ons o Unit 3, Ch 6, Activity 1, p.231, o Unit 4, Ch 1, Activities on pp o Unit 4, Ch 2, Activities on pp Textbook Exercises in Misplaced Modifiers (Unit 4, Ch 3) o Activity 1, pp o Review Test 1, pp o Review Test 2, p.333 Textbook Exercises in Dangling Modifiers (Unit 4, Ch 4) o Activity 1, pp o Review Test 1, pp o Review Test 2, pp

23 D. Useful Resources Online Language Practices on Fragment, Run-ons and parallelism at Coursebook Companion Website o Ch 5 - Interactive Exercises: Faulty Parallelism o Ch 24 - Interactive Exercises: Fragment o Ch 25 - Interactive Exercises: i) Comma Splices, ii) Run-ons Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o CWSR, Ch 32, Quizzes: Misplaced Modifiers Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o i. CWSR, Ch 33, Quizzes: Dangling Modifiers o ii. CWSR, Ch 33, Interactive Exercises: Dangling Modifiers 31

24 Week 2/3 Tutorial (Language Lab.) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Understand how to make use of the online resources at the textbook companion websites (Online Learning Centre for CWSR and RSS) Write effective interview questions Conduct successful interviews to collect information for their research essay B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 2/3 Discussion: Brainstorm a list of open-ended questions in a group. Supplementary Exercise: Interviewing Skills (Worksheet 7) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Reading: Supplementary Notes D. Useful Resources Online Diagnostic Exercises at Companion Website (CWSR) 32

25 CC2001 Textbook (Abridged) vs. Online Companion Websites Textbook: English Skills for Academic Studies, 2009 An abridged version of: Reading and Study Skills (RSS), Eighth Edition (Extracts) (ISBN: ) College Writing Skills with Readings (CWSR), Seventh Edition (Extracts) (ISBN: ) Coursebook Websites College Writing Skills with Readings < Reading and Study Skills < CC2001 Textbook Website for CWSR Website for RSS Unit 1 Reading and Summarizing Main Ideas Chapter 1: Recognizing Main Ideas in Paragraphs and Short Selections RSS Part 4, Skill 5; Part 7, Main Idea Chapter 2: Knowing How to Summarize RSS Part 4, Skill 7; Part 7, Summarising Chapter 3: Paraphrasing and CWSR Ch 18 Writing a Summary Unit 2 Research Skills Chapter 1: Taking Notes RSS Part 2, Taking Classroom notes Chapter 2: Researching for CWSR Ch 22 Relevant Information Chapter 3: Using the Library and the Internet Unit 3 Writing Academic Essays Chapter 1: An Introduction to Writing CWSR Ch 21 CWSR Ch 1 RSS Part 7, Using Research Skills Chapter 2: The Writing Process CWSR Ch 2 Chapter 3: The First and Second CWSR Ch 3 Steps in Essay Writing Chapter 4: The Third Step in Essay Writing CWSR Ch 4 RSS Part 4, Skill 4 Chapter 5, Using Other Sources to CWSR Ch 22 Support Your Thesis Chapter 6: The Fourth Step in CWSR Ch 5 Essay Writing Chapter 7: Four Bases for Revising CWSR Ch 6 Essays Chapter 8: Introduction to Essay CWSR Ch 7 Development Unit 4 Sentence Skills Chapter 1: Fragments CWSR Ch 24 Chapter 2: Run-Ons CWSR Ch 25 Chapter 3: Misplaced Modifiers CWSR Ch 32 Chapter 4: Dangling Modifiers CWSR Ch 33 Unit 5 Grammar Revision Chapter 1: Verbs CWSR Ch 28 Chapter 2: Subject-verb agreement CWSR Ch 27 Chapter 3: Pronoun Agreement and CWSR Ch 29 Reference Chapter 4: ESL Pointers CWSR Ch 45 Chapter 5: Editing Tests CWSR Ch 44 33

26 Week 4 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Outline an essay. Use adequate and specific details to support their thesis. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 4 Assignment 1 (Reflection): Submit the assignment in the lecture/ tutorial as specified by your lecturer Outlining Practice: Activity 11 - Unit 3, Ch 2, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) Exercise in Generating Details to Support the Thesis: Activity 4 Unit 3, Ch 3, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) Exercise in Using Specific Details: Activity 5 Unit 3, Ch 3, pp. 167 (Complete at least 1 question.) Exercise in Using Adequate Details: Activity 6 Unit 3, Ch 3, pp C. Supplementary Learning Activities Project Preparation Step 2: Write the essay outline. Textbook Exercises: o Outlining Practice: Unit 3, Ch 2, Activity 12, Losing Touch, pp o Identifying the Parts of an Essay (Topic, Thesis Statement and Supporting Sentence) Unit 3, Ch 3, Activity 8, pp Unit 3, Ch 3, Activity 9, pp o Providing Specific Evidence: Unit 3, Ch 3, Activity 18, pp o Identifying Adequate Supporting Evidence: Unit 3, Ch 3, Activity 19, pp o Adding Details to Complete an Essay, Activity 20, pp D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o i) Ch 2, Interactive Exercises : Outlining Exercises AND Outlining Tutor o ii) Ch 3, Interactive Exercises: Exercises B-D 34

27 Week 5 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Identify the two basic parts of a paragraph. Locate main ideas in paragraphs and short selections. Understand the format of the mid-term test B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 5 Textbook Exercises: o Understanding Paragraph Structure - Unit 1, Ch 1, Activity 2, p. 4 o Finding Main Ideas in Paragraphs/ Short Selections - Unit 1, Ch 1, Activity 1, pp.6-7 Notes about Mid-term Test (Details and Sample Questions) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises: o Unit 1, Ch 1, Activity 2, pp.7-9 o Unit 1, Ch 1, Review Test, pp o Unit 1, Ch 1, Mastery Test, pp D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (RSS) at o i) RSS, Part 4, Skill 5, Journal Prompt at o ii) RSS, Part 7, Quizzes Main Idea Quiz at 35

28 Week 4/5 Tutorial (Language Lab.) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: research topics using the Internet evaluate Internet sources B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 4/5 Reading Practice: Read the webpage about How to Search the Internet at and answer the following questions: 1. What search tools can you use to locate your source materials? 2. If you d like to perform advanced search of non-chinese materials, which type of search engines is the best? 3. How can you evaluate the results of your search? C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises on Evaluating Internet Sources o Activity 6, pp Textbook Exercises on Using Research Skills o Mastery Test, pp D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (RSS) at Online Supplementary Information about Research Skills Exercises at Companion Website (CWSR) < o i. CWSR, Guide to Electronic Research o ii. CWSR, Using the Internet Online Revision Exercises at Companion Website (CWSR) < o iii. CWSR, Ch 21, Interactive Exercises: Web Hunt o iv. CWSR, Ch 21, Interactive Exercises: Evaluating Sources 36

29 Week 6 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Write one-sentence summaries and one paragraph summaries; Understand what plagiarism is; Paraphrase the source B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 6 Reading Practice o A Caution about Plagiarism (Unit 2, Ch 2, pp.86-87) Practice in Summarising o Unit 1, Ch 2, Activity 1, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) o Unit 1, Ch 2, Activity 2, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) Practice in Paraphrasing o Unit 2, Ch 2, Activity 1, pp (Complete at least 1 question) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises (Summarising), Unit 1, Ch 2 o Activity 1, pp (Complete the rest of the questions.) o Activity 2, pp (Complete the rest of the questions.) o Activity 3, pp.21-23, Appendix 2 Defence Mechanisms o Activity 4-7, pp o Review Test, pp o Mastery Test, pp D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o i) CWSR, Ch 22, Avoiding Plagiarism, Complete the Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial (quizzes/ exercises in paraphrasing and summarizing) at 37

30 Week 7 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Describe how to summarise an article; Document information from multiple sources using MLA format. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 7 Reading: o How to Summarise an Article (Unit 1, Ch 3, pp.35-36) o A Model Summary of an Article (Unit 1, Ch 3, p.37) o Reading (Documentation of Sources): Unit 3, Ch 5, pp Documentation Practice: Activity 1 Unit 3, Ch 5, p.218 C. Supplementary Learning Activities o Model Paper, Unit 3, Ch 5, pp o Sample Paper at Companion Website (CWSR): yle.html (Ch 22, More Resources) D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) i) CWSR, Ch 18, Interactive Exercises: (a) Summarising, (b) Summarising and Paraphrasing Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (RSS) < o RSS, Part 7 Summarising Quiz at 38

31 Week 6/7 Tutorial (Classroom/ Language Lab.) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Identify main ideas from paragraphs and short selections; Paraphrase and summarise the source; Get feedback on the essay outline. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 6/7 Project Preparation Step 2: Essay Outline (Submit an essay outline in the tutorial of Week 6) Project Preparation Step 3: Follow-up as required (Research Essay Consultation in Week 6/7) Revision Exercises in Recognising Main Ideas from Paragraphs/ Short Selections (Exercises not done in Lecture 5) o Unit 1, Ch 1 Revision Exercises in Summarising and Paraphrasing (Exercises not done in Lecture 6) o Unit 1, Ch 2 o Unit 1, Ch 3 Supplementary Exercise: One-sentence Summaries (Worksheet 8) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Revision Exercises in Recognising Main Ideas from Paragraphs/ Short Selections (refer to Section C in for Lecture 5, p.v-26) o Unit 1, Ch 1 Revision Exercises in Summarising and Paraphrasing (refer to Section C in Study Guide for Lecture 6, p.v-28) o Unit 1, Ch 2 o Unit 1, Ch 3 D. Useful Resources Recognising Main Ideas from Paragraphs/ Short Selections o Refer to Section D in for Lecture 5, p.v-26 Summarising and Paraphrasing o Refer to Section D in for Lecture 6, p.v-28 39

32 Week 8 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Organise and connect specific evidence in the body paragraphs of an essay. Use different methods of introduction to introduce the subject of an essay to the readers in an interesting way. Use different methods of conclusion to end an essay. Write an appropriate title for an essay. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 8 Project Task 2A Research Essay (Assignment Sheet) Textbook Exercises (Unit 3, Ch 4): o Common Methods of Organisation, Activity 1, pp o Using Transition Words, Activity 2, pp o Using Transitional Sentences, Activity 3, pp o Using Other Connecting Words (Repeated Words, Pronouns, Synonyms), Activity 7, p.195 o Common Methods of Introduction, Activity 5, pp (Complete at least one question.) o Common Methods of Conclusion, Activity 6, p.201 (Complete at least one question.) o Writing Titles, Activity 7, p.202 (Complete at least one question.) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises, Unit 3, Ch 4 o Organising through Time or Emphatic Order Activity 1, pp & Activity 8, pp o Using Transitions Activity 10 & 11, pp o Using Transitions and Other Connecting Words (repeated words, pronouns, synonyms), Activity 12, pp o Completing Transitional Sentences, Activity 13, pp o Identifying Introductions and Conclusions, Activity 14, pp D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o i) CWSR, Ch 4, Quizzes Writing On- and Offline o ii) CWSR, Ch 4, Interactive Exercises Making Connections 40

33 Week 9 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Revise their essay so that their sentences use a consistent point of view, specific words, active words, concise words, and a variety of sentence structures. Edit their essay for accuracy. Revise their essay for unity, coherence, support and sentence skills. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 9 Textbook Exercises in Revising and Editing (Unit 3, Ch 6): o Consistency with Verbs Activity 2, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) o Consistency with Pronouns Activity 3, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) o Using Specific Words Activity 4-5, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) o Using Active Verbs - Activity 6, pp.239 (Complete at least 1 question.) o Using Concise Words - Activity 7, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) o Varying Your Sentences Activity 8, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) Activity 9, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) Activity 10, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) Activity 11, pp (Complete at least 1 question.) o Proofreading Exercise: Activity 12, pp Textbook Exercises in Revising for Four Bases of Writing (Unit 3, Ch 7): o Activity 12, pp (Analyse either Essay 1 or 2.) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises (Unit 3, Ch 6): o Consistency with Verbs Activity 2, pp.232 (Complete the rest of the questions.) Review Test 3, pp o Consistency with Pronouns Activity 3, pp (Complete the rest of the questions.) Review Test 4, pp o Using Specific Words Activity 4-5, pp (Complete the rest of the questions.) Review Test 5-6, pp o Using Active Verbs Activity 6, pp.239 (Complete the rest of the questions.) Review Test 7, pp

34 o Using Concise Words Activity 7, pp (Complete the rest of the questions.) Review Test 8-9, pp o Varying Your Sentences (Complete the rest of the questions.) Activity 8, pp Activity 9, pp Activity 10, pp Activity 11, pp Review Test 10-12, pp Textbook Exercises in Revising for 4 Bases of Writing (Unit 3, Ch 7): o Base 1: Unity Activity 1-2, pp Activity 9, pp o Base 2: Support Activity 3, pp Activity 10, pp o Base 3: Coherence Activity 4-5, pp Activity 11, pp o Base 4: Sentence Skills Activity 7, pp ; Activity 12, pp (Complete the rest of the questions) D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o i) Ch 6, Interactive Exercises Reviewing the Four Bases o ii) Ch 6, Writing On- and Offline 42

35 Week 8/9 Tutorial (Classroom) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Edit their essay for mistakes in verbs and subject-verb agreement Edit their essay for mistakes in pronouns and other common mistakes made by speakers of English as a second language (ESL pointers) B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 8/9 Revision Exercise: Verbs & Subject-verb Agreement (Worksheet 9) Revision Exercise: Pronouns & ESL Pointers (Worksheet 10) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises in Editing for Mistakes in Verbs (Unit 5, Ch 1): o Activity 1-3, pp Textbook Exercises in Editing for Mistakes in Subject-verb Agreement (Unit 5, Ch 2): o Activity 1-4, pp o Review Test 1 3, pp Textbook Exercises in Pronoun Agreement and Reference (Unit 5, Ch 3): o Pronoun Agreement - Activity 1, pp o Indefinite Pronouns - Activity 2, p.358 o Pronoun Reference Activity 3, p.359 o Review Test 1-2, pp Textbook Exercises in ESL Pointers (Unit 5, Ch 4): o Articles with Count and Non-count Nouns - Activity 1-2, p.365 o Subjects and Verbs Activity 3-4, p.370 o Adjectives Activity 5-6, p.372 o Prepositions Used for Time and Place Activity 7-8, p.373 o Review Test 1-2, p.374 Textbook Exercises in Editing Tests (Unit 5, Ch 5): o Editing Tests 1-12, pp

36 D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o i) Ch 27 Quizzes Subject-verb Agreement o ii) Ch 27, Interactive Exercises Subject-verb Agreement: Practice Exercises o iii) Ch 28 Quizzes Additional Information about Verbs o iv) Ch 28 Interactive Exercises Verb/ Voice Shifts: Practice Exercises o v) Ch 29 Pronoun Agreement and Reference - Interactive Exercises Pronouns: Practice o vi) Ch 44 Editing Tests Interactive Exercises Editing Exercises o vii) Ch 45 ESL Pointers - Interactive Exercises ESL Pointers 44

37 Week 8/9 Tutorial (Language Lab.) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Take effective notes from lectures B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 8/9 Thirteen Hints for Taking Effective Classroom Notes, pp Note-taking Practice: Listen to one of the following lectures and take notes on the lecture. Then, answer the questions that follow the selection by referring to your textbook: o Activity 4, Lecture about Listening, pp o Activity 5, Lecture about Propaganda Techniques, pp o Activity 6, Lecture about Effective Writing, pp C. Supplementary Learning Activities Reading Practice: Read the details of the Thirteen Hints for Taking Effective Classroom Notes and complete the questions on pp Note-taking Practice: Listen to the other audio files on SMILE and complete the rest of the note-taking practices (Activity 4/5/6, pp.73-79) for the lectures not covered in class. D. Useful Resources Listen to the lectures at and take notes on the lectures. More references and activities on listening to lecture and note-taking at Language and Learning Online website at < More activities on listening to lectures at the Essential Academic English Skills (ease) website: < 45

38 Week 10 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Lead a seminar discussion (presenting information, presenting an argument, starting a discussion, encouraging others to give opinions, and controlling a discussion) B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 10 Project Task 2B Oral Presentation/ Seminar (Assignment Sheet) Listening Practice: Analysing an academic discussion (videos of PolyU ELC website < Unit 1, Activity 9 The challenges of creating a world-class city in Hong Kong) o Clip 1 (2:29) o Clip 2 (1:40) Useful expressions for leading a discussion C. Supplementary Learning Activities Questionnaire: Behaviour in Group Discussions (Worksheet 11) Listening Practice: Seminar on the Transition from School to University (video of PolyU ELC website < Unit 1, Activity 3, Exercise 2 Problems of the transition from school to University (4:31)) D. Useful Resources Online Practices at CELTE < o Seminar Skills 1: Presentations (Sample Activity 1 and 2) < 46

39 Week 11 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Express agreement, disagreement, and reservation Use appropriate expressions for discussions (listen actively, exchange opinions, taking turns, dealing with a problem, stating priorities, and asking for opinions) B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 11 Project Task 2a (Research Essay): Submit the assignment in the lecture/ tutorial as specified by your lecturer More Useful Expressions for Successful Discussions (Worksheet 12) Discussion practice C. Supplementary Learning Activities More resources available at the PolyU ELC website: o Brainstorming Expressions < D. Useful Resources Online Practices at CELTE < o Seminar Skills 2: Discussions (Sample Activity 1 and 2) 47

40 Week 10/11 Tutorial (Classroom) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Revise and edit their essays for unity, support, coherence and language Edit their essay for common mistakes made by speakers of English as a second language (ESL pointers) B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 10/11 More exercises on revising and editing essays (Refer to Week 9 Lecture of ) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Textbook Exercises in Editing Tests (Unit 5, Ch 5): o Editing Tests 1-12, pp D. Useful Resources More Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) (Refer to Week 8/9 Tutorial (Language Lab.) of ) 48

41 Week 10/11 Tutorial (Language Lab.) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: Use appropriate skills to respond to questions B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 10/11 Analyzing how to handle questions (videos of PolyU ELC website < Unit 3, Activity 8) o Handling questions: Version 1 Bad example (0:45) o Handling questions: Version 2 Good example (1:29) C. Useful Resources More resources available at the PolyU ELC website o Discussion Skills < > 49

42 Week 12/13 Lecture A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson You will complete the oral assessment task of the course (Project Task 2B) in the lecture of Week 12 and 13. By the end of these lessons, you will be able to: Reflect critically on your/ your peers performance in leading and participating in a seminar discussion. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 12 Oral assessment task (Project Task B) C. Supplementary Learning Activities Complete the Self-evaluation Sheet for Project B (Worksheet 13). D. Useful Resources PolyU Learning-to-learn Website at 50

43 Week 12 Tutorial (Classroom/ Language Lab) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, you will be able to: Review the editing/ revising skills learnt in the course; Reflect critically on your learning processes/ group skills/ project skills. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Tutorial 12/13 Editing/ Revising Practice (Unfinished tasks in Unit 3, Ch 6/7 or Unit 5) Reflection Practice (Online Self-Evaluation OR Group Discussion) o Working in a Group: o Planning a Project: o Doing a Project: o OR Other Self-Evaluation How to Work Effectively in a Group Project < C. Supplementary Learning Activities Read more details about group skills, project skills, presentation skills at the PolyU Learning to Learn website and complete the self-evaluation checklists in the guidebook to evaluate and reflect on your learning to learn skills. < D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (CWSR) o Ch 44 Editing Tests - Interactive Exercises Editing Exercises 51

44 Week 13 Tutorial (Classroom/ Language Lab) A. Expected Learning Outcomes of the Lesson By the end of this lesson, you will be able to: Learn about the scope and format of the final examination; Review the key concepts/ skills taught in the course. B. Suggested Learning Activities for Lecture 13 Notes about CC2001 Examination: Complete the revision questions. C. Supplementary Learning Activities Refer to the for Weeks 1-13 (Lecture/ Tutorial). D. Useful Resources Online Revision Practices at Companion Websites (CWSR) Online Revision Practices at Companion Website (RSS) at 52

45 Week 14 Lecture/ Tutorial Special Arrangement for Week 14 Both the lecture and the tutorial in Week 14 are normally scheduled as consultation sessions OR as supplementary sessions to cover the unfinished topics listed in the teaching plan. Your lecturer will be available to answer your questions about the course during the regular class hours. Details about the special arrangement for Week 14 will be announced by your lecturer in due course. 53

46 Worksheet 2 My English Learning Self-Evaluation Sheet Name: Group: Reflect on your past English language learning experience by filling out the questionnaire below. Today is (date), my first English lesson in Semester 2! I am (use an adjective to describe how you feel) because. A. My English learning experience in secondary school was because in HKCC so far was because B. I need to improve my Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Writing Reading Speaking Listening By improving the above skills, I can: 56

47 C. I have done the following to improve my English: D. I can do/ will do the following to improve my English in semester 2: E. I hope CC2001 can help me improve my English through the following: 57

48 Worksheet 3 Fragments, Run-on sentences, Unparallel structures Context: The following passage reports the results of a survey about young people s interests in art and culture. It contains mistakes in fragments, run-ons and parallelism. Identify and correct the mistakes. Art and Culture on the Agenda By Miranda Yeung 1 While the construction of the West Kowloon Cultural District has been fiercely debated. 2 A survey has revealed that young people have limited interest in cultural activities. 3 The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups randomly interviewed 513 people aged 15 to 34 about their participation in artistic activities and events about culture. 4 More than half had not taken part in any performances or competitions in the past year. 5 Thirty per cent of respondents had never visited cultural facilities or attending cultural performances. 6 The survey revealed that high ticket prices, shows that are of low-quality and inconvenient access to performing venues were the main reasons respondents were discouraged from participating in cultural activities per cent supported that the government should do something to promote culture. 8 For instance, cultivating local artists and cultural professionals. 9 Organising events to promote Hong Kong culture was seen as the second most important move. 10 However, the survey also revealed the worrying fact that the majority of interviewees do not have a favourite local artist almost 30 per cent don't think that art is an important part of everyday life. (Freely adapted from South China Morning Post) 58

49 *Vocabulary in Context Worksheet 3 respondents (noun) Definition: a person who respond to a survey/ questionnaire. Sample Sentence 75% of the respondents indicated that they could successfully articulate to an undergraduate degree programme after the completion of the associate degree programme. cultivate (verb) Definition: an action to develop something to make it stronger or better Sample Sentence Cultivating a positive attitude in learning is important to one s academic success. move (noun) Definition: an action one takes to achieve something Sample Sentence It was a wise move to study the associate degree programme, which provides Form 7 graduates an alternative pathway to higher education. 59

50 Worksheet 4 Misplaced Modifiers Context: The following article reports the news on compiling a di fang zhi (historical chronicle) for Hong Kong. It contains mistakes in misplaced modifiers. Identify the misplaced modifiers and correct them. Historical chronicle to compile the HK story Monday, December The last di fang zhi (the chronicle* of history and general information of a place) that included information about Hong Kong in the Qing dynasty was compiled in Nevertheless, Hong Kong is set to have its own chronicle of its history, culture and politics ready in in which the reaction of the Hong Kong public to the Tiananmen Square crackdown* will be recorded in The chronicle will be divided into 10 volumes of 55 chapters, covering areas ranging from geography, politics, transport, major events and famous people, to customs and culture written in Chinese. 4 The chronicle of history and general information of a place - commonly known as di fang zhi - is a Chinese tradition dating to the Qin dynasty ( BC). 5 Hong Kong and Macau are the only places in China without their own modern chronicles, but it is understood that Macau funded by the government is also planning to compile* one. 6 Historian Lau Chi-pang of Lingnan University, who is pioneering the project with two experts, said the idea to write a complete record for Hong Kong was conceived* in However, it was in April this year only that they had been able to set up an office for the task from private donations of HK$2 million. 8 He said they were negotiating with the government for financial help for the project. 9 He also hoped to set up an office so they could have easier access to official documents in government premises. 10 From ancient times up to 1997, Dr Lau said the chronicle would account for everything relating to Hong Kong and would be an ideal platform for local people to know more about their home city - especially when the issue of Hong Kong identity had increasingly been catching the public's attention. 11 Dr Lau said the attitude of the government had given him and his colleagues the opportunity to remain objective over the selection of materials. They would not avoid the controversial. 12 'The incident where 1 million Hong Kong people took to the streets in Tiananmen Square to support the protesting students will be recorded. 13 We will note the fact, adding news clippings on the event perhaps, but we will leave the critique to the readers.' Freely adapted from South China Morning Post 60

51 *Vocabulary in Context Worksheet 4 Chronicle (Noun) Definition: A record of a series of things Sample Sentence: A working group has been formed to write up the historical chronicle of Hong Kong. Crackdown (Noun) Definition: a strong official action that is taken to publish people who break laws Sample Sentence: A crackdown on Bit Torrent (BT) was launched recently because the government was concerned about the impact of copyright infringement on the economy of Hong Kong. Compile (Verb) Definition: collecting and putting together many pieces of information Sample Sentence: All project owners are required to compile an interim report to report on the progress of the project to the department head. Conceive (Verb) Definition: consider or think of an idea and work out how it can be done Sample Sentence: Lucy conceived of herself as an actress, but she turns out to be the CEO of a listed company in Hong Kong. 61

52 Worksheet 5 Dangling Modifiers Context: The following article describes the effort of a mother in preserving the native language of an ethnic minority group in Hong Kong. It contains a number of dangling modifiers. Identify these dangling modifiers and correct them. Hong Kong Faces January 24, 2008 By Fanny Fung 1 Kalai Arun has been hard at work teaching Indian children living here their native language. 2 Mrs Arun believes, Equipping the children with knowledge of the language and culture, both Hong Kong and the children will be more prepared for the future. 3 While many leaders in Hong Kong's South Asian community are worried about children being disadvantaged by a lack of Chinese language skills, an unassuming* housewife is hard at work teaching local Indian children their native language. 4 Considering it important for ethnic minority children not only to be able to use their own language, but also to appreciate their cultural roots, Mrs Arun, who moved to Hong Kong from India with her family 10 years ago, has spent the past four years as a volunteer teaching Tamil to south Indian children. 5 By teaching the children Tamil, these young people can build up their cultural identity and integrate into the local society. 6 She and eight fellow volunteers are teaching about 70 students, aged from five to 10, in classes at six different levels. 7 The curriculum has been tailor-made for Hong Kong-Indian children, and they buy books from India and Singapore. 8 Aiming not only at language training but also nurturing good citizens, students study civic education elements that teach them to obey their parents, to stay away from drugs and to obey the law. 9 Students also learn table manners and social etiquette*. 10 Considering both Hong Kong and India her home, Mrs Arun believes the programme is also important for building a properly diversified Hong Kong, and hopes it will help enhance ties between India and Hong Kong. 12 'There are a lot of similarities between the Chinese culture and the Tamil culture. 13 Chinese and Tamil cultures are ancient ones, and both highly regard filial piety,' she noted. 14 Apart from running classes, the group also collaborates with the Tamil Cultural Association to help students take part in Tamil art activities. 15 Nevertheless, this ambitious project did not start easily. 16 When first embarking* on the programme, classes were conducted in a very undesirable environment. 17 The 'classroom' was a small restaurant in Chung King Mansions - the Tsim Sha Tsui building notorious* for its poor sanitary conditions, lack of safety facilities, crime and other hazards. 18 Once, a murder was committed on the 10th floor while the class was being held on the ninth. 19 Fortunately, it happened in the middle of the class, so the children did not see any frightening scenes. 20 Although wanting to accommodate more children, the cramped space allowed only 30 students to come, at different times. 62

53 21 Fortunately, having successfully sought help from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong's ethnic minority service centre, conditions improved last November. 22 Through the centre they contacted the principal of Newman Catholic College, who let them use the school's classrooms free on Saturdays. 23 Now Mrs Arun's eight-year-old daughter attends her class with other children, but her fouryear-old son was too young for the course. 24 When growing a little older, she hoped her son would join the programme. 25 The volunteers are hoping to introduce multimedia teaching in the near future and to continuously improve the programme. Freely adapted from South China Morning Post *Vocabulary in Context Worksheet 5 unassuming (Adjective) Definition: Being quiet and not trying to appear to be important Sample Sentence: Marie is my ideal girlfriend; she is unassuming, polite and very generous. etiquette (Noun) Definition: A set of customs and rules for polite behaviour, especially among a class of people or in a group of people Sample Sentence: To appear to be more professional, we need to observe the business etiquette such as not to chew gums in front of your customers. embark (Verb) Definition: To start doing something Sample Sentence: Johnson is embarking on a new career as an editor. Notorious (Adjective) Definition: To be well-known for something bad Sample Sentence: Teddy is notorious for making rude comments on others. 63

54 Worksheet 6 Designing a Questionnaire The following questionnaire has been designed to find out some information about the users of Greenwood's Public Library. There are some errors in this questionnaire. Read through and see how many you can find. Name Telephone How often do you use the services offered by the library? How many books or publications have you borrowed from the library? The last time you used the library, what was the purpose of your visit? search for a book search for a periodical get information from a librarian study peacefully 4. Were your needs satisfied? Yes No 5. How satisfied are you with the quality of service provided by the library and the attitude of the library staff? What do you dislike about the library? 7. Are there any improvements which could be made to the library in order to provide better service? Yes No 64

55 8. Do you approve or disapprove of the recent proposals made by the Library Management Review Committee, such as the proposal to double fines for overdue books? Approve Disapprove (Go to Question 11) 9. Are you aware of these proposals? Yes No 10. Why do you disapprove of these proposals? Are you against not having longer opening hours? Against Not against Level of education THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! Source : Questionnaire Exercise. Statistics Canada. Internet Resources Feb < Answers are available at: 65

56 Worksheet 7 Interviewing Skills Imagine that you have chosen your topic for the group project, and you have to conduct an interview in order to gather more primary resources for the research essay. Based on one of the topics and some sample questions below, prepare and conduct an interview with another student in the class. Role Play Pair Work Topic: Academic Structure / Financial Tsunami / Wi-Fi Facilities Student A: Interviewer Student B: Government Official Sample Interview Questions 1. What is your responsibility or job duty? 2. What do you see as the major concerns of the public? 3. Tell me what the government is doing about this concern. 4. What else do you think should or could be done? 5. Tell me about your experience or someone else s experience who has worked with this problem. Interviewer (I) / Government Official (O) I O Transcript Comments Organization Hello. Are you? I m, a year one student from Hong Kong Community College (HKCC). I am writing a paper about the city and public concerns, so I am coming to have an interview with you about [the chosen topic]. Yes. How can I help you? Tell the interviewee the purpose of the interview Opening I Thank you. The first question I would like to ask you is? Begin with question number 1 Body (general to specific) O I Question number 2 an openended question 66

57 O I O I O Why is that so? Can you give me some background to this problem? Certainly. What happened to change that? Is the government doing anything about this problem? Further questions for clarification of the official s answer The official explains the reasons with supporting evidence. Question number 3 follow-up question asked by the interviewer The official explains with examples. I O I would like to write them down first. The government Yes. That is right. Jot down important points and clarify the wordings with the official. I What else do you think should or could be done? Question number 4 follow-up question asked by the interviewer O The official explains with examples. 67

58 I O Oh, I see. Do you have anything more you would like to share, such as? Yes. Question number 5 Ask the interviewee if there are important ideas that he/she hasn t talked about The official explains with examples. I O Thank you! You have been very helpful. I thank you for your time and your answer to my questions. If I need a little more information, may I call you? Yes. Certainly. My pleasure to answer your questions. I wish you success on your report. --End-- Ask the interviewee for permission to follow up for clarification s or additional questions Closing Adapted from: Spencer, C.M., & Arbon, B. (1997). Foundations of writing: Developing research and academic writing skills. Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC. 68

59 Worksheet 8 One-sentence Summaries ne-related Supplementary Language Practice Instruction: Read the following two paragraphs and write for each paragraph, (a) a title within 8 words, and (b) a one-sentence summary within 35 words that best summarizes its main idea and its most important points in your own words (with identification of the source of the paragraph). Question 1 Graffiti is a much misunderstood form of art. Such markings on walls or sidewalks are not art or literature in the conventional sense of the terms, but it is a manifestation of people s inner thoughts, and is therefore just as expressive, and even more raw, than polished works of art. Graffiti is created by common people around us, not just scholars or professional artists, which means that it often consists more of everyday ideas which can relate to everyone, if everyone would take the chance to try and understand the meaning behind the writing on the wall. What is more, graffiti has actually been used as a form of psychotherapy. Psychiatrists at St. Joseph s Hospital in Chicago encourage patients to write graffiti on the walls to promote cordial communication between patients and therapists. They often give diagnostic insights and clues about ways of relating to patients. Perhaps the presence of graffiti means that we need more chances to express ourselves in unsophisticated ways, even to the point that we are running out of places to do so. - Julie Geller, Graffiti, Arts and People, 23 August 2007 Question 2 s do enable us to zap our typed chat around the globe in seconds, yet they do not make us better writers corporate culture is still full of clichés. In the fiercely competitive global workplace, clear English skills can be vital for success. But co-workers still talk the talk, assess the impact of post-merger integration and human capital on the bottom line. Although the best rationale always involves applying common sense and clarity to the written word, it is believed that there is undue pressure in the workplace. Anything that places the emphasis on displaying knowledge rather than communicating ideas and information can cause problems. This approach could stem from higher education, where students write for an audience lecturers or examiners who already know the information and are instead looking for a demonstration of knowledge by the writer. Management courses may also teach people to use convoluted language and overworked expressions to fit in and advance their career they are still toiling over carefully scripted manuscripts like the office workers half a century ago. - Thomas Easen, Saving English, CNN, 6 May 2004 (Adapted from past exam paper ) 69

60 Worksheet 9 Verbs & Subject-verb Agreement Discipline-related Supplementary Language Practice Context: The passage below describes what shapes the culture of Hong Kong. It contains mistakes in tenses, verbals and subject-verb agreement. Identify and correct the mistakes. The Culture of Hong Kong 1 The culture of Hong Kong can best be described as a foundation that began with China, and then lean West for much of the 20th century under constructive British colonialism. 2 Despite the 1997 transfer of sovereignty with the mainland, Hong Kong continues holding an identity of its own. 3 It can best be summarise as an upbeat*, hi-tech and fashionably conscious culture in a super city. 4 Most Hong Kong ethnic Chinese people naturally lean toward eastern culture, since demographically they are the majority. 5 Many has adopted western ways with substantial* numbers still adhere to* traditional Chinese traditions. 6 On various social aspects, the bottom-line Chinese values of "family solidarity", "courtesy" and "saving face" carried significant weight in the culture. 7 Heavy influence is derived from Cantonese culture from the neighbouring province of Guangdong. 8 There is also substantial communities of Hakka, Fukien, Teochiu and Shanghainese people. 9 On the contrary, people have long been referred to by their origin in China. 10 It wasn't until 1970 when terms like "Hongkongese" was invented. 11 Overall the background of Hong Kong Chinese born after 1945 can classify as westernized, since they have been influenced by liberal western cultural symbols. 12 Food also held an important place in Hong Kong culture. 13 Restaurants are available in a level of convenience and variety unmatched by anywhere in the world. 14 The fusion of east and west make Hong Kong unique, especially in the close proximity where one can finding any style any time. 15 From dim sum, da been lo (hot pot), fast food to the most rare of delicacies*, Hong Kong has carried the reputable label of "Gourmet Paradise" and "World's Fair of Food". 16 Besides food, Hong Kong is well identifying by its materialistic culture and high levels of consumerism. 17 Shops from the lowest end to the most upscale packs the streets in 70

61 close proximity. 18 The mild weather, low tax and convenience make Hong Kong a premiere international shopping centre. Freely adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia *Vocabulary in Context Worksheet 9 upbeat (Adjective) Definition: being cheerful and hopeful about a situation Sample Sentence: Michael enjoys performing magic tricks. Whenever he is on stage, his mood was upbeat. substantial (Adjective) Definition: large in amount or degree Sample Sentence: Many developing countries spend substantial sums of money on education.. adhere to (Verb) Definition: stick firmly to (something) Sample Sentence: The Director urged all students to adhere to the rules and regulations of the College. delicacies (Noun) Definition: rare or expensive food that is considered especially delicious to eat Sample Sentence: Foie gras (goose liver) is considered as a delicacy. 71

62 Worksheet 10 Pronouns & ESL Pointers-d Supplementary Language Practice Context: The following describes the official languages of Hong Kong. The article contains mistakes in pronoun agreement, pronoun reference, articles, subjects and verbs, adjectives, prepositions, etc. Identify and correct the mistakes. Languages of Hong Kong 1 Chinese and English are both official languages of Hong Kong under the Hong Kong Basic Law (Article 9) and the Official Languages Ordinance (Chapter 5). 2 English was declared the primary language in former Colonial Hong Kong in more than 130 years. 3 Chinese was standardized in 1974 due to the large population ratio of Chinese speakers and English speakers in the territory. 4 In March 1987, the Official Languages Ordinance was amended requiring all new legislation to be enacted* in both English and Chinese. 5 In 1990, the Basic Law declared English's co-official language status with the Chinese after the 1997 handover. 6 Since handover, the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has adopted the "biliterate and trilingual" ( 兩 文 三 語 ) policy. 7 In the principle, Chinese and English must both be acknowledged as official language, with Cantonese being acknowledged as the de facto* official spoken variety of Chinese in Hong Kong, while also accepting the use of Standard Mandarin. Spoken Cantonese 8 The majority of the population in Hong Kong they speak Cantonese, a Chinese spoken variant originating in Guangdong province. 9 It is a main variety used in education, broadcasting, government administration, legislature and judiciary as well as in daily social communication. Spoken Mandarin 10 Since 1950s, Putonghua, or Mandarin has been used as the de facto language in government, education, and the media, throughout much of mainland China and Taiwan. 11 Many Chinese are thus able to understand and speak Mandarin in addition to his/her own native dialects. 12 As a result, most Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong's neighbouring province, Guangdong, they are bilingual in Mandarin and Cantonese. 13 However, Mandarin is still not widely used in Hong Kong due to historical reason. 14 At the time of the widespread introduction of Mandarin in mainland China and Taiwan, Hong Kong was British colony where English and Cantonese were the most widely used languages in Hong Kong. 15 After the 1997 handover, Hong Kong has developed a closer economic tie to the rest of China. 16 As a result, the Hong Kong government has urged its citizens acquiring Mandarin. 17 Since 1998, it has become a core subject in many primary schools. 18 Was also integrated into the HKCEE examinations in The government of Hong Kong has publicly encouraged students to be "biliterate and trilingual," thus adding Mandarin to the requiring arsenal of languages. 72

63 Written Chinese 20 The Hong Kong uses standard modern written Chinese. It is the standard formal written language for all Chinese speakers. 21 It is most closely related with the grammar and vocabulary from the Mandarin dialects, but not from spoken Cantonese. 22 There is also a writing system based by the vocabulary and grammar of spoken Cantonese, in which people write the way they speak. 23 Written Cantonese is gaining popularity in newspapers and magazines for quotations and sections dealing with entertainment and local issues, but such writings are often unreadable by people outside Hong Kong or Macau. 24 While it is considered non-standard for many educators, it is commonly used in Hong Kong. 25 Written Cantonese is not having a standard set of characters but has essentially standardised itself over the years through convention*. 26 Traditional Chinese characters are widely used. It is the de facto writing standard in Hong Kong. English 27 Although the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the PRC by United Kingdom in 1997, English is remaining one of the official languages of Hong Kong as enshrined in the Basic Law. 28 It is the major working language in Hong Kong, and is widely used in commercial activity and legal matters. Freely adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia *Vocabulary in Context Worksheet 10 enact (Verb) Definition: make it into a law Sample Sentence: The government has enacted a law to legalise football betting in Hong Kong. De facto (Adjective) Definition: not planned/intended to be but turns out to be a particular thing Sample Sentence: Establishing an articulation agreement with our College can be interpreted as a de facto recognition of the associate degree programmes. convention (Noun) Definition: a traditional method or style Sample Sentence: The convention of this College requires students to dress up professionally for class presentations. 73

64 Worksheet 11 Behaviour in Group Discussions I. Questionnaire on Individual Behaviour Please take three minutes to complete the following table. For each attitude, put a or in the second column to indicate whether you think the attitude is a positive or negative one. Then think about whether the attitude in question applies to you or not indicate your answer for each by writing Yes or No in the third column. The student: 1. has previously thought about the topic. 2. is willing to listen to others. 3. never takes anything seriously. 4. is willing to change his/her opinion. 5. makes long speeches. 6. is not afraid to say what he/she believes. 7. will not give others a chance to speak. 8. will talk only to the tutor and not other members of the group. 9. encourages other members of the group to speak. 10. makes sarcastic remarks. 11. is tolerant of others beliefs. 12. makes his/her points concisely (briefly). 13. becomes angry or upset easily. 14. will support good ideas from other group members. 15. interrupts rudely. 16. pretends to agree with the rest of the group, although he/she really does not. 17. can relieve a tense or emotional situation with a joke. 18. shows that his/her own comments and ideas relate to points that previous speakers have made. 19. holds whispered conversations with his/her neighbour. 20. thinks that time spent on discussion is time wasted. Positive (put ) or Negative (put ) Applies to you? Write Yes or No How would you change the negative attitudes that apply to you? 74

65 II. Questionnaire on Group Behaviour Please take two minutes to complete the following table. For each factor, put a or in the second column to indicate whether you think the factor has a positive or negative impact on a group discussion. In a group discussion: 1. everyone talks at the same time. 2. the group has clearly defined aims (e.g. it knows exactly what has to be decided). 3. there is a timetable for various stages of the discussion. 4. some participants take note all the time and do not contribute to the discussion. 5. there is some time at the end for summing up and evaluation (i.e. deciding whether the discussion has been successful or not). 6. nobody takes any notes. 7. everyone contributes by saying something. 8. at the end, each student is aware of the opinions of the other members of the group. 9. most students leave the seminar with the same ideas and opinions that they came with. 10. mostly, the opinions expressed are supported by facts. 11. at the end of the discussion, no consensus is reached. Positive (put ) or Negative (put ) How would you tackle the negative factors you have identified? Adapted from: Wallace, M.J. Study Skills in English (8 th ed.). Cambridge: Oxford University Press,

66 Worksheet 12 More Useful Expressions for Successful Discussions A. LEADING A DISCUSSION 1 Getting Started Is everybody ready to begin? Okay are we ready to start? 2 Bringing People into the Discussion 3 Encouraging Everyone to Participate 4 Clarifying 5 Controlling People Who Talk Too Much 6 Keeping the Discussion Moving 7 Keeping the discussion on the Subject 8. Reaching Agreement and Summing Up (Name), what do you think? (Name), do you have anything to add? What do you think about (Name) s point? Does anyone have anything to add? Would anyone like to comment on what (Name) said? Could you go over that again? I m afraid we don t really understand what you said. I m not sure we all understand what you mean. Let s hear what some others have to say. I think you ve got a good point there. Why don t we find out what other people have to say? Perhaps we should go on to the next point. We have only a few minutes left, so could we move on? Are there any more comments before we move on to the next point? That s interesting, but it raises a different point. Could we come back to that later? Do we agree that...? So, to sum up, we ve decided... B. VOCABULARY FOR LISTENING ACTIVELY 1 What do you mean? Asking for Clarification I m not sure what you mean. Sorry, but I don t understand what you mean Could you explain what you mean by...? Are you saying that...? I m not sure I follow you. Did you say that...? 2 Clarifying or Restating (Your Comments) 3 Paraphrasing 4 Checking for Understanding I mean... In other words,... The point I m trying to make is... (Name) said that... What (Name) means is... I believe (Name) s point is... I think (Name) feels that... Isn t that right? Let me see if I understood. You said... Do you see what I mean? Is that clear? 76

67 C. VOCABULARY FOR EXCHANGING OPINIONS 1 What do you think of...? Asking for an Opinion How do you feel about...? What s your opinion of...? 2 Giving an Opinion 3 Agreeing (usually used by the discussion leader) 4 Expressing Reservations (usually used by the discussion leader) 5 Disagreeing In my opinion,... Personally, I think that... It seems to me... As far as I m concerned,... That s right. You re right. I think so, too. I agree with you. I definitely agree. I completely agree with you. Yes, but... Possibly. but... Yes, but the problem is... I don t really agree with you. I m not sure I agree with you. The reason is that... Yes, that may be true, but... D. VOCABULARY FOR TAKING TURNS 1 To indicate that you want to speak, you can use nonverbal signals such as leaning Getting Attention forward or raising your hand. You can also gain the attention of the group members during a pause by saying : May (could) I ask a question? May (could) I say something here? May (could I make a suggestion? or : I have a question I d like to ask. I have a point I d like to make. 2 Interrupting 3 Keeping Your Turn 4 Continuing after an Interruption If you feel that a interruption would be appropriate, you can wait for a pause in the conversation and then say : Excuse me, but... Pardon me, but... Excuse me for interrupting, but... Sorry to interrupt, but... Excuse me, I d just like to finish this point. If you could wait for a second, I m just about to finish my point. Could I please just finish my point? Anyway,... As I was saying,... In any case,... Going back to what I was saying,... As I was saying,... 77

68 6. VOCABULARY FOR DEALING WITH A PROBLEM Emphasizing a Point It seems to me that the real issue is... I think the basic cause is... As far as I can see, the main problem is... In my opinion, the basic problem is VOCABULARY FOR STATING PRIORITIES In my opinion, the main thing is... As I see it, the most important point is... I feel that the most important consideration is VOCABULARY FOR ASKING FOR OPINIONS (Name), would you like to give us your opinion about... (Name), what s your opinion about... (Name), I wonder if you d like to comment on... (Name), what s your reaction to... (Name), how do you feel about... Useful Resources on Discussion Skills: 78

69 Worksheet 13 Self-evaluation Sheet for Project Task B In this task, you ll reflect on your learning about conducting effective academic discussions and evaluate your contribution to the group discussion. It will help you understand better your strengths and weaknesses and improve your skills in future academic discussions. (This task is not part of your assessment.) *Complete the questions and share your ideas with your team members. 1. Consider the following criteria for evaluating individual performance in this discussion task. Who in your group do you think is the most effective participant*? Why? Criteria Interest and Clarity of Ideas Level of Participation & Interaction with Others (both verbal & non-verbal communication) Fluency of Speech/Expressions Accuracy of Speech Appropriateness & Variety of Language Used for Discussion Who? (*could be yourself or another member) Why? 2. What are the main lessons you have learnt from the discussion? This can be about the process or the topic or both. Be specific. 3. What was your best contribution to the discussion? 4. What was good about the discussion? 5. What could be improved? 79

70 6. Rate your individual performance (1 Poor; 2- Adequate; 3 Satisfactory; 4 Good; 5 - Outstanding): A. Overall Effectiveness of the Discussion a. Interest and Clarity of Ideas Clear viewpoint Adequate examples and details to illustrate understanding of the topic Logical organization of ideas b. Level of Participation & Interaction with Others (both verbal & non-verbal communication) Active listening and appropriate response to comments Clear clarification of opinions and reasoning Active involvement of others in the discussion Positive verbal and non-verbal communications c. Fluency of Speech/Expressions Smooth and natural expression of ideas Appropriate pace of speech d. Accuracy of Speech Correct grammar Clear articulation and pronunciation Appropriate intonation and stress e. Appropriateness & Variety of Language Used for Discussion Appropriate techniques for transition of ideas Variety of expressions and questions for facilitating a discussion Give comments to support your rating; you may include any unusual circumstances that may have affected your individual performance. 7. Rate the performance of the group (1 Poor; 2- Adequate; 3 Satisfactory; 4 Good; 5 - Outstanding): A. Overall Effectiveness of the Discussion a. Organisation i) Opening Take turns to present main ideas and supporting points clearly within the responsible group ii) Discussion Maintain the discussion on a focused topic and task Pose appropriate questions to generate further discussion Ensure effective involvement of class members in discussion iii) Closure Give an effective and meaningful conclusion of main points discussed b. Time Management Complete the opening, discussion and closure within 20 minutes B. Group Interaction Active involvement of all group members and class members in discussion Logical flow of arguments Please give comments to support your rating; you may include any unusual circumstances in your team that may have affected your group s performance. 80

71 VII. Annotated Student Samples Skill 1 Writing a Reflection Good Reflection Context: Students reflected on their working process in the group project. Good Sample 1 I learned how to apply the techniques of brainstorming and scratch outlining in our project discussion. At the beginning, we brainstormed many ideas. The ideas were diverse, but we started to lose direction. Then, we tried to classify the ideas into different categories such as background, positive views and negative views on plastic surgery using techniques of scratch outlining. The overall picture started to appear. Comments - Apart from just mentioning what has been learned, the student describes how such learning benefits the planning process in details. - Specific examples are given to elaborate the main point, i.e. how the project group solved the problem encountered in the project. - The main idea, i.e. what they have learnt in the project, is stated clearly in a topic sentence. Readers understand at the beginning of the paragraph; The main point, i.e., is stated clearly. Good Sample 2 As an outline had been set before we had the results of questionnaire study, it was quite abstract to confirm the topic sentences and supporting details in the outline. The questionnaire results greatly affected the supporting details and claims used for the project. Therefore, we suggest that we may plan, finish and analyze the questionnaire study in the earliest stage of project so that we could have more concrete ideas to confirm the outline earlier, and much less revision will be needed afterwards. Comments - The suggestion is based on specific observation in the process of completing the project. - The suggestion is concrete and specific. 81

72 Skill 1 Writing a Reflection Poor Reflection Context: Students reflected on their working process in the group project. Poor Sample 1 When we planned our project, we applied what we had learned in the course to conduct our discussion in a more organized way. Comments - The description is too general and lacks depth of thoughts. - The main ideas, i.e. what specific skills the student had used in the discussion and how they found the skills useful/ effective, are not explained. Poor Sample 2 To have a more meaningful content, we suggest that we should have clearer directions at the beginning. Comments - The description is too general and lacks depth of thoughts. - The suggestion is not based on any objective or specific observation. - The suggestion is abstract. 82

73 Skill 2 Writing an Essay Outline Good Essay Outline The following is an authentic text from a student s sample work; writing errors may occur. Sections Introduction Thesis statement The use of instant messenger language (MSN, SMS, ICQ, etc.) should not be encouraged because it lowers user s writing skills, affects user s oral skills and leads to miscommunication. Comments The thesis statement gives readers ideas of what instant messenger language is, and it reveals the problems of using this kind of language. Body Topic Sentence 1: Topic sentence 1: The first reason why using instant messenger language is not good is that it lowers people s writing skills. Specific Supporting Evidence: (a) Instant messenger language is always Chinglish. (b) Instant messenger languages does not care about grammar. (c) Instant messenger language is normally in short form. (d) People will ignore the coherence and structure of an article easily. Topic Sentence 2: Using instant messenger language lowers people s oral skills. Specific Supporting Evidence (a) The survey shows that the English level of students who study abroad is below average due to the significant use of instant messenger language. (b) People who always use those languages cannot express themselves fluently in daily oral conversation. Topic sentence 1 states that using instant messenger language leads to the problem on people s writing skills. It is relevant to provide specific supporting evidence, and those evidence should be quoted from other printed sources, rather than personal comments. Topic sentence 2 states that using instant messenger language leads to the second problem on lowering people s oral skills. Two points here seem not very convincing, so sound arguments with scientific survey, statistics or quotes from other sources should be provided.. 83

74 Topic Sentence 3 The third reason why using instant messenger language is not a good phenomenon because it may lead to misunderstanding in communication. Specific Supporting Evidence (a) There are no nonverbal clues when using instant messenger language. (b) The facial icons in instant messengers cannot be used to express their real feelings. Topic sentence 3 states that using instant messenger language leads to misunderstanding in communication. Conclusion The use of instant messenger language has seriously affected the English standard of Hong Kong students. The situation has become so alarming and we can ignore no more. Measures must be taken quickly to solve the problems. Media and school, which have very great influence on youngsters, can play important roles in helping achieve the goal. It is a conclusion with a summary. The paragraph may end with a question to involve readers to think about this issue. Overall comments Merits: It is basically a clear outline; the problems related to this topic are elaborated from different perspectives. Areas for Further Improvement: Language: Complete sentences should be used consistently in this outline. Content: Arguments must be well-supported by scientific data or quotes collected from other sources; no personal judgement is expected. 84

75 Skill 2 Writing an Essay Outline Poor Essay Outline The following is an authentic text from a student s sample work; writing errors may occur. Sections Comments Introduction Thesis statement The language standard of Hong Kong student is declining. The thesis statement is board, and it does not clearly state plan of development in this essay. Body Topic Sentence 1: The evidence reflects that the language standard of Hong Kong student is declining. Specific Supporting Evidence: (a) The falling results of English Exam in CE and AL. (b) Some surveys show that Hong Kong students cannot reach the required English level when they are applying for jobs. (c) The result of the distributed questionnaire shows that Hong Kong students are not satisfied with their language standard. Topic Sentence 2: The first reason for the declining language standard of HK students is they have few opportunities to practice English. Specific Supporting Evidence Topic sentence 1 states that evidence is given to support the idea of declining language standard. Supporting evidence (a) is not a complete sentence. The supporting evidence is about the English language standard of secondary school though the thesis statement does not clearly state it. The evidence (c) may not be a strong support to the students declining language standard even though students claimed they are not satisfied with their language standard. Topic sentence 2 states the first reason leading to this problem is few opportunities to practice 85

76 (a) The surrounding situation is unfavourable for students to speak in English. (b) Students dare not speak in English. (c) Net teachers are busy. Topic Sentence 3 The second reason for the declining language standard of HK students is that they get used to the language in Short Message Service. Specific Supporting Evidence (a) Students use short form because of laziness. (b) Students use grammatically incorrect sentences. (c) Students are hard to make complete sentences. Topic sentence 4 The third reason for the declining language standard of HK students is that they do not have good reading habits. Specific Supporting Evidence (a) Students prefer getting information from visuals in the newspaper and magazine. (b) Students have weak reading comprehensive ability. English. Supporting evidences (a) to (c) are not clear. What does the surrounding situation mean? In what situation, students dare not speak in English? What does Net mean? And what does (Net) Native English Teachers are busy mean? Any printed sources to support those ideas? This sentence states the second reason for the declining English standard of Hong Kong students, but what do they mean by get used to and Short Message Service?. The supporting evidence (c) is incorrect in grammar. It should read It is hard for students to write complete sentences. This topic sentence states the third reason for this problem, but it is not clear to define good and reading habit. For supporting evidence (a), there is no strong correlation with getting information from the visual multi-media and declining English standard. Is the supporting evidence (c) a phenomenon or a reason for the declining English standard? 86

77 Conclusion The language standard of Hong Kong student is declining. To raise the language standard of HK students, students, schools and the Hong Kong Government should co-operate. It is a conclusion with a recommendation. Still, language and Hong Kong students are not properly defined. Overall comments Areas for Further Improvement: The thesis statement is board -: terms language and Hong Kong students should be welldefined. Complete sentences should be used consistently in this outline. Content: Arguments must be well-supported by data collected from other sources, rather than from personal judgement. Vague terms are used, for example, good, get used to. Some ideas are not well-supported, such as in topic sentence 4: no strong correlation with getting information from the visuals in newspaper and magazine and declining English standard. 87

78 Instructions Skill 3 Writing a Research Essay Good Research Essay Write a 5-paragraph academic essay of 1, words in which you will analyse an issue significant to Hong Kong society or share your views on a controversial issue in the field of language/communication/culture in Hong Kong. The following is an authentic text from a student s sample work; writing errors may occur. Sections Comments Title Problems of Using Instant Messenger Language The title reveals the topics to be covered in this essay. Paragraph 1 introduction According to Against Child Abuse, a local concern group, a majority of the interviewees in a 1700-people-survey which targeted local secondary students revealed that they used internet to chat on instant messengers like ICQ (China Daily, 2004). Government statistics showed that, in May 2004, there were already over 2.36 million internet users in Hong Kong and more than 98% of households were wired for internet connections (China Daily, 2004). Such a high penetration rate resulted from technological advancement, it also brought about adverse effects like the increasing popularity of instant messenger language among youngsters. The use of informal language seriously affects the standard of English of Hong Kong students.this essay will discuss some reasons and bad effects for such a phenomenon, and suggest possible solutions to alleviate the problems. Good to start with quotes and figures introducing issues related to the topic - a high use of internet services. However, the identification source of Against Child Abuse perhaps misleads readers to associate this to child abuse. This introduction gives readers plan of development of this essay. 88

79 Paragraph 2 body The first reason why using instant messenger language is not good is that it lowers people s writing skills. Instant messenger language is often Chinglish; frequently using the language results in lower English proficiency. According to Oxford English Dictionary Online (2004), Chinglish means a mixture of Chinese and English, especially a variety of English used by Chinese speakers or in a Chinese-English bilingual context. The definition explains very precisely the current situation that [Chinglish] typically incorporates some Chinese vocabulary or constructions, or English terms specific to a Chinese context.(oed, 2004) Chinglish usually originates form grammatically erroneous usage of English or incorporation of Chinese grammatical patterns into English grammar. The effects of Chinglish in students writing are most obviously exposed in their performance in public examinations. Hong Kong Economic Times (2006) states some examples of Chinglish including Are you want many money? and it is your girlfriend? in students writing in the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) for Secondary 3 students. These show that students English proficiency has deteriorated. Besides, Sing Tao Daily (2006) reveals that one-third of secondary students cannot meet the standard of proficiency in English, which may be the impact of their using Chinglish. Moreover, instant messenger language is not about correct grammar; thus it is normally in short form. This is also a serious problem that affects people s writing skills. For instance, students will forget the word spellings easily; the word before is changed to be be4 and the word bye-bye is changed to be 88. Some people may not understand the Chinglish in writing. On the other hand, people using instant messengers can get immediate responses from the receivers, and many people prefer using instant messengers than s and letters communicate with others. However, since senders always This paragraph states the first problem of using instant messenger language lowering people s writing skills. Chinglish is welldefined with reference to the dictionary, and this referencing helps convince readers to believe in writer s argument. It is appropriate to illustrate Chinglish with real-life examples. Improper referencing in quoting an article from the magazine or newspaper. Good use of supporting evidences. Good to provide readers examples, and it effectively enhances readers understanding of the idea. Readers may find this paragraph difficult to comprehend as some 89

80 use simple words or phrases to express their ideas in instant messengers, they may ignore the coherence and structure of an article easily, for example, official formats and technical expressions in letters and s. Nowadays, influenced by instant messenger language, people will neglect the organisation of an essay. It has a negative impact on their writing. terms are not clearly elaborated, such as coherence of an article, technical expressions. Paragraph 3 body Does the use of instant messenger language only affect people s writing skills? Not really. It will also affect people s oral skills. Demographer Billy said that 42.9 percent of Hong Kong students who study in Australia have poor English; their English levels are below standard and they are unable to handle tasks in their workplace. Besides, Professor Sutton, the President of the Principal Council of Australia University, said that students oral skill is very poor.(ming Pao, 2007) This phenomenon is due to the use of instant messenger language. People who always use those language cannot express themselves fluently in daily oral conversation. The results of our interviews show that people who always use instant messenger language like to use Chinglish to communicate with their friends in daily conversation.(see Appendix 2) As a result, they are not good to communicate with foreigners in English. Although they are able to speak English, the other parties may not understand the context of what they want to say. It narrows the monde of those people as they are unable to express their idea in oral conversation. In short, the use of instant messenger language affects peoples writing and speaking widely. Question-answerapproach in this paragraph introduces another problem lowering oral skills. The quote does not effectively explain the cause of this problem. Given the quote or support from other sources, the writers may not conclude from the evidences to support the cause of this problem. The writers should highlight the particular findings obtained from the interviews; readers may find interview result unclear, and it does not well support the writers arguments. Paragraph 4 body 90

81 Thirdly, the use of instant messenger language may lead to misunderstanding in communication. Since senders always use just a few simple words or phrases instead of complete sentences, receivers may not be able to understand the complete meaning in the context. Thus it may easily lead to misunderstanding in communication. In instant messengers, there are usually nonverbal clues. Therefore, the meaning of our messages may be misinterpreted. Guffey (2004, p.7) states that nonverbal clues, in fact, can speak louder than words. When there is conflict in verbal and nonverbal clues, how is the message interpreted, or decoded by the receiver. As the aforementioned nonverbal clues cannot be used in instant messengers, someone try to disguise his or her feelings. People may argue that some facial icons can be used to express their feelings in instant messengers. However, all these icons are very superficial. For example, when people feel nervous, they may have a deep breath, but this can not be shown through the icons in instant messengers. Good use of connection word thirdly, it reveals the third problem here. Proper referencing quote of a book. An example is given as an evidence to support the writers argument. Paragraph 5 conclusion Conclusion The use of instant messenger language has seriously affected the English standard of Hong Kong students. The situation has become so alarming that we can ignore no more. Measures must be taken quickly to solve the problems. Schools and mass media, which have very great influence on youngsters, can play important roles in helping achieve the goal. If we work together, surely it is not a difficult task to solve the problems of using instant messenger language, and it also enhances the overall English standard of Hong Kong students. This conclusion is to summary the idea at the end. Use of appropriate words (e.g. alarming, ignore no more) to impress readers on the impact of this problem. 91

82 Overall comments Merits: The use of statistics, quotes, examples is sufficiently strong and specific to support the thesis statement and topic sentences. Development of ideas is smooth and logical. The writers show a good effort of using specific and impressive academic vocabulary. Areas of Further Improvement: Improvement of in-text citation is needed. The language use needs revision. There are mistakes about word choice, spelling, and sentence structure. Some ideas cannot be presented clearly. Proofreading is required. 92

83 Skill 3 Writing a Research Essay Poor Research Essay Instructions Write a 5-paragraph academic essay of 1, words in which you will analyse an issue significant to Hong Kong society or share your views on a controversial issue in the field of language/communication/culture in Hong Kong. The following is an authentic text from a student s sample work; writing errors may occur. Sections Title Comments Declining Language Standard of Hong Kong Students The title is broad. What does language refer to? education level of students? What is the Paragraph 1 introduction Flipping through the newspaper or watching the news report, it is not difficult to find many evidences reflecting the declining language standard of Hong Kong secondary and tertiary students. It is because it lacks opportunities to practice, and students get used to the language in Short Message Service(SMS), and they do not have good reading habits. In our opinion, some actions should be done by the government, the school and the students themselves in order to arouse the language standard of them. The first is a dangling sentence. This introduction cannot provide scientific data to support this problem is common. Use of In our opinion just represent personal point of views. This paragraph basically introduces causes of this problems, and parties involved to cope with this problem, but some terms are not clearly defined, such as get used to; good reading habits 93

84 Paragraph 2 body Some evidences show that the English language standard of Hong Kong secondary and university students are declining. At first glance, there are falling results of the English paper in the Certificate Examination (CE) and the Advanced Level (AL). For the CE, the passing rate of the English paper in 2004 was 68.8 per cent, a decrease of 6.3 per cent from For the AL, the passing rate of the English paper in 2006 was 74.4 per cent, a decrease of 2.1 per cent from Secondly, the results of the distributed questionnaires show that students are not satisfied with their language standard. Some of the students said that they do not speak to foreigners on their own initiative. Most of them are satisfied with their conversational skills and listening skills when they are communicating with Englishspeakers. Some of students cannot comprehend the content when they are reading newspapers. They rely on the Chinese subtitle when watching English programmes. Thirdly, there are some cases showing Hong Kong students cannot reach the required English level when they graduated in business studies from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; they admitted that they cannot communicate with foreigners. Lacking of confidence, they cannot express their ideas freely are the obstacles in speaking English. The above evidence shows that the declining results of English paper in public examinations. The student satisfaction of their language standard are low and the graduated student from university is having problem when communicating with foreigners. All these reflect the declining standard of English among the secondary and university students in Hong Kong. It is appropriate to add statistics to support the writers ideas. The results of the distributed questionnaires are not very convincing to readers that students are not satisfied with their languages, and it also implies their English standard is declining. Proofreading is required. Special attention to grammatical mistakes is required. 94

85 Paragraph 3 body The first reason for the declining language of students is that they have few opportunities to practice English. In Hong Kong, the surrounding situation is unfavourable for then to speak in English. We usually turn to the Cantonese channel when watching television and friends. The surrounding seems to discourage us to use English in our daily life. Although there is Native Teacher (NET) in the secondary school, students seldom meet the NET. The NET is usually free only during recess because they need to take part in different kinds of extra-curricular activities. As student are not having a chance to practice English during free time, they dare not speak in English in the class. Since the surrounding situation and the school life do not provide them a chance to practice English, their language standard keeps falling. Reason is given Typing mistake is found, e.g. unfavourable for then (them) NET stands for Native English Teachers. Organization: paragraph 3 should be incorporated with paragraph 2 as it is an elaboration of the previous paragraph. Proofreading is required. Special attention to grammatical mistakes is required. More quotes should be added to support your ideas. Paragraph 4 body The second reason for the declining language standard of students is that students are increasingly using SMS(Short Message Service)-styled English in daily communication and in the class assignments. Nowadays, SMS becomes a popular communication channel, because it transfers the information immediately and it is for convenient users. But there is a limit of words in each delivery, so the users usually use short form to reduce the number of words. This encourages the users to cultivate the habit of using short form word. As they get used to the SMS-styled English, they cannot form complete sentences. Gradually, they form grammatically incorrect sentences. It means that they lost their ability to This paragraph provides the second reason for the problem. The elaboration here seems a personal interpretation; data quoted from research should be added. 95

86 compose complete and correct sentences because of using SMS-styled English so often. Paragraph 5 body The third reason for the declining language standard of the student is that most of them seldom read books. Students nowadays prefer getting information from those visuals in ewspapers and any kinds of magazines to other means. As a result, their comprehensive abilities have lowered. As we all know, there are too much audio and visual entertainment. For instance, when we browse the internet, web pages contain many videos and animations which are certainly more attractive than still word on publications. Therefore, after spending many hours on enjoying those stimulating visual medias, students may not have incentives to read books or magazines. As they read less, their abilities of comprehending, composing correct sentences, and choosing accurate words will be lower than before. Even when they need to find some information to do their homework, they are not eager to read books or newspapers, they will simply search from the internet instead. This is the third reason given in this paragraph. Use of vague terms, like seldom, prefer. The result of students lowered English reading comprehensive abilities is not well-supported by the reasons stated. Quite a lot of assumption, like after spending many hours on.students may not have incentives to Overall, arguments are weak. Paragraph 6 conclusion Conclusion To conclude, secondary and tertiary students will be the masters of the Hong Kong society in the future. The language standard of them is not only affecting their own career and lives, but also affecting the international competitiveness of Hong Kong in different aspects. Hong Kong s continuous success as an international commercial and financial centre is largely dependent on A general summary of the essay is provided, but it is not suggested to link the conclusion to a new issue of Hong Kong s international competitiveness as this essay does not elaborate this previously. A final thought or thoughtprovoking question should be 96

87 language capabilities. However, lack of chances to practice the foreign languages, widespread use of SMS language and unpopular of reading among secondary and tertiary students lower the language standard of the students. We should face the problem. Actions ought to be taken by the Government, the school and students. Otherwise, the international status of Hong Kong would be easily replaced by other cities where increasing trends of confidence and proficiency in using English were found among their secondary and tertiary students. included. Overall comments Areas for Further Improvement: Language use needs revision. There are mistakes about word choice, spelling, and sentence structure. Some ideas cannot be presented clearly. Proofreading is required. Overall, the arguments are not convincing to readers, and they are not well-supported by other sources. Different ideas, particularly in paragraph 6, are packed into one paragraph, and it is not wellorganised. 97

88 Instruction: Skill 4 Writing One-sentence Summaries (with identification of sources) Good Sample Read the following paragraph and write a one-sentence summary within 35 words that best summarizes its main idea and the most important points in your own words (with identification of the source of the paragraph). Are you a buyer of a handbag or a wallet made of crocodile skins? And where do the crocodile skins import from? Surprisingly, those crocodile skins may be illegally imported. Traffic-USA, one of 489 branches of the well-known World Wildlife Fund that tracks the world trade in contraband wildlife products, conservatively estimates the worldwide market for crocodile skins at one to two million a year. Yet accordingly to Don Ashley, a trade consultant with more than 29 years experience in this area, in 2003 only about a million of those skins had legal documentation from the country of origin. Simply put, up to half of the crocodile skins that make up those expensive handbags, wallets, shoes, and belts may have been harvested from wild animals, in violation of national and international laws. Good - Mary Burton, Crocodile Skins, Readers Digest, 29 March 2005 In Crocodile Skins (Readers Digest, 29 March 2005), Mary Burton states that half the one to two million crocodile skins sold worldwide each year were acquired in violation of national and international laws. Comments Identification Content Paraphrasing Skills Use the correct format of an author s name, i.e. full name (Mary Burton) or last name (Burton) Use the appropriate punctuation: a title of an article is in quotation mark; date and name of the publication is in parentheses; name of the publication is underlined Three items are: (i)half the one to two million crocodile skins (ii)sold worldwide each year were acquired (iii)in violation of national and international laws. No redundant details Ideas are presented clearly. Appropriate words are used. 98

89 Instruction: Skill 4 Writing One-sentence Summaries (with identification of sources) Poor Sample Read the following paragraph and write a one-sentence summary within 35 words that best summarizes its main idea and the most important points in your own words (with identification of the source of the paragraph). Are you a buyer of a handbag or a wallet made of crocodile skins? And where do the crocodile skins import from? Surprisingly, those crocodile skins may be illegally imported. Traffic-USA, one of 489 branches of the well-known World Wildlife Fund that tracks the world trade in contraband wildlife products, conservatively estimates the worldwide market for crocodile skins at one to two million a year. Yet accordingly to Don Ashley, a trade consultant with more than 29 years experience in this area, in 2003 only about a million of those skins had legal documentation from the country of origin. Simply put, up to half of the crocodile skins that make up those expensive handbags, wallets, shoes, and belts may have been harvested from wild animals, in violation of national and international laws. Poor - Mary Burton, Crocodile Skins, Readers Digest, 29 March 2005 There are over 50% of the crocodile skins that used to make those handbags and wallets with high price may be illegally imported. Comments Identification Content Paraphrasing Skills No identification is given. 50% of the crocodile skins does not clearly mean half the one to two million crocodile skins sold worldwide each year were acquired. Handbags and wallets should not be included as they act as specific examples of using crocodile skins. Ideas are almost copied from the original passage. 99