EKIP1001 Pronunciation and Oral Skills (3 cr)
Description
Content
PRONUNCIATION. A short presentation of the week's topic (target sound) will be in Optima for students to read before coming to the class. In the class there will be practice sessions will mostly consist of recorded drills where the aim is first to achieve the target sound in isolation and then to gradually extend this ability into more complex phonetic environments. Students then will play back their recordings and practice afresh any sounds that they may not have pronounced correctly.
ORAL SKILLS. The study of a variety of source materials related to the English-speaking world; the development of a range of oral skills.
Completion methods
PRONUNCIATION: Contact teaching.
ORAL SKILLS: Contact teaching. A variety of activities to foster development in the above.
Open University: contact teaching, web-based tasks, learning assignments, an exam or a combination of these (methods of study will be specified in the annual teaching programme before the start of each academic year).
Assessment details
PRONUNCIATION: Assessment by oral examination. Note that the Pronunciation examination is graded Pass/Fail and that the course as a whole is graded on the 0-5 scale. Students who fail the Pronunciation exam will be required to pass it before their overall grade for the course will be awarded.
ORAL SKILLS: ‘By outcome’, based on participation and communication skills in class, and on the presentations.
Open University: Active participation (100% attendance usually required). Learning assignments or an exam.
Learning outcomes
- identify the main areas of difficulty in pronunciation for Finnish speakers of English
- apply the appropriate mechanical articulation required in the target sounds
- pronounce most target sounds accurately
ORAL SKILLS:
- make effective presentations
- participate more competently and confidently in a variety of oral activities, such as group discussion, debate, negotiation and small talk
- understand and critically discuss a range of issues relating to English speaking cultures
Additional information
The primary aim of the course is to improve students’ oral skills in English. Students are expected to be able to take part in university courses through English and later to use English in their professional lives. This is therefore a foundational course for further work in developing communication skills. A secondary aim of the course is to broaden students’ knowledge of English speaking cultures.
Attendance policy. 100% attendance is usually expected. The effect of any necessary absences on that student's work will be assessed by the teacher, and where necessary extra work in compensation may be required. More than two absences may result in the student having to leave to course, if in the teacher's judgment too much has been missed.
Study materials
ORAL SKILLS.
- Roger’s groups. Students will require electronic or hard copies of Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart. Chapters from other books or articlespublished in and about the English-speaking world may be provided. Students will be able to select from books or articles of their own
choice for class discussion and for use in making presentations.
- Laura's groups. Students will each select a non-fiction book from a range of options, depending on which English-speaking culture they would like to research in more depth. The course will include several reading circle sessions in which students will discuss what they learned from their chosen text in small groups.
- Joe’s groups. Students will select one book about the culture of an English-speaking society. They will be given a list of books to choose from. Additional reading material will be provided throughout the course. Classes will be devoted discussing the books chosen and to learning how to read critically.