Using Northstar

1. Using Northstar A study guide for students.

2. Communication courses and northstar • Our department’s communication courses are designed to offer students English language practice time and integrate cultural content with the language instruction. • The NorthStar series was selected to provide an overall topic or theme for our weekly classes and targeted English study outside of the classroom. • Targeted English study?

3. Targeted TOEIC Help • TOEIC scores are needed both for graduation and employment. • The NorthStar series helps mainly with the Speaking/LC sections of TOEIC. • Speaking Vocabulary development and structured responses • LC Listening exercises (also targeted for TOEFL learners)

4. What is Toeic all about? • What does it prove? • What are the important goals to prepare for TOEIC study? • Time management • Consistency • These also help prepare you for TOEIC speaking

5. How to use the northstar chapters • 1 Focus on the topic: This is a TOEIC speaking exercise • 2 Focus on listening: An introduction to chapter vocabulary • Preview (speaking) • Main Ideas (LC) • Details (LC) • Make inferences (LC) • Express Opinions (speaking) • Listening Two (LC) • Vocabulary (RC) • Comprehension (LC) • Listening Skill (LC and speaking) • Connecting the Listening (LC)

6. How to use the northstar chapters • 3 Focus on Speaking • Vocabulary Review (speaking) • Expand (speaking and RC) • Grammar (all) • Pronunciation (speaking, listening) • Speaking skill (speaking) • Final speaking skill (speaking) • Unit Project (speaking)

7. At home… or in class? • LC exercises (at home) • Grammar (at home) • Speaking and Pronunciation (in class) • Speaking exercises in textbook VS. free conversation time

8. Free conversation time • Unstructured • Partner/group discussions are an opportunity to have English conversation. Don’t worry too much about accuracy, just enjoy the chance to talk with classmates. • Pub Quiz, “in the news”, expression of the day… these are also free conversation. Being comfortable talking on a variety of topics and learning about English language culture are the goals here… NOT accuracy. Just use English!

9. Speaking Exercises in the textbook • Structured • In this new edition of NorthStar, the textbook writers have added and improved their TOEIC SPEAKING practice exercises. • Each chapter covers a section of the TOEIC speaking test, though not always in the same order the questions are presented on the TOEIC speaking test. • In class, your focus on these exercises should be on accuracy and consistency.

10. Accuracy & Consistency • Accuracy = ? • Consistency = ? • Quizzes and exams will grade you on these two areas.

11. How? • For TOEIC SPEAKING-style exercises, plan your answer and write it down. • Ask for help to get feedback on your response (time permitting). • Volunteer your responses. • With practice you will not need to spend as much time writing what you will say. • The end goal (after finished Advanced Communication)… not need to write at all!

12. What’s expected? • Again, accuracy means that you can use target vocabulary and grammar in the way the question asks. • Consistency is the ability to provide a quality answer over and over again.

13. Manage your expectations… • For beginning communication… • You are making the transition from first to second year… • First “real” communication course • Being able to provide accurate and consistent responses will take time. • Use class time to practice and receive feedback. • For intermediate communication… • It’s been one year (or more) since your last communication course… • Soon to take the TOEIC exams

14. Example of a response: • https://www.englishclub.com/esl-exams/ets-toeic-practice-speaking.htm

15. From now until mid-term… • Practice using English… • Improving our understanding of culture… • Learning the basics of structuring accurate and consistency speaking responses…

16. After mid-term… • Continue using and leaning about the English language and culture… • Improve our structured speaking responses with more focus on pronunciation and improving overall quality of responses.

17. Quizzes and exams • On quizzes and exams you will provide WRITTEN structured responses. • Write a description for a picture… • Use textbook vocabulary and grammar to provide a written response. • Example: • Q: In two sentences, express agreement for the following statement: “I think multitasking is a bad habit.” • A: I’m with you. I think that rather than multitasking, students should focus on one subject deeply. • How is this graded?

18. Tips • This might seem like a lot BUT… content and questions for quizzes and exams will come from the textbook. Make sure to complete the activities and ask questions! • Get help: Speaking Lab  bring your written responses and get feedback • Use each other: Do you notice that your partner creates better responses than you? Ask them for help! If you and your partners cannot produce good responses, consider working with different people. • Don’t just read the textbook activities. DO THEM!

19. Questions? • Let’s get to it!