READ 097-6
College
of Arts & Sciences Syllabus
Fall
2016: August 26
– December 12
MWF 8:30-9:20 am, LWH 2005
Catalogue course description: Designed to
meet the needs of those students who have advanced English language proficiency
and wish to further develop their reading comprehension. Advanced reading
skills such as interpretation, inference, critical analysis, evaluation,
application, author style and tone, and technical and literary terminology are
emphasized in order to comprehend more complex literary genres, including
content-specific materials. Registration by permit only.
Course
Prerequisites: Placement
exam or permit.
FACULTY
INFORMATION
Instructor: Mrs. Carol Ruth Kimmel
Office
Location: LWH 2046
Office Hours: Friday 9:35 – 10:35 a.m.
or by
appointment
Phone: (773) 442-5488 (please leave a message)
COURSE
MATERIALS
Bridging the Gap: College Reading, 11th ed., by Brenda D. Smith and Leeann Morris
Boston: Pearson, 2014.
Powers (paperback)
by Ursula
LeGuin. Boston and New York: published by
Graphia,
an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
2007
(You may want
to purchase a print dictionary to bring to class, such as the American Heritage Dictionary or the New Oxford American Dictionary. We will not use online dictionaries
or any other online sources during class, though you may use them when you
work on assignments at home or in the computer lab. )
Other
Recommended Materials:
a notebook for hand-written notes taken in class, loose 8 ½ x 11 lined paper, pocket folder(s) – to
keep all your work organized, a special folder for your Concept Preps (see
below), a flash drive, paper clips, a small stapler, pencil, eraser, and pen
Students will take class notes
by hand. Use of laptops, tablets, and
(smart) phones in class is not permitted unless the student has a
documented disability registered with the university, a disability that
requires using these items in class.
COURSE OBJECTIVES /
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Successful students enrolled in Reading 097 should be able to:
·
Comprehend academic text passages
at the literal, critical, and inferential levels.
·
Identify stated and implied
main ideas.
·
Distinguish between major and
minor ideas in academic text.
·
Develop and apply effective
and efficient strategies to analyze unknown words, including contextual
analysis and dictionary use.
·
Utilize prior knowledge to
understand text, predict outcomes and draw conclusions.
·
Evaluate academic text
material through oral discussions and in writing.
·
Recognize, analyze and
evaluate arguments.
·
Define inductive and deductive
reasoning.
·
Assess personal strengths and
weaknesses as a college reader.
STUDENT
TASKS / ASSIGNMENTS / REQUIREMENTS
Course Outline and Assignments: The following course outline
includes topics in bold face print; a schedule of assignments and due dates
along with the dates for quizzes and final exam. All assignments are to be completed as
scheduled unless notified by the instructor.
It is your responsibility to check this schedule daily in order to be
prepared for class.
Tentative Schedule
Week Topics
– Assignments – Due Dates
Notice will
be given through D2L of any changes to this schedule.
Week 1 Course
introduction and expectations
Syllabus
review
Scientific American article (handout)
Active Learning
Bridging the Gap (text assignment=TA)
Chapter 1 pages 18-26
Answer
the exercises in the book
Week 2 Successful Academic Behaviors – small
group/class discussion
Bridging the Gap (text assignment=TA)
pages 11 to 17
Note
“Reader’s Tip” page 17
Bridging the Gap (text assignment=TA)
pages 2-5
Small
group discussion
Week 3 Cognitive Styles and Demands of College
Study
Bridging the Gap (text assignment=TA)
Chapter
1 pages 6-11
Chapter
6 pages 270-272
a.
Complete learning styles inventory
and
multiple intelligences
b.
Write an assessment of the results using your
scores
and the information from the chapters and
and from class (30 points)**
TA
review “Summary Points” page 26
New
York Times article handout
Week 4 **Quiz
Chapter 1 (60 points)**
Strategic Reading
and Study
Bridging the Gap (text assignment=TA)
Read
and complete Selection 1, pp. 28-34
Read
chapter 3, pages 94-100
Read
pages 100-110, exercises 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 in book
Bring
to class Powers, the novel by Ursula
LeGuin
Read
chapters 1 and 2 by week 5
Week 5 Bridging the Gap (TA=text assignment) Selection #3, pages
126-133
**Complete
on paper – page 130 “Write about the selection” (30 points)
One
day this week may be a catch-up day, depending on progress
Organizing
Textbook Information
Bridging the Gap (TA=text assignment) Read Ch. 6, pp 272-290
Using
the selection on page 285, complete:
Annotating (30
points)**
Note-taking (30 points)**
Outlining (30
points)**
Mapping (30
points)**
Each one separately for the same
selection
Week 6 Main Idea Bridging
the Gap (TA=text assignment) Chapter
4
Begin
taking Cornell notes (CN) pages 141-150
-- exercises in book
In
class activities, covering various topics:
Textbook
information
Cornell
note-taking
Main
idea
Bring
Powers to class – read chapters 3 and
4 by Week 7
Week 7 Main Idea Bridging
the Gap (TA=text
assignment) pp 162-171
Exercises
in book
Also
in-class exercises, with partners
Bridging the Gap (TA=text assignment) pp 171-180
Exercises
in book
Cornell
notes (CN) to be turned in (30 points)**
Week 8 Bridging the Gap (TA=text assignment)
read/complete
Selection 2 192 – 201
Answer
the questions pages 198-201
“Skill
development” and “Check your comprehension”
Do
the assignment “Write about the selection” from page 198
Type
on paper and hand in (30 points)
Week 9 Bridging the Gap (TA=text assignment)
Pp
58-69 exercises in book
Vocabulary
exercises in class
Bring
Powers to class – “reader response”
concept explained
Preliminary
“reader response” to novel (as far as you’ve read)
Class
discussion
Bring
Powers to class – read chapters 5 -7
by Week 10
Week 10 Quiz
Chapter 2 (30 points)**
Patterns of Organization
Bridging
the Gap (TA=text assignment) Ch. 5
pp. 215-219
In-class
writing exercise – topic to be announced (30 points)**
Week 11 Patterns of Organization
Bridging
the Gap (TA=text assignment)
pp.
220-236 ex. 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 in book
Bridging
the Gap (TA=text assignment)
Chapter
7 (assigned reading given in class…CN
Cornell Notes)
Bring
Powers to class – read chapters 8-10
by week 12
Discussion
of Inference
Week 12 Inference
practice in class
Powers
in class -- small group
discussion and reader response
Week 13 Quiz
– Chapter 7 Inference (30 points)**
Point of View
Bridging the Gap (TA=text assignment)
Chapter
8 CN Cornell Notes pp. 388-395
exercises in book
Bridging the Gap (TA=text assignment)
Pp
396-400, exercises in book
Bring
Powers to class – read chapters 11-13
by week 14
Week 14 Bridging
the Gap (TA=text assignment)
Continuing
CN Cornell Notes pp. 400-413
Bring
Powers to class – read chapters 14
and 15 by week 15
Week 15 Critical
Thinking
Bridging the Gap (TA=text assignment)
Chapter
9 pp 442-446 and 464-465 (CN not assigned)
(Possible
catch-up day, if necessary)
Study
guide for final exam
Final Exam
(1)
Reader's Journal
Beginning Wednesday of Week 5 and continuing
for ten consecutive weeks you will turn in a short journal entry to document
your reading and thinking on your book, suggestions given in Bridging the Gap , pp. 585-591. (10 points each) As part of our class,
you will be required to read the novel, Powers, by Ursula LeGuin, and keep a
journal.
a. Your
journal entries are not expected to be lengthy (about 300 words each; about one
page typed, double spaced) or to take away from your reading enjoyment. They
are designed to give you practice reflecting on what you read and to give you
practice making real-world connections as well as connections with your own
personal background knowledge (schema),
while you build on your schema.
b. You will have one vocabulary list for all
the journal entries. You should select 3 to 5 words for each
entry, for a total of 30 to 50 words for the entire vocabulary list. When you select a word, please copy the
sentence in which the word was used. Then look the word up in an
online dictionary of your choice and copy the relevant information.
(2)
Concept Preps
Throughout your textbook, ten short Concept Preps are included to
introduce you to key concepts in different academic areas. You will be
responsible for reading six of these independently throughout the
semester and completing the questions which follow. (Choose the topics that
interest you.) You will keep your
written answers to the Concept Preps in your folder/portfolio. Your folder will
be turned in two weeks before the end of the semester.
(3)
Vocabulary Booster Quizzes
Vocabulary Boosters will be introduced for ten weeks, dates to be
announced. You should complete the exercises in your book for practice during
the week. Quizzes will be given the following week.
(4)
Homework
There are a total of 27 selections in our
textbook, usually 3 after each chapter.
We will cover most selections: some you will do individually, some in
pairs, and some we will cover together as a class. You should have access to
those answers in class for our discussions, so I recommend that you enter your
answers into the textbook. Many will may
not be graded, but it is essential that you completely. Among the ones that are graded, you should
have at least 75% on comprehension and vocabulary quizzes to receive a passing
grade and you must complete all the assigned selections. However, I will drop
two of your lowest scores when averaging your results.
(5)
In-Class Comprehension and Vocabulary Quizzes for
Selections
I will have unannounced quizzes in which you will be answering questions
in class regarding the assigned selections from your textbook. You will be
allowed to use your textbook on the questions, but you will only be given 10-15
minutes to complete the questions, so you must be sure that you have carefully
read the selections before you come to class. There are no makeups for these
grades. However, the highest grades, minus two of the lowest, will be
averaged, so you can be absent for two of these without having a zero.
(6 ) Final Exam – Wednesday, December 14, 2016 8:00 to 9:50
The final is a multiple choice exam.
The exam will consist of three parts: demonstrating
mastery of the material covered in the chapters, application of reading skills (identifying
main ideas, major and minor details, inferences, figures of speech, logical
fallacies, etc. in short passages), and demonstrating mastery of the words
covered in vocabulary boosters.
If necessary, additional
quizzes will be given as well as Chapter Quizzes, Comprehension and Vocabulary
Quizzes.
GRADING
Your final grade is based on the following aspects
of the class (this is subject to revision):
Attendance/Participation 10 points per class
Textbook Assignments 30
points per assignment
Powers by Ursula Leguin 30
points per assignment
Concept Preps (6) 10
points each
Quizzes 30
or 60 points per quiz
Final Exam 120
points
Grading scale:
A = 90-100% B
= 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = below
60%
If you receive a D as your final grade, you will have to
repeat the class.
COURSE POLICIES AND
STATEMENTS
Absence
Policy:
·
Attendance is
mandatory.
I Successful students attend class
regularly. This is a skills-based
course, and like all skills, improvement is based on regular practice. In order to fully participate in the process
of learning, you must be present. In
order to fully participate and improve, you must be punctual. If you arrive after the beginning of class,
you are tardy. [Two (2) tardies will
equal one (1) unexcused absence.] Three
absences will lower your grade.
·
Participation is
essential to learning. Being
physically present in class is not enough. Learning is not a passive process;
it is an active one. You must take part in class discussions and always
do your share in partner or group work. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; they
are a part of learning and they also help your instructors to understand what
you need. Don’t wait to be called on; that’s not participation. Ask questions
when you don’t understand and offer your opinions when it is appropriate. It is
only asked that you remember to be as much an active listener as an active
participant; that is, give others a chance to participate, too.
·
Late work: Late work is strongly
discouraged. Turning in work late can impair your chances of success in the
course. This late work policy applies to all graded assessments (including the
final examination) in the course. I understand that unexpected things can come
up, so the late-work policy for our course is outlined below.
·
Assignments are
always due as assigned. The syllabus is our tentative schedule and we will
try to adhere to it. Even if you aren’t completely sure how to complete your
homework, try to finish it the best you can. Incomplete work will be reduced in
grade. Late assignments will not be
accepted! However, you may
request an extension on an assignment, but please request approval BEFORE the
final deadline.
·
You are responsible for
assignments whether or not you are in class the day they are assigned or the
day they are due. If you are going to miss
class for any reason and wish to receive credit for the assignment due that
day, you must get the assignment to me at the beginning of class the day it is
due. It is not my responsibility to
remind you to turn your work in if you were absent or late on the day it was
due.
·
Assignments will be accepted
late only if you have a serious emergency. Serious emergencies include
things like serious illness, accidents, natural disasters, and university
server outages. E-mail me the information about your emergency and request approval
to make up the assignment, quiz, or exam. If you receive approval, make up the
work according to the plan we agreed on. If you wait until the next class period to explain your absence, you will
not be allowed to turn in late work.
·
If homework solutions are shared with the class, I
reserve the right to decline to accept late work after the sharing of the
solutions. Only one unexcused, non-emergency late submission will be allowed
per student per course.
·
Finding out about missed work: Check my curriculum
blog daily. In addition, I suggest you exchange phone numbers
and/or email addresses with a reliable classmate who can pick up handouts for
you and explain homework assignments to you if you are absent. You may also see
me during my office hours to get handouts and assignments. I may also post some
handouts on D2L. However, I will not
bring handouts to class the next class period for students who have been
absent.
·
Academic Integrity Policy:
By
enrolling in this course, you are bound by the NEIU Student Code of Conduct: http://www.neiu.edu/university-life/student-rights-and-responsibilities/student-code-conduct. All assignments
are expected to be your own work. This is not a research class, so you are not
expected to cite any sources. (If for some reason you are using someone else’s
words, quotations and citations must be properly referenced.) Any work that is
not your own but has been copied from any other source (e.g., a book, a
magazine, the Internet, or even a classmate)—will receive an immediate failing
grade without question. If necessary, additional steps will be taken; please be
aware that the university’s policy on academic integrity states that a student
may be expelled for plagiarism.
Desire to Learn ( D2L)
·
Information
will be posted on D2L for this class. It is your
responsibility to check D2L for materials and assignments regularly.
Insecure Media and
Grades
·
I will not discuss or report student grades via email
following federal privacy laws and university policy. Please come to see me during my office
hour (room 2016, on Friday, from 9:35 to
10:35) if you have any questions about your grades. You may also schedule an
appointment at a time convenient for both of us in order to discuss your
grades.
Submission
of Materials
Course activities and written
assignments will be submitted in hard copy, not online. Be sure to keep a copy of any assignment
you submit. Any student work submitted that does not meet the requirements
listed will not be graded. Please ensure that files are
•
appropriately named (last name-Document title-course
name and section),
•
submitted in Microsoft-Office format (e.g., .docx,
.xlsx., .pptx),* and
•
Times New Roman font, margins of 1 inch, point 12 font size
While you are not required to
use Microsoft Office products, please ensure your productivity applications are
able to import/export into the compatible file formats.
SUPPORT SERVICES
You should see a
tutor if you are struggling with the class material. Please keep your
appointments. Working with a tutor will only help you to learn easier.
Learning
Support Center: Academic labs
(math, writing, study skills and subject-specific courses) are housed on the
fourth floor of the Ronald Williams library. You can also visit them on the web
at www.neiu.edu/lsc. To make an appointment to see the reading, writing
or learning specialist, call 773-442-4568.
ADA Statement:
Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU)
complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in making reasonable
accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the
Student Disability Services to develop an accommodation plan. You may
contact the Student Disability Services in person in D-104, via
phone at (773) 442-4595 or at http://homepages.neiu.edu/~saffairs/services/SDS/index.php if you would like more information about the services available.
Campus
Safety:
LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED
