CEP Fall 2015

Teachers College, Columbia University

Instructor: Amine Sall
E-mail: ams2446@tc.columbia.edu
Level: Beginner 3
Classes: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Class time: 9 11am
Classroom: GDH 535
Course Description:
The course is designed to help Beginner 3 English language learners develop English
listening, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills that is required for everyday
life. Using a theme-based teaching approach, students will learn grammar, pronunciation as
well as relevant vocabulary to meet daily needs.

About the CEP

The Community English Program (CEP) is a unique and integral part of the TESOL and Applied
Linguistics Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. It provides English as a second
language instruction to adult learners of diverse nationalities and backgrounds. In addition, the
CEP serves as an on- site language education lab in which TESOL and Applied Linguistics
faculty and students enrolled in the program teach the courses and use the CEP as a setting for
empirical inquiry. We believe that observation and classroom research are the best way to learn
about how we teach and learn languages.

Important dates:

Week 1
Week 2
Week 9
Week 10

Monday, Sept 21
Friday, Sept 25
Wednesday, Sept 30
Monday-Friday, Nov 23-27
Monday or Wednesday, Nov 30-Dec 2
Friday, Dec 4

First day of classes

Last day for transfers
Last day for refunds
Thanksgiving break: No classes
Final exam
Last day of classes

Course Textbook and Workbook: (available at the Columbia University Bookstore)

1) Stand Out, Book 2 (2nd edition). (2009). Cengage Learning.
2) Stand Out Grammar Challenge, Book 2 (2nd ed., 2009). Cengage Learnin
Course Objectives:
At the end of the course students will be able to develop:

Listening and speaking skills through classroom participation, discussions, and oral
presentations
Reading comprehension skills by reading and interpreting texts on and from
everyday life sources
Writing skills
Grammar by focusing and practicing form, meaning, and use

Course Requirements:
Unit tests 1, 2, 3: 45%
Final test: 30%
Attendance and Participation: 10%
Homework: 15%
Attendance Policy:
If you miss 5 or more classes, you cannot pass the course. If you
are late for 10 classes, you cannot pass the course.
Grading:
A+/B+/C+/Fail/Repeat
W

Excellent
A+ 97 100%
A 94 96%
A- 90 93%
Good
B+ 87 89%
B 84 86%
B- 80 83%
Satisfactory
C+ 77 79%
C 73 76%
C- 70 72%
(pass)
Poor (no pass)
69% or Below
D 63 66%
D- 60 62%
Withdrawal (With permission from the teacher and the Director,
the student withdrew from the course due to extenuating
circumstances)

APPROXIMATE
SCHEDULE
Week

Theme

1&2

Pre-Unit:
Simple Present: Greetings
Welcome to Our Be, live, and
Class
have
Feelings
Unit 1:
Everyday Life

Grammar

Possessive
adjectives

Unit 2:
Lets Go
Shopping!

Pronunciation &
Numeracy/
Academic Skills

Unit Test Dates

/m/

Test 1: Sep 30th

or Oct 2nd

Yes/No question
intonation

Registration forms
Numbers 1-100

Third-person singular
verb endings; /s/, /z/

Classroom
instructions

Clarification
strategies

Simple present
and frequency
verbs

Clarification phrases

Focused listening

Yes/No
Questions: Is
it?

Family

Classifying

Personal description

Developing study
skills

Questions with
can

3&4

Vocabulary

Negative and
affirmative
simple present

Personal information Making bar graphs

Schedules and
calendars

Evaluating

Weather

Paragraph writing

Clothing items

Plural endings

Sizes, colors,
Developing study
patterns, and styles of skills
Present
clothing
Continuous
Evaluating
Prices and receipts
Using because
Peer-editing
Clothing
Demonstrative advertisements and
Predicting
adjectives: This, flyers
that, these, and
Reading charts and
those
graphs
Comparative
and superlative
Reviewing
adjectives

Test 2: Oct 14th

or 16th

5&6

Unit 3:
Food and
Nutrition

Questions with
can

Menus

Plural endings /z/, /ez/ Test 3: Oct 28th

Foods

Rhythm

How much/How
many
Containers and units
Questions and Supermarket
answers with be
Food groups
Using have
Meals
Imperatives
Recipes

or 30th

Clarification stress
Clarifying
Note taking
Scanning
VENN diagrams

Cooking verbs

7&8

Unit 8:
Goals and
Lifelong
Learning

10

Future plans
Be going to
want to plan
to hope to.
Expressing
cause/conseque
nce using
why?/because

What makes success?

Identify life goals
Set academic goals
Set work goals
Find ways to learn

Revision and Final Exam

Talking about future

plans
Paragraph writing
Describing
actions/events in a
sequence using first,
next, then,
finally.

Final Exam: Nov

30th or Dec 2nd

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 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.
Have a great semester! J
4