Module Information

Module Identifier
IC00110
Module Title
Introduction to Reading and Writing Skills for University
Academic Year
2017/2018
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Pre-Requisite
IELTS 4.5 with no lower score than 4.0 in any one language skill area
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Reading  Reading exam – 90 minutes  50%
Semester Assessment Writing  Writing exam – 120 minutes (250-400 words)  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Write a short simple essay on a topic of everyday interest – 250 words (CEFR B1)

Summarize, report and give their opinion on familiar routine and non-routine matters with some competence (CEFR B1)

Read straightforward factual texts on familiar everyday subjects with a satisfactory level of comprehension (CEFR B1)

Identify the main conclusions in clearly signaled argumentative texts (CEFR B1)

Identify the line of argument presented though not necessarily in detail (CEFR B1)

Content

Due to the nature of each IFC cohort of students, the IFC course will need to be flexible and responsive to students’ needs. It is a student centred course.
The outline below is indicative of the skills that this module will cover.

Key reading strategies to be developed:
• A range of reading skills both extensive and intensive to enable students to develop specific receptive skills such as reading for gist, reading for specific information, reading for detailed comprehension and reading for inference.

Key writing strategies to be developed:
• Writing for different purposes & audiences – general & academic (block 2 & 3)
• Understanding of the grammatical & lexical features of a text to promote precision and accuracy
• The process of writing – students will be encouraged to consider the procedure of putting together a good piece of work including: the pre-writing phase, planning, editing, re-drafting, and finally producing the finished version of their work

Week 1,2,3,4 Course Introduction

Developing and improving reading skills for example – constructing simple sentences, identifying the main idea, skimming, scanning, understanding vocabulary from context, identifying steps in a sequence etc
Developing writing for example – paragraph structure, using sentence variety, dealing with such as functions offering advice and suggestions etc

Week 5,6,7,8 Developing and improving reading skills for example – increasing reading speed, distinguishing fact from opinion, using questions to be an active reader etc
Developing writing for example – asking for clarification, agreeing and disagreeing, expressing an opinion, writing descriptions etc

Week 9, 10,11,12 Developing and improving reading skills for example – identifying important details, identifying tone & mood, identifying sources of information, recognising writers attitude and bias etc
Developing writing for example – writing about cause and effect, supporting the main topic, structuring a paragraph etc
Revision and exam preparation
Module assessment

Week 13, 14,15 Module feedback & individual tutorial support
Review and recap on reading & writing strategies covered in this module
Individual student targets to identified & discussed for development in Block 2

Brief description

Introduction to Reading and Writing for University, is one of 3 core English language skill development modules that make up the 20 hours of study per week of the IFC Block 1 course.
This module will begin to develop the general & academic reading, writing and study skills needed for successful study at AU.
This module will prepare students for the IFC Block 2 modules which will extend and consolidate the general & academic reading and writing skills developed in Block 1.

Aims

1. To develop and strengthen students’ general & academic reading skills for university
2. To develop and strengthen students’ general & academic writing skills for university
3. To give practice in the independent study skills required to function effectively in a higher education learning environment

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number
Communication This module develops communication and literacy skills through engagement with reading texts and vocabulary extension activities
Improving own Learning and Performance This module incorporates targeted individual learning tutorials to encourage students to assess and analyze their own learning and performance.
Information Technology Application of Information technology: This module will expect students to submit some of their work in a word processed format. Students will also be encouraged to search the web for sources of information.
Personal Development and Career planning
Problem solving Developing reading sub skills involves problem solving to find and record the key information required to comprehend texts
Research skills This module will involve students actively and independently researching topics for writing practice
Subject Specific Skills Academic English study skills
Team work This module involves students working in pairs and teams to develop their reading and writing skills

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 3