Speaking Task Three - 229 Does the response (argument) demonstrate coherence? Because of Organization, Progression, Development-summarization, Unity- synthesis and L anguage Use-paraphrasing, the test-taker has proficiently “summarized the points in the reading” and shown how the woman’s argument opposes the new policy. This demonstrates coherence. (OPDUL=C ). Yes √ No _ Note: When you practice speaking, use a recording device or get your classmates and instructor to help you with your revision checklist. After you identify areas that lack coherence, repeat the same response until the coherence level increases. TASK: Go back and rate the response on page 225 using the Integrated Speaking Rating Guide on 324. Compare your rating to the one on page 341. Note : For this response, the speaker’s delivery was proficient. Avoid these five problem areas when delivering your response. When you summarize the reading passage, make sure you identify the main topic and the reasons why the university is introducing the new policy. A lack of reading passage development-summarization will result in a lack of topical unity-synthesis between the reading passage and the student’s argument. This will result in a lack of coherence (OPDUL=C) and a lower score. When you summarize the student’s argument, make sure you identify the student’s opinion and each supporting illustration (3TiC). Make sure you identify the cause-and-effect relationship in each body paragraph as well. They are the reasons that support the student’s opinion. A lack of body paragraph development-summarization is a big reason why test-takers score low on integrated Speaking Task #3. Five Common Problems Lack of Reading Passage Development-Summarization 1. Remember! Lack of Body Paragraph Development-Summarization 2. Remember! C 230 - Speaking Task Three Carefully read the prompt. Make sure you identify which student’s argument you must summarize. Do not summarize both. Summarizing the second student argument will be off topic. This will demonstrate a lack of topical unity-synthesis (OPDU L=C). The result will be a lack of coherence (OPDUL=C) and a lower score. Make sure you summarize the student’s position as stated in the prompt. When you summarize objectively, use a consistent verb tense. If you start off using the simple present (The student says that…The student argues that…), do not change to the simple past (The student said that…The student argued that…). Mixing verb tenses demonstrates a lack of unity-synthesis, specifically a lack of grammatical unity (OPDU L=C). This will result in a lack of coherence (OPDUL=C ) and a lower score. For this task, do not state your opinion. This is an objective task. Your opinion is subjective. Stating your opinion will demonstrate a lack of topical unity-synthesis (OPDU L=C). This will result in a lack of coherence (OPDUL=C) and a lower score. Listed below are reasons why your response is longer than 60 seconds. Reason #1 Your summarization of the reading is too long. Solution 1. Make your summarization shorter. 2. Do not include details (dates, scores, costs, etc). 3. Summarize the reading in 10 seconds or less. 4. Speak faster; try not to hesitate. Reason #2 When the clock starts, you are not speaking right away. That means you are losing valuable seconds at the start. Solution 1. Start speaking right after the beep. Remember: The speaking tasks come up fast. Be ready for them Summarizing Both Student Arguments 3. Remember! Mixing Verb Tenses 4. Remember! Stating Your Opinion 5. Help! – My Response is Too Long! Speaking Task Three - 231 Reason #3 You are being too careful. When you are too careful, you slow down to pronounce correctly. When you slow down, you waste time. You also decrease fluency and automaticity. Solution 1. Speak at a normal pace. 2. Record your voice, then play it back. You will know if you are speaking too slowly. If so, speak faster. Reason #4 You are pausing or hesitating too much. Record your voice and play it back. You will soon know if you are pausing or hesitating too much. Pausing and hesitating wastes time. Pausing and hesitating will also decrease fluency and automaticity. Solution 1. Avoid pauses; try not to hesitate. 2. Practice reading sample responses. 3. Ask a native speaker to demonstrate the right speed. Reason #5 You are pausing or hesitating too much because you did not summarize the student arguments using G+3TiC=C. Solution 1. Memorize G+3TiC=C. 2. Practice summarizing student arguments using sample responses. Reason #6 Your summarization of the student’s supporting illustrations (3TiC) contains too much information. Solution 1. Identify the topic in each body paragraph and the reason stated by the cause-and-effect relationship. 2. Do not include details (dates, scores, costs, etc). Reason #7 Your conclusion is too long. Solution 1. State your conclusion in one sentence. 2. State your conclusion in 5 seconds or less. 3. Simply repeat the student’s opinion. Reason #8 The clock makes you so nervous you blank out. Solution 1. Do not time yourself when you practice. Just speak. When you are more confident, time yourself. Listed below are reasons why your response is too short. Reason #1 You are nervous. When you are nervous, you speak too fast and finish too soon. Help! – My Response is Too Short! 232 - Speaking Task Three Solution 1. Record your voice and play it back. You will soon know if you are speaking too fast. If so, slow down. 2. Do not time yourself. Just speak at a regular speed. Reason #2 Your summarization of the student’s supporting illustrations (3TiC) is too short. Solution 1. Make sure you have identified the topic in each supporting example. 2. Make sure you have identified the cause-and-effect relationship in each example. 3. Make sure you have summarized all supporting examples. Reason #3 You speak, then suddenly stop because you are shy or afraid, or feel stupid. Solution 1. Practice reading into a recording device. Read an English magazine article or a book while recording. This will help you develop confidence speaking into a microphone. 2. Take an ESL class to develop your speaking skills and confidence. 3. Practice. Practice. Practice. Reason #4 You are not confident using G+3TiC=C. Solution 1. Practice developing and delivering responses until you have memorized G+3TiC=C, and you remember it automatically without notes. 2. Practice. Practice. Practice. Reason #5 You blank out. Solution 1. You are trying too hard or are too nervous. Try to relax. When you practice speaking, don’t time yourself, just speak until you are confident. When you are more confident, then time yourself. 2. Forget about trying to demonstrate OPDUL=C. Just speak. The more you speak, the more confident you will become. Start clean, end clean. Remember! Speaking Task Three - 233 What if you can’t deliver a response for this task? What if you blank out? What should you do? Follow these four steps and deliver an emergency response. Some test-takers blank out when they read the passage. If this happens, focus on the first and second sentences. These are the most important sentences. Sentence one is usually the topic sentence. If not, sentence two will be. If you can only remember one point from the reading passage, make sure it is the main point. The main point is the topic sentence. The topic sentence will describe the new policy. Some test-takers blank out when they listen to the dialogue. If this happens, try to remember what each student said at the very start. For example, if the man starts by saying, “What a great policy!”, you know he supports the new policy. If the woman says, “I don’t believe it!”, you know she does not support the policy. Because the dialogue is short (60-90 seconds), each student will state his/her opinion about the new policy in the first few lines of dialogue. Be ready for them. Each opinion will signal the start of each argument. Tone (the emotion in a speaker’s voice) is a sign that will tell you what each student thinks. For example, if one student says, “What a stupid policy!”, this sentence will be expressed using a negative tone. Conversely, “What a good idea!” will be expressed using a positive tone. Tone is one way of identifying a speaker’s opinion. Also, read the prompt carefully. Make sure you understand it before you respond. Make sure you are “on topic” (talking about the topic in the prompt) not “off topic” (talking about a different topic). Emergency Response Make a G+3TiC=C note map. Step #1 Remember! Listen to the dialogue; summarize the two arguments. Step #3 Remember! Remember! Read and summarize the passage (45 seconds). Step #2 234 - Speaking Task Three When you speak, state the context first. Next, briefly describe the policy. If you can’t remember the reason(s) for the policy, move on. Try and summarize the student’s opinion about the announcement. Look at your notes. If you have notes for the wrong student (the argument you don’t have to summarize) use the black-and-white rule. Try and state the opposite of what is in your notes. Speak (60 seconds). Step #4 Speaking Task Three - 235 TASK: Using G+3TiC=C and the four steps, develop and deliver a response for each of the following tasks. Use a recording device so you can play back your response and check it for coherence using the Integrated Speaking Proficiency Checklist on page 322. After you check your response for coherence, rate it using the Integrated Speaking Rating Guide on page 324. Directions: Darien College has recently hired a new professor. Read the announcement. You have 45 seconds. Next, listen as two students discuss the announcement. After you listen to the dialogue, answer the prompt. TASK: You have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak. Announcement from the President It is with great pleasure that Darien College announces the appointment of Professor Abby Wright. Professor Wright is a world renown lecturer and writer. Her book of poems, Poems on the Plane, won the prestigious Ink Well Prize while her latest novel, Break the Fast, has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Professor Wright graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English Literature from Princeton. She received her Masters in Comparative Mythology from Yale and her Ph.D. in Medieval Slovenian Literature from Harvard. Professor Wright also has a degree in law from Georgetown. Professor Wright will teach classes in Comparative Literature and Mythology, and will be available for student consultation. On behalf of Darien College, I extend a warm welcome to Professor Wright. Prompt The man gives his opinion of the new professor. State his position and explain the reasons he gives for holding that opinion. Speaking Practice CD Track #13 Task #1 236 - Speaking Task Three Directions: Wilton University seeks a new manager for its exercising facility. Read the announcement. You have 45 seconds. Next, listen as two students discuss the announcement. After you listen to the dialogue, answer the prompt. TASK: You have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak. Prompt The woman expresses her opinion about the announcement. State her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion. Announcement from Student Services Wilton University seeks a student to manage the school’s state-of-the-art exercising facility part time on weekday evenings and weekends. Preference will be given to those students in their graduating year and who have a background in sports management and/or health science. The qualified candidate will be responsible for opening and closing the facility, scheduling classes, such as yoga and pilates, and assisting those students and faculty members who need help. Knowledge of computer databases is essential, as is a GPA of no less than 3.0. For more information, please see Ivette in Student Services, Room A1. Task #2 CD Track #14 Speaking Task Three - 237 Directions: Greenwich College is introducing a student-of-the-year award. Read the announcement. You have 45 seconds. Next, listen as two students discuss the announcement. After you listen to the dialogue, answer the prompt. TASK: You have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak. Announcement from the Dean Starting Monday, students at Greenwich College are invited to submit nominations for The Student-of-the-Year Award. The student of the year will best represent the school motto: “Diligence and Desire.” The winning student will receive a cash prize of $5,000.00 and laptop computer. The nominated student may be in any year and must be currently enrolled at Greenwich College. You may not nominate yourself. Voting will take place throughout the month. To vote, go to room 310 with your student ID card. Students not enrolled at Greenwich College cannot vote. If you have any questions, please contact the Dean’s office. Prompt The man expresses his opinion about the announcement. State his opinion and explain the reasons he gives for maintaining that opinion. Task #3 CD Track #15 238 - Speaking Task Three Directions: Stamford College is introducing a new policy. Read the announcement. You have 45 seconds. Next, listen as two students discuss the new policy. After you listen to the dialogue, answer the prompt. TASK: You have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak. Announcement from the Dean Starting next semester, students at Stamford College will not be allowed to use laptop computers during class time. Any student using a laptop computer during class time will be asked to turn it off or leave the room. This policy is in response to complaints saying that increased laptop usage during class time is noisy and distracting. Laptop usage will be permitted in all main campus areas, including libraries and food service areas. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please feel free to contact the Dean. Office hours are Monday-Friday 9 to 5pm. Prompt The woman expresses her opinion about the new policy. State her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for maintaining that position. Task #4 CD Track #16 . Development-summarization, Unity- synthesis and L anguage Use-paraphrasing, the test-taker has proficiently “summarized the points in the reading” and shown how the woman’s argument. Go back and rate the response on page 225 using the Integrated Speaking Rating Guide on 324. Compare your rating to the one on page 341. Note : For this