Module 1 Gathering and Processing Information
General objectives
1. use the structures of English correctly as well as with a degree of elegance
2. Evaluate examples of written and spoken communication, including arguments, taking in to consideration the form and content of the communication and the context in which it is presented and constructed.
3. Apply comprehension skills of analysis and critical evaluation to a wide range of oral and written material.
4. Demonstrate organising competencies in oral and written communication.
Specific Objectives
1. Speak and write with control of grammar, vocabulary, mechanics and conventions of English usage;
2. indentify the characteristic formats, organizational features and modes of expression of different genres and types of writing and speech;
3. evaluation the appropriateness of data collection methods, including the use of the internet
4. apply any of the six different levels of comprehension to spoken or written material
5. write continuous prose and note form summaries of specific types of spoken and written material
6. evaluate the effect of source, context, medium or channel on the reliability and validity of information
7. gather information about current issues
8. evaluate information about current issues
9. present in appropriate oral form the evaluation of (8);
10. create a portfolio of oral and written work
CONTENT
1. Structural competencies
a. Grammar
b. Usage
c. Word choice
d. Spelling
e. Punctuation
f. Pronunciation
g. Enunciation
h. Correcting errors and mistakes, revising and editing drafts
2. Levels of comprehension
a. Understanding levels: literal, interpretive, analytical, application, synthesis, evaluative
b. Understanding modes, genres and types of speech and writing, with specific attention to organisation and language used
c. Levels of comprehension to different modes, genres and types of speech and writing
i. Expository (for example definitions, technical writing)
ii. Literary (for example prose fiction, poetry, drama)
iii. Argumentative
a. Forms (deduction, induction, analogy, authority)
b. Fallacies (such as non sequitur, unproved assertion
c. Evaluating arguments
3. Study and summary skills
a. General study skills
i. Preparing to study (understanding mental, emotional and physical connections, scheduling and controlling distractions)
ii. Defining and distinguishing between reading and listening
iii. Setting purposes for reading (surveying, skimming and scanning)
iv. Setting purposes for listening (general, specific)
v. Understanding factors which affect reading and listening comprehension
b. Summary skills
i. Note taking and note making
ii. Distinguishing between main and subsidiary ideas
iii. Understanding logical linkages between ideas
iv. Formulating topic sentences and linking them to subsidiary ideas
v. Sequencing
vi. Condensing
vii. Writing outlines
viii. Writing continuous prose summaries
ix. Editing drafts (peer evaluation and self evaluation)