Units 1-4: Language Skills

Pathways 3: Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking – Units 1-4

In order to avoid rushing through the textbook and to allow us to spend two weeks on each unit (one week for reading and one week for writing), we will be skipping Units 1-4 and beginning the class in Unit 5. However, there are some important skills covered in Units 1-4, which we will briefly discuss during Week 2. This outline provides an overview of the skills covered in the first four units.

Unit 1 – Social Relationships

Reading and Critical Thinking Skills

       Evaluating supporting arguments (p. 8)

       Identifying main and supporting ideas (p. 9)

Writing Skills

       Making comparisons (pp. 17-18 and 22)

       Reviewing paragraph writing (p. 19)

Unit 2 – Science and Detection

Reading and Critical Thinking Skills

       Distinguishing fact from speculation (p. 30)

       Identifying a sequence of events (p. 31)

Writing Skills
       Review of modals of obligation and possibly (pp. 41-42 and 46)

       Writing an opinion paragraph (p. 42)

Unit 3 – City Solutions

Reading and Critical Thinking Skills

        Evaluating sources (p. 55)

        Identifying reasons (p. 56)

Writing Skills

        Using the simple past and used to (pp. 64 and 68)

        Writing a thesis statement (p. 65)

Unit 4 – Danger Zones

Reading and Critical Thinking Skills

        Analyzing and evaluating evidence (p. 76)

        Organizing your notes (p. 77)

Writing Skills

        Using parallel structure (pp. 87-88 and 92)

        Writing an introductory paragraph (p. 88)

Dropbox link

Here is a link to a folder on Dropbox where I will upload various course materials throughout the semester. You will be able to find audio files for the reading passages, the course syllabus, grading rubrics, and other useful materials.

Welcome to IERW!

Welcome to the class! I hope you find this blog to be useful. Please save the link and check back for additional materials and more details about assignments. I will be making posts throughout the semester. You will also find links to your classmates' e-journals, so check those and read your each other's writing, too.

For the first entry in your e-journal, you should write a short self-introduction. You will find my self-introduction below:

My full name is Kyle Andrew Brebner, but you can just call me Kyle. I grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia, which is near Washington, DC. I went to a small school called Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina where I studied History, Peace & Conflict Studies, and African American Studies. Then I got a master’s degree in International Peace Studies from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. At that time, I was hoping to work for an NGO, the UN, or some international development organization, but it didn’t work out. Instead, I came to South Korea and started teaching English. I first came here in 2007 and I only expected to stay for one year, but I’m still here! I quickly realized that I really like teaching English, so I have continued to study more about it. I graduated from Indiana University with a Master of Education degree in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, with a specific focus on ESL/EFL Instruction. My wife, Soyoun, and I got married in 2013, and our first daughter, Ellie Minseo Brebner, was born in 2014. Our second daughter, Laina Eunseo Brebner, was just born a few days ago (August 29, 2016). Regarding my interests and hobbies, I really like traveling and learning about different cultures. I have been fortunate enough to travel around the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Asia. There are so many more places I hope to go! I'm also really into sports, especially ice hockey, baseball, and American football. Finally, I like reading, listening to music and podcasts, and watching TV. I look forward to getting to know you all in this class!