English Expeditions - Ritsumeikan University

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Testing Skills

Course Description

The aim of this course is to introduce the concepts utilized in standardized testing. Students will learn about test making and test taking strategies by creating and discussing different types of standardized test questions. These strategies can be used to help students maximize their test score on standardized tests. Students will practice speaking, listening, reading, writing, discussion, and critical thinking skills throughout this course.

Course Goals

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

  • ask and answer information and yes/no type questions from a wide variety of situations
  • understand the key factors in making standardized test questions
  • write stems that contain meaning
  • write answers that are simple and clear
  • write distractors that are simple and clear
  • use the language of distractors
  • use the style of distractors

For more detailed information, check the Can-do Goals for this course.

Grading Criteria

Grades will be based on the following:

7 Practice tasks
1 Review/course review
Practice & Review/course review tasks are graded on a 4-3-2-1-0 scale. If all requirements of the task are completed at an exceptional level, you will receive 4 points; if they are fully met, you will receive 3 points; if they are somewhat met, 2 points; if they are only partially met, 1 point; if you do not participate in the task or are absent, 0 points. 32 points
6 Review tasks Review tasks are graded on a 3-2-1-0 scale. If all requirements of the task are completed at an exceptional level, you will receive 3 points; if they are adequately met, 2 points; if they are only partially met, 1 point; if you do not participate in the task or are absent, 0 points. 18 points
7 Assessment Modules 5 points 35 points
3 TOEIC® Exercises Cycles 5 points each - Late cycles will be scored as zero. Each cycle is due at 11:59pm on Meetings 4, 8, and 12. You MUST complete each cycle to move on to the next. 15 points
Late assignment submission minus 1 point  

Text

Testing and Business English Skills: English Expeditions, Seibido Publishing Co., Ltd.

English-English Dictionary

You are required to bring an English-English dictionary to class every day. See the list of recommended dictionaries below for more information.

Course Schedule Print

Meeting Weekly Topics Practice, Review,
& Course Review Tasks
Assessment Modules TOEIC®L&R Agenda
1 Orientation Course Orientation
Guidelines for Question Making
Language and Style of Distractors
     
2 Section 1 Describing a Scene - Practice   Cycle 1
Meeting 4
11:59pm






Cycle 2
Meeting 8
11:59pm






Cycle 3
Meeting 12
11:59pm
 
3 Section 1 Describing a Scene - Review Assessment Module 1  
4 Section 2 Question or Statement and Response - Practice    
5 Section 2 Question or Statement and Response - Review Assessment Module 2  
6 Section 3 Short Conversations - Practice    
7 Section 3 Short Conversations - Review Assessment Module 3  
8 Section 4 Short Talks - Practice    
9 Section 4 Short Talks - Review Assessment Module 4  
10 Section 5 Fill-in-the-Blank
(vocabulary/grammar)- Practice
   
11 Section 5 Fill-in-the-Blank
(vocabulary/grammar)- Review
Assessment Module 5  
12 Section 6 Missing Words or Phrases - Practice    
13 Section 6 Missing Words or Phrases - Review Assessment Module 6  
14 Section 7 Reading Comprehension - Practice    
15 Section 7 Reading Comprehension
Review/Course Review
Assessment Module 7  

Course Can-do Goals

Speaking Skills

  1. I can describe a scene using the Subject Verb Object (SVO) pattern.
  2. I can ask information type questions appropriate to the context.
  3. I can ask yes/no type questions appropriate to the context.
  4. I can participate in short converastions about a variety of topics.
  5. I can give short talks on familiar topics.

Listening Skills

  1. I can distinguish between words with similar sounds based on context.
  2. I can distinguish between information and yes/no type questions.
  3. I can understand the main point of short conversations.
  4. I can understand the inferences being made in short conversations.
  5. I can understand the main point of short talks.
  6. I can catch important details from short talks.

Reading Skills

  1. I can understand the meanings of new words based on context.
  2. I can understand the main points of short readings.
  3. I can pick out important specific information from short readings.
  4. I can understand letters, advertisements, memos, and charts written in English.

Writing Skills

  1. I can write grammatically correct sentences using the SVO pattern.
  2. I can use prepositions of place and time accurately.
  3. I can use a thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms.
  4. I can write questions using the 5 Ws and 1 H about short conversions and talks that I hear.
  5. I can write questions using the 5 Ws and 1 H about short readings.
  6. I can write clear and simple answers to questions.
  7. I can use the appropriate language of distractors.
  8. I can use the appropriate style of distractors.

Group-working Skills

  1. I can speak confidently in a small group of people.
  2. I can organize a discussion so that all group members participate equally.
  3. I can help group members reach a consensus.
  4. I can ask questions and give honest answers in a group setting.
  5. I can give effective feedback to other people in a group.
  6. I can reflect on work I have completed in an honest and logical way.

Program-wide Standards

Grading Scale

94% or more, A+; 84-93%, A; 74-83%, B; 60-73%, C; below 60%, F

NOTE: At the end of the third year, you will be taking a TOEIC-IP exam. You will then be re-streamed for your fourth-year courses based on the results of this TOEIC-IP and the numerical average of your third-year English courses. Therefore, it is important to strive for not only a high letter grade, but also for the highest numerical grade that you are capable of.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to submit assignments in a timely fashion. Failure to submit timely may result in a reduction of the student’s overall grade. Students will be penalized 3 demerits for each non- submission and 1 demerit for each late submission. Students who accumulate more than 15 'demerits' (the equivalent of 5 absences) will receive an unsatisfactory grade ('F') for the course. As a rule, no make-up work will be given for unexcused absences.

English-English Dictionaries

You are required to use an English-English dictionary for your exercises. The following is a list of quality paper dictionaries for English language learners. You may use any other dictionary or you may elect to use an electronic dictionary.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Oxford University Press.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman Press.
Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, HarperCollins Publishers.

Extra-Credit Points

There are no extra-credit points available for this course.

The Academic Honesty Policy for S&E English Classes

The following will be considered violations of our academic honesty policy:

  1. Copying any answers from another student's exercise, doing any exercises together with other students, or using a textbook from previous years. Exercises are to be completed entirely on your own.
  2. Showing any portion of your exercise to another student.
  3. Using any form of ‘cheat sheet’ in performing an exercise, quiz, etc.
  4. Taking copies of an exercise, quiz, etc. (including unused copies) outside of the classroom. (This includes taking pictures of the exercise, quiz, etc.)
  5. Using writing instruments or telephones during feedback of an in-class exercise, quiz, etc.
  6. Copying answers from another student's exercise, quiz, etc. while it is being administered.
  7. Copying any portion of a homework exercise from another student.
  8. Allowing any portion of your homework exercise to be copied by another student.
  9. Copying (or closely paraphrasing) portions of a homework assignment from other sources (printed matter, the Internet, etc.) and presenting it as your own, regardless of whether you acknowledge the source. This includes using translation software to translate any portion of your submission into English.
  10. Sharing Rainbow or English Expeditions User IDs or Passwords with another student.

Any of the above violations will result in a score of 0 for ALL exercises on that day, as well as forfeiting your chance for extra-credit.

理工学部英語授業における「不正行為」に関する取り決め

不正行為は、いかなる理由があれ一切認められません。以下のような行為は、不正行為とみなします。

  1. 他者に(たとえ一部でも)課題の答えを写させてもらった場合 (課題を複数で一緒にやること、そして、過年度のテキストを使用することも含みます/課題は必ず独力でやること)
  2. 他者に(たとえ一部でも)課題の答えを写させた場合
  3. Quiz, Exercise等において、カンニングペーパー等を使用した場合
  4. Quiz, Exercise等の答案(未使用のものも含む)を不当に持ち帰った場合 (カメラ付き携帯等による撮影も含みます)
  5. Quiz, Exercise等のフィードバックの際、筆記用具、携帯電話等を手にした場合 (正答を盗もうとしたとみなします)
  6. その他、Quiz, Exercise等の実施を妨害する行為、他者の受験を妨害する行為、 替え玉受験等も、不正行為とみなします。
  7. Homework Assignmentにおいて、他者のAssignmentの一部または全部をコピーした場合
  8. Homework Assignmentにおいて、他者に自身のAssignmentの一部または全部を コピーさせた場合
  9. Homework Assignmentにおいて、書籍やWWWのサイトから得た情報をそのまま、 もしくは改ざんの後、断りなく(引用を明記せずに)、自身のAssignmentに盗り入れた(すなわち著作権を侵害した)場合(英語の授業で課されるassignmentの多くは、引用を明記する、しないにかかわらず、一切の引用を認めていません) 。これには翻訳ソフトの使用も含みます。一旦日本語で書いて、それを翻訳ソフトを利用して翻訳して提出することは、それがたとえ一文であっても許されません。
  10. RainbowやEnglish ExpeditionsのユーザーIDやパスワードの授受があった場合

上記、および上記に類する「不正行為」があった場合は、当該学生の当該科目における、その日の得点を0点にするとともに、Extra-credit pointsはすべて無効になります。