English 101

Initiation: King Saud University

College/Department: College of Languages and Translation / Languages Unit

A. Course Identification and General Information:

Course title and code: English 101

Credit hours: 3 per week
Program(s) in which the course is offered: It is a compulsory single-semester general
skills course in English offered to students enrolled in many colleges.
Name of faculty member responsible for the course: Dr. Mubarak Alkhatnai
Level/year at which this course is offered: A first year undergraduate level course
Pre-requisites for this course (if any): None
Co-requisites for this course (if any): None
Location: Main campus

B. Course Objectives:

Summary of the main learning outcomes for students enrolled in the course: The course
is intended to equip the students with reasonable skills necessary for successful
communication in both oral and written forms of the language. At the end of the
course, students are expected to acquire the sub-skills such as reading or listening for
gist or specific information, and use vocabulary in a meaningful context.

C. Course Description:

Topics to be Covered
No of
Contact
hours
Weeks
UNIT 1 – a, an; the verb to be; ordinal / cardinal numbers;
Weeks 1 3
introducing people; asking for personal information; talking
&2 hrs./wk
about landmarks.
UNIT 2: the verb have (got); the verb can (ability, polite
requests), people’s appearances, likes / dislikes; colours; Week 3 3 hrs.
Culture point – people around the world.
UNIT 3: uses of ‘there is’, ‘there are; ‘this/these – that/those;
‘plurals (-s, -es); prepositions of place; describing a house/flat,
Week 4 3 hrs
asking for and giving addresses and phone numbers; Culture
point - houses around the world.
 UNIT 4: possessive case; possessive adjectives/pronouns;
3
whose/who’s; present simple; family relationships; free-time Weeks 5
activities; days of the week; letters to pen-friends; talking about &6
hrs/ wk
a person; identifying people.
UNIT 5: adverbs of frequency; prepositions of time; daily
Week 7 3 hrs.
routines; telling the time; months.
UNIT 7: present continuous; present continuous vs present
Weeks 8 3
simple; weather conditions / climate, clothes; writings to friends
&9 hrs/wk
while on holiday.
UNIT 8: plurals; countable / uncountable nouns; a / an / some;
how much / how many; a few / a little; some / any; types of
Week 10 3 hrs.
food / meals; restaurants; offering / ordering food at a
restaurant; accepting / refusing orders;
UNIT 9: was / were, had, could; prepositions of place; places,
buildings in a town; abilities; talking about changes in place;
Week 11 3 hrs.
talking about past abilities; asking for information; giving
directions
UNIT 10: past simple; asking questions; famous people and
their achievements; full dates; asking personal questions about Week 12 3 hrs.
the recent past.
UNIT 11: past simple; joining sentences; prepositions of
movement; adjectives / adverbs; feelings and reactions; Week 13 3 hrs.
sequence of events.
UNIT 12: comparisons; quite, too, very much; towns, cities,
3
transport, holidays; geography quiz; deciding on a hotel; Weeks 14
making comments, making suggestions; description of your & 15
hrs/ wk
town.

Course components (total contact hours per semester):

Lecture: 45 Tutorial: Laboratory: Practical/Field Other: None
hours None None work/Internship:
None

Additional private study/learning hours expected for students per week: 7 hours per
week

a. Knowledge

(i) Description of the knowledge to be acquired:

With the completion of the course, learners should be able to …

(a) inculcate and develop the habit of reading English texts, mostly at the general
level.

(b) develop general lexical skills.

(c) identify and write simple sentences and develop writing skills with special
reference to spelling and writing short sentences.

(d) expand general listening / speaking skills.

(e) at home with simple sentence structures and common English tenses.
(ii) Teaching strategies to be used to develop that knowledge:

(a) Lectures

(b) Class discussion

(c) Close reading and text analysis

(d) Collaborative learning / pair work / group work

(e) Assignments
(iii) Methods of assessment of knowledge acquired:

(a) Class participation

(b) Quizzes

(c) Midterms

(d) End of semester exam

b. Cognitive Skills

(i) Description of cognitive skills to be developed:

(a) The ability to read simple authentic texts for gist or for specific information.

(b) The ability to use language related to topics of general interest.

(c) The ability to remember common and core vocabulary items as parts of
expressions with regard to everyday experiences.

(d) The ability to communicate meaningfully in real life situations.

(e) The ability to write letters and short paragraphs.

(ii) Teaching strategies to be used to develop these cognitive skills:

(a) Lectures / teaching students how to read attentively, understand clearly, and use
vocabulary in a meaningful context, reinforcing students’ understanding of
grammar items through grammar exercises, teaching collocations.

(b) Class discussions / teaching a range of activities leading to free use of grammar
items in genuine language tasks.

(c) Meeting individual students during office hours to solve their problems related
to language learning , and encourage them to enjoy learning the new language.
(iii) Methods of assessment of students cognitive skills:

(a) Class participation

(b) Midterms and exams

(c) Assignments
c. Interpersonal Skills and Responsibility

(i) Description of the interpersonal skills and capacity to carry responsibility to be

developed:

(a) Students can complete both reading and writing exercises in due time.

(b) Students can participate in communicative situations.

(c) Students can act responsibly and ethically in carrying out individual as well as
group assignments.

(d) Students have the necessary skills to communicate, listen, read, and evaluate their
strengths and weaknesses in the process of language learning.
(ii) Teaching strategies to be used to develop these skills and abilities:

(a) Lectures in which students are made to understand the necessity of second
language acquisition, and instructed to learn and build up their language skills.

(b) Discussions with students motivating them to make maximum use of the course
book.

(c) Individual counselling on various assignments and class works.

(d) Group assignments where much of the most effective learning comes from the
student discussing and explaining his own answers to the texts and exercises with
his peers.
 (iii) Methods of assessment of students interpersonal skills and capacity to carry
responsibility:

(a) Active class participation reflects the students’ ability to keep up with his
learning schedule.

(b) Performance on midterms and final exams are evidence of the students’ ability
to recollect and analyse information.

(c) Instructor’s assessment of student’s performance and seriousness.

Schedule of Assessment Tasks for Students During the Semester:
Proportion
Assessment task (eg. essay, test, group
Assessment Week due of Final
project, examination etc.)
Assessment
Middle of
1 1st midterm 15%
term
2 Participation All Along 10%
3 2nd midterm Week 14 15%
4 Final Week 16 60%

E. Learning Resources:

1. Required Text(s):

(a) Virginia Evans / Jenny Dooley, 2008, Enterprise 1- Beginner Course book,
Express Publishing, London.

(b) Virginia Evans / Jenny Dooley, 2008, Enterprise 1- Beginner Workbook, Express
Publishing, London.