2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses English language courses
TOEFL Seminar (Reading and Writing) 1 2
- Academic unit or major
- English language courses
- Instructor(s)
- Ryoichi Yamane
- Class Format
- Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Wed
- Class
- 2
- Course Code
- LAE.E155
- Number of credits
- 010
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 1Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course is designed to develop English skills for the Reading and Writing sections of the TOEFL test through TOEFL-type exercises in reading and writing and reviewing of them.
This course aims to help students improve their TOEFL score and develop their English skills to study at universities in English speaking countries.
Course description and aims
In this course students will
・be able to find better ways to answer the questions in the TOEFL test (especially of reading and writing sections) through various exercises.
・develop academic skills in English and apply those skills to general situations.
Keywords
TOEFL, reading and writing skills of English, Studying abroad
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
In this course, students will primarily focus on the following four activities:
(1) Reading materials on various themes to reinforce input skills such as vocabulary acquisition and grammatical understanding.
(2) Practicing output skills through writing tasks aligned with TOEFL Writing assignments.
(3) Engaging in discussions and presentations in English to share individual understandings.
(4) Creating a simple portfolio to record personal learning progress.
For (1), comprehension will be assessed mainly through mini-tests on vocabulary (conducted from the second to the sixth session). For (2), proficiency will be evaluated in the final exam. To prepare for these assessments, (3) and (4) will be conducted.
Mini-tests will be administered via Google Forms, while the final exam will be a written test.
Please prepare a device capable of scanning QR codes and entering responses.
The course will be conducted in both Japanese and English.
Note:
1. The details of the course schedule are subject to change based on the progress of the class and other relevant factors.
2. If the number of students wishing to enroll exceeds approximately 30, a limit may be imposed. All prospective students must attend the first class. Additionally, please do not purchase the textbook until your enrollment in the class is confirmed during the first session.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction to TOEFL iBT test Integrated writing: understanding the assessment criteria Reading Material ＃1 | Students learn the overall content of TOEFL iBT test. |
| Class 2 | Basic structure of a model answer Practice (integrated 1): based on a sample structure Reading Material ＃2 | Students learn how to answer questions in integrated writing by working on exercises. Mini-test 1 |
| Class 3 | Discussion on reading passage 1 Academic disciplines and types of writing Reading Material ＃3 | Students learn the variety of academic disciplines and their argument styles. Mini-test 2 |
| Class 4 | Discussion on reading passage 2 Integrated writing practice 2: paraphrasing Reading Material ＃4 | Students learn how to answer questions in integrated writing by working on exercises. Mini-test 3 |
| Class 5 | Integrated writing practice 3: listening skills Reading Material ＃5 | Students learn how to answer questions in integrated writing by working on exercises. Mini-test 4 |
| Class 6 | Integrated writing review session+ Academic discussion sample exercise | Students learn how to answer questions in integrated writing by working on exercises and get to know the Academic Discussion section of the test. Mini-test 5 |
| Class 7 | Presentations on portfolios and Final exam | Students review the content of the course. Presentations on portfolios |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Handouts
Reference books, course materials, etc.
To be announced in class
Evaluation methods and criteria
Mini-tests: 30%
Assignments (Portfolio and others): 20%
Final exam: 50%.
Related courses
- LAE.E156 ： TOEFL Seminar (Reading and Writing) 2
Prerequisites
None
Other
It is recommended that students take this course in sequence with TOEFL Seminar (Reading and Writing) 2.
Attendance at the first class is compulsory for students planning to take this course.