47431 - English Language Lab 1 (A)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student:

• is able to demonstrate full threshold-level (B1) English language proficiency according to the CEFR, specifically:
• can understand the main points of familiar topics related to school, leisure, personal interests, etc.;
• can interact in English confidently and without errors or misunderstandings in situations that may occur while traveling in English-speaking countries;
• is able to produce a simple English text on topics that are familiar or of personal interest;
• can express experiences and events, plans, hopes, and ambitions in English and can simply explain the reasons for their opinions and desires.

Course contents

The common goal of the first- and second-year English labs is to consolidate students’ productive and receptive language skills in order to develop English proficiency that is preparatory and functional for the content of the third-, fourth-, and fifth-year labs. In those later years, the focus will gradually shift from language study to the study of the most appropriate approaches to English language teaching.

In the first- and second-year labs, the work will therefore focus on strengthening and reinforcing the speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills acquired during students’ pre-university education.

The first-year labs, divided into 8 groups, will all take place in the second semester of the current academic year. In addition to the 8 groups scheduled for the second semester, a ninth group will be added for the summer remedial lab.

No placement test is required. As a result, each student may register for the group of their choice via AlmaEsami. It is not possible to change registration lists or divide attendance between multiple groups: each student must attend only and exclusively the group they registered for. Students who, after registering for a lab group, decide to withdraw must promptly inform the instructor.

Groups will be mixed-level, but all will follow exactly the same program and use the same textbook. The textbook content that will be covered in class and assigned for individual study will be specified by the instructor during the first lesson, and will form the basis of the final exam.

As with all English language labs, first-year labs also require mandatory in-person attendance only. The maximum number of absences allowed is 25% of the total hours offered, i.e., 8 hours out of 32. The first and last lessons are not mandatory, but are strongly recommended (except in cases of serious emergencies or objective impossibility to attend). The first lesson will present the lab program, including exam details, while the last lesson will include the mandatory evaluation questionnaire required for exam registration. Students who miss both the first and second sessions will be excluded from the remainder of the lab.

If absences exceed the 8-hour limit, all missed hours must be made up in the summer remedial lab. For example, if a student misses 8 + 2 hours, they must make up 10 hours. If a student is absent for half of the total course hours (i.e., 16 hours), they must retake the entire lab.

For all information related to the English language labs, please refer to the website:
https://corsi.unibo.it/magistralecu/ScienzeFormazionePrimaria/laboratori-di-lingua-inglese

Readings/Bibliography

It will be notified after the groups are formed.

Teaching methods

The methods and techniques used may include: reading and comprehension exercises in small groups, form-focussed grammar revision individually and in small groups, listening practice with small group exercises, flipped classroom student presentations of lexical, grammatical and video material, production of short texts, poems, scripts based on the language presented in the book, Grammar-Drama activities (acting out original scripts exemplifying grammar and pronunciation issues), songs, role-play, videos, collaborative and individual writing on paper and on Moodle/Virtuale.

Assessment methods

After attending the course, students will have to take a comprehensive language exam. In case of a fail, exams can be taken in consecutive regular appelli.

The exam will consist of a B1 language test which includes: Lexical exercises (naming objects, describing simple pictures, filling in the gaps in a text, finding the right words to describe a room, school, house, natural landscape, outdoor scene, etc., all at B1 level); Grammar exercises (sentence completion, grammatical choice, verb tenses, irregular verbs, pronouns, comparatives and superlatives, conditionals, etc., all at B1 level with a few B1+ questions); a Reading exercise (a short text with T/F/Not said questions, word definitions, simple synonym identification, title or sentence insertion, etc.); a Writing on familiar topics (describing people, common situations, simple school activities, etc., at least 100 words). The exam lasts 60 minutes.

For a facsimile of the exam, see here [https://virtuale.unibo.it/mod/quiz/view.php?id=1294050] .

There is no session skipping or salto di appello.
Marks will be sent via the University email to each student, and details will be quoted for each part of the test. Students do not have to accept the ID result, registering (verbalizzazione) will be done by default.

In order to take the exam it is absolutely necessary for a student to have enrolled on Almaesami. It is not possible to take any exam without formal enrolment there. In case of problems with the enrolment process students MUST CONTACT THE UFFICIO DIDATTICO BEFORE THE ENROLMENT DEADLINE. Once the enrolment lists are closed, no student can be added.

Teaching tools

Apart from the book, students will work with presentations, audio clips, photos, videos from the book CDs and online, Padlet or similar, own cellphones to contribute materials on shared platforms like Moodle, or to ask questions online, OHP, besides traditional paper-based tools.

Office hours

See the website of Christina Bridget O'Sullivan