TOEFL iBT Academic Skills intermediate

Spring 2013
Instructors: Adam Leskis
5:30-6:30
Phone: XXXXXXX
Course time: Monday-Thursday
6:30-8:35pm

Office Hours: Monday-Thursday,

Email: XXXXXXX
Room: 402A

TEXTBOOKS
Northstar - Intermediate (Beaumont)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to give students practice with both academic English skills
as well as activities found on the TOEFL iBT. The course provides learners with
strategies to both improve their skills in the Academic English and to help them
improve on the TOEFL iBT exam. While students explore such skills as summarizing,
taking notes, paraphrasing, skimming, scanning, writing timed essays, developing
critical thinking and making reference. In addition, the learners practice on the
model tests.

COURSE GOALS
1. Students learn to become independent learners so that they can better
take control over timing of the exam and are familiar with TOEFL iBT
model tests.
2. Students will acquire strategies for the reading, writing, speaking, and
listening skills necessary to succeed and perform efficiently in the
Academic English.
3. To improve students' communicative skills, their Academic language
skills and test-taking abilities. Students will encounter the same
content material, tasks and question types that appear on the test.
GRADING SCALE
Grading is based on a 100 points (average) grading scale. You must pass the
course with an 80 points average:
Participation
20 points
Multiple-draft essays
35 points

Homework
20 points
Final Presentation
25 points
________________________________________________
TOTAL
100 points

Participation:
Participation is 20 points of your grade. Attendance is not part of your
grade. However, attending class is necessary in order to earn a participation
grade. As of the first day of your enrollment, being late by 15 minutes or
more, unauthorized breaks, or early departures will receive a 0 participation
grade for the day. If you miss a class, you are still responsible for turning in
due assignments, finding out about current assignments either from
classmates or the instructor, and completing homework assignments. If you
have an excused absence, you may earn a participation grade by a) stopping
by the office to briefly meet with your instructor or b) having a conversation
on the phone with your instructor. Please read lessons before coming to
class, so that you are fully prepared to participate.
Multiple- draft essays:
The essay topics will be sample topics from the TOEFL iBT. Draft (a) will be
revised for content and organization, draft (b) will be revised for grammatical
mistakes and draft (c) will be the final draft.
Final Presentation
You will receive 25 points of your grade. It is small group presentation. The
instructor will give more specific instructions after the fifth week.
COURSE SCHEDULE
This is a 100-hour course over the span of 10 weeks. The Course Schedule
may be subject to change.
Week
Section/
Topic
Unit/
Date
Page
Conversation about false
Listening/Rea
advertising and Advertizing on the
ding
air
4/29
"Changing World"
Use examples from the reading and
First
Unit 1
listening excerpts to explain
Advertising
Speaking/Writi
emotional appeals in ad.
ng
Write about a product you enjoy
4/30
and explain how to advertising it
Skill focus
Skimming and scanning
5/01
TOEFL iBT
Overall listening section of TOEFL
practice
iBT

5/02

Listening/Rea
ding
5/06
Second

Speaking/Writi
ng
5/07

Skill focus
5/08
TOEFL iBT
practice 5/09
Listening/Rea
ding
5/13
Third

Speaking/Writi
ng
5/14
Skill focus
5/15
TOEFL iBT
practice 5/16

Fourth

Listening/Rea
ding
5/20

Speaking/Writi
ng
5/21

Taking notes
Conversation about her parents'
expectations concerning her plan
of study.
Sensation seekers.
"High School Star Hospitalized for
Eating Disorder"
Describe a time in your life when
you did something obsessively.
Relate the different meanings of
the word obsession to the
experience of Tony Hawk, the
skateboarder.
Multiple-draft essay #1(a) due

Making inferences

Listening Practice

A student talks to a financial aid

advisor about scholarships.
Victims Intermediate ms fraud
"The Organic Health Center"
Role play a situation that supports
the points of view described in the
listening and reading excerpts.
Describe an experience with fraud
or dishonesty.
Multiple-draft essay #1(b) due
Quiz 1
Using context clues

Unit 2
Extreme
Sports

Unit 3
Fraud

Overall reading section of TOEFL

iBT
Question types
About making an oral presentation
Jackie Torrence
"The Metamorphosis"
Using the concept of
anthropomorphism, compare
yourself to an animal, animal, plant
or non-living thing and describe
your traits and abilities.
Synthesize the information in the
listening and reading excerpts to

Unit 4
Storytellin
g

Skill focus
5/22
TOEFL iBT
practice 5/23
Listening/Rea
ding
5/27

Fifth

Speaking/Writi
ng
5/28

Skill focus
5/29
TOEFL iBT
practice 5/30

Listening/Rea
ding
6/03
Sixth
Speaking/Writi
ng
6/04
Skill focus
6/05
TOEFL iBT
practice 6/06
Listening/Rea
ding
6/10

convey how the author, Franz

Kafka, uses anthropomorphism to
describe the man, George Samsa.
Multiple-draft essay #1(c) due
Identifying and using rhetorical
structure
Reading practice

About his accent and adjusting to

life in a big city.
Speaking of gender
"Code Switching"
Identify a group that has been
stereotyped and support your
opinion with examples.
Discuss the concept of stereotyping
highlighted in the reading excerpt
and use the example of
stereotyping highlighted in the
listening excerpt.
Multiple-draft essay #2(a) due
Paraphrasing
Quiz 2
Overall speaking section of TOEFL
iBT
Question 1-6

Missing a deadline for a project

Town Hall Meeting in Hyannis
"Transforming a Tradition"

Tourists visiting the long-necked

women of the Padaung tribe.
Tourism to Antarctica
Multiple-draft essay #2(b) due
Summarizing

Speaking practice

About a teaching assistant's

responsibilities.
The story of I Love Lucy
"A Different Kind of Family Show"

Unit 5
Language

Unit 6
Tourism

Sevent
h

Speaking/Writi
ng
6/11

Skill focus
6/12
TOEFL iBT
practice 6/13

Listening/Rea
ding
6/17
Eighth
Speaking/Writi
ng
6/18
Skill focus
6/19
TOEFL iBT
practice 6/20
Listening/Rea
ding
6/24
Ninth

Speaking/Writi
ng
6/25
Skill focus
6/26
TOEFL iBT
practice 6/27
Listening/Rea
ding
7/01

Explain why the joke in the

listening excerpt was funny
according to the theories presented
in the reading excerpt.
Funny TV shows or movies
Multiple-draft essay #2(c) due
Quiz 3
Summarizing

Overall writing section of TOEFL

iBT

About how to dress for job

interviews
Fashion in the workplace
"Traditional Fashion for Today's
Woman"
The potential risks and benefits of
cosmetic surgery.
Schools having a uniform policy.
Multiple-draft essay #3(a) due
Comparing and contrasting

Practice writing
Plagiarism and academic
dishonesty
Expert opinions on spanking
"To Spank or Not to Spank"
The proper punishment for a
serious crime, such as murder.
Debate the arguments for and
against the death penalty.
Multiple-draft essay #2(b) due
Using detailed examples
Quiz 4

Mini Test
Researching a report on marriage
Finding a spouse
"What's Wrong with Tradition?"

Compare and contrast your view on

marriage.

Unit 7
Humor

Unit 8
Fashion

Unit 9
Punishmen
t

Unit 10

Tenth

Speaking/Writi
ng
7/02

Skill focus
7/03

TOEFL iBT
practice 7/04

Summarize the points made in the

reading excerpt about polygamy,
society, and religion, giving support
with examples.
Multiple-draft essay #2(c) due
Identifying and using cohesive
devices
Quiz 5
Final Presentation

Marriage