vcc.ca
ELSK 0920: ESL Reading & Writing 9
Effective date
April 2014
Department
ESL Pathways
School
Arts and Sciences
Description
The focus of ESL Reading & Writing 9 is on developing reading and writing communication skills in English and improving the following Essential Skills: Working with Others, Computer and Document Use, Thinking Skills, and Continuous Learning. Classroom activities engage students in developing reading and writing strategies using community, workplace and academic contexts. Learners integrate language skills, Essential Skills and intercultural skills through activities such as: writing and interpreting a code of ethics, planning a research project, writing a long essay, analyzing case studies, and writing a job description. By the end of this course, students will be able to meet the Reading and Writing outcomes at CLB 9 in the Canadian Language Benchmarks. Note: The topics in this course are closely aligned with the topics in ESL Listening & Speaking 9.
Credits
4.0
Year of study
Prerequisites
CLB 8 Reading, CLB 8 Writing or equivalent assessment score; or department approval.
Corequisites
None
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Reading ESL Pathways 9 1) Identify aspects of complex written communication for the workplace that convey opinions and points of view; 2) Interpret formal instructions for familiar procedures in complex extended academic and workplace texts; 3) Obtain and accurately interpret information from complex extended academic and workplace texts to inform significant decisions; 4) Analyze the organization, underlying structure and development of ideas in complex extended academic and workplace texts; 5) Interpret information contained in complex graphs and diagrams; 6) Synthesize information from a complex search of online sources (research is on a defined topic that is limited in scope)
- Writing ESL Pathways 9 1) Convey business messages in semi-formal or formal correspondence; 2) Reduce complex workplace and academic information and ideas from multiple sources as functional notes, outlines or summaries; 3) Write business or service correspondence for a broad range of purposes; 4) Write a minimum 500- word proposal or report to convey suggestions, recommendations, requests and updates; 5) Complete extensive, complex forms and documents (with over 40 items with short answers and some written responses of up to 1 paragraph each); 6) Compose coherent texts up to 1500 words in a variety of genres.
Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
None
Hours
Lecture, Online, Seminar, Tutorial: 120
Total Hours: 120
Total Hours: 120
Instructional Strategies
The instructor uses multiple strategies to achieve the learning outcomes including: ongoing needs analysis, group work, coaching, one-on-one consultations, using audio/computer labs, case studies, videos, lectures, demonstrations, etc.
Grading System
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Passing grade
Where "S" = minimum CLB 9 in both Reading and Writing
Evaluation Plan
|
Type |
Percentage |
Assessment activity |
|
Portfolio |
100 |
Range of assignments (20-25) with rubrics and tools to formatively and summatively evaluate learning. |
Course topics
- Searching for Jobs (e-mail requesting an information interview, read job descriptions, fill out a job application, write a cover letter)
- Volunteering (interpret a chart on employer support for volunteering, report about a volunteer experience, complete a volunteer application form)
- Writing Ethics (search the internet for various definitions of ethics, read & write personal code of ethics)
- Interpreting Ethics (conflict of interest in the workplace, overview of BC Human Rights tribunal, responding to the natural cereals case study)
- Planning Workplace Training (summarize essential skills needed for an occupation, read a graph on the importance of essential skills, read/write a persuasive letter to an employer)
- Designing Workplace Training (integrating Essential Skills training into the workplace, write a proposal for a workplace training program, e-mail updates and requests on Essential Skills training program)
- Writing Long Essays (scientific literacy to avoid the progress trap, analyze a movie or book review, write an essay on the factors contributing to social collapse)
- Considering Cases (write a reflection, search the internet about a first nations case, write an argumentative essay on a first nations case study)
Notes:
- Course contents and descriptions, offerings and schedules are subject to change without notice.
- Students are required to follow all College policies including ones that govern their educational experience at VCC. Policies are available on the VCC website at:
https://www.vcc.ca/about/governance--policies/policies/. - To find out if there are existing transfer agreements for this course, visit the BC Transfer Guide at https://www.bctransferguide.ca.