English I AI/Study Skills
September 2022-January 2023, Fridays 16:20-17:50
Homework and Assignments
Second
Semester, Autumn 2022
September 2022
You have to finish ten reports.
Submit them as soon as possible. The final deadline is the last
class in January. If you finish one per week, you will be finished
well before the end of the semester.
The main thing to do this
semester is to finish ten reports, but you also have to attend the
class every Friday. I want to check on the progress of each
student and be sure that students are having no troubles taking
part in the course and working on schedule.
If you have trouble finding
something to study for your reports, look at the the Study Links section of this website.
Please download the file called Common Errors in Student Writing. Check your reports before handing them in and try to avoid the common errors. Use the grammar checkers and spell checkers available in word processing programs (MS Word, Libre Office etc.).
Learn how to use the "track
changes" and "accept changes" features of MSWord. Use this
guide.
How to write your reports
Students have to write ten
reports this semester (about one per week). Don't delay and fall
behind schedule. Finish one report per week, then you will be
finished by the tenth week.
Write a report about an English study resource of your choice. You
can use any source that you like, but do not repeatedly use the same
type of resource. For example, if your first report is about a song,
don’t choose a song for your next report. Be careful to choose a
resource that is challenging but not too difficult. Think carefully
about your weak points and make a plan for your own study.
If your TOEIC score is still below 500, you should find resources
that include review of grammar and low and intermediate level
listening practice. If your TOEIC score is above 500, you can start
studying authentic resources (sources not designed as English
lessons).
You need to find a source of
study that is not too easy. It should be a little bit challenging
but not too difficult. This is a link to a list
of sources that are easy to study. If you study one of these
sources, you should be able to finish your report in about one hour.
Suggested types of resources
Songs, movies (use the English subtitles on Netflix or DVDs), news
media, YouTube videos with worthwhile language content (for example,
do not write about cute cat videos!), online videos of speeches and
lessons of various types (for example, www.ted.com), websites for
English study, books, magazines, newspapers, smartphone apps for
English study, etc.
Use the report form template to write your report. When
you start writing your report, save the document file with a new
file name such as this:
your last name-your first
name-year-month-day.docx
example: isono-wakame-2022-06-15.docx
If you write the file name this
way, your teacher can see easily who wrote it and when it was
written.
You can write your report in MSWord or other word processing software such as the free software Libre Office. Every student at Seijo can get a free installation of Microsoft Office. Ask the MNC how to install it on your computer.
On your report, write your
e-mail address. It is better to use your Seijo e-mail address
(student number@u.seijo.ac.jp). Write complete and accurate
information about to the source: author, title, place of
publication, web address, date etc…
Do not copy and paste sentences that you did not write yourself. Do
not use translation software. If you want to copy something, you
have to put it in quotation marks: “…………………”
Be sure to include a list of
some new vocabulary or idioms that you learned. Describe exactly
what you learned or studied, how you studied, and write a comment
about it.
Go to this link for a sample
of a report. This sample is a little bit long. You don't need
to write such a detailed report, but you can if you want to.
Correcting and saving your report
Keep a digital version (MSWord
file) of your report after the teacher checks it, and keep the
corrected version also. These are your proof that you completed the
report. Keep the files in two places, for example, one copy on your
computer and one copy on a usb drive. Always save backups of your
files! A computer can break at any time.
After I check your report and give back the paper version with
corrections marked in red, save the digital file with a new file
name like this example:
your last name-your
first name-2022-06-15-corrected.docx
Don’t delay in writing reports. The teacher does not like getting all the reports from a student suddenly at the end of the semester.
Every student is working independently, so it is possible to write your reports at home, but you still need to attend the class every Friday at 16:20 in order to get the credit and pass this course.
Be sure to write the full information about the source you study. For example, if you study this TED talk, you should give this information:
Amy Cuddy, “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are,” TED, June 2012, https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are
You need to include this information:
1. Name of author, speaker, or artist
2. Title
3. Publisher, website, company or organization that distributed the material
4. Date of publication
5. Website address