Transcript Learning English through Social Issues

Learning English
through Social Issues
What are social issues?
matters which directly or indirectly affect
many or all members of a society
 often considered to be problems
 arouses public interests and concerns
 controversial
 involves (moral) values
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Examples of social issues
Poverty
 Pollution
 Drug abuse
 Abortion
 Violence
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Why take this course?
develop skills in researching
 more positive personal values and attitudes
 better organization and coherence in writing
 more critical in analyzing gathered
information
 more confidence in presenting views in
public
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Why take this course?
better skills in interpreting ideas,
information, fact, opinions and arguments
 improved rhetoric skills in argumentative
writing
 better use of different genres to present
ideas
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Content
Part 1:
Identifying, examining and presenting
social issues
 Part 2:
Researching and gathering information on
social issues
 Part 3:
Final presentation
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Part 1: Identifying, examing and
presenting social issues
1)
Presents the idea of social issues
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2)
Definition of the social issue
Causes and effects of a social problem
Solutions for a social problem
Gives learners the opportunity to
consider various ways social issues may
affect them personally, their society and
the world around them
Part 1: Identifying, examining and
presenting social issues
3)
Learners practise reading, identifying
and writing definitions, causes and
effects, and solutions to social problems
Part 2: Researching and gathering
information on social issues
1) Learners learn how to follow an
argument and research a social issue
(e.g. conducting observations, interviews
and surveys)
2) Learners develop strategies for
evaluating information from different
sources, and techniques for citing and
acknowledging sources
Part 3: Final presentation
1)
Learners identify a social problem they
are interested in, and carry out research
on it.
2)
Learners present their work (written and
spoken)
Learning activities
READING essays, journals, pamphlets,
editorials, newspaper reports
 WRITING paragraphs to define different
social issues, the causes and effects, and
solutions
 DISCUSSIONS, ORAL PRESENTATIONS,
ROLE-PLAYS
 PROJECT
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Assessment
1)
Assessment will focus on learners’
demonstration of their ability to:
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understand and interpret ideas and information in texts on
social issues
follow and evaluate argument
write about a social issue
analyse and evaluate information from various sources
carry out simple research using methods such as surveys
and interviews
summarise a passage
present a written or spoken text that incorporates a
definition of a social problem, its causes and effects, and
offers solutions to it
Assessment
2)
Oral and written activities in the course
will be used for assessing learner
performance:
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Quizzes
Paragraphs written on definitions, causes, effects
and solutions
Evaluation of information
Questionnaires and interviews
Written or spoken presentations