The compass: Route to academic speaking

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The Aim of the Book This book is designed with the ultimate aim of equipping EAP students with the essential speaking skills they need to cope with the demands of the English language as medium of instruction. The aim of the book is to provide students with an array of tasks to improve their speaking skills in an academic context through different types of presentations and speaking tasks. One of the biggest novelties the book offers to contribute the canon is the use of authentic podcasts as listening materials, which we believe to have a great impact on the improvement of both listening skills and the language use of students by providing a unique model of real spoken English as opposed to the traditional listening materials tailored to students’ language proficiency. The book is designed and written with an integrated skills approach, where all four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing are integrated into each thematic unit. Since the aim of the book is mainly to improve the speaking skills of the students, the remaining three skills are weaved together with speaking, listening or reading materials and writing assignments either to foster or to accompany the speaking or presentation tasks. Each unit in the book revolves around one single theme which is explored from different perspectives as the unit progresses with reading, listening and speaking tasks. The diversity of student profiles, the variety of their interests and needs, and the dynamics of a language classroom are the primary reasons behind the rationale for choosing the themes of this book, making them equally appealing to learners of all disciplines. The tasks and texts build upon each other both thematically and skillswise, and each unit ends with a major presentation assignment where students are expected to display their understanding and command of the theme and the skills focused on in the relevant unit. To this end, the book is designed around the following sections:

Reading and Listening sections at the beginning of each unit serve as springboard to provide the context and the language for the speaking tasks to help students generate ideas to participate in the speaking tasks such as debates, discussions, impromptu presentations, role plays and oral synthesis tasks. Talk About It section introduces the speaking tasks to initiate discussions related to the themes explored in the reading and listening sections. Going One Step Further section engages students in various major speaking tasks such as role play, mini presenatations, debates and discussions by bringing in different dimensions of the theme of the unit. Speaking Help section provides the necessary language students need to complete the speaking tasks in the unit. Sound of English section explores various aspects of English pronunciation, intonation and stress, providing both input and practice. Presentation Skills section offers input and practice to equip the students with the skills they need for the presentation they will be giving as an end product of each unit. Putting It All Together section is designed as a culminating task where students are expected to give a presentation either individually or in groups by demonstrating skills covered and practiced in each unit. These tasks are presentations which display increasing complexity in terms of the requirements for content, organization, timing, research and presentation skills students are expected to utilize.

The Compass: Route to Academic Speaking is a course book which incorporates the many new instructional approaches, strategies and ideas in the field of English Language Teaching into a coherent and carefully designed syllabus to help university students master academic skills in a variety of contexts and institutions. We hope both students and teachers will enjoy using The Compass: Route to Academic Speaking.


TABLE OF CONTENTS UNIT 1 - ALL IN THE MIND

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GETTING STARTED: Fact or Myth? READING: Erasing Painful Memories

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LISTENING: Memory Erasing - Bliss or Curse?

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TALK ABOUT IT: Ethics of Memory Erasing under Spotlight

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GOING ONE STEP FURTHER

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1. DISCUSSION: Who Deserves to Start over? 2. ROLE PLAY: The Doctor and the Patient 3. POSTER PRESENTATION: What Else Memory Erasing Has to Offer?

SPEAKING HELP: Expressing Your Opinion

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THE SOUND OF ENGLISH: Pronunciation of Silent Letters

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PRESENTATION SKILLS

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BUILDING PRESENTATION CONFIDENCE - How to Overcome Speech Anxiety - Preparing Effective Note Cards DELIVERY - Physical Delivery - Vocal Delivery

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Giving a Demonstration/How to Speech

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FOLLOW UP: Self Evaluation Assignment

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UNIT 2 - ART

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GETTING STARTED: What is Art? READING: World’s Most Expensive Paintings

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LISTENING: Graffiti- Inspirational Artwork or Vandalism?

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TALK ABOUT IT: Banksy and His Art

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GOING ONE STEP FURTHER

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1. DEBATE: You Call That Art 2. PANEL DISCUSSION: Are Artists Role Models?

SPEAKING HELP: Language of Discussions

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THE SOUND OF ENGLISH: The Problem Sounds in English

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PRESENTATION SKILLS AUDIO VISUAL AIDS

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Types of Audio-Visual Aids The Design of Audio-Visual Aids The Delivery of Audio-Visual Aids SPEAKING HELP: Signposts for Audio-Visual Aids Types of Visual Representations SPEAKING HELP: Language of Visual Representations

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Current Events Presentation

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UNIT 3 - MARKETING

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GETTING STARTED: Store Design READING: How Retailers Trick You into Buying More

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LISTENING: Neuromarketing- Brainwashing or Smart Marketing?

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TALK ABOUT IT: TV Commercials

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GOING ONE STEP FURTHER

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1. ORAL SYNTHESIS: Price Tag Feel Good Factor 2. DISCUSSION: Product Placement in Movies and TV Shows 3. MINI PRESENTATION: Creating Your Own Commercial

SPEAKING HELP: Language of Discussions

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THE SOUND OF ENGLISH: Word Stress in English

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PRESENTATION SKILLS

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PARTS OF A PRESENTATION - Introduction - Body - Conclusion SPEAKING HELP: Signpost Language in Presentations

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Team Presentation

UNIT 4 - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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GETTING STARTED: A Glimpse at the Future from the Past LISTENING: The Transhumanist Nightmare

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TALK ABOUT IT: Transhumanism under Spotlight

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READING: Inventions That Will Shape the Future

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GOING ONE STEP FURTHER

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1. MINI PRESENTATION: What is Your Dream Invention? 2. ROLE PLAY: Conflict Resolution

THE SOUND OF ENGLISH: Intonation Patterns in English

105

PRESENTATION SKILLS

110

LITERATURE RESEARCH - Oral Citation - Written Vs. Oral Discourse - Integration of Literature Research SPEAKING HELP: Language of Oral Citations

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Informative Presentation

122

FOLLOW UP: Self-Critique Assignment

123

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Final Presentation

124

APPENDICES

125

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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UNIT 1 All In The Mind

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UNIT MAP Language Skills Listening for specific information

Presentation Skills Building Presentation Confidence

Listening for the main idea

Overcoming Speech Anxiety

Reading for the main idea

Preparing Effective Note Cards

Making connections between ideas Reflecting on an idea

Delivery

Evaluating different viewpoints

Physical Delivery

Identifying different opinions Making inferences Expressing an opinion Pronunciation of silent letters

Appearance

Voice

Eye-contact

Volume

Facial Expressions

Vocal Variety

Gestures

Pace & Fluency

Posture

Pausing

Movement

Putting It All Together GIVING A DEMONSTRATION / HOW TO SPEECH

2

Vocal Delivery


GETTING STARTED: Fact or Myth? Below you will find some statements about human memory. Go over the statements with your partner and decide whether you think they are myths or facts.

myth

Statements

fact

1. Memory decays over time. 2. It is possible to produce everlasting memories. 3. We tend to remember pleasant memories more than unpleasant memories. 4. A good night's sleep may improve your memory. 5. Scent can be a powerful memory trigger. 6. The more you repeat, the better you remember. 7. It is possible to erase memories. 8. New brain connections are created every time you form a memory. 9. Memory is formed by associations, so creating associations will help you remember better. 10. Women's brains have a better design to recall memories.

Follow up Questions 1. Which of the facts you have discovered about memory surprised you most? 2. Is a good memory a curse or a blessing? 3. What do you think would happen if one fails to forget? 4. Do you agree with the following quotation?

“Happiness is noth more than good ing h and a bad mem ealth ory.� Albert Schweitzer

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READING: Erasing Painful Memories Although most of us think that a good memory is a gift, remembering every single thing one lives can in fact be very painful. Below you will find such a case from Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. Read the brief explanation below and answer the questions that follow.

Getting Ready to Read Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most evil feminine creation, gets her husband to commit a series of murders to become the queen of Scotland. After a series of murders, however, unable to cope with the weight of her guilty conscience; she is struck with visual hallucinations, morbid fears and a deep grief. In desperation, Macbeth asks a doctor to cure Lady Macbeth with the following words:

Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd, Pluck* from the memory a rooted sorrow, Raze out* the written troubles of the brain, And with some sweet oblivious* antidote Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous* stuff Which weighs upon the heart?"

Act V, Scene 3 Glossary *pluck: to pull with sudden force *raze out: to erase *oblivious: forgetful. *perilous: dangerous

1. What type of a treatment is Macbeth asking for? 2. What can you infer about the relationship between memory and conscience from Macbeth’s speech?

4


UNIT 2

Art

25


UNIT MAP Language Skills Listening for specific information

Presentation Skills Audio-Visual Aids

Listening for the main idea

Types of audio-visual aids

Note-taking

The design of audio-visual aids

Reading for the main idea

The delivery of audio-visual aids

Reading for specific information

Signposts for using audio-visual aids

Making connections between ideas Reflecting on an idea

Types of Visual Representation

Reacting to an idea

Types of visual representations

Synthesizing &Paraphrasing

Language of visual representations

Giving an oral response& oral summary Identifying different opinions Evaluating different viewpoints Making inferences Participating in a debate/discussion Using debate/discussion language Pronunciation of the problem sounds in English

Putting It All Together CURRENT EVENTS PRESENTATION

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UNIT 3 Marketing

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UNIT MAP Language Skills

Presentation Skills

Listening for specific information Listening for the main idea

PARTS OF A PRESENTATION Introduction Body

Reading for the main idea Reading for details

Conclusion Signposts for parts of a presentation

Making connections between ideas

Responding to questions

Reading for specific information

Presenting as a team

Reflecting on an idea

Signposts for team presentations

Reacting to an idea Synthesizing &Paraphrasing Giving an oral synthesis Giving an oral response Identifying different opinions Evaluating different viewpoints Making inferences Participating in a discussion Using discussion language Word stress in English

Putting It All Together TEAM PRESENTATION

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UNIT 4 Science & Technology

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UNIT MAP Language Skills Listening for specific information Listening for the main idea Note-taking Listening between the lines

Presentation Skills LITERATURE RESEARCH Oral Citation Written vs. Oral Discourse Integration of Literature Research

Reading for the main idea Reading for specific information Reading for details Making connections between ideas Reflecting on an idea Reacting to an idea Synthesizing & Paraphrasing Summarizing Giving a mini presentation Giving an oral response Intonation patterns in English

Putting It All Together INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION

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GETTING STARTED: A Glimpse at the Future from the Past This postcard from 1900 illustrates what people years ago thought we would be enjoying today. It's always interesting to see what people in the past thought "the future" would be like. Predictions usually say more about the people in the age they were made than they do about the future, but sometimes, a few of these really come true. The following forecasts come from people like engineers, scientists and writers who studied social and technological trends in their own era to predict what daily life might be like in the future. Read the predictions below and discuss the following questions:

- Which of the predictions below came true? - What difference do you see between the predictions and the present reality? - Which of these predictions do you find the most surprising? Why? - What do these predictions tell you about the way people look at the future?

“To place a man in a multi-stage rocket and project him into the controlling gravitational field of the moon where the passengers can make scientific observations, perhaps land alive, and then return to earth – all that constitutes a wild dream worthy of Jules Verne. I am bold enough to say that such a man-made voyage will never occur regardless of all future advances.” Lee DeForest, inventor of the vacuum tube and father of television, 1926.

“Wireless telephone and telegraph circuits will span the world. A husband in the middle of the Atlantic will be able to converse with his wife in Chicago. We will be able to telephone to China quite as readily as we now talk from New York to Brooklyn.” The Ladies Home Journal, article titled "Predictions of the Year 2000", 1900

"Everything that can be invented has been invented."

Charles H. Duell, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.

“Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia”.

Dr. Dionysus Larder, a professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy,(1793-1859).

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible."

Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.

“The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty - a fad.” The president of Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford’s lawyer not to invest in Ford Motor Co. , 1903.

“I suppose we shall soon travel by air-vessels; make air instead of sea voyages; and at length find our way to the Moon, in spite of the want of atmosphere.

Lord Byron, British poet, 1882

Failed technology predictions. (2009). Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://webfreebies4u.blogspot.com/2009/09/37-failed-technology-predictions-from.html. Long, B. (2009). Predictions from the past. Retrieved May 4, 2014 from http://www.fiction.net/tidbits/religion/predictions.html

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LISTENING: The Transhumanist Nightmare As you have seen, most of the predictions about 2000s are inaccurate; still we cannot help but wonder what the future is going to be like. Visions of the future, once fueled by the imagination of the science-fiction writers such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Aldous Huxley, have become the specialty of futurists who are professionals attempting to systematically predict what the future holds for humanity, science, technology and so on. In this section, you are going to listen to Daniel Estulin interviewing James Corbett for his Spanish-language television program Desde la sombra about transhumanism and the future of humanity. In this important interview, James explains the goals of transhumanism and what a future society will look like if man does merge with machine. Now listen to interview and take notes under the following headings. You will then use your notes to answer the questions in Appendix 4.

1. The future of technological advancements

2. What people feel about the technological advancements

3. The implications of the wide gap between the rich and the poor concerning the use of technology

4. How the human interaction will change

5. The ultimate goal of transhumanists

6. What the future holds in the next 25 years

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