READING SKILLS TAUGHT BY DAVID WOOD, FALL 2014, SHANDONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ROLL CALL PLEASE WRITE YOUR ENGLISH NAME, YOUR CHINESE NAME, YOUR ID NUMBER, AND YOUR ADDRESS ON THE SHEET OF PAPER GOING AROUND RIGHT NOW.

CLASS DETAILS INSTRUCTOR DAVID WOOD WECHAT: DWOODALLEN WEEKS 10-17

OVERVIEW AND STRUCTURE THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS COURSE IS TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH READING SKILLS. WE WILL FOCUS ON STRATEGIES USED TO “SPEED READ” AND TO UNDERSTAND WRITTEN ENGLISH BY “CONTEXTUAL CUES.” BY THE END OF THE COURSE, YOU SHOULD FEEL SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PREPARED FOR READING ENGLISH IN ALL OF ITS FORMS – ESPECIALLY IN A TEST SETTING.

OVERVIEW AND STRUCTURE THIS COURSE IS ONLY A COUPLE MONTHS LONG, FROM WEEKS 10 – 17 (EIGHT CLASSES TOTAL). THUS, IT IS A SHORT COURSE! OUR FIRST WEEK IS INTRODUCTIONS AND OUR LAST IS THE FINAL EXAM, SO IT’S EVEN SHORTER THAN THE EIGHT WEEKS. IT IS TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT TO SHOW UP FOR CLASS.

OVERVIEW AND STRUCTURE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE TEXTBOOK, PLEASE GET IT. IT IS REQUIRED. YOU MUST BRING YOUR TEXTBOOK TO CLASS, AS SEVERAL OF OUR EXERCISES WILL REQUIRE THE BOOK.

OVERVIEW AND STRUCTURE YOUR GRADE WILL BE DEPENDENT ON TWO THINGS: PARTICIPATION (ATTENDANCE) AND THE FINAL EXAMINATION. YOU MUST SHOW UP TO CLASS AS WE WILL HAVE DAILY EXERCISES THAT WILL BE GRADED FOR POINTS. THERE WILL ALSO BE A FINAL EXAM DURING WEEK 21.

YOUR GRADE IN-CLASS EXERCISES: 50% FINAL EXAM: 50%

IN-CLASS EXERCISES EVERY DAY, WE WILL GO THROUGH SEVERAL READING EXERCISES – SOME THAT REQUIRE YOUR BOOKS, AND OTHERS THAT DO NOT. THE FIRST THING THAT IS REQUIRED OF YOU IN THIS WORK IS YOUR ENTHUSIASTIC PARTICIPATION. THE SECOND THING IS

IN-CLASS EXERCISES SOME OF YOUR EXERCISES WILL BE GRADED. THESE WILL BE GRADED OUT OF 20 POINTS, BASED ON FOUR CRITERIONS: ENGLISH FLUENCY SPELLING, GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY LOGIC DOES YOUR WRITING MAKE SENSE? CONTENT DID YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS SATISFACTORILY?

FINAL EXAM THERE WILL BE A FINAL EXAM DURING THE LAST WEEK (WEEK 17). EXPECT TO BE TESTED ON THE MATERIAL PRESENTED IN CLASS AND IN YOUR ANALYTICAL READING SKILLS. THIS EXAM SHOULD NOT “CATCH YOU OFF GUARD” IF YOU COME TO CLASS EVERY WEEK.

CLASS POLICIES ATTENDANCE IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO MAKE IT TO CLASS, MAKE SURE YOU GET NOTES OFF OF A FRIEND. YOU MUST BRING A WRITTEN NOTE FROM AN AUTHORITY EXCUSING YOU FROM CLASS OR YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE POINTS FOR THE DAILY EXERCISE THAT DAY. MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENTS WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED IN SPECIAL CASES.

OTHER CLASS POLICIES ENGLISH ONLY POLICY: THIS COURSE IS CLEARLY TAUGHT IN ENGLISH, SO WHEN THE BELL RINGS, PLEASE SPEAK ONLY IN ENGLISH! I CANNOT UNDERSTAND MANDARIN! (I’M LEARNING, THOUGH.) RESPECT YOUR CLASSMATES: WHEN YOUR CLASSMATES ARE SPEAKING – ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S DIRECTED AT ME! – DO NOT TALK, PLEASE. I SOMETIMES HAVE DIFFICULTY HEARING. CONTACT: OR WECHAT ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS.

WEBSITE I HAVE A WEBSITE. THIS IS LESS OF A LECTURE BASED COURSE THAN MY OTHER CLASS, SO I MAY NOT USE THE COURSE PAGE VERY MUCH. HOWEVER, I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF I POST ANYTHING RELEVANT TO THE READING SKILLS COURSE.

LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK OPEN YOUR TEXTBOOKS TO THE FIRST CHAPTER. I WILL NOT REQUIRE YOU TO READ ANYTHING BEFOREHAND – ALL WORK WILL BE DONE IN CLASS.

INTRODUCTIONS IN A MOMENT, WE WILL SPLIT UP INTO DISCUSSION GROUPS. IN ENGLISH! DO THESE THREE THINGS: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TELL ME ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF! AFTERWARDS, WE WILL GO AROUND THE ROOM. EVERYONE WILL STAND UP AND SAY THE SAME THING, SO I CAN GET TO KNOW YOU ALL! BUT FIRST, I MUST INTRODUCE MYSELF!

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

MY NAME IS DAVID WOOD NO NEED FOR FORMALITY! YOU CAN CALL ME DAVID. WECHAT: DWOODALLEN WEBSITE: I AM FROM ALASKA – THE LARGEST AND COLDEST STATE IN THE UNITED STATES. I AM 25 YEARS OLD. BACHELORS IN SOCIOLOGY (MINOR IN PHILOSOPHY), WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY, 2011 MASTERS IN POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, 2014

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

FIRST THING ABOUT ME IS THAT I LOVE TRAVELING THE WORLD, AND HAVE SPENT TIME IN EUROPE (FRANCE, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, ITALY) AND SOUTH AMERICA (ARGENTINA, CHILE, PERU). I HAVE BEEN IN CHINA FOR THREE WEEKS NOW, AND LOVE IT SO FAR! I LOVE TO HIKE, READ, PLAY VIDEOGAMES, DRINK BEER, AND KEEP UP TO DATE WITH POLITICS.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR I, OF COURSE, LOVE ENGLISH FILMS! I HAVE PRETTY VARIED TASTES: INTELLIGENT MOVIES, HORROR MOVIES, WITTY COMEDIES. FAVORITE MOVIES: INCEPTION, THE THING (1982), HOT FUZZ, TRUMAN SHOW CHRISTOPHER NOLAN IS MY FAVORITE DIRECTOR – HE’S THE GUY WHO DIRECTED INCEPTION, THE NEW BATMAN TRILOGY, MEMENTO, THE PRESTIGE…

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

OKAY, NOW ABOUT YOU. SPLIT INTO GROUPS OF 4-6. TALK AMONGST YOURSELVES IN ENGLISH! INTRODUCE YOURSELF ONE RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOU! WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ENGLISH MOVIE AND WHY? THEN WE’LL GO AROUND THE CLASS AND EVERYONE WILL STAND UP AND ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. ONCE WE WRAP THIS UP, I HAVE A SHORT MOVIE PREPARED FOR THE SECOND HALF OF CLASS.