ENGL 5510/5540: Modern English Language and Usage/
Approaches to Teaching ESL Grammar/Writing
ESL Comp. Questions
NOTE: If this question is selected for the Comprehensive Exam, a paragraph will be inserted at that time.
YOED 6020/SPSE 6480: Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL, and Instructional Excellence in Secondary Schools
ESL Comp. Questions
a.
Describe either the CALLA Method of instruction or
SDAIE. Include the basic components of
the method, the type of knowledge targeted, and the proficiency level of the
ESL student that this method is ideal for.
b.
Scenario: A
student has just entered your class (grade level and subject matter that you
typically teach). After gathering
background data and building a student profile, you determine that the student
is operating at the Limited English Proficient level. You are faced with the challenge of designing a content-based
lesson to assist this student in building both BICS and CALP. Using one of the methods listed above—either
CALLA or SDAIE—design a short lesson for this particular student.
BICS – Basic
Interpersonal Communication Skills
CALP –
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
a.
Describe Krashen’s Innatist Perspective of Second
Language Acquisition—include the different hypotheses involved. (example: monitor hypothesis, natural order,
input hypothesis, and the affective filter)
Explain how Krashen’s perspective parallels the six stages of language acquisition.
b.
Based on Krashen’s Innatist Perspective regarding
second language acquisition, compare and contrast the acquisition process when
learning L1 (first language) and L2 (second language). Address factors such as timeframe,
activities, basic processes of language learning, and age.
FL 6700/FL 6900: Introduction to Linguistics
and Issues
in Foreign Language Acquisition
·
The following four linguistic topics are open to qualification. Choose one (1)
of the topics and write a response in which you: a) present the topic and
situate it in a broader social/linguistic context; b) explain why the topic
invites debate; and c) take a position on the topic that follows in a direct
fashion from your presentation in (a) and (b). Qualify your
response carefully.
Base your arguments as much as possible on accepted knowledge and/or relevant
scholarship. Don't hesitate to include real examples (from languages) or rough
citations (from the literature) if they lend support to your presentation. Pay
utmost attention to cogency, clarity, and grammatical accuracy.
Here are the topics (choose only one):
-- Animal communication is essentially the same thing as human language, just on
a simpler scale;
-- Gender differences in language usage generally confirm Western cultural
stereotypes;
-- Language variation across social categories (e.g. age, sex, ethnicity,
status) mostly reveals the degree to which a language is becoming less exact
over time;
-- On a certain level of analysis, human languages tend to be more similar than
different (address any three: acquisition, phonology, morphology, syntax,
sociolinguistics).
In foreign language testing, we can classify a test as
proficency,
achievement, diagnostic or placement. Briefly state the purpose and
content of each kind of test and outline at least three measures that we
can take to improve the reliability of a proficiency test.
A technique to improve test reliability in foreign
language testing is
item analysis. Outline the procedures of item analysis and state briefly
how to interpret the indices of difficulty and discrimination.
FOED 6850/FOED 6020 - Cultural Issues in Education and Educational Foundations
ESL Comp. Questions:
Racism
1. Just seconds before the school bell is to ring to start the school day, Jimmy Schultz runs into the classroom and exclaims, "And did you see Antonio Gomez's father on TV? The cops busted him yesterday in a bank robbery. It was on the news last night and again this morning. I saw it. They gave his name and everything. My Dad said that you could expect that when they let them Mexicans into the country. We got too many of them wetbacks here already, and most of them are crooks or on welfare."
"That's not true," says Antonio meekly. "That wasn't my father. There are a lot of people in this town named Gomez. That guy wasn't my father."
"Yes it was, Tony. I recognized him. Same beard. I'd know your father anywhere," says Jimmy.
"No it isn't, damn you." responds Antonio. "Shut up or I'll beat the crap out of you."
At this point, Vivian Correa, the teacher, indicates that this is enough discussion on the matter and that she will hear nothing more of it. She notices, however, that the students are still whispering about the incident and that there are tears in Antonio's eyes.
1. Should Ms. Correa have stopped the discussion?
2. Should she have taken the opportunity to clear the air and get closure on the matter?
3. Should she say anything to Tony?
4. Should she contact Mrs. Gomez?
5. Should the matter be brought up again to settle it once and for all?
2. Wing Tek Lau is a sixth-grade student in a predominantly white and African American Southern community. He and his parents emigrated from Hong Kong 4 years ago. His uncle, an engineer at a local high-tech company, had encouraged Wing Tek's father to immigrate to this country and open a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant is the only Chinese restaurant in the community, and it was an instant success. Mr. Lau and his family have enjoyed considerable acceptance in both his business and his neighborhood. Wing Tek and his younger sister have also enjoyed academic success at school and appear to be well liked by the other students.
One day when Mrs. Baca, Wing Tek's teacher, calls him by name, he announces before the class, "My American name is Kevin. Please, everybody call me Kevin from now on." Mrs. Baca and Wing Tek's classmates honor this request, and Wing Tek is "Kevin" from then on.
Three weeks later, Mr. and Mrs. Lau make an appointment to see Mrs. Baca. When the teacher makes reference to "Kevin," Mrs. Lau says, "Who are you talking about?" Who is Kevin? We came here to talk about our son, Wing Tek."
"But I thought his American name was Kevin. That's what he asked us to call him from now on," Mrs. Baca replies.
"That child," Mrs. Lau says in disgust, "is a disgrace to our family."
"We have heard his sister call him by that name, but she said it was just a joke," Mr. Lau adds. "We came to see you because we are having problems with him in our home. Wing Tek refuses to speak Chinese to us. He argues with us about going to his Chinese lessons on Saturday with the other Chinese students in the community. He says he does not want to eat Chinese food anymore. He says that he is an American now and wants pizza, hamburgers, and tacos. What are you people teaching these children in school? Is there no respect for family, no respect for our culture?"
Mrs. Baca, an acculturated Mexican American who was raised in East Los Angeles, begins to put things together. Wing Tek, in his attempt to ensure his acceptance by his classmates, has chosen to acculturate to an extreme, to the point of rejecting his family heritage. He wants to be as "American" as anyone else in the class, perhaps more so. Like Wing Tek, Mrs. Baca had acculturated linguistically and in other ways, but she had never given up her Hispanic values. She knows the internal turmoil Wing Tek is experiencing.
1. Is Wing Tek wrong in his desire to acculturate? Are Mr. and Mrs. Lau wrong in wanting their son to maintain their traditional family values?
2. What can Mrs. Baca do to bring about a compromise?
3. What can Mrs. Baca do in the classroom to resolve the problem or at least to lessen the problem?
3. Roosevelt High School annually celebrates Black History Month in February. The month-long study includes a convocation to celebrate African American heritage. For 10 years, students have organized and conducted this convocation in which the whole student body participates.
The students who have organized the event this year begin the convocation with the black national anthem. The African American students, a few other students, and some faculty members stand for the singing of the anthem. Many of the African American students become very angry with what they perceive to be a lack of respect by the students and faculty who do not stand.
In discussions that follow the convocation, some students and faculty who did not stand for the anthem argue that the only national anthem to which they should be expected to respond is their own national anthem. They say it is unfair to be required to attend a convocation celebrating the heritage of one racial group when there is no convocation to celebrate their own racial or ethnic heritage.
1. What may have been happening in the school that led to the tensions that surfaced during this convocation?
2. How may the African American students perceive the refusal to stand by some of the students and faculty?
3. Do you think the reasons for not standing during the anthem are valid? Why or why not?
4. If you are meeting with a class immediately after the convocation, how will you handle the tension between students?
5. What activities might be initiated within the school to reduce the interracial tensions that have developed?
4. Flint Ridge is a small K-12 private school in a suburb of a major city. The senior class has 47 members. Of that number, three are Asian American, two are Latino, eleven are African American, and the remainder are white. It is February, and plans are being made for the prom. The site has already been selected, and many details must now be determined. One of the most important decisions is who the disc jockey will be for the prom. Suggestions have been made about which DJ is to be hired. Opinions are strong and tend to be drawn along ethnic lines. The African American students want a popular African American DJ who plays music popular to that ethnic group. The white students want a white DJ who plays the type of music they prefer.
The chair of the DJ Committee calls for a vote. Not surprisingly, all African American students vote for the black DJ. One Latino student votes with them. The other Latino student and the three Asian American students, however, vote with the white students for the white DJ.
"Twelve to thirty-five," announces the chair. "It's Jerry Smith who will be our DJ for the prom."
"That's not fair," says Tyson Edwards, the captain of the basketball team. "You guys always get your way because there are more of you than us."
"Not fair? What are you talking about?" says Keith Van Fleet, president of the senior class. "How much fairer can you get? It's a democratic election. Everything in this school is done democratically. Every person gets a vote. Jerry Smith got the most votes, and everyone voted and every vote counted."
"You think you can ram everything down our throats just because you outnumber us," says Tyson. "We don't have to listen to you. I'm leaving." As Tyson leaves, so do the other African American students.
The next day, Tyson asks to speak with Shelly Brooks, the senior class advisor. "I don't mean any disrespect, Miss Brooks, but we don't get any respect with the things that matter to black students. Everything is one person and one vote. We never have enough votes to get anything that we want as African Americans. We've decided to boycott the senior prom. We are going to have our own prom. We can't really afford it, but our parents said that we are right, and they will help us hire a DJ who will play our kind of music. This is our last dance at this school, and for just once, we want to hear and dance to our kind of music."
1. Is "one person, one vote" always the most democratic way of deciding issues?
2. Are the white students wrong in holding to the vote outcome?
3. Are the black students wrong in protesting so vehemently?
4. Are there similar parallel situations in the rest of society?
5. What compromises could be made that might be acceptable to both groups?
5. Returning from their spring break, the students in Kristin Franco's homeroom were anxious to share their vacation experiences. Amber O'Quinn said she had been to Mexico, but had had a "disgusting experience." Mexican men were rude and lecherous, she said. She said that while walking from her hotel to the beach, the Mexican men stopped their cars, honked their horns, and yelled at
her. She experienced much of the same behavior on the beach. She had never been so humiliated in her life. "Latino men are crude and a bunch of perverts. They don't know the meaning of decency," she said. Maria Elena, who had emigrated from Central America, responded that Amber had brought his on
herself. "Wearing a skimpy string bikini on the streets is provocative. When you do that, you can expect that sort of reaction from the local men. Visitors need to respect local mores. The way they dress and carry on in the States is inappropriate in many other countries," Maria Elena said. Amber countered by exclaiming that it was a resort town, and that the locals live off our tourist dollars. She said they should be grateful that we spend our money there and should expect tourists to dress the way they do at home. The heated argument continued, with several other students entering and taking sides.
1. Is Amber right? Should women expect a minimum amount of respect from men, no matter what country they are in?
2. Is Maria Elena right? Should visitors be expected to conform to local mores?
3. How should Ms. Franco handle this situation? Can she turn this argument into a learning situation?
4. Should Ms. Franco stop the discussion, which is turning into a heated argument?
6. Ray is a high-school student who is well known by the faculty and staff for his outspoken opinions and frequent inappropriate behavior. Audrey White, an English teacher, is the first person this year to experience Ray’s unpleasant disposition. As he enters her classroom on the morning of the first day of classes, he sees that she is African American. Out of his mouth comes, "There ain’t nothing the likes of you can teach me! Your kind can’t even speak English right. How do you think you can teach it?"
1. What should Ms. White do? Send Ray to the principal’s office?
2. Tell him that she has a master’s degree in English from a major state university?
3. Tell him that he is a jerk?
7. Jermaine, an African American student in Doris Biery’s class, seemed to have a lot of pent up anger. Much of this anger seemed to be directed toward whites. He frequently made loud, caustic remarks about "whitey." Some of the white students in the class took offense at his remarks, while others just ignored him. During a music class, the music teacher introduced the students to gospel music. She explained how the black slaves sang their gospel songs to alleviate the pain of slavery. This was Jermaine’s cue to begin his verbal assault on "whitey." He began by saying that all black folks then and now have suffered at the hands of whites; that all whites were racists—always have been and always will be. He continued that blacks were poor because whites wanted to keep them living like slaves even to this day. The white students and even some of the black students in the class were becoming uncomfortable.
1. Should the music teacher and Ms. Biery allow Jermaine to continue his tirade?
2. Should they stop him?
3. Should they respond to his accusations?
4. Should he be disciplined?