Recommended Lab Practice for ESL 314 ESL 194 for ESL 314 is a lab course designed to provide guided listening and speaking practice to help you excel in Advanced Listening and Speaking Skills. Your instructor may recommend software programs or online links that support ESL 314. Just as important, you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses and take the initiative to set your own course of practice to advance your listening and speaking skills. Suggestions follow. INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE AND HOW TO USE IT: ♦ Longman English Assessment       • Open the Assessment icon on the desktop. First time users please create and set your profile to track your scores. A lab assistant can help you do this.       • Take the Interest Survey, a seven-question survey that will determine the appropriate tests for you.       • Take the Find your Level test, which will indicate a beginning, intermediate, or advanced level.       • After you find your level, on the Test Home page choose Listening and take the test at your recommended level.       • You will receive your score after the test. Click on Test Home to see the links to your score report and a page listing recommended listening strategies.      • If you scored at a Mid-Intermediate level (or even lower), begin English Interactive 3 (English 3) on the desktop or Talking Business if you are interested in business.      • If you scored at a high-intermediate level, begin English Interactive 4 (English 4) on the desktop.      • If you scored at a low-, mid-, or high advanced level, begin English Interactive 4 (English 4) on the desktop or Market Leader, a very challenging program for students interested in pursuing a business career.      • For all of the above programs, be sure to create and set your profile to keep a record of your scores. ♦ If you do not use Longman English Assessment for placement purposes and if ESL 314 seems advanced for you, use English 3 and/or Talking Business. If ESL 314 is not too advanced for you, choose English 4. If ESL 314 is not too challenging for you and you are interested in business, choose Market Leader. IF CONSISTENT GRAMMAR ERRORS OCCUR IN YOUR SPEECH, USE THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS. ♦ Understanding and Using English Grammar (Listening & Speaking Sections) ♦ Focus on Grammar 4 (Listening & Speaking Sections)      • Open one of the programs. Under Contents, search for your own grammar troublespots.      • Open the (+) sign next to the chapter and go to the Listening and Speaking sections. Study the grammar notes and charts for grammar explanations and examples. TO PRACTICE COMPREHENDING COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE, USE THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS. ♦ North American Idioms      • Open the icon on the desktop. Select units you have not completed. Each unit covers 12 idioms and includes a video segment along with a lot of activities to master the idioms in everyday language.      • Listening & Speaking Challenge: Use the 12 idioms in a chapter in original sentences. Review your sentences with a lab instructor or share them with a partner or small group of students.      • Write a dialogue using the idioms. Read the dialogue with a partner. ♦ Short Takes 3 (Videos using colloquial language)      • Borrow the CD-Rom and watch short videos on various topics. Each lesson includes interactive speaking, grammar, and vocabulary practice. TO IMPROVE COMPREHENSION OF COLLEGE LECTURES AND NOTETAKING SKILLS, USE THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS. ♦ Lecture Ready 2 or 3: You can borrow the textbook and DVD or audio CD. Please don't write in the book. ♦ Contemporary Topics 2 or 3: You can borrow the DVD and Audio CD. You may request print material for a chapter. ♦Noteworthy 2: Listening and Notetaking Skills (Borrow the text and audio CDs.) ♦ Speaking Activities:      • Use your lecture notes to discuss the main points of the lecture with a partner or small group.      • Small group activity: Three to four students listen to different lectures (from the same or different books.) Students then meet and use their notes to report the main points of the lecture. The group members will then discuss what they found most important and interesting about the various lectures and ask for clarification if needed. ♦ You may also use in the ESL Lab the audio CD that accompanies any text your teacher has assigned for the course. ♦ Listening Online      • Go to www.eslstation.net and open the Listening & Speaking link under ESL 310 series.      • Recommended links: PBS Newshour: Select a story to listen to under "Daily News Video Clip."      • From Public Broadcasting, choose a general topic under News & Views, Featured Sites, or Be More Interactive. Next choose a specific topic (link) to listen to.      • If the above News shows are too challenging, use CNN Student News to advance your listening skills. ♦ Speaking Activities:      • Use who, what, when, where, why, and how questions to summarize the most important information from the report you selected from the links above. Tell a partner or small discussion group the title of the report you listened to and the most important information you learned from it. Group members should ask for clarification when necessary and comment on whether or not they think the topic of the report is truly newsworthy. Explain why or why not. (You may invite a lab instructor to join your group.)      • Borrow the digital voice recorder from the instructional assistant or use the recording program Audacity (on computer desktops). Make your own recording of the most important points from the report. Save your sound file on the desktop and email it to yourself and/or your instructor. (Be sure to listen to yourself and write down words you need to practice.) Directions for using the digital recorder and Audacity are in the lab. Please Note: When studying online, keep track of your time on the lab time sheet and turn it in each time you have completed four hours of practice ouside of the lab. The last chance to turn in a time sheet is 2:00 P.M. on Friday of the 15th week (the week before final exams). Check your Moodle page often for your class assignments and other practice links your instructor may post.