COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Title: Speaking 1

Course Code: ENG 111
Number of credit hours: 4

Instructor: Mr. Mohammad A. Al-Dajani

Office phone:
Office hours: 8-2 5 days a week
E-mail: Mdajani2001@gmail.com

I- Course Description:

This course aims at training students how to develop speaking skills in both formal and
informal situations. Role-plays, surveys, questionnaires and discussions are all used to
practice various language functions. Considerable stress is put on practicing
pronunciation
at this level to raise student awareness about its importance.

II- Rationale:
Students beginning the course at level one usually have a very low level of spoken
English and consequently the course is geared towards them. Students majoring in the
English Language must build a strong foundation in spoken English as it is the medium
for all the other subjects in the undergraduate program. Speaking is a fundamental skill
that is required to communicate ones thoughts, needs, and feelings. Therefore,

speaking is one of the most important skills in which the students must obtain a good
foundation.
The underlying principle is to build a strong foundation, which will allow the students
to develop further during the undergraduate program. Without this foundation, the
students will not have the tools or the motivation to build upon their communicative
skills. In order to motivate the students, the course will combine communicative
activities with skill-building exercises to boost students' academic success.

III-Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, English majors are expected to be able to:
1.

Identify and converse about day-to-day topics and areas of special interest.

2.

Converse on a limited range of topics.

3.

Compare and contrast verbally.

4.

Answer questions using complete sentences

5.

Use reductions in spoken English

6.

Identify and pronounce stressed sounds and words

IV-Calendar, Course Contents and Assignment Specifications:

Time

Topic

1st
week

Introduction and
overview of the course.

Discussion of
students needs and
expectations.

2nd
week

School life around the

world

Assignments
Students are to:

Practice some warm up

activities to break the ice.

Introduce and talk a little

about themselves.

Students are to:

3rd
week

In pairs, practice
introducing themselves and
others.

Assignment: Prepare roleplay, making telephone

reservations for various
purposes.

Understand the use of

body language and gestures
and practice in small
groups.

Using body language

Making telephone
reservations

Experiencing Nature

Students are to:

Storytelling

Talking about
seasons

Talk about likes and

dislikes as pairs and then as
a whole class.

Talk about their abilities

Assignment: comparing
the weather between
different cities of the world.

Practice the pronunciation

of can vs. cant.

4th
week

Introducing yourself
and others

Describing sports
Talking about weather

Living to Eat or Eating to

Live

Students are to:

Compare eating habits in

small groups.

In pairs, practice ordering

in a restaurant and refusing
food politely.

Talking about regional

foods.

Assignment: Interview
people about eating and

Ordering food in
restaurants
Refusing food politely
Interviewing
techniques

shopping habits.

5th
week

In the Community

Students are to:

Describing locations

Assignment: Describe
your neighborhood.

Asking for and giving

directions

Role-play community
scenarios.

In pairs, use maps to give

directions and describe
locations.

6th
week

7th
week

8th
week

Reading a map

Home

Students are to:

Making requests

Answering requests

In pairs/small groups, ask

for information about
apartments.

Prepare questions and

interview potential
roommates.

Assignment: Revise for

midterm test

Midterm Test

Students are to:

The students are given an

oral test based on the
previous weeks of work. A
handout will be given to
students detailing chapters
to be revised.

Revise the work covered and

prepare for the oral test.

Cultures of the World

Students are to:

9th
week

10th
week

Apologizing

Understanding culture

Customs

Talk about customs as a

whole class.

In small groups, discuss

cultural differences.

Assignment: Research on
various different dining
habits.

Health

Students are to:

Discus health issues as a

whole class.

Role-play doctor patient

scenarios
and
making
appointments.

Assignment: Interview on
stress.

Asking for and giving

advice

Entertainment and the

Media

11th
week

Students are to:

Discuss about favorite

movies and television
programs.

In small groups/pairs,
prepare a broacher for
entertainment available in
Riyadh.

Assignment: Look at
newspapers /magazines to
discuss advertisements.

Expressing opinions,
agreeing, and
disagreeing.

Social Life

Students are to:

Giving and accepting

compliments

Discuss entertainment in
Riyadh.

12th
week

13th
week

14th
week

Customs, Celebrations,
and Holidays

Making invitations

Refusing invitations

Assignment (continued):
In small groups/pairs,
prepare a broacher for
entertainment available in
Riyadh.

Students are to:

Plan a party (e.g. birthday,

graduation) in pairs.

In small groups, discuss

about holidays.

As small groups, and then

as a whole class discuss
wedding customs.

Assignment: Individual
students to research about
marriage customs in
different countries.

Science and Technology

Students are to:

Discuss the various

technologies used in the
home.

Assignment: Make a
group presentation about
technology used in the
home.

Giving and
understanding
instructions.

The Global Consumer

Students are to:

Talk about returning items

and getting refunds.

Inquiring about adverts.

Bargaining

15th
week

Revision for Final

Examination
This session will be used to
prepare the students for the
final exam. A handout will
be given to students
detailing chapters to be
revised.

Assignment: Make an
advert.

Students are to:

Revise the work covered and
prepare for the oral exam.

V- Evaluation:

Class Assessment and Participation

20 marks

Homework assignments and Quizzes

20 marks

Midterm Test

20 marks

Final Oral Examination

40 marks

Total Marks

100 marks

VI- Required texts:

Interactions 1 Listening/Speaking, 4 th Edition. By Judith Tanka, Paul Most and Lida R.

Baker.

VII- Instructional Procedures:

The course will integrate authentic speaking situations such as pair work, group work,
role-plays, interviews, surveys and debates. This will allow the students to use the
language in a realistic context.
During class time, the instructor walks around the classroom listening to the students,
answering questions and correcting mistakes appropriately. This is usually followed by a
whole class discussion about the topic.

VIII- General Course Requirements:

Attendance

Students must attend all lectures. Any absences must be accompanied by a written
excuse. Students absent for more than 20% of lectures will be prohibited from taking the
final exam.

Materials

Students are responsible for bringing into class all materials required for study. This
includes the textbook, notebook and all writing utensils.

Assignments

All assignments should be submitted on the specified due date. Assignments handed in
late are subject to mark reductions.

Midterm test and final exam

Students must attend and complete a midterm test and the final exam in order to pass
the course.

IX- Internet sites for teaching English as a second or foreign language:

http://www.usingenglish.com

http://www.askoxford.com

http://www.topenglishteaching.com

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

http://www.bbcworldservice.com/learningenglish

http//www.britishcouncil.org

http//www.English-to-go.com/eslresources.htm

X- References

Klippel, F. (1991) Keep Talking: Communicative fluency activities for language

teaching. Cambridge University Press.

Judith Tanka, Paul Most and Lida

Listening/Speaking, 4th Edition. McGraw Hill.

Harmer, J. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching. (3rd ed.).

Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.

Gammidge, M (2004). Speaking Extra. Resource Books of Multi-level Skills

Activities (Cambridge Copy Collection).

R.

Baker

(2004)

Interactions