This document contains an agenda for an Academic Interactions class. It includes conversation starters for students to discuss topics like reasons for studying abroad, views on illegal immigration, and bird migration patterns. It also outlines an introduction to pronunciation stresses and compound words. Students are instructed to practice distinguishing stresses in compound words and use them in sentences. The document assigns homework which includes uploading a presentation on human migration and a video recording from a tutoring session.

1. Academic
Interactions 130
Spring 2015
IECP
Nikki Mattson and Zak
Shellenberger

2. Agenda
 Conversation Starters
 Pronunciation (Zak)
 Pathways 3, Introduction, vocabulary, +
listening

3. Conversation Starter 130A
 Most engineers from the middle east
prefer studying abroad rather than
studying in their own country, what do
you think the reasons for this phenomenon
are?
(Yousff Alwazzan, Petroleum engineering,
130A)

4. Conversation Starter 130A
 Immigrants who migrate across national
borders in a way that violates the
immigration laws of the destination
country are called illegal immigrants. Why
is the idea of immigration so
controversial?
(Mohammed ALBadi, Law, Class A)

5. Conversation Starter 130A
 Usually, birds emigrate in winter to search
for food or warm places. They emigrate in
flocks in a v-shape, and the strongest bird
is always in the lead. In your opinion, why
do birds have this strategy to emigrate
(the shape , and the strong leader)?
(Zainab Almishaal,A130,A)

6. Conversation Starter 130B
 Negative calorie foods contain calories
which require more effort from the body
to digest. For example, a piece of fruit
contains 60 calories, but your body uses
75 calories to digest this fruit, so you have
burned 15 calories. Do you think that this
kind of food is useful or harmful? Why ?
Mona, Nutrition and Food Science 130B )

7. Conversation Starter 130B
 The oil company in the United Arab
Emirates prefers that students/future
employees study abroad. One reason for
this is because studying abroad can help
students improve their communication
skills. From your point of view, what other
skills can students gain while they are
studying abroad?
(Abdulla Al-Kuwaiti, 130B, Petroleum
Engineering)

8. Conversation Starter 130B
In my country one of the most important reasons
for unemployment is illegal immigrants who are
working for a very small salary and increasing the
unemployment rate.
Now, in my country, the government is trying to
decrease the number of illegal immigrants by
giving them legal visas or deporting them to their
country. In your opinion, do you think these
solutions are the best ideas to decrease the
number of illegal immigrants, or there is another
solution ?
Law, Hibatullah Alsharari, 130B

9. Introduction
 Sometimes, 2 words act as a single “idea”:
 they can be separate...
 White House
 office building
 swimming pool
 or they can be together...
 software (soft + ware)
 homework (home + work)
 blackboard (black + board)

10. How are these different?
 a greenhouse (green + house)
 place where plants are grown
versus
 a green house
 a house that is painted green

11. It’s simple, I promise!
 They are pronounced with different stress
 The words that act as a single “idea” are
stressed like this:
 a GREENhouse
(spoken fast)
 However, a house that is simply painted green
is stressed like this
 a green house
(spoken with equal speed)

12. But, what is strange...?
 office building?
 swimming pool?
 Can you think of any others?

13. Other tips that can help you be
better understood:
 stress the last letter of abbreviations:
 DNA, CIA, FBI
 stress the root when a number ends with –ty:
 FIFty, SIXty, SEVenty, etc. <-”t” sounds like “d”
 stress the –teen ending when talking about
% or $$$:
 I got this shirt for only fifTEEN dollars!
 otherwise, this might sound like FIFty dollars
 very common miscommunication!

14. Practice Activity
 With a partner, take turns saying the
words on the handout.
 Make sure to really stress the beginning of
the compound words and say them
faster.
 Stress the separate words more equally
and say them slower.
 Have your partner point to what they hear
you say.
 Finished? Use the words in sentences that
you create!

15. Chapter 3 – pg. 41 (Human Migration)
 Think and Discuss. (Qs 1,2 and 3)

17. Human Migration, pg. 42
 Read and comprehend pgs. 42-43.
Answer the questions in part A + B.

18. Vocabulary, pg. 44
 In your group, complete:
 Pg. 44 A

19. Vocabulary, pg. 45
 Pg. 45
A,B and C

20. HW
 PSU Observation Report: Upload your 7-10
minute presentation and your PPT slides to
BOX by midnight on 2/20 (Friday). Send
me a link once you have done this.
 Tutoring and Conversation Partner video
recording and Reflection Paper (on the
course blog): Upload your video to your
group folder and your typed Reflection
Paper to your “assignments” folder. 2/22
(midnight)