Running order for the second semester - please read!

Hello all,

Here is how I plan to run out the remaining sessions for the Communication NC FA1W 12 unit.

There are two more assessments to go, which are Listening and Reading. They both involve similar skills, and are, in my opinion, best done in tandem, starting with Listening.

For the Listening assessment you will watch a couple of TED talks in your own time and we will discuss the possible analyses of those in small groups in class time. This is vital preparatory work and I will guide you through that and provide sample answers to help you.

All of the practise materials, teaching notes, sample answers etc. will be placed on the Moodle and WILL be available to you for the assessment.

The Reading assessment, tests your skills on an unseen text and is very similar to the Listening assessment, but rather than watch and listen, you are reading an article. This is a new assessment and like the Listening, follows a pattern. If you read the helpnotes and do the practise work, success should follow, right?

NB

The Listening assessment is done in your own time, information noted below.

The Reading assessment (although open book), is done in class time. There is no time limit for that assessment, and I have given you all sufficient time to complete.

Here is the proposed running order, including holidays...

22/1 - teaching around Listening, what the assessment entails and distribution of practise TED talk, with questions and transcript. You listen to the talk as many times as you wish and come to class next week to discuss your thoughts. I will provide full sample answers during and at completion of next week's session.

29/1 - discuss the questions and answers to the first practise TED talk - this is longer than the actual assessment, but really works well to prepare you all for the actual assessment. A second TED talk link given out for you to listen to and jot notes down for the actual assessment.

5/2 - discuss the answers to the second practise TED talk. 

12/2 - February holiday

19/2 - Listening assessment e mailed to you and link to talk posted on blog. You do not attend this class, but will work on this at home. No Comm. classes 26/2 or 4/3 - submission date of your answers no later than Monday 4th March. 

11/3 - I will have the Listening marked by this date, and you should have completed the assessment by this date. 

Reading analysis teaching. I will also go over the teaching for the final assessment, which is Reading a text and answering a series of questions. You will be given a practise text to look at and have answers ready for class next week. I will facilitate that session, in small groups, and provide sample answers at the end.

18/3 and 25/3 - second and third practise reading assessments to help you prep for the assessment.

1/4 and 8/4 - Spring break (holidays)

15/4, 22/4 and 29/4 - reading assessment done in class.

6/5 - May Day holiday

13/5 - final date to get the reading assessment completed.

20/5 - final recap class to reflect on your learning since August

27/5 - May long weekend

3/6 - final class - this is ONLY needed if you have not passed all the assessments by this stage. But you will, right?

All the best,

Mark