Science English
A hybrid-typesemi-ESP course
For 1st year undergraduate engineers
at Kochi University of Technology

05.

Lab-basedprojects

01.

Syllabus
Unit 1.
Describing
People & Places• Personal profiles

Hometown profiles

02.

Powerpoint-based
content*
Introduction

1. Explanation of course content(focus, goals, proceduresand assessment)
2. Learner activities answer key
3. Project #1 guidelines

Unit 2.
Numbers & Units• Ordinals, decimals, fractions
and percentages• Common units of measurement• Symbols

Numbers & Units
1. Explanation of key unit

content; (themes/vocab/
target language structures)
2. Learner activities answer key• Product specifications

Background
Kochi University of Technology
is a public university in Kochi
Prefecture, Japan. There are
five engineering departments(Mechanical, Civil, Electrical/IS, materials) and a Core
Studies Department thatprovides 1st year students witha foundation in mathematics,physics and languages.

Science English - syllabus overview
Integrates a 4-skills approach with
content based instruction. - Developed for lower intermediatelevel EFL undergraduate learners
in science and engineering fields.
- Initial language input throughinstructor presentation; language
is then practised by learners
hrough text-based, classroom
activities in each of the four
macro-skills. Language is recycled
and reinforced in subsequentunits. Text-based activities aresupplemented by interactive
activities accessed through IPods
and a MOODLE CMS website.

English language education at KUT
KUT English Department offers
elective courses from 1st year toPh.D. The two first year courses,
Science English/Science Lab
and Reading/Listening I/II eachruns for one semester (at KUT
each semester is split into two- Learners then apply thosequarters). 1st year courses are partskills to complete a seriesof the core curriculum (which alsoof practical individual andincludes Physics and Mathematics). small group projects.
Science English - pedagogicalrationales
Given the levels of L2 competence
among freshmen entering theKUT language program there
is a need for a course teachingbasic scientific content that will
act as a bridging point to moreadvanced technical academic
English courses. Also a need forpractical L2 learning activities
that will provide motivation forand promote interest in language
learning among KUT students.

Science English - other info
- Groups: ~35 (mixed M/F 1st year
engineering undergraduates).
- Schedule: 30 x 60 mins
classroom sessions (50%classroom/50% language lab).
- Assessment: Typically 6 x
paper-based unit tests; 4projects; presentations.

Presentation
given byMichael Sharpe

sharpemike1970@gmail.com

Syllabus andcontent design by
Prof. Paul Daniels

Unit 3.
Describing
Appearance

04.

READING:

Science English
iPod content

Textbook-based
content

WRITING:

SVO sentences

SPEAKING/WRITING:

Information questions

LISTENING:

GRAMMAR:

1. Explanation of key unit

content; (themes/vocab/• Dimensions of objects

target language structures)
2. Learner activities answer key

Supplementarycontent

Cloze (Bill Gates and Steve Jobs)

PROJECT #1

05.
Project #1:
My Hometown

Students prepare a 10-slidePowerpoint describing
their hometown.

Is or Has?

RESEARCH: 	My hometown (Location,Size, Population etc

ClimatePresentation writing guide

LISTENING: 	Chart fill: Numbers, Fractions,
Decimals, Percentages
SPEAKING/LISTENING: Pair Gap activity
LISTENING:

Cloze (Cars in America)

WRITING:

Measurement questions

WRITING:VOCABULARY:VOCABULARY:RESEARCH:

Shapes &Measurements

Match question to answer

READING: 	Bill Gates and Steve
Jobs biographies &comprehension questions

WRITING:• 1D, 2D and 3D shapes• Measurements and estimations

03.

VOCABULARY:VOCABULARY:

Units of measurement
Maths symbols
Motion verbs

Making estimations

Students use iPods inthe classroom to accessinteractive content andrecord presentations.

Product specifications

1D, 2D and 3D shapes (adj/noun)
Measurement words (adj/noun)

READ/SPEAK/LISTEN: 	Pair gap fill (The IPod:appearance and use) & questions

MOODLE CMS
Science English pageDescribing the appearance

VOCABULARY:

Match object to material

COMPREHENSION:

Materials: True or False?

GRAMMAR:

Made of vs made from

Students prepare a 10-slidePowerpoint describing anobject of their choice.
Materials

WRITING: 	Estimate or measure (Howlong is..., how high is etc)
MINI-PROJECT:

Project #2:
Product Descriptionof an object

3. Project # 2 Guidelines

Unit 4.
Describing
Materials

Materials

1. Explanation of key unit

• Development/use of metals,

content; (themes/vocab/ceramics, semiconductors,target language structures)polymers, composites,

2. Learner activities answer key

biomaterials & new materials.

3. Project # 3 Guidelines

Unit 5.
Describing
Functions & Use• Functions, abilities, featuresand use of machines (robots)

Functions & Use
1. Explanation of key unit

content; (themes/vocab/target language structures)
2. Learner activities answer key
3. Project # 4 Guidelines

Unit 6.
Time, Frequency& Amounts• Schedules

READING/LISTENING: 	(IPod) ‘General categories
for materials.’
VOCABULARY:WRITING:GRAMMAR:PROJECT #2

1. Explanation of key unit

• Time utilization

content; (themes/vocab/• Resource utilizationtarget language structures)
2. Learner activities answer key

Shape, colour, size and materials
Combining sentences

Presentation writing guide(Functions)

READING/LISTENING: (IPod) Group gap fill

5 robots and their abilities

SPEAKING/LISTENING: 5 robots information chart fill
COMPREHENSION:

5 robots questions

LISTENING:

Match description to picture

MINI-PROJECT:(Group) ‘Our invention’(IPod) Cloze‘Jim’s daily schedule’

READING/WRITING: 	Chart fill (Jim’s schedule/
your schedule)
GRAMMAR:Time prepositions

GRAMMAR:

Questions about routines

VOCABULARY:WRITING/SPEAKING:Cloze (Bill Gates and Steve Jobs)
Write questions/Interview partner

READING/LISTENING: (IPod) Cloze
COMPREHENSION:MINI-PROJECT:* Delivered in classby instructor and also
accessible via CMS

Chart. Everyday objects:

SPEAKING/LISTENING: Pair crossword gap-fill

LISTENING:

Time, Frequency& Amounts

Objects to material categories

PROJECT #4‘Student’s mobile phone use’Complete pie charts(student’s mobile phone use)
Mobile phone usage survey

Survey presentation writing guideStudents use theCMS during lab
sessions to access:•S cience English
course handbook• Instructor Powerpoint lectures• Project ‘how-to’ guides• Example projects• Grammar/writing guides• Online dictionary

Project #3:
Construction ProjectIn groups, students design,
construct one of three devices
and write a simple IMRC report.

Project #4:
SurveyStudents prepare a survey
and gather data on thetheme of resource use. Thenprepare a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet from the data.