Freshman English is a first-year required course. The goal of the course is primarily to improve the proficiency of students in communicative language skills with an emphasis on speaking and writing. A functional, notional approach is taken to planning objectives to help students gain confidence in using English in social interactions. Therefore, active participation in the class is a prerequisite for successful completion. A variety of activities are used throughout the year including dialogues, role-plays, pair work, small group projects and whole class discussions. The syllabus includes a general review of grammar and many class activities attempt to integrate these grammar components. Therefore, students are given the opportunity to apply the rules to real-life situations that they might encounter in an English-speaking country. Teachers encourage students to monitor their grammar usage while improving their level of fluency.

After completing FEM, student should be able to: - speak fairly fluently in a variety of social interactions - use correct conventions and formality in social interactions similar to those in the textbooks - speak with correct pronunciation and intonation. - speak and write with few simple grammar mistakes - speak and write using correct vocabulary on topics introduced in the FEM textbooks - comprehend conversations between speakers on a variety of topics - understand short pieces of writing such as letters, newspaper and Reader's Digest articles

Grammar Dimensions 3, Stephen H. Thewlis, Heinle & Heinle Publishers, Platinum Edition