Hello students,
It is great to meet you all. I'm looking forward to getting to know you and help you improve your English communication skills. I am teaching Speaking Practice this semester and this is the homepage for my blogs.
Each class will have a dedicated blog site where important information for each individual class will be posted. This page will not be updated but will serve as a reference for basic information and a link to the individual class blogs. After you have read and understood the important information (below), click on your class to get up-to-date information including your syllabus for the class.
SPB3 (09858022) Mondays 9:00
Important information
CLASS TIME
- In class, it is important to follow basic rules of politeness and consideration for other students. RESPECT the professor, the students, and the university.
- You will be required to work individually, in pairs and in groups, so it is important to cooperate and collaborate with different students.
- The atmosphere in the classroom will be relaxed. Students are expected to embrace a first name basis relationship and be friendly to one another.
- The class will be conducted in ENGLISH and students are expected to communicate with the teacher and other students in ENGLISH.
- Please endeavor to be punctual and arrive to class on time!
- While you are in the class it is important to participate as much as you can to ensure that you get a good participation grade.
GACHON GRADE CURVE
- In the SPB3 classes, there is a curve so that there are a limited number of A & B grades.
- The curve means that no more than 25% of the students can get A grade and no more than 40 % of the students can get a B grade.
- Unfortunately, this means that some students will get a C grade (even if you are an excellent student).
HOMEWORK
- Students will be asked to do two things for homework. Homework is your responsibility. Even if you are absent from class, you must keep the deadline.
- First, prepare for class by previewing the unit before class.
- Second, you must do the Google Forms activities (online) as a review activity. Units 6 & 7 should be completed before the midterm test and units 8 & 10 should be completed before the final test. There will be three parts for each unit (Top Notch TV / Vocabulary/grammar)
- Occasionally, other project related assignments may be given to you, to be completed before the next class. These must be done if you want to participate in class fully.
Google Documents Homework
- I will post links to the homework on your blog so that you can do the homework.
- You will be able to do each assignment a maximum of three times. You will receive the average score of you highest grades for each unit.
- No late homework will be accepted.
- You MUST enter your student number carefully when submitting homework otherwise your work will be lost.
- You can check your homework score by clicking on the grade link which is in the side bar to your right. Top Notch 3 GRADES (purple book).-------> ------------> ------------> ----------->
CONTACT ME
- If you have any questions, you can email me at gachonian@gmail.com to ask a question. Check the syllabus/blog for information before you contact me.
- If you prefer, you can arrange a mutually convenient time to meet me and talk face-to-face.
- If you know that you are going to miss a class because of your major commitments, then you should email me before the class and then bring the relevant documents when you attend the following class.
SPEAKING EXAMS
- Check your syllabus for exact dates and grade range for the exams.
- You will be required to do a speaking test (groups of three or four students) that displays a good understanding of the topic for each of the units in the book that we study. Ultimately the test will show that you can communicate effectively with other people in English.
- The Speaking Test Guidelines will be posted on your class blog once the semester begins.
STUDY GUIDES with Supplementary Vocabulary
- When you are preparing for the Midterm and Final Tests you should use the Study Guide as a checklist of what you need to study. Anything that is in the 'Study Guide and Supplementary Vocabulary' sheet could be in the quiz for that unit. You can download all of the study guides here
- LINK to Study Guides for Top Notch 3
AUDIO FILES
- For those students who are having trouble with their CD-Rom, the audio files for this class can be downloaded
- (Top Notch 3) HERE.
- Since I am making them available to download, the excuse, "My CD doesn't work", will never be an acceptable excuse.
QUIZLET
- I have created a Quizlet class for my students that will help you to study the vocabulary words in an interactive and convenient way. All you need to do is sign up for a Quizlet account (free) at www.quizlet.com and then follow the link below. I highly recommend giving it a go. My previous students have found it very useful.
- The words for Top Notch 3 class which appear on the unit 'Study Guide and Supplementary Vocabulary' document.
MAKEUP CLASS
- On Wednesday, December 27th, I will have a makeup day. The make-up class will be held in room 216. This is the classroom that I teach all of my classes in. The schedule for the makeup tests is tentative:
- Midterm (units 6 & 7) 10:00am
- Final (unit 8 & 10) 11:00am
- The quizzes will start promptly at the specified time.
- Please do NOT be late.
- There will be NO review class for any of the makeup tests.
