Ae501 module

AE501 Communicative English 3 Teacher/Student’s Copy

By; Richard Simon (B.Sc. TESL (Linguistics & Literature), UNIMAS) Siew Min Hui (B. Arts & Edu. (English), USM) General Studies Department, Mukah Polytechnic Sarawak

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FOREWORD This module aims to complement students’ English language learning experience for the course AE501:Communicative English 3. Language enrichment activities are tailored to the requirement of the syllabus and topically structured so as to engage students in a meaningful contextual learning environment.

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CONTENT Topic

Descriptions

Page

1.1 Interpreting Graphs & Charts

1 MINI PROJECT

i. ii. iii.

Anatomy of Graphs & Charts Describing Trends in Graphs & Charts Extracting Information from Graphs & Charts

1.2 Presenting Mini Project i. ii. iii. iv.

Planning for a Mini Project Executing a Mini Project Gathering of Data for Presentation Preparing End-Report for Mini Project

2.1 Analysing Job Advertisements i.

Understanding Job Advertisements

2.2 Job Enquiries i. ii. iii.

2 JOB HUNTING MECHANICS

Common Job-related Enquiries Make & Reply to Job Enquiries Arrange for an Interview Appointment

2.3 Résumé Writing i. ii.

Present a Comprehensive Résumé Containing Relevant & Accurate Information Proofread & Edit Completed Résumé

2.4 Cover Letter Writing i. ii.

Write Solicited & Unsolicited Cover Letter Using Appropriate Business Letter Format Proofread & Edit Completed Cover Letter

2.5 Preparing for Job Interviews i.

Job Interviews: Before, During & After

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TOPIC 1 Mini Project This topic aims to develop skills necessary to carry out a mini project and teach students how to present ideas through the use of graphs and charts.

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1.1 Interpreting Graphs & Charts i. Anatomy of Graphs & Charts The first step to being able to interpret information in visual stimuli such as graphs and charts is to be familiar with their common parts and labels. Below are the most common types of graphs and charts.

Can you name each of them?

1

slices

legends/keys

Figure 1: Distribution of 3D model design for graphic stimulus

title

Type of graph/ chart: _____________________________________________________ The chart above normally used to display the size for each part (slice) in percentage (%) of a whole.

Each slice represents a certain data value from the entire population of data for a particular variable, for example the distribution of male and female students in Class DKM5A, the percentage of English subject achievement by grade among students in Class DEP5C et cetera.

Unlike other types of graph or chart, the above does not incorporate horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) axes to plot the data.

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title

2

bar

scale

Type of graph/ chart: _____________________________________________________ The above graph sometimes also named as ‘column chart’, and is one of the most common type used to display data, especially in comparing the value for different group of subjects for a particular variable, such as the number of students born in a particular month for Class DSK5B.

line

3

points/ dots

scale

scale Type of graph/ chart: _____________________________________________________ Another type of graph frequently used to describe data, as shown above, is best when there are changes in the distribution of data in certain period of time. Similarly to the previous graph, the above uses scale to signify certain variables marked by (X) and vertical (Y) axes. The points/ dots represent the data (in number) plotted on certain value and connected with lines to illustrate changes.

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Try-out 1 Below are some sample of graphs and charts. Can you identify any missing part(s) for each?

Missing part(s):

1

2 Missing part(s):

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Missing part(s):

Missing part(s):

3

4

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Try-out 2 A graph or chart would not be complete without a ‘Title’. Can you come up with the best title suitable for each of the following graphs and charts?

1

Title:

_______ _______ _______ 2

Title:

_______ _______ _______

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Title:

3

_______ _______ _______

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ii. Describing Trends in Graphs & Charts Interpretation of graphs and charts, apart from knowing the parts and labels, involves the skill of describing the trends in which data or information is being presented. ‘Trends’ in graphs and charts refers to the ‘movement’ – upward, downward or consistent – of the data. Upon understanding this, a thorough comprehensive analysis of the graphs and charts, as well as the information they convey, can be achieved.

Look at the examples below, and pay close attention to the words in bold: Line graph 1: 1. My work increased sharply on Monday because I had two classes.

2. My work decreased sharply on Wednesday because I had no classes.

3. It stayed the same on Thursday because I had no classes.

4. It increased sharply again on Friday because I had two classes again.

5. It decreased slightly on Saturday because I had one class.

Line graph 2: The x axis of this graph shows the twelve months of the past year while our sales in millions of dollars appear on the y axis. It may be seen clearly that sales rose steadily in the first half of the year (from January to May) and reached their peak in June. Then they dropped off in July and levelled out in August. After rising sharply during September, they suffered a dramatic fall in October but then made a recovery in November. However, the year ended with a slight downturn.

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From both samples of line graph, it is noted that there are certain vocabularies used to explain the trends or the movement of the data presented, which can be categorized into three types:

Upward Movement: • • • • •

increased rose reached their peak made a recovery rising

Downward Movement: • • • •

decreased dropped off fall downturn

No Movement: • •

stayed the same levelled out

As listed above, VERBS are often used to describe trends and movements in graphs and charts. To complement this, ADVERBS and ADJECTIVES are also used to illustrate the speed or the nature of the movement:

ADVERBS (adv.)

-sharply, - slightly, - steadily,

(to be used after the verb)

ADJECTIVES (adj.)

dramatic-, slight-

(to be used before the noun)

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…and of course, it does not stop there.

MORE EXAMPLES Let’s look at more common trends in the following graphs: Minimal movement:

Maximal movement: • •

increased gradually rose slightly

Minimal movement:

•

•

increased sharply rose dramatically

Maximal movement: •

•

decreased slightly declined gradually

•

•

decreased sharply declined dramatically

Inconsistent movement (min.): • fluctuated mildly

Inconsistent movement (max.): • fluctuated wildly

Sudden movement (up):

Sudden movement (down): •

spiked at X

•

remained steady

No movement:

•

dipped at Y

No movement after inconsistency: •

•

No movement after (stopped) increasing •

•

peaked at X levelled-off at X

stabilised levelled-off

No movement after (stopped) decreasing •

•

bottomed-out at Y levelled-off at Y

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Try-out 1 The following verbs are commonly used in describing trends in graphs and charts. Categorise them accordingly.

List of verbs: • • • •

climb fall increase rise

• • • •

decline fluctuate pick up stabilise

• • • •

decrease go down plunge stay the same

• • •

double go up reach a high

• • •

drop grow recover

• • •

expand hit a low remain stable

Categories: Upward movement

Verbs:

Downward movement

Verbs:

No movement

Verbs:

Inconsistent movement

Verbs:

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TALKING or WRITING ABOUT TRENDS When describing trends in graphs and charts, some ground rules for grammar must always be adhered to.

Talking about the past, ALWAYS use…

SIMPLE PAST TENSE …to describe something that occurred in the past and no longer happens in the present.

The oil price rose by 2% last November.

There were 1,500 students graduated in July last year.

The number of school dropouts decreased in September.

From 2003-2004, the company faced stringent economic downturn.

During the dry season, the sales of ice-cream increased drastically. *(pay close attention to signal words in bold that mark when and where to use the tense) Talking about the past event, and is still happening in the present, ALWAYS use…

PRESENT PERFECT TENCE …to describe a situation/ phenomenon that started in the past and continues on to the present.

The number of illegal immigrants has increased since 2000.

The API (Air Pollution Index) has gradually gone up since last few week.

The number of students failing English subject has dropped for the past five years.

Over the past three weeks, the road accident rate has risen slightly due to festive season. *(pay close attention to signal words in bold that mark when and where to use the tense)

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Try-out 2 Choose the correct statement that corresponds with each graph.

i. ii.

i. ii.

i. ii.

i. ii.

The trend in customer numbers was upward.

Customer numbers fluctuated slightly.

The number of customers fell drastically.

Numbers fell steadily.

Customer numbers fluctuated wildly.

There was a downward trend in customer numbers.

Customer numbers fluctuated slightly.

Customer numbers were erratic.

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Choose the correct statement that corresponds with each graph.

i. ii.

The trend in customer numbers was upward.

There was a peak in customer numbers.

i. ii.

Customer numbers rocketed.

The trend in customer numbers was flat.

i.

There was a gradual rise in customer numbers.

Customer numbers soared.

ii.

i. ii.

i. ii.

Customer numbers plunged.

The trend was flat.

Customer numbers reached a peak.

There was a slight dip in customer numbers.

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Try-out 3 Study each graph carefully and fill in each black with the correct word/ phrase from the options given.

Options: • • •

peaked increased slowly decreased sharply

• • •

decreased slowly rising sharply remained steady

• • •

started well hit rock bottom falling further

• • •

stayed the same increasing sharply fluctuated everyday

Prices ……………………………….. slowly.

Profits …………………………………………………… then ……………………………………………………… before ………………………………………………………

The price ……………………………. in the middle of the year.

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Her blood sugar level ……………………………………. every day.

Sales ……………………………………………………….. at first before ………………………………………………

Profits ……………………………………………….. before …………………………………………….......

Customers …………………………………………………… then …………………………………………………………

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Try-out 4 Study both graphs below carefully. Then describe the trend (in a complete sentence) based on the noted years using the given verbs and adverbs. The first one has been done for you.

Verbs • •

increase rise

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

• •

fall decline

Adverbs • •

decrease drop

• •

slightly steadily

• •

slowly gradually

• •

sharply moderately

• •

rapidly dramatically

1990-1992 Answer: “Book sales increased sharply.”

1992-1994 Answer: 1994-1997 Answer: 1997-1999 Answer: July-August 2000 Answer: November-December 2000 Answer:

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THERE’S ALWAYS A REASON FOR EVERYTHING To complete an interpretation of a graph or chart, a fair justification should be made to explain the trend of the data presented and subsequently foster an overall understanding of the information the graphical stimulus tries to convey.

Read and understand the sentences below. Pay special attention to words in italics.

• • • • •

Sales fluctuated due to a price war among competitors.

Airfares increased dramatically because of rising oil prices.

Investment declined due to higher interest rates.

Production dropped because of the labour strike.

The stock price fluctuated wildly due to rumours of bankruptcy.

Upon explaining the reason or a cause for certain behaviour, condition, or a situation, the common expressions “due to…” and “because of…” are often used. *Others: “as a result of…”, “…was the reason for…”, “…consequently…”, “…resulted in…”

Try-out 1 Rewrite the following sentences by incorporating the expressions “due to…” or “because of…”

(1) (2)

Inflation caused a rise in the cost of raw materials.

The cost of raw materials rose due to inflation Corruption caused a decline in efficiency.

(3)

Poor quality control caused an increase in complaints.

(4)

A price war among competitors caused a fluctuation in prices.

(5)

An increase in accidents caused a dramatic increase in insurance rates.

(6)

Higher safety standards led to a sharp drop in accidents.

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Try-out 2 By integrating all that has been learned so far, interpret the following graphs by explaining the trends and causes for the movement depicted in the graphs.

Events that influenced raw material costs.

1st Quarter: Inflation 2nd Quarter: Entry of new supplier in market.

3rd Quarter: Price war among suppliers.

4th Quarter: Exit of old supplier from market.

Example: The graph above shows the cost of raw materials for the first, second, third and fourth quarter of the year. In the first quarter, there was a gradual increase in cost due to inflation. During the second quarter, the cost of raw materials faced a dramatic drop because of entry of new supplier in the market. The price war among suppliers in third quarter brought about wild fluctuation in cost of raw materials. A sharp increase in cost of raw materials was apparent in fourth and final quarter of the year as a result of the exit of old supplier from the market.

Events that influenced distribution costs.

1st Quarter: Inflation.

3rd Quarter: Speculation in oil markets.

4th Quarter: Fuel shortages.

Interpretation:

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Events that influenced marketing costs.

1st Quarter: A decrease in advertising rates.

2nd Quarter: New advertising campaign.

3rd Quarter: Completion of ad campaign.

Interpretation:

Events that influenced sales.

1st Quarter: Low consumer demand.

2nd Quarter: Price drop.

3rd Quarter: Price war with competitors.

4th Quarter: Strong holiday buying.

Interpretation:

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INTERPRETING OTHER TYPES OF GRAPHS & CHARTS Not all graphs and charts can be described and interpreted by analysing trends or movements of the data presented. In cases of pie charts and bar graphs, data are mostly being compared according to sections.

Study the pie charts below and read the interpretation by paying close attention to the words in bold.

Interpretation: The two pie charts illustrate preferred modes of communication for six forms of media in a survey undertaken in two DKMXA classes, one male and the other female, at Mukah Polytechnic in February 2012. A brief description follows.

First, the telephone emerges as the most popular mode for males with a proportion of 27%. It ranks almost as high, at 22% with females, but is tied in their case with text messaging. Text messaging also ranks high with men, who allot it 1% more. Email and instant messenger are close thirds and fourths in popularity, scoring 17% and 16% respectively for men, 21% and 18% for their counterparts. Last, male students give the fax only 10%, and letters even less, 7%; females reverse the same percentages.

To conclude, preferences for the six modes of communication are almost identical for the sexes. Both favour communicating by telephone and text message the most, e-mail and instant messenger the second most, and letter and fax the least. The only minor difference is that women prefer communicating by letter and men by fax.

It is noted that when analysing pie charts, comparison between data value representing different sections were made. Apart from that, the analysis also involves ranking the data value from the highest to the lowest, and sometimes pairs certain sections that share equal value.

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Comparison between data value is also common when analysing bar charts. Study the example below.

Interpretation: The graph above shows the number of pets owned by the students in Mr. X’s class. There are four types of pet: dogs, cats, fish and birds.

The most popular pet owned by the students is fish with the total of seven students, closely followed by dog owners, with only one difference, with the total number of six. Four students in Mr. X’s class keep cats as their pets and only two students preferred birds as their pets.

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Try-out 1 Study the pie chart below and answer the following questions.

Time spent reading daily.

1. Which one do people prefer to read more: fiction or magazines?

2. Which types of reading material are more popular than the internet?

3. What type of reading material people read the least per day?

Time spent with doctors during general practice consultations.

1. Which two countries give their patients the most time?

2. Which two countries give their patients the least time?

3. Which country gives their patients about the same amount of time as the UK?

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Try-out 2 Study the bar graphs below and answer the following questions.

Student’s daily punctuality for college.

1. On two days the same numbers of students are late. Which days are these?

2. How many students are late on Friday?

3. On which day are the most students late?

4. Why do you think that most students are late on this day?

5. How many more students were absent on Monday than on Tuesday?

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1.2 Presenting Mini Project In any academic setting, carrying out mini projects such as a small-scale research has been a norm. As a student, you are required to have the relevant skills to execute a project in order to familiarise you to an environment involving decision-making, data collecting and interpreting, and presenting findings from the project.

i.

Plan Out a Mini Project – The Steps

1. identify area/ field

6. collect data

7. analyse data

2. fix topic

5. distribute materials

8. present findings

3. select participants

4. prep. materials

9. prepare report

The above are roughly some vital steps essential to carrying out a mini project. A proper and careful planning will help you to start and end the project within time allocated.

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ii.

Executing a Mini Project

What to Investigate (What Do You Hope to Find and Understand)?

Decide on what you want to investigate by, first, setting the area or field of interest: Technical: theory and practice of engineering domain Business: marketing, corporate management domain Social: lifestyle, attitudinal, behavioural domain

When you have decided on what you wanted to investigate, you can narrow the scope down by:

Fixing Appropriate Topic/ Project Title Technical: ‘The frequency of machine being used to do lab works in a week’ Business: ‘The daily sales of local canteen per week’ Social: ‘The number of students visiting the library per week’ Once the title or topic for the project has been set, the subsequent steps are automatically determined.

Selecting Participants This involves the WHO or WHAT, which will be the main focus of the project. These subjects should be addressed appropriately so that the intended project does not stray from achieving its purpose and goals of investigation. In addition, limit the number of participants accordingly to the needs of the project.

Before the project is officially launched into the field, it is extremely important to prepare welldesigned and constructed materials for the purpose of data collection.

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Materials Preparation What method/ tools appropriate to gather the intended data or information? The most common ones are as follow:

Questionnaire Interview Questions Observation Chart Survey Form

After the method or mean of data collection is selected, construct the questions to be included in the material that directly answer the project’s purpose and goals. Avoid putting items that are irrelevant and not focusing on the real purpose of the project at hand. Always bear in mind to keep the material simple, straight forward and easy to understand.

Materials Distribution Before distributing the materials to the target participants, ensure that those materials are properly checked for any errors (grammar, spelling etc.) and always get someone to do some peer-checking and proofreading. It is best to do pilot-testing beforehand to confirm their feasibility.

iii.

Data Collection

After the materials were distributed (especially the questionnaires and survey forms), provide ample time for the participants to tend to the questions, keeping in mind the deadline for your project as well. ALL materials collected should be of the same amount they were first distributed, as to maintain the validity of the data analysis afterward.

The next step before analysis of data is classifying the materials based on the responses given by the participants. This could ease up the calculation of data which proved to be quite a daunting task if it should be done later.

Analysing and Interpreting Data There are countless ways to analyse data for easy read and interpretation. One of the most conventional yet common methods is by tabulating the data into sections, suitable to the items addressed in the materials. With the technological luxury, tabulated data can be easily transformed into various types of graph or chart by using certain software or program such as Microsoft Excel.

Choose the best type of graph or chart to illustrate your findings.

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Presenting Findings All projects’ findings and results should be presented and reported. Incorporate your presentation of findings with appropriate visual aids (photos, graphs, charts, video etc.) to enhance comprehension especially on the part of the audiences.

Some Presentation Tips Getting Ready 1.

2.

3.

4.

Prepare materials for presentation Prepare and check venue: space, lighting, tables, chairs, AVA systems Prepare short notes: main points, key ideas Physical and mental promptness: proper attire, calm and composed

Getting Started 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Request for attention Seek audiences’ readiness Greeting and introduction Reveal the purpose of the presentation and why it is important for the audiences Clearly state the title/ topic of the presentation

Get-a-Move-On 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Inform the key ideas/main points of the presentation Occasionally confirm audiences’ attentiveness by asking question(s) Be generous with examples, when necessary Explain presentation aids (audio visual materials) comprehensively Keep everything short, simple and direct to the point

Moving towards the End 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Revise presentation by restating the key points and major highlights of the presentation Check for audiences’ understanding – invite queries Open for comments for future improvement Sum up presentation Thank the audiences’ attendance, attention and participation

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Presentation’s “No-No” Presentation, especially those involving facts, information and data, must be treated prudently to avoid any misinterpretation of details and unwanted confusion. The followings will give you an insight into what NOT to do during presentation of graphs and charts:

Avoid using opinionated remarks – this could tarnish the credibility of your presentation

Avoid using affective words “I feel…” - this kind of presentation does not require emotional engagement

Inform the labels in the graph or chart, not describe them.

Do not present information irrelevant to the graph or chart.

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iv.

Preparing End-Report

It is affirmative to end a project with a complete report by documenting all details pertaining the project: background information, processes and procedures involved, findings and analysis, and summary.

Basically, the report should contain the following:

(2) (1) Introduction

Purpose of Project

(6)

(3)

Discussions & Conclusion

Scope

(5) Findings & Analysis

(4) Methods

Figure: Composition of a Project Report

Conventional Structure of a Written Report (1)

INTRODUCTION

In this introductory paragraph, the background information about the project is informed to the readers. Few things that need to be made apparent are: (a) The Title/ Topic of the project/ research (b) The importance of the project (c) Describe briefly the present condition in relation to the project

(2)

PURPOSE

In this section, provide the OBJECTIVES of the project/ research: (a) What you want to discover (b) What questions need answering based on the objectives Page 32 of 34

(3)

SCOPE

Specifically describe: (a) Who are the participants for the project/ research (b) Geographical information (the area the project/ research covers)

(4)

METHODS

What is/ are used to collect the data/ information? Why chose that particular method(s)?

(5)

FINDINGS & ANALYSIS

Generate tables/ graphs/ charts to illustrate the findings. Describe prominent information in the graphical stimuli and analyse the trends in the graphs/ charts.

(6)

DISCUSSIONS & CONCLUSION

What can be summarised from the entire project based on the findings? Was the project successful?

Did it achieve the pre-set purpose(s)? What can be improved? Overall conclusion?

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Make Your Life Much Easier with a Work Schedule!

Planning ahead by structuring the steps needed in completing a mini project can save up valuable time. Design a work schedule that works best with your time and capability. Here is one example of work schedule:

WEEK 1 Decide topic/ project title & scope

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

Construct & distribute questionnaires

Collect questionnaires & analyse data

Generate findings & form graphs/ charts

WEEK 5 Prepare findings for presentation

WEEK 6 Complete written report for the mini project

A simple checklist works well too.

Summary This topic has exposed students to the practice of completing a mini project through step-by-step procedures involving planning phase, organising, executing and presenting the outcome. In parallel to this, students were also introduced to the linguistic aspects of presenting using lexical items and sentence structures common in describing and comparing trends and movements in graphs and charts, both in oral and written form.

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