Spanish-American Institute

610 TOEFL Exam Preparation 80 hours

Prerequisite(s): ESL 501.6 or equivalent

Textbooks: Deborah Phillips, Longman Preparation Course For The TOEFL Test: Next Generation iBT, Pearson, 2006 (or comparable text). Longman Dictionary of American English now with Thesaurus, 3^rd or later edition, Pearson, 2004 (recommended).

Course Description: The course is designed to help prepare advanced ESL students for the TOEFL through the application of advanced integrated English language skills tested by the Next Generation iBT.

Objectives: The course has three related objectives:

1. To strengthen the application of integrated language skills in TOEFL-like contexts.
2. To provide understanding of and experience with TOEFL Next Generation iBT test-taking strategies with its emphasis upon integrated language skills testing.
3. To provide practice test taking under TOEFL-like conditions

Instruction: Classroom instruction includes timed and untimed practice exercises similar to TOEFL questions and situations. Students listen to pre-recorded listening material and have supplementary CD ROM material with additional practice exercises and two actual TOEFL iBT tests.

Grading: The final grade is based on the following:

Class Participation	25%
Assignments	50%
Exams	25%
Total	100%

The grading scale is: A=90-100%, B+=85-89%, B=80-84%, C+=75-79%, C=70-74%, D=65-69%, F=60-64%

Course Outline:

Weeks	Objectives	Skills Sets, Exercises, Exams
1-4	Reading
1	Reading Diagnostic and Overview Skills 1-3: Understanding vocabulary from context. Recognizing referents. Simplifying sentence meaning Mini-Tests	Reading diagnostic pre-test Vocabulary, References, and Sentence exercises 1-3 Selected Mini-Tests assigned as homework.
2	Skills 4-6: Sentence insertion. Finding factual information. Understanding negative facts Mini-Tests	Sentence and Detail exercises 4-6 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
3	Skills 7-8: Making inferences from stated facts. Inferring rhetorical purpose Mini-Tests	Reading Review Exercise (Skills 1-6) Inference exercises 7-8 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
4	Skill 9-10: Selecting summary information. Completing schematic tables Reading Post-Test	Reading to Learn exercises 9-10 Reading Review exercise (skills 1-10) Reading Post-Test
5-8	Listening
5	Listening Diagnostic Pre-Test and Overview Skills 1-2: Understanding the gist and details Mini-Tests	Listening Pre-Test Listening exercises 1-2 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
6	Skills 13-4: Understanding the function and speaker’s stance Mini-Tests	Listening exercises 3-4 Listening Review exercises 1-4 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
7	Skill 5-6: Understanding the organization and relationships Mini-Tests	Listening exercises 5-6
8	Post-test Bi-monthly exam	Listening Review exercise Listening Post-Test Bimonthly exam.
9-12	Speaking
9	Speaking Diagnostic and Overview Independent Tasks: Skills 1-2: Planning and making the free-choice response Skill 3-4: Planning and making the paired-choice response Mini-Tests	Speaking Diagnostic Pre-Test Speaking exercises 1-4 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
10	Integrated Tasks (Reading and Listening): Skills 5-6: Noting the main points as you read and listen Skills 7-8: Planning and making the response Skill 9-Noting the main points as you read Mini-Tests	Review exercises, skills 1-4. Skills exercises 6-8 Review exercises, skills 6-8 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
11	Integrated Tasks (Reading and Listening) [con’t] Skill 10-Noting the main points as you listen Skills 11-12: Planning and making the response Integrated Tasks (Listening): Skill 13-Noting the main points as you listen Skills 14-15: Planning and making the response Mini-Tests	Integrated skills exercises 10-12 Integrated Speaking Review exercise, skills 13-15 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
12	Integrated Tasks (Listening) [con’t] Skill 16-Noting the main points as you listen Skills 17-18: Planning and making the response Speaking Post-Test	Integrated skills exercises 16-18 Integrated speaking review exercise, skills 16-18 Speaking Post-Test
Weeks 13-16	Writing
13	Writing Diagnostic and Overview Integrated Writing Task: Skills 1-2: Noting the main points as you read and listen Skill 3-Planning before you write Skill 4-Writing a topic sentence Skill 5-Writing unified supporting paragraphs Mini-Tests	Writing Diagnostic Pre-Test Skills exercises 1-5 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
14	Integrated Writing Task (con’t): Skills 6-7: Reviewing sentence structure and grammar Integrated Writing Review, skills 1-7 Independent Writing Task: Skill 8-Planning before you write Skills 9-10: Writing the introduction and unified supporting paragraphs Mini-Tests	Skills exercises 6-10 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
15	Independent Writing Task (con’t) Skill 11-Connecting the supporting paragraphs Skill 12-Writing the conclusion Skills 13-14: Reviewing sentence structure and grammar Mini-Tests	Skills exercises 11-14 Mini-Test selections assigned as homework.
16	Writing Post-Test Bi-monthly exam	Independent Writing review exercise for skills 8-10 Writing Post-Test Bi-monthly exam.

rev. 6/06, 2/07