Lab syllabus Fall 2010

Freshman Oral-Aural Training (Lab)
Fall 2010 and Spring 2011
Monday 3:30-5:20pm Audio-Visual Building 201
Professor Karen Chung

Jump to listening assignments:
Fall 2010 Spring 2011

Spring 2011

   Total class meetings:
     There will be 14 class meetings this semester.
      February 21;
      March 7, 14, 21, 28;
      April 11, 18, 25;
      May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30;
      June 13.

      Important dates:
February 28th Memorial Day: (no class): Monday, February 28, 2011
Cancel-add: February 21-noon to February 28/March 5 (add)/6 (cancel)
Second Reception for International Scholars: Friday, March 4
Period for confirmation of canceled/added courses: Monday-Friday, March 14-18
Second online application for exemption from advanced English class: Monday-Friday, March 21-25
Online registration for high-intermediate GEPT: Monday-Thursday, March 21-31
Children’s Day, Tomb-Sweeping Day and review holiday (no class): Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, April 4-6
NTU Athletic Meet: Saturday, Sunday, February 26, 27
Application period for withdrawing from a course: March 7-May 20
Mid-semester online student course evaluations: April 11-18
Mid-terms: April 18-22
End-of-semester online student course evaluations: June 1-14
Dragon Boat Festival holiday: (no class): Monday, June 6
Last day of class: Friday, June 17
Final exams: Monday-Friday, June 20-24
English Oral-Aural Training final exam: Monday, June 20 in AVC 201
Summer vacation begins: Monday, June 27, 2011
College and department transfer exams: June 27-July 7

Fall 2010

     Total class meetings:
     There will be 16 class meetings this semester.
     No class meeting Monday, September 13, 2010 due to placement test
     September 2010 20, 27;
     October 4, 11, 18, 25;
     November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29;
     December 6, 13, 20, 27;
     January 2011 3.

          Important dates:
No class on Monday, September 13 due to class assignment interviews.
Cancel-add: September 13-25
Finalization of class schedules: October 4-8
Application period for withdrawing from a course: October 27-December 10
Double Tenth National Day: Sunday, October 10
Online application for exemption from advanced English class: October 15-22
Mid-semester online student course evaluations: November 1-8
Mid-terms: November 8-12
Anniversary of the Founding of Taiwan University Sunday, November 15
New Year's Day/Founding Day of the ROC (no class): Saturday, January 1, 2011
End-of-semester online student course evaluations: December 24, 2010-January 7, 2011
Last day of class: January 7, 2011
Final exams: January 10-14, 2011
Lab final exam: Monday, January 10, 2011 in AVC 201
Winter break begins: January 17, 2011
Chinese New Year's Eve: Wednesday, February 2, 2011

This course meets two hours a week, and only earns you one credit. But it is one that is well worth investing time and effort in.

The main goals of this course are (1) to teach you how to listen – this will be done mainly by listening to audio and video files online and answering comprehension questions on them; and (2) to improve your pronunciation.

Listening and pronunciation are probably the two weakest links in English education in Taiwan (though even those of you who have been educated in English abroad may find you have things to learn from this class). Rather than complain about what you didn't get in the past, we encourage you to focus on the here and now – there's still time to fix things. But you must be committed. The things you learn in this class are not assignments to be completed to earn a grade and then forgotten. They will require behavior modification on your part. Anybody knows how hard a habit is to break, and poor pronunciation habits present an especially stubborn case. Producing the correct sounds in class is easy – using them consistently when you're supposed to is the tough part! You will need to tire yourself out for a few weeks or months relearning the way you speak English. It will be well worth it – you'll sound absolutely wonderful every time you speak English for the rest of your life! You can sound like a native – but you have to really, really want it!

     One very important reason to fix your pronunciation is to show respect for other people. When you speak with a heavy foreign accent, other people have to strain to understand you, and that makes them very tired. When you speak clearly and correctly, you make life easier and happier for everybody you come in contact with.

     Course Materials and Activities:
     No textbook is assigned; most class materials will be available through this Website and the Internet. However, if you feel you need extra work on your pronunciation, you might want to consider buying the following textbook with CD recordings:

Miller, Sue. Targeting Pronunciation: The Intonation, Sounds and Rhythm of American English. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 270 pp. Paper, with CDs. May be available at Bookman Books 書林書店.

Occasional quizzes will be given, usually dictations or ones requiring you to distinguish between correct and incorrect pronunciations.

Pronunciation and grammar journal: You are required to keep a running record of specific sounds and other areas you need to work on in your pronunciation in a small notebook, based on feedback you receive in class. You are also required to note down grammar points discussed in class and corrections you receive orally or in your written work. You are expected to have your journal open and ready throughout each class, without being reminded.

Class routine: Each of you will introduce yourself on the first day of class. Thereafter, most classes will begin with individual poem recitation to correct pronunciation. Then a new poem will be presented for recitation the next week. Next, the listening comprehension exercise from the previous week will be marked in class, and a new exercise assigned. We will also read a number of prose selections to practice stress, intonation, and overall pronunciation. There may occasionally be oral presentations, such as performing a dialogue from a TV show or movie, or improvisation. Class performances will form the mainstay of the second semester curriculum.

     Grades for the course will be based on: attendance and punctuality, class performance and participation, listening assignments, quizzes, progress made, attitude, and the final exam.

     Link here to hints on how to improve and practice your English, how to choose a dictionary, and so on. Note in particular the section on podcasts.

     A demonstration of how the "echo method" works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNghp9tPXjo

Spring 2011 listening and other assignments

     1. February 21-28:
     (1) Hand in your 10-minutes-a-day listening log by Friday 2/25
     (2) Correct your final exam, to be handed in 3/7
     (3) Practice poem #8, The Nose on Your Face by Susan Browne, until you can read it just like in the audio file
     (4) Print out Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior by Amy Chua, to read in class (pdf)
          AUDIO: MP3 audio file of reading of Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior, part 1.
     (5) Listening assignment: TED talk: Liza Donnelly: Drawing upon humor for change
     (6) Watch the Gilmore Girls, pilot episode, 2 or 3 times; refer to the transcript when needed

     2. February 28-March 7: BBC News: Elephants learn by sound mimicry

     3. Listening assignment for March 7-14: Carefully transcribe the beginning of the Gilmore Girls, Season I, episode 2, starting from the lines below. The links will be e-mailed to you. These links are NOT to be shared with anyone outside the class.

Start here (this point comes right after the theme song finishes):
RORY: Mom!
LORELAI: What? God! Hi.
RORY: What are you doing?
LORELAI: Having a heart attack.

Transcribe up until these lines:
LORELAI: All right, that's it. I'm bringing the baby pictures.
RORY: No! I'm sorry! I love the rodeo, the rodeo rules!

     After you have done your best on the transcription, use Google to find the script for this episode online and print out this part of it. CHECK and CORRECT with a RED PEN your own transcription very very carefully using this script. Then relisten to the same part, following along with the corrected script, so you can match the correct words in your mind with the audio. You are to HAND IN your red pen-corrected script in class on Monday, March 14. Also print out the very first part and bring it to class. We will go over the meaning of this first part in class. In class, you will choose a partner, and practice your parts, to be MEMORIZED and performed two weeks from the coming week. You can choose your partner now if you like, and start working on your part, to save time and get in more practice.

      4. Listening assignment due on May 2: BBC 5-minute news summary

       5. Assignment for May 2-May 9: Download this written text of the BBC news summary. Look up all the words you don't know, and get more background on the stories from the Internet; information in Chinese is OK too. Then follow in the text while listening to the sound file. UNDERLINE all the STRESSED SYLLABLES (not words!), and mark all the pauses with a vertical line | or two vertical lines || for a longer pause. Practice reading the stories with the correct pronunciation and intonation. We'll read the text aloud in class on Monday May 9.

     6. For June 13: (a) Summary of pronunciation and grammar journal notes. Online KK symbol editor page (for pronunciation summary): http://ipa.typeit.org/ Copy-and-paste IPA symbols: http://linguiste.org/phonetics/ipa/chart/keyboard/ The summary must be in .pdf format (not .docx; you can install and "print" to pdf with CutePDF), and is to be submitted by e-mail to Ms. Chung at: karchung@ntu.edu.tw.

           (b) Prepare an evaluation for this semester of English Oral-Aural Training class. Save it as a pdf file and mail it to karchung@ntu.edu.tw NO LATER THAN FRIDAY JUNE 17. The structure is the same as last semester: (1) Your evaluation of the class, what you found helpful, or not so helpful, what you think should be changed or improved; (2) An evaluation of yourself and your performance: Did you attend every class, on time? How much did you learn and improve? How hard did you work? What could you improve for the future? and (3) Your English study plan: How will I continue to improve my English listening, pronunciation and speaking - also reading and writing?

           (c) Print out and complete this exercise, to be handed in on Monday, June 13: Exercise (1) on: 1. compound noun stress; 2. [s] or [z]? 3. syllable count and schwa elision and 4. deaspirated /sp/, /st/, and /sk/    pdf

Fall 2010 listening and other assignments

     September 13: Class assignment interviews (no class).

     1. September 20-27:
     a. A Moment of Science XII: (1) and (2) (There are also A Moment of Science XI X IX VIII VII VI V IV III II I from previous years, if you'd like extra practice. These are not required this semester.)
     b. Print out this handout: Autism Gives Woman An 'Alien View' Of Social Brains Word or: pdf
Listen to the original NPR report here

     2. Listening assignment for September 27-Oct. 4: APM: Guy Kawasaki on how to write better electronic mail

     3. Listening assignment for Oct. 4-11: The New York Times: Cooking with Mark Bittman, "The Minimalist": Beet Salad With Garlic-Walnut Sauce

     4. Listening assignment for Oct. 11-18: NPR: 'Green Book' Helped African-Americans Travel Safely

     5. Listening assignment for Oct. 18-25: Popular Song: "W*O*L*D" by Harry Chapin
Also: note on your answer paper what musical instrument you play and are willing to play for the Christmas carol sing on Monday, December 20.

     6. Listening assignment for Oct. 25-Nov. 1: The New York Times Video: Vows: Andrew and David

     7. Listening assignment for Nov. 1-8: TED talk: Dianna Cohen: Tough truths about plastic pollution

     8. Listening assignment for Nov. 8-15: a.NYT Books video: A Conversation With Andre Agassi
     b. Due Nov. 22: Summary of pronunciation and grammar journal notes. Online KK symbol editor page (for pronunciation summary): http://ipa.typeit.org/ Copy-and-paste IPA symbols: http://linguiste.org/phonetics/ipa/chart/keyboard/ The summary must be in .doc (not .docx - if you use .docx format, convert your document to .doc or .pdf format before submission) format or pdf format, and is to be submitted by e-mail to Ms. Chung at: karchung@ntu.edu.tw.
     9. Listening assignment for Nov. 15-22: TED talk: Julian Treasure: Shh! Sound health in 8 steps

     10. Listening assignment for Nov. 22-29: a. Louis CK (Szekely): Everything's amazing, nobody's happy
      b. About New York City accents (for reference only - you don't have to write or hand in anything): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/nyregion/21accent.htm

     11. Listening assignment for Nov. 29-Dec. 6: NPR: A Nation in Debt

     12. Listening assignment for Dec. 6-13: Gunsmoke: The Liar from Blackhawk (I)

     13. Listening assignment for Dec. 13-20: a. Gunsmoke: The Liar from Blackhawk (II). We'll mark this in class on Dec. 27.
      b. Print out and bring to class words to the Christmas carols pdf on Dec. 20. html with MIDI and other audio files
     Christmas carol sing on Monday, December 20. Bring an instrument to accompany us!

     14. Listening assignment for Dec. 20-Dec. 27: a. We'll sing Christmas carols in class on Dec. 20. Please print out this pdf version of the carols (5 pages), or this doc version, and bring to class on Monday 12/20.
      b. Gunsmoke: The Liar from Blackhawk (II). We'll mark this in class on Dec. 27.

     15. Assignment for Dec. 27, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010: Class and self-evaluation and English study plan: see box below for instructions.

1. Write an evaluation of this semester's freshman Oral-Aural Training course: What was most useful? Less useful? What would you like to add/change/improve next semester/year?

2. Write an evaluation of your own performance: Did you come to every class, on time, put effort into the assignments, hand in your work on time? How much did you learn and improve?

3. How will you continue to work on your English outside of class? What are you doing in addition to your 10 minutes a day, based on your own interests and goals?

4. All parts of this assignment are to be submitted in a single pdf-format file (NO docx files! Choose "pdf file" as your printer, or install and use "CutePDFwriter") as an attachment to a cover letter written in correct format, sent to Ms. Chung. Remember to SIGN YOUR NAME to your e-mail, and specify your that it's for Lab class.

16. January 3, 2010: Hand in class and self-evaluation, English study plan via e-mail.

Web page that may be helpful in preparing for the final exam: 34. Phonological rules for English plurals and more