OI Test Prep (OITP)
OI Test Prep can be found weekly
in the Blackboard Lab section for
our 1974 class on Blackboard.
Each week, students must practice
for the oral interview by answering
the questions asked, just as they
will have to do during the oral
interview at the end of the
semester. See a sample of this at
the OITP page.
1974 Presentations
There are several presentations
that students must perform in order
to successfully complete this
course. Among them, some are
group presentations while others
are performed individually. Topics
that have been used in previous
semesters are The World's
Strangest Animal, Package Tour,
Personal Ad (video),
Global/National Issue, Informative
Speech, and a presentation
concerning class research related
to the 1974 field trip.
Students are encouraged to put
passion into the topics they are
presenting and to practice their
presentations before presenting to
their peers in the classroom. While
presenting, students should use
topic-related vocabulary as well as
level-appropriate grammar.
Most presentations require the
submission of a presentation paper
due at the beginning of their
presentation.
Getting the jitters before public
speaking is to be expected. The
best way to combat this is by
knowing your topic, practising, and
memorizing what you want to say.
You will most likely do better than
you fear.
PRESENTATIONS
Oral Interview Test
At the end of each semester,
students who are enrolled in
speaking and listening classes
must take an oral interview which
consists of 5 questions. The first
and second are fairly basic
questions. The third involves
describing what is happening in a
picture. The fourth involves a
social or public issue, and the fifth
requires the student to listen to an
excerpt of a news story after which
the student must relay as much of
the story as possible.
Listening & Speaking
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Presentations
Crash is a 2004 movie directed by Paul Haggis.
It takes the viewers on a single day journey
through the emotionally tumultuous lives of
several people living in LA. From one poignant
moment to the next, we are faced with the
complexity of the multicultural, multiracial reality
of living in America. While many will boil
disputes down to easily identifiable labels such
as racism, these problems are much more
involved than that. They have deeper, yet basic
needs, which, by remaining unmet, grow into
deeper issues.
Just after the midterm break,
students of Albert's 1974 class will
be watching this film to take a deep
look into what motivates the
characters of Crash to do and say
the things they do. Students will be
required to analyze and compare
characters, and then record their
reflections on Blackboard.
STAYING CONNECTED TO CURRENT EVENTS
Students are advised to have a knowledge of current events on both a national and international scale to enable them to discuss
the issues of the day. By knowing the story and relevant vocabulary, students will be well-equipped to do so. Whether you get
your news from CNN, Aljazeera, BBC, NPR, FOX, MSNBC, or the Huffington Post, you should be able to approach any current
event from at least one angle or another in full participation with your fellow classmates.
Listening & Speaking
Listening Strategies
Strategies for ESL
(1) Accept that you will NOT
understand everything.
(2) Relax when you don't
understand.
(3) Do NOT translate into your
language.
(4) Listen for the gist of the story
or conversation rather than trying
to understand every single word.
(5) Practice your listening skills
by listening to podcasts online at
a variety of websites. Practice by
taking part in conversations that
are exclusively in English.
(6) Focus on progressing step-
by-step. Make sure through this
process that you need to acquire
new vocabulary in context.
Attempt to use that vocabulary
while trying to be a part of the
conversation as much as
possible at your own stage of
learning.
General Advice for Listening
(1) Decide to pay attention.
(2) Talk less and listen more.
(3) Clarify what you've heard by
asking for more detail.
(4) Paraphrase what you've
heard to confirm understanding.
(5) Validate the speaker in a
conversation by giving supportive
comments.
(6) Focus on the general idea of
what you are listening to rather
than small details which may not
be part of the core message.
REGULAR RADIO LISTENING
Students are encouraged to listen to the radio
regularly from stations such as 88.5 FM
National Public Radio (NPR) and 103.5 FM
WTOP. Whether listening in your car or on a
computer, the benefits of doing so will be
noticeable. Listening can be coupled with
taking notes to research topics further and to
expand your vocabulary. In class, some
recordings will be used to test students'
listening comprehension skill. As there are
thousands of recorded programs available
online, feel free to focus on a topic of interest.
For those who prefer personal stories to
politics or the economy, give StoryCorps a try.
USB HEADSET
Students must have a USB headset
during lab classes in order to listen
and record on Blackboard. If a
student arrives without it, he/she
will be asked to leave, receiving a
zero for work done that day,
including tests.
1974
1974
