Listening
Learning How to Communicate in English through Watching and Making Movies (Online)
Thu. 2nd. Period Yuko Nakahama
Keywords:
Culture, Discussion, Film, Listening, Presentation, Project, Speaking

FULLY ONLINE

This course is designed to enhance oral communication skills (listening and speaking) through watching movies (online materials), and making your own movies in English. Students will get to practice their reading and writing skills, as well, by script reading and writing. We will watch video series together to learn common phrases and expressions in context, then answer Q&A, and conduct discussions online. There are some phrases that have embedded meaning as well as literal meaning. For example, what does it mean by ‘Get out of here!’ when the speaker had the smiley yet surprised expression on his face when he said it? Do you really need to get out of the room? Or did the speaker mean something else? These acts are called ‘indirect speech acts’ and students will learn by experiencing them and other types of discourse techniques via role plays. The focus will be placed on learning by ‘speech act’ (such as ‘apology’ and ‘sarcasm’) but other patterns of pragmatic markers will be covered such as discourse markers, y’know within conversation.

Students will also study our original films (several skits made by English speaking SFC students) and compare their own skits with the model interactions. After learning useful expressions and phrases within context, students will be expected to develop their own scripts, and make their own movies in a group, utilizing what they learned in class. Attention should be paid to not only linguistic but also paralinguistic features such as tones as well as non-verbal ones (facial expressions, gestures, gazing, and body language). They are expected to learn autonomously online and in class interactively engaging with the instructor and the classmates in English.

 


Students will be able to practice all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). They will be able to learn useful expressions and interactional patterns shown in the commercial films as well as the short skits made by the instructors. They will learn to engage with language interactively in class as well as autonomously using the class website. Hopefully students will feel comfortable using English without hesitation after immersing themselves during this class.


Attendance: 15%
Participation: 10%
Homework (submission to the forum) : 25%
Mid-term group presentation: 20%
Script writing and movie making: 30%


1

Course Orientation

2

Watch movie episode 1 of 'Fortune' and discuss expressions, narrative and role play

activities. Students work autonomously online at home as well.

Students’ Group Work (SGW) for their own movie making.

3

Watch movie episode 2 of 'Fortune' and discuss expressions, narrative and role play

activities. Students work autonomously online at home as well.

SGW for their own movie making.

4

Watch movie episode 3 &4 of 'Fortune' and discuss expressions, narrative and role play activities. Students work autonomously online at home as well.

SGW for their own movie making.

5

Watch movie episode 5&6 of 'Fortune' and discuss expressions, narrative and role play activities. Students work autonomously online at home as well.

SGW for their own movie making.

6

Mid-term group presentations (Give progress report on script/movie on power point)

 

7

Watch episodes 1-2  of 'Skippers Pass' and do tasks such as narrative and role play activities.

8

Watch episodes 3-4  of 'Skippers Pass' and do tasks such as narrative and role play activities.

9

Students shoot and edit films online.

10

Students shoot and edit films online.

11

Students shoot and edit films online.

12

CLASS on CAMPUS

Students' Movie Presentations

Selection of best actor/best actress

13

TBA (extra assignment)

14

TBA (extra assignment)

15

TBA (extra assignment)


Couple of words from me…

Student participation in class discussions is highly recommended. It’s OK if you feel you are not yet a competent speaker of English! I want you to become comfortable expressing yourselves in English, and I will be there to help!