ESL 260 Accent Reduction (Winter 2022)

Instructor: Linda Choi Yee Office Hours: MTR 12:30-1:20 PM

Time: TR 10:30 AM-12:20 PM M 5:30-6:20 PM
Email: yeelinda@deanza.edu By appointment

WELCOME TO ESL 260!

This course is designed to help you sound more fluent and understand spoken American English by
learning important pronunciation features such as stress, rhythm, linking, reductions, and
intonation. You will also learn the proper articulation of vowels, consonants, consonant clusters,
and grammatical word endings. The goal is NOT to get rid of your accent (because your accent is an
important part of your identity) but rather to help you communicate in English effectively.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOs)

At the end of the course, you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the sound system and patterns of spoken English.
2. Apply the knowledge of the sound system and patterns of spoken English by orally
producing level appropriate speech that is intelligible and accurate.
3. Demonstrate the ability to analyze one’s own speech mistakes and correct these mistakes
independently.
4. Comprehend and respond appropriately to the patterns of spoken English.

ADVISORY
ESL 251/451 and 255/455 with a grade of C or better, or a qualifying score on the ESL placement
exam.

REQUIRED MATERIALS
1. *Well Said, Fourth Edition by Linda Grant (ISBN-13: 978-1-305-64136-5)
2. Access to a device (computer, tablet, smartphone) with Internet connection, and video and
audio capacities to attend class and complete assignments
3. A small mirror and a rubber band
4. A notebook, a pencil, and a red pen
5. An online advanced English-only, English learner’s dictionary

*The textbook must be new and not have any answers, and you must have your own book.

CANVAS
All homework assignments and material will be posted online. Go to the De Anza website
www.deanza.edu, click on Canvas, log in and then select ESL 260. You should be able to see weekly
lesson materials and homework assignments. I recommend that you download the app on your
phone for convenience.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance: Even though the class is online, attendance is required. The class will be
synchronous, which means that all class meetings will be live and that you must participate by
logging into Canvas and going to Zoom for every scheduled class meeting.

Plan to attend every class until the quarter ends. If you are going to be absent during the
first 2 weeks of the quarter, you MUST notify me. If not, I will assume that you are not
interested in the class anymore and drop you. You may be dropped from the course or fail the
class if you miss more than two classes for any reason during the quarter. Two points will be
deducted from your final grade for each additional absence. Being tardy twice equals one
absence. If you “come to class” late, please tell me and make sure that I erase the absent mark
on the attendance record. If you are absent or late, view the Zoom recording in Canvas > Zoom
> Cloud Recordings.

Patience and Practice: Improving your pronunciation skills in English takes time, commitment,
hard work and A LOT OF practice. I am here to help and support you in any way I can, but only
you can do the work that will enable you to improve your pronunciation skills. Learning a
language is like learning to drive. You can read about it as much as you want, but you will never
learn to drive until you actually get into a car and practice driving on the road.

Preparedness, Collaboration & Participation: In order to be successful in this class, you

should:
o Attend every class.
o Join Zoom at least 5 minutes early and be ready by the class start time.
o Do assigned homework before you come to class.
o Bring your textbook to every class.
o Be actively engaged in what is going in class, e.g. not checking your cell phone, going on
social media, surfing the internet, working, driving, etc.
o Work willingly and cooperatively with your classmates in pairs and groups.
o Take responsibility for your own learning process.
o Ask for help if you are not doing well in class (don’t wait until the last minute!).

Homework (HW): There are three types of homework you need to do for this class:
1. Textbook exercises: Some of the exercises in the textbook must be done at home. These
exercises will be related to in-class activities so please be sure to do your homework. If you
don’t do the homework before coming to class or participate in class activities, it will result
in a lower homework/participation grade.
2. Tracking Log: In this type of homework, you will practice what is called tracking in order to
increase your fluency. I will give you more information later.
3. LSC/CCP: In order to practice your pronunciation with real people, you will be required to
participate in five workshops at the Listening and Speaking Center (LSC) or in Cross
Cultural Partners (CCP) Program (you will have to meet with your partner for five hours).
You must keep a log as you attend the workshops or write reports of your CCP meetings on
your Dashboard. Only workshops that involve speaking and listening (conversation,
pronunciation, presentation skills, etc.) will count.

Recorded Assignments: You will be required to submit four recorded assignments that will be
evaluated for your pronunciation. You will lose 5% for each day an assignment is late, but I will
not accept any assignment that is more than three days late.

Quizzes: You will have a few short quizzes throughout the quarter.

Exams: There will be one midterm and one final exam. A part of each exam will be to record
your own pronunciation and submit it for evaluation.

Make-up: There are NO make-up homework assignments, quizzes, exams, or presentations

unless you have an emergency that can be documented, e.g. a receipt from your doctor’s office.

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GRADING CRITERIA: GRADING SCALE:
Recordings 45% 97-100 = A+ 77-79 = C+
Quizzes 15% 93-96 =A 73-76 =C
Midterm 15% 90-92 = A- 67-72 = D+
Final Exam 15% 87-89 = B+ 63-66 =D
HW/Class Participation 10% 83-86 =B 60-62 = D-
Total 100% 80-82 = B- ≤ 59 =F

You must get at least 65% on the final exam and an overall grade of C (minimum of 73%) or higher
in order to pass the class.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
Except for pair and group assignments, all assignments must be done BY YOURSELF. Any form of
cheating will NOT be tolerated in any case. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:
• Copying from another student’s homework, quiz, exam or any other material.
• Having someone else do your assignment and submitting it as your own.
• Submitting an assignment that you’ve done for another class.
Any student caught cheating will receive an automatic 0 for the assignment and may even be
dropped from the course and/or reported to the Office of Student Development. If reported, the
incident may remain as part of your permanent college record. Students who help someone else
cheat in any way will also receive an automatic 0 and may also be reported. Go to De Anza College’s
Academic Integrity for more information.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
Please be respectful of everyone and help create a comfortable environment for learning. Even
though this is an online class, please dress appropriately, go to a quiet room where you will not be
interrupted, and refrain from eating during class. If you have a child at home, make sure the child is
occupied elsewhere. Go to the restroom during the 10-minute break. Anyone being distracting or
disruptive will be asked to leave the class and reported to the Office of Student Development.

ENGLISH ONLY, PLEASE!

You are in this class because you want to improve your English skills. If you want to achieve your
goal, then you must use English as much as possible. Although there may be other students that
speak your language, use English only at all times in this class.

IMPORTANT DATES
January 15 Last day to add classes
January 17 Last day to drop without a W
January 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday – No classes
January 28 Last day to request Pass/No Pass
February 18-21 Presidents’ Holiday – No classes
February 25 Last day to drop classes with a W
March 24 Final Exam by Thursday 9:15 AM

OFFICE HOURS
Most successful students see their teachers outside their class to ask questions or get extra help on
their assignments. I will set up weekly office hours through Zoom, so I strongly encourage you to
visit me at least once during the quarter, even just to say hello. If you’re having any difficulty, come
see me early in the quarter.

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I am looking forward to getting to know each of you and helping you improve your English skills. If
you have ANY questions or problems, please send me an email, see me during my office hours, or
make an appointment. I will do my best to help you enjoy and succeed in this class!!

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 ESL 260 Tentative Schedule

Day 1 Day 2
• Attendance; Syllabus • Ch. 2 Overview: Syllables, Stressed
• Using Canvas; Accessing the audios Syllables, Vowel and Consonant Sound
Week 1
• Speaking Diagnostic: Introduction Symbols
• Tracking Log
• Pronunciation Power
• Vowel Sounds 1: Vowel Overview • Ch. 3 Voiced and Voiceless Sounds
Week 2 • Vowel Sound 2: /iʸ/ and /ɪ/ • Vowel Sound 2: /iʸ/ and /ɪ/
• Vowel Sound 3: /ɛ/ and /eʸ/
• Pronunciation Log 1 due • Ch. 4 Grammatical Endings: -ed
• Quiz 1 • Ch. 11 Linking
Week 3
• Ch. 4 Grammatical Endings: -s/-es
• Vowel Sound 3: / æ/, /ɛ/ and /eʸ/
• Ch. 11 Linking • Ch. 7 Rhythm in Phrases and Sentences
Week 4
• Vowel Sound 4: /ʌ/ and /ɑ/ • Vowel Sound 4: /ʌ/ and /ɑ/
• Pronunciation Log 2 due • Vowel Sound 5: /oʷ/ and /ɑ/
• Quiz 2 • Ch. 5 Word Stress in Nouns, Verbs and
Week 5
• Ch. 7 Rhythm in Phrases and Sentences Numbers
• Vowel Sound 5: /oʷ/ and /ɑ/
• Midterm • Ch. 6 Stress in Words with Suffixes
• Midterm Recordings due • Consonant Sound 7: /θ/ and /ð/
Week 6 • Ch. 5 Word Stress in Nouns, Verbs and
Numbers
• Consonant Sounds 6: Overview
• Ch. 6 Stress in Words with Suffixes • Ch. 9 Focus Words
Week 7
• Consonant Sound 7: /θ/ and /ð/ • Consonant Sound 10: /r/ and /l/
• Pronunciation Log 3 due • Ch. 9 Focus Words
• Quiz 3 • Consonant Sound 10: /r/ and /l/
Week 8
• Ch. 9 Focus Words
• Consonant Sound 10: /r/ and /l/
• Ch. 10 Final Intonation • Ch. 10 Final Intonation
Week 9
• Consonant Sound 11: /v/, /w/, /b/
• Pronunciation Log 4 due • Consonant Sound 11: /v/, /w/, /b/
Week 10 • Quiz 4
• Ch. 12 Consonant Clusters
• Ch. 12 Consonant Clusters • Consonant Sounds: /z, dʒ, ʒ/
Week 11
• Consonant Sounds: /z, dʒ, ʒ/
• Final Exam due
Week 12
• Final Exam Recordings due

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 Recommended ESL Resources

De Anza Resources
1. English Conversation Workshops and tutoring at the Listening and Speaking Center
2. Cross-Cultural Partners (CCP) Program in which you become friends and practice English
with a fellow De Anza student who is a native or near native speaker.
3. Guide to De Anza College’s Student Services
4. Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a physical or
learning disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs and apply for the
Disability Support Services (DSS) for support.

Online Resources
1. Rachel’s English
Free video lessons on a variety of American English pronunciation features.
2. Randall’s ESL Cyber ESL Lab
Many activities to practice your listening and speaking skills for everyday conversations that
range from easy to difficult. Click on “First Time Users” to learn how to use the site.
3. TED Talks
Influential videos from expert speakers from a variety of fields. You can practice your listening
comprehension skills as well as see what good public speaking skills look like.

4. NPR (or any news organizations)

Listen and watch videos to learn about current world events and improve your listening skills.

Dictionaries (Please do not use a translation dictionary in class or for homework.)

1. Longman Advanced American Dictionary
An excellent dictionary for English language learners that gives definitions as well as
pronunciation. The app costs money, so use the website.
2. Cambridge Dictionary
This one uses almost the same pronunciation symbols as the textbook.
3. Merriam Webster Learners Dictionary
This is an easier version of Merriam Webster for English language learners.

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 Writing Emails

The best way to get in touch with me is via email. I will check my email daily from Monday through
Friday and I will do my best to respond to you within 24 hours. Emails sent after 5:00 PM on Friday
will be replied on Monday. Please check your email often because I will send important messages
via email, especially since the class is fully online.

Even though writing emails may seem less formal than academic writing, it is very important to
write a grammatically correct and appropriately formatted email at work or school to make a good
impression. If you don’t, you can make a bad impression and even offend the receiver.

1. Write something short in the subject line to describe the main purpose of the email. For
example, you can write I’ll be absent, Homework, Can I make an appointment?
2. Always include a greeting and a comma. For example, Dear Mrs. Yee, or Hi, Linda. It is not polite
to address your instructor only by their last name, e.g. Dear Yee.
3. Introduce yourself. For example, “This is John Smith from your ESL 260 class.” Remember that
your instructor has many students and some students have the same name. Also, some of you
have an email address in a foreign language, so don’t assume that your instructor can read it.
4. Grammar and spelling are also very important. If your email has a lot of errors, it will seem
careless and can even offend the receiver (because you didn’t care enough to correct your
errors).
5. Always end your email with a complimentary closing with your name. For example, Thanks or
Thank you.

To: yeelinda@deanza.edu
Subject: Office hours
Hi Linda,

This is John Smith from your ESL 260 class. I would like some help on the Chapter 2 homework. Can I
see you during your office hours tomorrow at 12:30pm to ask you questions?

Thanks.

John

Adapted from Pati Carobus’ course packet.