This class gives students an opportunity to use their own English for social purposes (see topics below).

Homework--At home, before each class, students think about the assigned topic, and write one page for homework ... so that they will have something interesting and relevant to talk about with the other students in their group.
• Attendance/Review Homework--Students should review their homework to refresh their memories so they can use its contents in their group discussions. They can do this while the teacher takes attendance and passes out printed materials.

• Collect Homework--The teacher will then collect all homework, while students prepare their Group Reports. Homework not received at that time is assumed to be late for purposes calculating self-evaluation scores. Do not write homework in class. Class time is for oral discussion. If you turn in your homework at least one day before the next class, your homework will evaluated without penalty.

  Homework turned in at the next class or later is too late. Such homework usually gets an evaluation of zero. The teacher will try to keep it for possible evaluation at the end of the term--if and only if the student would otherwise fail. Unlike homework turned in on time or a little late and returned to the student, there will be no opportunity for the student to see the evaluation or discuss it with the teacher. The student can only get a minimum passing grade (of 60).

• Group Discussions--Using as much English as they can, students have free discussions about the topic in their groups. Someone in the group writes a list of discussion questions that reflect the most interesting parts of their discussion. The questions, of course, must be written after the discussion has actually taken place.

• Collect Group Reports--About half-way through the class period the teacher will collect all Group Reports. Each student is personally responsible to make sure that their name and self-evaluation score for effort is written at the top of the report, just below the heading (ex. Commerce ... Group M1 ... Title of the Day's Topic).

  Students that bring their homework and come on time will usually get the full 10 points. Students that do not bring their homework or haven't finished writing it must subtract one point for each student in their group that has not come with their finished homework. (1 student => 9; 2 =>8; 3 =>7; all 4 students =>6) This simply reflects the fact that cumulative individual preparation is important to the whole group's work--like cars with four cylinders or airplanes with four engines.

• Whole Class Review of Discussions--The teacher will then ask individual students questions about their group discussions and homework in order to review the topic, provide further practice, and evaluate the student's ability to communicate in English. All students need to pay attention to the discussion and ask questions about anything that they do not understand.

Here is a list of the topics we use, linked to lists of questions that may be useful to help students think about and discuss each topic.