July 8th lesson

Dear students,
Today you will learn the difference between skimming and scanning (3.4). Then you will show me your portfolio article 3 for grading (9 points, holistic marking).
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Portfolio article upload form

Period 3 retake test

Congratulations!

Period 3 had to take the test again as some students took the test outside the classroom!

July 1st lesson

Dear students,
Today we will check the gap fill exercise homework, learn about paraphrasing (Unit 3.5) and then have an end-of-term AWL online matching test. This test is worth 10 points and covers the sublists from 1a to 5b. After that, if you wish, I will grade your third portfolio article which will not be itemized but based mainly on the effort you put into it.

Period 3 Test

Period 4 Test

Period 5 Test

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

June 24th lesson

Dear students,
Today you will learn about cohesive expressions from the textbook, then do an AWL matching practice test. After that you will do an AWL cloze practice test (gap fill). Finally you should work on your third portfolio article the deadline of which is July 8th.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

June 17th lesson

Dear students,
Today you will learn about context clues to word meaning (unit 2.4). Then you will do a practice exercise about context clues, and finally you will take AWL 5B matching test. For homework you may start your third portfolio article which is due in July. This assignment will be marked holistically rather than itemized.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Portfolio article upload form

Dear students,
After your second portfolio article has been graded, please upload it to the portfolio article spreadsheet database.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

June 10th lesson

Dear students,
You will do three things today. First we will check the answers to last week’s print about topics and main ideas (11-20). Then you will show me your second portfolio article for grading - the deadline of which is today. (After it has been graded, you may upload it to the portfolio article spreadsheet database database). Then you will take the AWL practice test AWL 5A.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

June 3rd lesson

Dear students,
Today you will practice identifying topics and main ideas. Please download the prints and bring them to class.

Topics & Main Idea

Then you will start working on your second portfolio article which is due in June. Finally you will take the AWL 4B practice test.

(Period 3 students please do AWL 4A for homework).

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Science News Test - May 2019

Dear students,
Please click on the link below to start the test.

Science News Test - May 2019

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

May 27th lesson

Dear students,
Today you will study about summarizing and then take the Science News 1 test online. This is worth 8 points. Please study the news stories on the CELESE website beforehand.
If there is time, you will take the AWL 4A practice test.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

May 20th lesson

Dear students,
Today you will study about paragraphs and then show me your first portfolio article assignment. You will receive a maximum of nine points for this assignment.

Summary (3 points)
In-text citation in APA (American Psychological Association) format (1)
Opinion (2)
Highlight the Academic Word List (AWL) words in the original article (1)
Dictionary of technical terms, abbreviations and unfamiliar words (1)
Reference in APA format (1)

After you have been assessed, please upload your assignment to the portfolio homework spreadsheet database so that your work can be analyzed digitally.

Finally, please take the practice test AWL3B during the lesson so that both your attendance and progress can be monitored.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

May 13th lesson

Dear students,
Today you will learn about technical terms and abbreviations. Then you will work on your portfolios. The deadline for your first article summary and opinion is May 20th, so today will be the last time for you to let me check your work. After that you will do AWL 3A matching practice test.

***
You should take these AWL online tests in class, using your real name and ID, and submit within 30 minutes so that I have a record of your attendance and progress. Your score is not important at the moment, but if you are not submitting the tests at the right time, you appear to be absent!
***

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin
P.S. Your first Science News Test will be on May 27th, so please make sure to read and understand the articles on CELESE website.

P.P.S.

Here are the results for the 2B AWL test:

May 6th lesson

Dear students,
Today you will learn about reaction statements (portfolio summaries), work on your reading portfolio in class, learn about APA formatted references, and take AWL 2B online test.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin
PS. Please download the reference print and bring it to class.
PPS. Here are your scores from the previous lesson:

April 22nd lesson

Dear students,
Today you will learn about word types and parts (2.1), topics and main ideas (3.2), APA in-text citations , and take an AWL practice test, AWL2A.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

PS. Your scores from last week (missing data about which class) are below:

April 15th lesson

Dear students,
For homework you should have studied the course outline, reviewed AWL 1A, read the trending science news article on the CELESE website, and chosen a portfolio article.
Today you will study about the academic word list (Unit 2.2), take AWL practice test 1B, and start your portfolio, so please bring your article to class.
By the way, for your portfolio you may find AWL highlighters on the Internet which can save time. One example is from the EAP foundation: AWL highlighter.
Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

Waseda Academic Reading - Week 1 - April 8th 2019

Dear students,
Welcome to the course. Before we start, I would like to collect some data on you, if you don't mind.

Pre-course survey

WEEK 1

At the end of the term, there will be two assignments based on the Academic Word List; a matching exercise and a gap fill test. These tests will be based on 10 matching exercises that you will do in class. Please study these words carefully in preparation for the tests in July.

Academic Word List 1A matching practice test
(these matching tests - as practice -do not count towards your final grade)

This term you will also be required to write three science article reviews (one per month), which will be worth nine points each. For details, read the previous post.
In order to understand what you have to do, it may help if you take a look at last year's students' homework. Please study it until you are familiar with what you have to do.

Last year's AR portfolio assignment homework

Kind regards,
Chris Elvin

P.S. Here are your results from Week 1: