1. This is a conversation class and attendance and participation are very important. If you don’t attend class you will not pass. Attendance will be taken every day.
2. It is also very important that you are on time. If you come in late you will be interrupting class. Each late entrance will count as ¼ of an absence. If you are more than an hour late, it will count as ½ an absence.
3. If you are unable to attend your own class session, you may come to the other class to avoid an absence ONLY if you’ve cleared it with me in advance.
4. Quizzes:There will be vocabulary quiz on the first Tuesday of every month (four total.) You will be given a review sheet on the Thursday before the quiz.
5. Being prepared for class is very important. Periodically, there will be homework to be completed outside of class. This must be done prior to the beginning of the next class. If you are not prepared, you won’t be able to participate. This will factor into your attendance/participation grade.
6. Journal writing: each student is to keep an English writing journal of your experiences in America. You should make at least one short entry a week. The journal won’t ever be edited for grammar. This is a free writing exercise to be done outside of class. At the end of the course, I will collect and read the journals to make sure you have completed the assignment. In order to get all 14% for journal entries you will need to complete a minimum of 14 entries.

1. Attendance and Participation 70%
2. Quizzes 16%
3. Journal 14%

1. Compare and contrast things in America or Chicago with your home country or city:? restaurants, food, transportation, style of dress, weather, culture, politics, universities, classes etc.
2. Write about a new place you visited in Chicago or America and tell why you liked or disliked the place.
3. Write about a cultural or communication misunderstanding you’ve had and explain how you dealt with it.
4. Write about a funny experience you’ve had (anywhere.)
5. Write a short letter to a friend explaining the positives and negatives of: Chicago/US, studying abroad, traveling outside of your home country.
6. Describe your best friend here and explain why you like him/her. (Don’t write the person’s name.)
7. Explain a situation where you felt scared or uncomfortable in the US.
8. Describe how you felt when you got off the airplane at O’Hare International Airport.
9. Describe how you think you will feel when you leave Chicago.
10. Explain how you think this experience will help you later in life.
11. Describe your feelings on any given day.