English For Science Technology And Mathematics (STEM) – US Embassy
| DURATION: | 27 weeks |
| COMMITMENT: | 3-5 hrs/week |
| REQUIREMENT: | None |
| COURSE TYPE: | Self-paced |
| CREDENTIAL: | Badge(s); Certificate (free) |
DESCRIPTION
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in improving their English skills in the sciences. In this course, you will explore some of the most innovative areas of scientific study while expanding your vocabulary and the language skills needed to share scientific information within your community. In Module 1, you will learn how to preview texts and practice some of the language used to make comparisons when talking about global warming and climate change. In Module 2, you will examine the chemistry of climate change and the language of cause and effect. In Module 3, you will learn about some of the impacts of Climate Change and the language used to describe these effects. In Module 4, you will learn reading strategies that can help you explore the science behind some new energy systems. In Module 5, you will investigate practical advances in nanotechnology that help slow down climate change, while developing your own research skills in English. This is a self-paced course, which will be open for 12 weeks. Participants can complete coursework at any time during these 12 weeks. The course has 5 modules; each module will require approximately 3-5 hours of work.
About this Course:
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in improving their English skills in the sciences. In this course, you will explore some of the most innovative areas of scientific study, while expanding your vocabulary and the language skills needed to share scientific information within your community.
This course was developed by the University of Pennsylvania and adapted by FHI 360 for the Online Professional English Network (OPEN), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
Module 1: Is the Earth Getting Warmer?
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- observing a global warming experiment
- creating a hypothesis about why the world is getting warmer
- developing a definition for the term climate change
Module 2: The Greenhouse Effect
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- examining the chemistry of climate change
- exploring how different chemicals and gases affect the environment
- practicing the language of cause and effect and the present progressive tense
Module 3: The Impact of Climate Change on our World
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- learning about environmental changes due to Earth’s rising temperatures
- understanding the impact of climate changes on the biology of people, animals and different environments called ecosystems
Module 4: Discovering Cleaner Energy Sources to Power the World
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- identifying new energy systems that can limit the effects of climate change
- exploring the science behind renewable energy sources
- summarizing main ideas from scientific articles
Module 5: What Might the Future Hold?
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- investigating practice advances in climate change focused nanotechnology
- understanding how the scientific community creates new discoveries
- developing your own research skills by choosing good sources and citing them in your research
Full Course Module Packet
These downloadable materials contain all five modules of the English for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics MOOC.
Note: These files are large so may not download for those with bandwidth limitations. We encourage you to use the individual module packets on this page to download the course in smaller files.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Use comparative adjectives to explain global warming and climate change.
- Use the present progressive and the language of cause and effect to identify the causes of climate change.
- Use intensifiers to describe the impact of climate change on people, animals, and ecosystems.
- Use modal verbs to provide suggestions, advice, probability and possibilities related to climate change and technology.
- Identify when and how to make an in-text citation to support a claim or prediction.
- Apply reading strategies to understand a variety of texts.
Target Audience: Non-native English speakers interested in improving their English skills in the sciences.
This course is offered as part of the Online Professional English Network, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI360.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS
JESSAMYN EMBRY
Senior Technical Officer / Instructor
Jessamyn Embry is a Senior Technical Officer for English Language Acquisition at FHI 360. She has taught and administered English language programs in the United States, France, and India, She holds a BA in International Studies from American University’s School of International Service and an MA TESOL from the SIT Graduate Institute.
About Canvas Network
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OUR MISSION:
To promote OPENNESS, INNOVATION, and EXPERIMENTATION in education by providing educators access to professional development courses and programs that will help them thrive and succeed in their careers.
To Canvas Network ‘open’ means:
- Open entry and open access. Open entry for learners around the globe and continual access to course content after the course end date.
- Open content. Open licensing options and content sharing to Canvas Commons where other instructors reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute content.
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About US Embassy
What does the US Embassy Do?
The primary purpose of an embassy is to assist American citizens who travel to or live in the host country. U.S. Foreign Service Officers also interview citizens of the host country who wish to travel to the United States for business, education, or tourism purposes.
U.S. Embassy, LondonEmbassy in London, England
The Embassy of the United States of America in London is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the United Kingdom. It is the largest American embassy in Western Europe and the focal point for events relating to the United States held in the United Kingdom.
Embassy of the United States, BeijingOffice in Beijing, China
The Embassy of the United States in Beijing is the diplomatic mission of the United States in China. It serves as the administrative office of the United States Ambassador to China. The embassy complex is in Chaoyang District, Beijing.
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