The development of reading and writing skills cannot be entirely separated from the ideas contained in the material being read and written about. For this reason, reading and writing instruction in the Intermediate, Pre-Advanced, and Advanced levels is based on a topic or "content" theme. Students in the Reading & Writing courses explore a theme while they engage in language-dependent activities. Because the language learning activities in this class are completed for a specific purpose, related to learning about the theme, they are neither artificial nor meaningless. The reading and writing instruction employs authentic reading material written at pre-university or university level. Students are required not only to understand the content material, but also to evaluate and apply it in academic tasks. Academic writing tasks follow the reading and research about the theme. Thus, students must synthesize information taken from multiple sources as preparation for the writing tasks. The project-based tasks in the Reading & Writing courses prepare students for the types of academic assignments that they may encounter in their future careers.

Five major academic tasks are introduced, practiced, and refined in the Reading/Writing classes. These five tasks are designed to simulate authentic university level tasks. In addition, they are meant to develop language skills, critical thinking skills, and academic strategies. The tasks include: reading and comprehending texts, writing academic papers, creating study guides based on texts, writing essay exam answers, and using research and library skills.

Possible course choices at the Intermediate level include: Consumer Education, American Culture, Sports, Cross-Cultural Communication, Disasters, Human Behavior, Music, Computers, Physical Science, Business, Film, US Geography & Travel, Ecology, Biographies, Holidays, Life Science, or Short Stories.

Possible course choices at the Pre-Advanced/Advanced levels (combined) include: Business, Science & Technology, American History, Nature of Language, Sports, American Government, Comparative Culture, Global Issues, Current Events, Native American Indians, Media in the US, Immigrants, Varieties of English, Education, Computers, Cars and Culture, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Ecology, Controversial Issues, History of English, or Short Stories.

TASKS TO BE COMPLETED

SKILLS THAT WILL BE MASTERED/DEVELOPED

Read and comprehend texts Conditions:

• difficulty of texts (pre-university or university)
• length of texts
• complexity of study guides

• use pre-reading strategies (skim, scan, predict, make inferences about authors intent)
• use vocabulary strategies (guess from context, recognize affixes, use an English-English dictionary efficiently, recognize word patterns)
• analyze texts
• annotate texts
• summarize texts
• create study guides
• take objective tests based on readings
• write essay exam answers

Write academic papers Conditions:

• length of papers
• complexity of grammar
• number of integrated sources
• assistance from instructor

• use organized paragraphs and transitional devices
• use conventional mechanics
• avoid plagiarism (paraphrase, summarize, synthesize/evaluate/integrate information and ideas, acknowledge sources)
• use standard grammar and spelling
• use a word processor

Create study guides Conditions:

• difficulty of texts
• length of summaries
• complexity of analysis

• annotate texts
• summarize ideas in own words
• demonstrate understanding of organization of texts (timelines, concept maps, graphs, outlines)

Write essay exam answers Conditions:

• difficulty of texts
• length of essay answers
• amount of time provided
• complexity of analysis

• interpret test prompts
• formulate a thesis statement
• analyze/criticize/organize arguments
• write in a limited amount of time
• apply concepts/theories from readings and lectures

Use research and library skills Conditions:

• assistance from instructor
• number of required sources
• difficulty level of sources

• understand and formulate a research question
• search for information (on-line databases and World Wide Web) relevant to a topic
• locate sources (books, periodicals, encyclopedias, experts in the field) in the library
• evaluate relevancy of sources (reliability, appropriateness, depth of coverage, timeliness)

PROCESS-ORIENTED(Learner-centered)
To diagnose student strengths and weaknesses, modify appropriate instruction and guide students toward course outcomes

PRODUCT-ORIENTED(Criterion-centered)

To determine whether (and to what extent) students have learned specific skills; this evaluation focuses on outcomes

• Read and comprehend texts
• Write academic papers
• Create study guides
• Write essay exam answers
• Use research and library skills

Use of ongoing assessment tools that are student-centered and student/instructor reflective:

• Student self-evaluation (questionnaires, guided questions for self-evaluation)
• Journals (reaction, dialogue, topic)
• Study guides
• Student-teacher conferences (interviews, one-on-one interaction)
• Checklists/anecdotal information (observing students and taking notes, group discussions with instructors)

Use of assessment tools that are based on the performance of the student:

• Research papers and projects
• Library tasks
• Open book tests with extended responses
• Essays
• Traditional objective tests
• Oral reports/discussions
• Group projects
• Summaries