** English Pronunciation 2 **
 
   
 

Professor: Glen Thomas Poupore

Website: www.oocities.org/gpsilver2001

Office: Room 410 (Phone:450-3373)

Textbook: Clear Speech

*I will also give you many photocopy hand-outs so get a special folder for my class,
such as a clear file.

**You will also have to get a special notebook for the story journals. See below.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
   
   

 
   

Content and Activities:

- Beginning of semester diagnosis test to determine your pronunciation trouble areas.

- Quick review of Korean problems with English consonant sounds and vowels sounds

- Stress, rhythm, and intonation

- Computer Lab using 'Pronunciation Power' Software

-Short story readings

-Movie video activities

-Music / Poetry

-Designing and acting in a play

-Strong focus on conversation activities

-Practice in all four skills of English: Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Reading
   
   

Grade:
   

Attendance 15%
Participation 15%
Midterm Exam 15%
Notebook Journal(Stories) 15%
Group Play(Final Exam) 40%

*Glen's Website Bonus Points(up to a maximum of 3% points) - see below
   
   

Attendance Policy: Attendance is very important(It's worth 15%!). Remember that this English class could be your only chance to speak and practice your English. So come to class and have fun using your English. Also, don't be late. Attendance will be graded as follows:

1 absent = -2
2 late = 1 absent(-2)
5 absent = F

Participation Policy: Participation in class is also very important, not only for your grade but also for your English learning. The most important aspect of your participation grade is your use of English in the class. It's very simple, try to speak as much English as you can.

These things will help you get a good participation grade:

- Use of English in the classroom.

- Listens carefully when the teacher or another student is speaking. Do not speak at the same
time when the teacher is speaking or when another student is making a presentation

- Makes an effort during class to listen to the teacher and to their classmates. Does not listen
absent-mindedly.

- Tries hard to learn and speak English and is not afraid to make mistakes(remember
that mistakes are good and that they function as a sign that you are learning).

- Participates well and actively in pair work and group work.

- Encourages and helps other students when they are having difficulty or when they make
mistakes.

- Has a positive attitude.

- Uses their creativity.

- Extends(to make longer) conversation during speaking activities.
   
   

** Cell Phones: Turn off your cell phones before coming to class. If I hear a cell phone you will lose -2 points to your participation grade.
   
   

Short Story Readings:

Week 3: 'Much Ado About Nothing' a Skakespeare romantic comedy

Week 4: 'Philomel Cottage' an Agatha Christie mystery thriller

Week 5: 'Macbeth' a Shakespeare tragedy

Week 7: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' a Shakespeare romantic comedy

Week 9: 'The Kimono' a romance drama by H. E. Bates

*During the course, you will read these 5 short stories(about 3-4 pages each). Beginning in week 3 of the semester, I will give you one story to read as homework every week(from week 3 to week 9 of the semester, except week 6 because of Chusok and week 8 which is midterm week).
We will then discuss the stories in class and do pair and group work activities which will be important for your participation grade.

Notebook Journal for Stories: After you read the story for homework , I will ask you to respond to the story by writing in a notebook journal in which you will also share what you wrote with other classmates. The journals are an important part of your grade(15%) and this is what I'm looking for in your writing:

(1) Student writes one full page (not written in big letters / not double spaced).
(2) Student makes an effort to do the writing activity well.
(3) Student shows a deep understanding of the question and its topic.

The journals will be graded as follows: Excellent(*) Very Good(+) So-So(?) Poor(??)

Late journal = 0


Group Play(Final Exam): After reading all of the stories(week 9 of the semester), you will organize yourself in groups of 5 students and you will choose one of the stories and you will prepare a play which you will present to the class in the final two weeks of the semester(weeks 14 and 15). Each group must choose a different story. The play should be between 20-30 minutes. When you perform the play I will videotape it. The play will be your final exam and will be worth 40% of your grade( about 20% of this will be an individual grade and I will evaluate your correct use of pronunciation and the remaining 20% will be a group grade and I will evaluate the creativity and professionalism of the play). Before you perform your play your group will have meetings with Glen, in which I will help you with ideas and with the play script. We will also do short practice plays using folktales in class during the middle of the semester to help you practice and give you ideas for creating your final group play.
   
   
   
    Glen's Website Bonus Points: Every week or every two weeks I will put one simple activity for you to do on my website(www.oocities.org/gpsilver2001). This is not homework and you do not have to do it. But if you like learning English and want to have fun doing it, then I recommend you visit my website. By doing the activities, you can also get bonus points for your final grade. You can get a maximum of 3% points added to your final grade. For example, if your final grade is 92% and you do a lot of the activities and you do them well, I will add 3% more to your final grade which increases your grade to 95%(from A- to A). So, if you're interested just follow these four steps:

(1) Go on to the internet
(2) Type in: www.oocities.org/gpsilver2001
(3) Click on 'Student Zone'
(4) Follow the instructions
   
   
I will then evaluate your activity and put a special symbol beside your name in my notebook:

Excellent(*)    Very Good(+)    So-So(?)

   

 
   

Final Comments:

-Mistakes are a natural, necessary part of the process of improving pronunciation skills, so don't be afraid of them.

-You probably will never eliminate your accent or speak with 100% accuracy in English. This is an impossible goal. A more realistic goal is to change those aspects of your pronunciation that interfere with your ability to be understood clearly. You do not need to sound like a native speaker of American English to be fully and easily understood.

-Finally, I hope that my class will help you to become a clear speaker of American English. I also hope that you will enjoy my class. I will try to make this class fun and interesting for you. Always remember that learning is power.

Office Hours: Please come to my office(room 410) if you ever have any English questions or if you just want to have a pleasant conversation. Don't be shy! You are always welcome. Just make an appointment.
   

 
   
   

 
   

~ If you are a senior and think that you will get a job and will be absent for many classes, do not take my class. Remember that 5 absences equals F.

~ This class is designed for English majors at intermediate to advanced levels of English. Students from other majors are welcome but remember that you must be quite good in your English ability.
   

 
   

~ The university has a special grading system.
   A Grade = 30 % of class
   B Grade = 35 % of class
   C Grade = 25 % of class
   

 
   
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