Academic Integrity

Dear students,
Please make an effort with your summary writing. If you are copying, you will fail the assignment.
For example,

[2] In this survey, it was also revealed that foreigners wanted to know the information on train delay, earthquake and accident information.
[3] More than 80 million Americans over age 6 are entirely inactive.

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Oral English Vocabulary Test 1

Dear students,
Please click on the link below. You have twenty minutes.

Oral English II Vocabulary Test 1

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Don’t copy paste!

Dear students,
Some students writing is so good that it is identical to a native English speaking journalist!
If you copied, don’t!
You should resubmit.
Any string of five words or more which is identical to the original will be considered plagiarism.
Students who copy once will get zero points for their summary writing.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

For discussion leaders

Read feedback from your peers

Study the class vocabulary

Student vocabulary words

Attendance record

Dear students,
Please use the form below to record your class attendance each week.
(Do not abuse it).

Student Attendance Record

Welcome to Chris Elvin's Aoyama University Oral English class

Dear students,
Welcome to the course. Please visit the blog to check for news, updates, and homework assignments.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Oral English II

Spring 2018

Instructor: Chris Elvin

Email: chriselvin@gmail.com

Blog: www.elvinoe2.blogspot.com

Course Description

Welcome to Oral English. This class is designed to accomplish the following:

1) Discuss stories in the news.

2) Keep a vocabulary notebook.

3) Research a topic, and give a group presentation of it.

Course Assessment and Grading Criteria

a)      20%   Serving as discussion leader

b)      32%   News summary writing

c)      20%   Vocabulary tests

d)      20%   Group presentations

e)      8%     Vocabulary notebook

a) Serving as discussion leader (20)

You should introduce yourself to the others, address the others by name, make eye contact, and use body language to communicate.

Choose a news item from a newspaper, or an online source. Prepare your summary before class. Orally summarize it in class to your group (do not read from notes). Solicit opinions from others about it. Ask follow-up questions. Paraphrase others. Express an opinion in your summary if you wish to do so. The length of each discussion will be eleven or twelve minutes, ideally with no Japanese and little silence.

If you are not group leader, you may still engender a lively talkative group by agreeing, disagreeing, asking opinions, interrupting, clarifying, asking questions, and giving reasons. You are encouraged to do so.
An absent discussion leader is extremely costly to the success of the class, so you must attend both sessions per semester to earn 20 points. If you are present for your session you will earn 10 points. If you are absent for your session, you will be penalized 10 points.

Discussion leader vocabulary homework:

After you have served as group leader, it is your responsibility to upload three vocabulary items to the class vocabulary database via the online form (You will have to submit three times).
Discussion leaders do not need to write a summary nor update their vocabulary notebooks during the week that they lead the discussion.

Discussion Leader's Vocabulary Upload Form

For each word, you should give a meaning (in English or Japanese), and use the word in a sentence, that helps learners to understand its meaning.

Discussion Leader Assesment:

After your discussion leader has finished, please provide feedback to her via the online form below:

Discussion Leader Feedback Form

Explaining

a) Described the main points of the article without reading: 1 point

b) Explained vocabulary when needed, using only English: 1 point 

c) Paraphrased partners’ comments accurately: 1 point

         

Questioning

a) Asked partners questions, used their names, and encouraged their participation: 1 point

b) Used follow-up questions and rephrased them as necessary: 1 point

c) Employed questioning to direct the discussion and to clarify points: 1 point

         

Non-verbally Communicating

a) Frequent, natural eye contact: 1 point

b) Appropriate, helpful gestures: 1 point

c) Good posture and sensitivity to the body language of other group members: 1 point

b) News summary writing (32)

After every lesson you should summarize one of the day’s discussion topics. (who, what, where, when, why, how). Conclude with your opinion. Each summary writing exercise should be between 150 and 250 words. You should use your own words – otherwise you may be charged with plagiarism. 

Examples of plagiarism are; copying a sentence, copying a sentence but changing a few words for synonyms, copying phrases, and using vocabulary that is beyond your understanding. Students who are accused of plagiarism will get a maximum grade of “C”.

Please use the online form below for submitting your summaries.

News Summary Writing Form

c) Vocabulary tests (20)

There will be two online vocabulary tests based on all of the words that you uploaded to the database as discussion group leaders. One will be mid-term, and the other at the end of the semester. 

d) Presentations (20)

There will be a mid-term presentation and a final presentation, both of which will need preparation before you speak. Research a topic. Then deliver your presentation. You will be assessed on fluency (not reading), grammar range and accuracy, vocabulary, pronunciation and content. You should speak for at least three minutes, and you should not read your speech nor bring a script.

e) Vocabulary notebook (8)

Keep a vocabulary notebook of new words that you learned in class. Write their definitions in either English, or Japanese, or both. Use your words in a sentence to demonstrate your active knowledge of them. You should add at least ten words per week to your notebook. If you did not learn as many as ten new words per class, you may use the class vocabulary database words to make up the difference. Your notebook is personal, so it should not just be a copy paste of the spreadsheet; It should show your endeavor to learn new words. You will need to make vocabulary notes eight times per semester.

Schedule

You will normally have five or six discussions per class led by the discussion group leaders, who will rotate from group to group. Your group members will be chosen at random by the teacher. After the discussions, there will be time for summary writing, vocabulary notebooks, or studying the words in the database.

Week 1: Orientation: Watch a video of student discussions

Week 2: Group discussion 1

Week 3: Group discussion 2

Week 4: Group discussion 3

Week 5: Group discussion 4

Week 6: Group discussion 5 

Week 7: Online vocabulary test, mid-term presentations

Week 8: Mid-term presentations

Week 9: Group discussion 1

Week 10: Group discussion 2

Week 11: Group discussion 3

Week 12: Group discussion 4

Week 13: Group discussion 5

Week 14: Online vocabulary test, hand in vocabulary notebooks & discussion summaries portfolio, Final presentations

Week 15 Final presentations

Anything else?

Why not visit the chat room? It is a great way to practice English.

http://web.iec.aoyama.ac.jp/chat/index.html

Aoyama Gakuin University Attendance Policy

Your absences may affect your final grade. 

There is a grade ceiling policy depending on the absences you have from class.

Between zero and three absences per year: no effect

Four or five absences per year: maximum grade; A

Six or seven absences per year: maximum grade; B

Eight or nine absences per year: maximum grade; C

Ten absences per year: automatic failure.     

These ceilings should not be interpreted that all students may be absent from class up to three times, nor that weak students may be absent from class more than strong students; Weak students need to come to class at least as much as strong students. 

Kind regards,

Chris Elvin

Test 4

Test 4

January 2018 lessons

Dear students,
On January 11th and 18th you will have your final presentations. Many of you will be either traveling or going home soon. Therefore, your presentation topic will be “travel in Japan”. You may introduce your hometown if you wish. A good presentation should be new and interesting to your audience, so please do some research about your specific topic. You should speak for five or six minutes.
Please hand in your portfolio on January 11th. Your summaries should be your own words, not copied or paraphrased from an article. You will also have a vocabulary test on this day.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Final discussion session IV - message to group leaders

Dear students,
For the final five discussions, leaders please do not bring a script to class. You should be aiming to improve your fluency, so a script may be counterproductive. Also, when you upload your vocabulary items, try to choose challenging vocabulary which will help your classmates to advance.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Vocabulary Test 3

Dear students,
Please click on the link below to take the test.

Vocabulary Test 3

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

End-of-term Vocabulary Quiz

Click on the link below to start test:

Vocabulary TEST 2 - July 2017

Mid-term vocabulary test

Please click on the link below to take the test.


Mid-term Vocabulary Test


Good luck!
Chris Elvin

Vocabulary Study

Dear students,
You may study the discussion leaders` vocabulary by clicking on the link below.


vocabulary study for the mid-term test


Kind regards,
Chris Elvin
P.S. Your online test will be on May 25th, so it will include words from week two to week five.

For discussion leaders

Dear discussion leaders,
You may read feedback about your discussions here:


Discussion Leader Feedback Results


Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Vocabulary Items from the discussion leaders

Dear discussion leaders,
Please upload your words by using the form below (you will have to send the form three times).


Vocabulary Items Upload Form


Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Feedback to the discussion leaders

Dear students,
Please click on the link below in order to give feedback to your discussion leader.


Discussion Leader Feedback Form


Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Welcome to Chris Elvin's Oral English II class

Welcome to Chris Elvin's Oral English II class blog for students of Aoyama Gakuin University Shibuya campus, period 1 on Thursdays.
Please access this site to keep up to date about class activities, and to download files for the course.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Presentation 4

Dear students,
On January 12th and 19th, 2017, you will have your final presentation. You should speak for at least three minutes about the topic, art. Everybody should be ready to present on the 12th even though we will not be able to listen to all of the talks. The order of the speeches will be random and fixed on this day. Please hand in your vocabulary notes and summaries today, too.
Good luck,
Chris Elvin

Vocabulary test 4

Dear students,
You will be able to access vocabulary test 4 at 9 a.m. on Thursday December 22nd.

Vocabulary Test 4

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

November 10th lesson

Dear students,
Today you will start your mid-term presentations. The topic is Christmas. You should talk for a minimum of three minutes per person. You may be solo or in a group. You will be assessed on fluency, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and content. You should not read your speech. If you do, you will be disqualified.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

November 3rd lesson - Vocabulary test

Dear students,
Today you will start with a 10-point 50-item vocabulary test (provided by 16 students, plus three from the teacher, minus a duplicate). Please click on the link below to start the test.

Vocabulary Test 3

(Available 9:00 a.m, Nov 3rd)

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Vocabulary - study the discussion leader`s words

In order to access the spreadsheet of vocabulary contributed by your fellow classmates, click on the link below:

Discussion Leaders` Vocabulary

Read Discussion Leader Feedback

Learn about how well you did as discussion leader by clicking on the link below:

Discussion Leader Feedback Results

Discussion Feedack and Vocabulary Building Spreadsheet Form

Dear students,
Please use the form below to provide feedback to your discussion leaders.

Discussion Feedback Form

Dear discussion leaders,
Please use the form below to upload your vocabulary.

Vocabulary Building Spreadsheet Form

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

September 29th class

Dear students,

Welcome back to Oral English II. Please read the course outline below.

Oral English II

Spring 2016

Instructor:               Chris Elvin

Email:                    chriselvin@gmail.com

Blog:                     www.elvinoe2.blogspot.com

Course Description 

Welcome to Oral English. This class is designed to accomplish the following:

1) Discuss stories in the news.

2) Keep a vocabulary notebook.

3) Research a topic, and give a group presentation of it.

Course Assessment and Grading Criteria 

a)      20%   Serving as discussion leader

b)      30%   News summary writing

c)       20%   Vocabulary tests

d)      20%   Group presentations

e)      10%   Vocabulary notebook

a) Serving as discussion leader (20)

You should introduce yourself to the others, address the others by name, make eye contact, and use body language to communicate.

Choose a news item from a newspaper, or an online source. Prepare your summary before class. Orally summarize it in class to your group (do not read from notes). Solicit opinions from others about it. Ask follow-up questions. Paraphrase others. Express an opinion in your summary if you wish to do so.

How did you do? Rate yourself using the “assessing discussions” guidelines below.

If you are not group leader, you may still engender a lively talkative group by agreeing, disagreeing, asking opinions, interrupting, clarifying, asking questions, and giving reasons. You are encouraged to do so.

Discussion leader vocabulary homework:

After you have served as group leader, you should upload three vocabulary items to the class vocabulary database via the online form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeE_Y7H8GSrhK-WUmWH7j-Rdb3ZPttAz48ij3AYy8tueX9S3A/viewform

For each word, you should give a meaning (in English or Japanese), and use the word in a sentence, that helps learners to understand its meaning.

Assessing Discussions

After your discussion leader has finished, please provide feedback via the online form:

Discussion Leader Feedback Form

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwfT26bevRNRbXL-O0zv3E8uc8S39qR8B_rurN6PXoNA32Jw/viewform

Explaining

a) Described the main points of the article without reading – 1 point

b) Explained vocabulary when needed, using only English – 1 point

c) Paraphrased partners’ comments accurately – 1 point

        

Questioning

a) Asked partners questions, used their names, and encouraged their participation – 1 point

b) Used follow-up questions and rephrased them as necessary – 1 point

c) Employed questioning to direct the discussion and to clarify points – 1 point

        

Non-verbally Communicating

a) Frequent, natural eye contact – 1 point

b) Appropriate, helpful gestures – 1 point

c) Good posture and sensitivity to the body language of other group members – 1 point

b) News summary writing portfolio (30)

After every lesson you should summarize one of the day’s six discussion topics. (who, what, where, when, why, how). Write about the others’ opinions, too. Conclude with your opinion. Each summary writing exercise should be about 150 words. At the end of the semester, hand in your eight summary portfolio.

c) Vocabulary tests (20)

There will be two online vocabulary tests based on all of the words that you uploaded to the database as discussion group leaders. One will be mid-term, and the other at the end of the semester.

d) Presentations (20)

There will be a mid-term presentation and a final presentation, both of which will need preparation before you speak. Research a topic. Then deliver your presentation. You will be assessed on fluency (not reading), grammar range and accuracy, vocabulary, pronunciation and content. You should speak for at least three minutes, and you should not read your speech nor bring a script.

e) Vocabulary notebook (10)

Keep a vocabulary notebook of new words that you learned in class. Write their definitions in either English, or Japanese, or both. Use your words in a sentence to demonstrate your active knowledge of them. You should add at least ten words per week to your notebook. If you did not learn as many as ten new words per class, you may use the class vocabulary database words to make up the difference. Your notebook is personal, so it should not just be a copy paste of the spreadsheet; It should show your endeavor to learn new words.

Schedule 

You will normally have six discussions per class led by the discussion group leaders, who will rotate from group to group. Your group members will be chosen at random by the teacher. After the discussions, there will be time for summary writing, vocabulary notebooks, or studying the words in the database.

Week 1: Orientation: Watch a video of student discussions

Week 2: Group discussion 1

Week 3: Group discussion 2

Week 4: Group discussion 3

Week 5: Group discussion 4

Week 6: Group discussion 5, online vocabulary test

Week 7: Mid-term presentations preparation, start mid-term presentations

Week 8: Mid-term presentations

Week 9: Group discussion 1

Week 10: Group discussion 2

Week 11: Group discussion 3

Week 12: Group discussion 4

Week 13: Group discussion 5, online vocabulary test

Week 14: Hand in vocabulary notebooks, discussion summaries portfolio, start final presentations

Week 15 Final presentations

Anything else?

Why not visit the chat room? It is a great way to practice English.

http://web.iec.aoyama.ac.jp/chat/index.html

Aoyama Gakuin University Attendance Policy

Your absences may affect your final grade.

There is a grade ceiling policy depending on the absences you have from class.

Between zero and three absences per year: no effect

Four or five absences per year: maximum grade; A

Six or seven absences per year: maximum grade; B

Eight or nine absences per year: maximum grade; C

Ten absences per year: automatic failure.    

These ceilings should not be interpreted that all students may be absent from class up to three times, nor that weak students may be absent from class more than strong students. (Weak students need to come to class at least as much as strong students). Your teacher expects you to attend ALL classes.

Kind regards,

Chris Elvin

Download Course Outline

Oral Presentations

Dear students,
Congratulations on completing the first semester. Most of you did very well!
This is a brief note about next semester`s oral presentations. I have decided that you may not bring a script when delivering your speeches. This is to encourage fluency.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Vocabulary Test 2

Dear students,
Here is your vocabulary test.

Vocabulary Test 2

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

July 7th lesson

Dear students,
Today is your last group discussion for the semester. After the last discussion today,  please prepare your presentation with your group. Again, you will be assessed on fluency, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and content, and you should speak for at least three minutes, but no more than five (10 points).
On the 14th of July, you will have an online vocabulary matching test - a random selection of twenty key words in the spreadsheet (10 points). You should also hand in your vocabulary notebooks (10 points), and discussion summaries (30 points). If you attended ten lessons of which there was a group discussion, you should hand in eight summaries.
(The other 40 points are: 10 for the mid-term vocabulary test, 10 for the mid-term presentation, and 10 for each time you were group leader).
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Discussion Leader Feedback Form

Dear students,
There is now a discussion leader form that I would like you to fill in after each discussion leader has finished. I hope that your feedback will make discussion leaders improve, so your participation is desired.


Discussion Leader Feedback Form


Kind regards,
Chris Elvin