This document provides information about an Intensive Basic English I course taught at the University of Puerto Rico. It includes details such as the course description, objectives, outline, instructional strategies, required resources, evaluation methods, textbooks, and policies. The course is designed to develop basic English language skills through reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities centered around interdisciplinary themes. Students will practice these skills to communicate ideas orally and in writing. Evaluation will incorporate oral collaboration, exams, lab work, and written assignments including a portfolio. The course aims to help students progress toward writing four paragraph essays in English.

1. University of Puerto Rico
Río Piedras Campus
College of General Studies
English Department
Dr. Eva de Lourdes Edwards
eedwards@uprrp.edu
787-764-0000, Ext. 2685, 2182
Office: 317 English Dept. Hallway
Office Hours: Monday, 6:30-7:00; 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, 6:30-7:00 a.m.
Tuesday and Thursday, 6:30-7:00; 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Course Title: Intensive Basic English I
Course Code: INGL 3161
Credits/hours: 3 credits per semester /3 class hours weekly
Requirements: 469 or less on the CEEB-ESLAT Exam
(ACTFL proficiency guidelines)
Co-requisite: INGL 3161 Lab (Intensive Basic English Laboratory I)
Course Description:
This course fulfills the English requirement for the general education component. This course is
designed for students to develop the Basic English language skills for understanding academic
texts and communicating ideas orally and in writing at an intelligible level. The course provides
students with conversational and writing competencies. Using nonfictional selections with an
interdisciplinary thematic content as the focus of discussion, oral and critical thinking skills are
fostered. Writing reinforces listening, speaking, and reading skills so that students can express
ideas through the thoughtful articulation of vocabulary and grammar. This course requires
laboratory sessions.
General Course Objectives:
Consistent with the English Department’s general objectives, by the end of the INGL 3161
course, the students will be able to:
A. communicate orally and intelligibly in a variety of academic situations
B. read and comprehend a variety of texts with the aid of a dictionary
C. interpret and analyze written texts utilizing elements of the essay
D. evaluate a text’s relevance and validity by connecting it to personal experience
E. critically examine aesthetic, ethical, humanistic and cultural values underlying texts
F. demonstrate progress towards the INGL 3161 goal of writing unified and coherent four
(4) paragraph essays that are intelligible to a non-Spanish speaker
G. demonstrate the ability to use the library and computer technology for preliminary
research and writing
H. ability to foster the inclusion of classmates with disabilities
I. collaborate in the inclusion of students with disabilities into all class activities

2. Outline Time
I. Introduction 6 hours
A. Initial diagnostics
B. Presentation and discussion of the course outline
C. The study of English
D. Introduction and use of Blackboard and online communication
E. Elements of the Essay
II. Education 6 hours
A. “Why I Came to College”
B. Domesticating vs. Liberating Education
C. Reading to write / Sharing knowledge through writing
D. Unit 1 – Growing Up
a. “My Early Memories”
b. “Peer Influences on Achievement”
E. Movie: “Miracle Worker”
III. Language 9 hours
A. Reading strategies: structural clues to meaning
B. Writing strategies: cohesion and coherence
C. Speaking strategies: making sense through discourse strategies
D. Listening strategies: the sound system of English
E. Unit 2 – Between Two Worlds
a. “People on the Move: Moving Young”
b. “Bibi and Rajini”
Unit 3 – High Tech – Pros and Con
a. “Multitasking Madness”
IV. The Environment 12 hours
A. Ecotourism
B. Natural Disasters
a. “Ask a Seismologist”
b. “How to Stay Safe During an Earthquake”
c. “Tsunamis”
C. Documentary: “The Living Sea”
VI. Integrative Review: Bringing it all together 6 hours
A. Oral presentation integrating readings and class discussions.
B. Essay integrating readings and class discussions.
VII. Final Evaluations 6 hours
TOTAL: 45 hours
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3. Instructional strategies
This course is based upon collaborative discussion among students and teacher, therefore oral
participation is required. A variety of learning and assessment experiences are used to create an
interactive environment to promote reflection, critical thinking and collaboration. Language and
cross-disciplinary literature are integrated to underscore the power of multiple perspectives in
illuminating an object of study.
Required resources
Regular classroom
Language laboratory/Computer lab
Educational resources (video excerpts from textbook, Internet sources, audio-visual equipment)
Evaluation Strategies
Evaluation Strategy Grading System
Oral collaboration 15% A 100 – 90
Exams 25% B 89 – 80
Lab 40% C 79 – 70
Written assignments 20% D 69 – 60
(including portfolio) F 59 – 0
TOTAL 100%
English Department Attendance Policy
Six contact hours of absence may lower average one whole letter grade. Failure to take the final
exam on the scheduled date and time may result in a zero or an incomplete grade.
Law 51
In accordance with the recommendation of the Dean of Students’ Office (Division for Persons
with Disabilities), students who are clients of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation must
contact the professor at the beginning of the semester in order to make arrangements for
reasonable accommodations and for any necessary auxiliary equipment. Other students with
special needs who require any kind of assistance or reasonable accommodations should also
contact the professor.
Textbooks
Baker-González, J., & Blau, E. K. (2009). World of reading 2: A thematic approach to reading
comprehension. White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman
English/English Dictionary:
The Merriam Webster Dictionary, Collegiate, 11th Edition
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4. Bibliography
Dixon, R. J. (2004). Grammar Essentials. NY: Longman.
Longman Dictionary of American English Now with Thesaurus and CD ROM. (2004). NY:
Pearson.
Robinson, F. L. (2006). College Reading 2. NY: Houghton Mifflin.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (11th ed.). (2004). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Internet Resources
Teaching for Inclusion. Loevinger, N. (1994). Teaching a diverse student body. University of
Virginia. http://ctl.unc.edu/tfi13.html
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (2004). http://idea.ed.gov/
Class Blog. http://myuprenglish.blogspot.com/2010/08/welcome.html
English language and other related references:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslstudent.html
http://www.english-the-easy-way.com/
http://www.eslcafe.com/
http://marksesl.com/student_links.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/webcast/tae_whoonearth_archive.shtml
http://www.corpse.org/ (Andrei Codrescu’s online journal)
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0751.pdf (Wikis and Podcasts and Blogs! Oh, My!)
Other Information:
Work is due on the date announced. Please, hand in all assignments – even late ones – during
your assigned class period.
If you are absent to any class, please contact a classmate to discuss the assigned material and
come prepared to the next class meeting. You are responsible for all material covered in class
and for all assigned work, even if you are absent or late.
Quizzes may or may not be announced. There are no make-ups for missed quizzes. There will be
no make-ups for missed exams. One exam, and only one exam, may be eliminated. If absent to
one exam, that zero may be eliminated.
You must bring your own dictionary to class. Sharing dictionaries is not allowed during exams.
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5. You are encouraged to attend workshops and tutoring sessions offered by the Centro para el
desarrollo de destrezas lingüísticas. The last day to withdraw from this course is November 12,
2010.
Please turn off and put away cell phones during class unless you have made arrangements with
the professor prior to the class period.
As our course develops, other reading selections may be integrated or omitted to satisfy the
needs of the students.
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