Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

• Identify and explain the process of developing grammar competency which involves the determination of purpose, selection and adjustment of strategies, comprehension checks, and integration of prior knowledge with new knowledge to address the purpose. 
• Use selected grammatical structures such as simple past, present perfect and present perfect progressive tenses, reported speech, adjective clauses, articles, conditionals, modals in the past, sentence types, and subject-verb agreement appropriately in a variety of oral and written contexts at an advanced level.

Class time includes a combination of lecture, discussion and grammar practice. Other activities, such as skits and group projects reinforce the grammar topics. Homework includes preparation for all the above as well as journal writing, practice exercises and study for quizzes and tests.

The following assessment strategies may be used to determine a student’s competency in grammar:

1. Grade a minimum of five journal entries which include the grammar topics covered in the class.

2. Assess grammar exercises provided in books, workbooks and/or online tools.

3. Evaluate the use of appropriate grammatical structures in speaking using online voice recording applications, such as Blackboard Wimba. 

4. Evaluate oral presentations about grammar.  

A.         Grammar Review and Instruction

B.         Critical Thinking Skills

Competencies and Skills

A. Grammar: Review and Demonstration

1.Recognize and use the selected grammar topics in both written and spoken academic contexts.

Based on a diagnostic test, instructors should select at least five of the following grammar topics to be covered during the term:

1.Simple Past, Present Perfect and Present Perfect Progressive Tenses

2.Reported Speech

3.Adjective Clauses

4.Articles

5.Conditionals (all types)

6.Modals in the past

7.Sentence types (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex)

8.Subject-verb agreement

B. Critical Thinking Skills:       

1.Demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose for various registers and settings.

2.Determine appropriate uses for various structures, e.g., choosing between quoted and reported speech.

3.Learn to look at language in context in order to determine function and purpose.