New link to class PowerPoint
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1luHbB0boZ8S0Q2cEotelFkM00/edit?usp=sharing

Use this link to copy and paste phonetic symbols into a document: http://ipa.typeit.org

Reading & Speaking Assessment (12/08)

Reading & Speaking Assessment

Read the following passage to yourself once or twice to understand the meaning. Then, read it aloud and record it using the Voice Record App.

Steps to record your voice using the Voice Record App:

1.     Open the application called Voice Record on the mobile device.

2.     Press the red “REC” button two times.

3.     Begin reading slowly and clearly once you see the volume unit meter.

4.     When you finish reading the entire passage, press the square button (STOP).

Have you observed the ways people from different cultures use silence? Have you noticed that some people interrupt conversations more than other people? All cultures do not have the same rules governing these areas of communication. Many Americans interpret silence in conversations to mean disapproval, disagreement, or unsuccessful communication. They often try to fill silence by saying something even if they have nothing to say! On the other hand, Americans don’t appreciate a person who dominates a conversation. Knowing when to take turns in a conversation in another language can sometimes cause difficulty. Should you wait until someone has finished a sentence before contributing to a discussion, or can you break into the middle of someone’s sentence? Interrupting someone who is speaking is considered rude in the United States. Even children are taught explicitly not to interrupt.

*From Deena R. Levine and Mara B. Adelman, Beyond Language: Intercultural Communication for English as a Second Language (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1982), p.23.