Elementary 1 Syllabus CLP

Community Language Program

Teachers College, Columbia University

Instructor: Hiroshi Haga

E-mail: hh2658@tc.columbia.edu
Level: Elementary 1
Classes: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
Class time: 7 – 9 pm
Classroom: Mondays: Grace Dodge Hall 452, Wednesdays&Thursdays: Thorndike 157

Course description:
The course is designed to help Elementary English language learners develop English listening, speaking,
reading, writing, and comprehension skills that are required for everyday life. Using a theme-based
teaching approach, students will learn grammar, pronunciation as well as relevant vocabulary to meet daily
needs. Each class will be centered on a theme in order to centralize learning and functions associated with
each particular topic.

About the CLP

The Community Language Program (CLP) is a unique and integral part of the TESOL and Applied
Linguistics Programs at Teachers College, Columbia University. It provides English as a second language
and foreign language instruction to adult learners of diverse nationalities and backgrounds. In addition, the
CLP serves as an on- site language education lab in which TESOL and Applied Linguistics faculty and
students enrolled in the programs teach the courses and use the CLP as a setting for empirical inquiry. Here
at Teachers College we believe that observation and classroom research are the best way to learn about
how we teach and gain insights into how teaching might take place. Thus, we encourage observation and
classroom research and want people to use it as a tool for learning. Ongoing assessment and program
evaluation allow us to make the CLP a better program.

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Important Dates:
Week 1: Feb 5 Monday First day of class
Feb 12 Monday Last day for refund request
Mar 12-16 Monday-Friday Spring break: No class
Week 10: Apr 19 Thursday Last day of class

Course Textbook and Workbook:

1) Life, Course Book 2. (2015). Cengage Learning.
2) Life, Workbook 2. (2015). Cengage Learning.

We will cover units 1-4.

Courses Objectives:
After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
● use simple structures and vocabulary to communicate about people, possessions, places, and
free time.
● use language functions to meet people for the first time, shop, give directions and talk about
abilities and interests.
● write a personal description, a description of one’s home, a description of one’s favorite city,
and an email to a peer.

Course Requirements:
Unit Tests 1, 2, 3 (each 15%): 45%
Final Test: 30%
Attendance and Participation: 10%
Homework: 15%

Attendance Policy:
If a student misses 5 or more classes, or is late for 10 classes, s/he cannot pass the course. S/he will,
however, be eligible for a letter of attendance.

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Grading:
A+/- Excellent A+ 97 – 100% A 94 – 96% A- 90 – 93%
B+/- Good B+ 87 – 89% B 84 – 86% B- 80 – 83%
C+/- Satisfactory (pass) C+ 77 – 79% C 73 – 76% C- 70 – 72%
Fail/Repeat Poor (no pass) Below 69%

Schedule May Change

Unit 1: People Test: Week 3 Mon

Grammar and Vocabulary Pronunciation, Speaking, and Listening Reading and Writing
● be ● contracted forms ● articles about a family of explorers and the
● possessive ‘s and possessive ● the same or different world population
adjectives ● sounds ● text type: a personal description
● personal information ● spelling ● writing skill: and, but
● family ● an interview with an explorer
● wordbuilding: word roots ● people at a conference
everyday verbs ● asking questions
● word focus: in ● friends and family
● facts about countries

Unit 2: Possessions Test: Week 5 Wed

Grammar and Vocabulary Pronunciation, Speaking, and Listening Reading and Writing
● plural nouns this, that, these, ● ɪ/ or /i/ ● articles about studio
those ● word stress ● apartments and global products
● there is/are ● contrastive stress ● a description of a room in your
● prepositions of place ● an interview with Andy Torbet ● home
● colors everyday objects furniture ● your objects and possessions ● text type: ads
● countries and nationalities ● a room in your home ● writing skill: describing objects with
● wordbuilding: suffixes (1) ● where things are from adjective
● word focus: one/ ones adjective

Unit 3: Places Test: Week 7 Thu or Fri

Grammar and Vocabulary Pronunciation, Speaking, and Listening Reading and Writing
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● simple present ● -s endings ● articles about car-free zones and languages

● telling time ● saying numbers spoken around the world
● adjectives about cities ● someone talking about a 24-hour ● text type: a travel website
● workplaces word focus: work restaurant in Norway ● writing skill: capital letters
● wordbuilding: collocations ● an interview with a student living in
● cardinal and ordinal numbers New York
● places in a city ● an interview with F. Richards
● your life
● exchanging
● information about a photographer
● favorite numbers and their relevance

Unit 4: Free time Test: Week 10 Mon or Wed

Grammar and Vocabulary Pronunciation, Speaking, and Listening Reading and Writing
● like/love + -ing ● /ŋ/ ● articles about identical twins, a nature
● adverbs of frequency ● linking sentence stress photographer, and extreme sports
● expressions of frequency ● three people talking about their ● an ad for volunteer work
● can/can pastimes ● text type: short emails
● pastimes ● an interview with Paul Nicklen ● writing skill: reference words
● wordbuilding: verb + noun ● likes and dislikes
collocations ● daily life
● sports ● your abilities

Program Policies:

● The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities.
Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with
Disabilities (OASID) for information about registering with the office. You can reach OASID by
email at oasid@tc.columbia.edu, stop by 163 Thorndike Hall or call 212-678-3689. Services are
available only to students who are registered and submit appropriate documentation. As your
instructor, I am happy to discuss specific needs with you as well.

● It is the policy of Teachers College to respect its members’ observance of their major religious
holidays. Students should notify instructors at the beginning of the semester about their wishes to
observe holidays on days when class sessions are scheduled. Where academic scheduling conflicts
prove unavoidable, no student will be penalized for absence due to religious reasons, and alternative

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means will be sought for satisfying the academic requirements involved. If a suitable arrangement
cannot be worked out between the student and the instructor, students and instructors should consult
the Program Director. If an additional appeal is needed, it may be taken to the Provost.

● Sexual Harassment and Violence Reporting: Teachers College is committed to maintaining a safe
environment for students. Because of this commitment and because of federal and state regulations,
we must advise you that if you tell any of your instructors about sexual harassment or gender-based
misconduct involving a member of the campus community, your instructor is required to report this
information to the Title IX Coordinator, Janice Robinson. She will treat this information as private,
but will need to follow up with you and possibly look into the matter. The Ombuds officer for
Gender-Based Misconduct is a confidential resource available for students, staff, and faculty.
“Gender-based misconduct” includes sexual assault, stalking, sexual harassment, dating violence,
domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and gender-based harassment. For more information, see
http://sexualrespect.columbia.edu/gender-based-misconduct-policy-students.

Have a great semester! ☺

Notes:
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