Catalog Description

Prerequisite: Placement by ESL matriculation assessment process at or above the ESL 530/830 level or completion of ESL 520O/820O with grade of "C" or better
Advisory: Concurrent enrollment in ESL 530O/830O and/or ESL 25L
Hours: 18 lecture
Description: Focuses on accent reduction for non-native speakers of English. Offers intensive practice and refinement of pronunciation skills that enable students improve their understanding and communication with Native Speakers while reducing their own accents to sound more like native-speakers of English. (pass/no pass grading) (noncredit)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #1: Discriminate and compose stressed syllables correctly in multisyllabic words.
  • CSLO #2: Relate word stress to intended meaning in sentences and speech.
  • CSLO #3: Contrast and discriminate troublesome consonant, vowels, and combination sounds.
  • CSLO #4: Generate reduced, blended, and linked sounds together with intonation and stress in oral presentations, dialogues, and monologues in front of the class.

Effective Term

Fall 2024

Course Type

Noncredit

Contact Hours

18

Outside of Class Hours

36

Total Student Learning Hours

54

Course Objectives

1. Identify and articulate stressed syllables correctly in multisyllabic words.
2. Describe how wrong syllable stress leads to misunderstanding in oral communication.
3. Identify and produce stressed words in a sentence according to purpose and meaning one wants to convey.
4. Modify with word stress according to the meaning that it is intended to convey.
5. Apply word stress in larger contexts (dialogues, monologues, blogs, speeches), and other forms of discourse and experiment with modifying stress to convey different meaning.
6. Modify and articulate different intonation patterns to convey different meaning.
7. Use word stress and intonation with sociolinguistic appropriateness.
8. Identify and produce reduced, blended, and linked sounds in phrases and in longer discourse.
9. Apply the use of reduction, blending, and linked sounds to different sociolinguistic situations.
10. Identify and practice pauses to convey appropriate meaning in oral communication.
11. Take and relinquish the floor, agree and disagree, using the correct intonation in group discussions.
12. Practice and articulate troublesome consonant, vowel, and combination sounds.
13. Demonstrate proper articulation of troublesome sounds together with intonation and stress in their oral presentations, dialogues and monologues.

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
      • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
        • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)

          Articulation Information

          • Not Transferable

          Methods of Evaluation

          • Classroom Discussions
            • Example: Students take notes on each other's presentations. Before the instructor corrects or points out mistakes, those are elicited from students. Students discuss what they have noticed in the presenter's performance. Was the intonation correct? Were the proper words stressed? Was "Rise" pronounced correctly? What words were mispronounced?
          • Objective Examinations
            • Example: 1. Circle the word you hear: a) beg b) bag c) bug d) bog 2. Listen to the sentence and circle the best response: Students listen to: "There is a small red bug on the table." a) It's a present, open it! b) It's a ladybug. Students listen to: "This is a new cot" a) Playing with knives again? b) Is it comfortable?
          • Projects
            • Example: Students will listen to the recording/video of this Poem. They will practice the pauses, word stress and intonation from Maya Angelou's Video. They will perform in class alone or alternating with a partner. Instructor evaluates students for correct word stress, effective use of pauses, pronunciation of words and intonation in sentences. Ex: And Still I Rise - does not sound robotic. Still and Rise are emphasized. The "S" in "Rise" is pronounced as a "Z" and not "S." Likewise, "Still" is pronounced "ST" cluster, and not "EStill."
          • Skill Demonstrations
            • Example: Contractions. Students will perform the following and be assessed according to how well they are able to use contractions as instructed previously. Getting Frustrated Pat: What’s the matter, Anne? You look flustered. What’s going on? Anne: I’ve just realized that I missed my deadline. Pat: You’ve missed your deadline for what? Anne: The TOEFL test! The sign up deadline was yesterday! Pat: Oh… I’m so sorry… Are you sure? Let’s take a close look. Anne: Look: It’s all here in black and white. Pat: Wait… that’s not right. You’re ok silly…. It’ due November 10th, not October 10th. Anne: Seriously? Oh my… That’s awesome. I totally thought I'd screwed up. Pat: You haven’t. You’re fine.
          • Other
            • Example: Students will post videos on LMS (discussions) based on Instructor video directions and modeling. These videos highlight troublesome sounds for students. They perform orally sounds that are difficult for them based on their first language. Students receive support from instructor videos in Modules and from individual video feedback from instructor.

          Repeatable

          Yes

          Methods of Instruction

          • Lecture/Discussion
          • Distance Learning

          Lecture:

          1. This is a student-centered highly participatory class. At times, the instructor provides instruction on rules and skills. The instructor gives examples and models (demonstrates) the application of the skill. For example:
          2. Noticing/hearing the difference between the long and short /i/ as in "pit" and the long /iy/as in "Pete."
          3. Students have to identify (listening exercise) if they hear the long or short sounds for: - ship/sheet - fit/feet - mit/meat
          4. Students have to produce (sound out) those sounds themselves. They proceed to practice those words and other minimal pairs (rich/reach-read/rid)
          5. Students enact a dialogue that includes those sounds (/i/and /iy/) in a real life conversation: Here is an excerpt of a dialogue for the example above: A Sheep on the Beach Paul and Mary just bumped into each other right before class started. M: Hey Paul, how was your summer? P: It was actually pretty awesome. M: Really? Did you finally get to go to the beach as you planned? P: Yes. I went to a relative’s house on the coast of Oregon. It was very different from California. I saw a sheep on the beach. M: A sheep on the beach? P: Yes. Oregon has beaches on one side and ranches on the other. So you get to see cows and other animals from the road in front of the beach. M: Oh, I get it… a sheep must have escaped from a ranch nearby. P: Yes, most likely. It probably happens often. M: Did anyone come to retrieve the sheep? P: No, but the lifeguard did (not deed) take it across the street because of course we did not want to see it run over on the road. M: That must have been a sight to see!
          6. The instructor will lead students to "discover" the theory. For example: As a college class this course encourages critical thinking at all times. Students will "discover" the rule. Students will be encouraged to figure out patterns of intonation and their applicability to a situation. Students hear the following: You're going to school. (With a rising intonation as in a question, but students are not given the punctuation, no question mark.) You're going to school. (With a flat intonation and the stress on the word "going.") You're going to school. (With a rising intonation and the stress on the "You're.") They are supposed to discover that the same phrase can be said in three different ways and have three different meanings. The first one is a question. The second is an order. The third expresses doubt.

          Distance Learning

          1. Students will access the LMS "Discussions" and post a video of their reading of a poem. We start with poems focusing on individual vowel and consonant sounds, as well as intonation using poems from www.poetry4kids.com They "perform" a reading in video form. The instructor gives video feedback on their individual pronunciation issues. The instructor may also make a "summary feedback video" on all most common mistakes and on how to correct those as well as refer to other videos that offer further practice on those troublesome sounds, word and syllable stress, or intonation patterns.

          Typical Out of Class Assignments

          Reading Assignments

          1. Reading monologues on the internet: Students will search for monologues on the internet; they will have to read and choose an appropriate one for which they will rehearse and memorize to present orally in class. 2. Students will read short speeches and dialogues and then rehearse and present them orally. 3. Students will read poetry www.poetry4kids.com poems and perform the reading in videos submitted in LMS (discussions).

          Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

          1. Students will write and orally present their own monologues, dialogues, and speeches. 2. Students will have to problem solve as they, for example, discover mistakes in pauses in a sentence, speech, monologue, dialogue, interview. They will have to find problems in intonation and vowel and consonant articulation and pronunciation from oral speech. To enhance performance students are provided with instructor pronunciation videos as well as videos from ESL pronunciation instructions.

          Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

          Students will receive a specific rubric (objectives, expectations and points assigned to each skill to be demonstrated by the student and evaluated by the instructor and peers) for every graded assignment. Websites are provided for content. examples: www.poetry4kids.com and other websites for pronunciation practice: www.dictionary.com using the microphone and www.howmanysyllable.com also using the microphone (sound) to check pronunciation. Student progress is measured from the first posting to the last video posting in how they have improved their troublesome sounds. Such assignments include: 1. Individual short presentations of monologues. 2. Pair presentations of dialogues and pair interviews. 3. Individual or pair "mini-teach" on a specific subject. 4. Debates in which students take opposite viewpoints on an issue. 5. Projects that culminate in oral feedback, such as oral summaries of live plays, seminars, workshops, debates, forums. 6. Projects that culminate in oral feedback summaries of recorded interviews, videos or debates.

          Required Materials

          • Focus on Pronunciation
            • Author: Linda Lane
            • Publisher: Pearson
            • Publication Date: 2013
            • Text Edition: 3rd
            • Classic Textbook?:
            • OER Link:
            • OER:

          Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.