“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” ~Kofi Annan
English 910: Reading and Writing
Section 4: Mon-Thurs 10-10:50am
Section 12: Tues/Thurs 8:30-9:45am; Wed 9-9:50
Section 14: Tues/Thurs 11:30-12:45; Wed 12-12:50
Instructor: Abby FlachmannOffice #: 661-654-6912
Office: FT 102-EOffice Hours: Mon 11am-2pm,
Email: ues, Wed, Thurs 1-2pm
Required Texts:
Baker and Beitman. What Every Student Should Know About Critical Reading
Fishman, Charles. The Big Thirst
Flachmann, Kim. Mosaics: Reading and Writing Essays 7th ed.
Other course materials accessed through Blackboard
Supplies:
Jump Drive
Highlighters
1-3 subject notebook with pockets/folders or binder with paper
Prerequisite
A total English Placement Test score between 120 and 137.
Advancing to English 1109
To advance to English 1109, you must earn a grade of C- or higher in English 910. To be eligible for a C- in English 910, you must earn a C- or higher on at least one in-class writing assignment and a C- average on all other course assignments.
Course Description
Designed to improve reasoning, reading, and writing skills. It helps students build a strong foundation in these skills for successful performance in college. This course may be taken for credit toward full-time status but does not count toward the baccalaureate degree.
Course Learning Outcomes
At the end of English 910, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:
Goal 1:Reading Skills
DE80-1A:Students will identify the purpose, audience, and tone of a text.
DE80-1B:Students will identify a writer’s choices (e.g., bias, rhetorical modes, organization, diction, etc.) in a text.
Goal 2: Writing Skills
DE80-2A:Students will create a thesis statement for a specific writing task.
DE80-2B:Students will develop an understanding of basic grammar and mechanics.
DE80-2C:Students will demonstrate the ability to use basic logical reasoning to develop and organize ideas.
Goal 3: Research Skills
DE80-3:Students will identify the differences among summary, paraphrase, and direct quotes.
Basic reading and writing skills must be exhibited before students can expect passing scores on their essays.
Sequence Course Policy
This course is part of a sequence. This means that you will be automatically registered for English 1109 next semester with your cohort. Please be aware that you are responsible for registering for all other classes.
In order to be guaranteed a spot in English 1109, you will need to clear all registration holds, including your mandatory freshman health hold. To do this, you need to go to the campus Health Center and follow their directions for clearing this particular hold. If these holds aren’t cleared, you will not be registered into English 1109.
Attendance Policy
Because mastering skills in writing requires regular, sustained effort, you should attend your composition classes regularly and punctually. If you have more than three absences, you should not expect to receive a passing grade.
An excused absence is when you absolutely must miss class because of unavoidable circumstances, such as a family emergency or illness. Incidents such as doctor appointments or work schedules that conflict with class are within your control and as such are not valid reasons for missing class.
Also, please note that being absent does not excuse you from turning in assignments on time or for being unaware of changes to the schedule. You should also be aware that due to their nature, in-class activities cannot be made up. Excessive absences, then, will result in a reduction on your class participation grade and may also affect your essay grades. Remember, you will get out of this class what you put into it!
If you must miss a class, follow these steps:
1)Contact me before class if possible
2)Arrange for someone to drop off your assignments or e-mail them to me
3)Check Blackboard for notes and assignments you missed
4)Finally, contact a fellow classmate to discuss what you missed in class that day. This means you must make some friends in class!
Class Behavior:
Tardies—arriving late and leaving early are distracting and disruptive. Please be considerate of your fellow classmates and see me if outside obligations will affect your arriving to class on time.
Electronic Devices—Out of respect for everyone in class, please keep all electronic devices put away during class unless noted by the instructor. If you are expecting an important call or need to respond to an urgent text, please quietly (and sparingly) conduct your business outside of the classroom and promptly return. Also, please refrain from checking e-mail and social media during class. It is only a few hours a day! You can do it!
Waiting List Policy
On a waiting list, you are eligible for a place in the class if you
- come to every class and
- turn in the work while you are there.
Being on a waiting list does not guarantee you a place in the class. It simply means you are welcome to wait for an opening in the class if you so desire. If no one drops out of the course, then no students can add.
As a result, you should be aware of the last day to add and have a back-up choice if you need another class. This plan is especially important for financial aid recipients and for F-1 and J-1 visa holders, who must carry a full load to receive their financial aid. Being on a waiting list does not count as a class toward a full load.
Instructor-Initiated Drop Policy
Many students are trying to get into composition courses. As a result, this class is subject to the policy on instructor-initiated drops. If the class is full and has a waiting list, the instructor has the right to administratively drop you from class by the end of the second week of the term if you have missed three consecutive class sessions and have not contacted the instructor. However, you should not assume that you will be automatically dropped from this course if you have not attended.
Academic Honesty Policy
“The principles of truth and integrity are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in so doing will protect the integrity of all academic work and student grades. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance and without giving unauthorized assistance.”
For a complete statement on the University’s policy on academic honesty, go to CSUB.edu and search “Academic Integrity.”
Support Services for Students
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, you should contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) as soon as possible. This office is located in SA 140, and they may be reached at 661-654-3360 (voice) or 661-654-6288 (TDD). If you have an accommodations letter from the SSD Office documenting a disability, you should present it to me as soon as possible so we can discuss the specific accommodations you need for this class.
At times, school, work, and/or our personal lives can become overwhelming and difficult to handle. CSUB’s Counseling Center is available to you with skilled and experienced counselors to guide you through the challenges of daily life. Contact 654-3366 for an appointment.
Course Content and Requirements:
Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) and Book-of-the-Month
Ten to twenty minutes once a week will be devoted to silent sustained reading (SSR), followed by a brief writing assignment, such as a journal entry. You should bring your SSR book to every class.
Your SSR book will be a book of your choice, and you must finish it by the end of the semester. There will also be writing and discussion assignments related to your book assigned throughout the semester. More about the Book-of-the-Monthwill be discussed in class.
Daily Warm-Ups and Quizzes:
We will have Daily Warm-Up assignments and/or reading quizzes everyday. The purpose of these is not to trick you or fail you, but to keep you on task and ensure you complete the assigned readings and activities on time and come to class everyday. Warm-Ups, quizzes, and in-class activities cannot be made up. Do your homework and come to class prepared and you will be fine.
MyWritingLabPlus (MWLP) Requirement
You are responsible for completing 15 MyWritingLabPlus topics in your English 910 class. This requirement is worth 10% of your overall English 910 grade. To receive full credit, you must (1) take the Path Builder and Mastery Check and (2) master approximately one of the assigned topics (listed below) per week, for a total of 15 topics by the end of the quarter according to the schedule provided by your instructor. To master a topic, you must earn a score of 80% or higher on the Recall 1, Recall 2, and Apply sections for each of the following topics.Topics mastered through the Path Builder willnotcount towards the 15 topics. Students must master these 15 assigned topics through all five activities.
- Part of Speech, Phrases and Clauses
- Tense
- Fragments
- Run-Ons
- Subject-Verb Agreement
- Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
- Commas
- Apostrophes
- Capitalization
- Easily Confused Words
- The Writing Process
- Prewriting
- Developing and Organizing a Paragraph
- Thesis Statement
- Avoid Plagiarism
You will be held responsible for these new skills every week in your writing. Since this is an online workshop, you can work on these topics outside of class at your convenience, as long as you master approximately one topic per week, for a total of 15 topics. This means that if you wait until the end of the quarter to complete all 15 topics, you will not receive full credit and your essay will not benefit from your mastery of these skills. You will need the following information to use the site:
Website URL:
Username:Student ID# (e.g., 000123456)
Password:The first time you log in, your password will be your full birth date (e.g., if your birthday is November 9, 1993, then your password would be 11091983). You can change this password after you log in the first time.
For additional information about the program, please go to the following website:
If you exhaust a topic before mastering it, you can call, email, or fill out an online unlock form at or stop by CB 100 and get your topics unlocked.
Individual, Drop-in Tutor Passport Requirement
You are responsible for completing a minimum of six hours of Writing Resource Center (WRC) tutoring on your reading and writing for this class. Your instructor will give you a Tutor Passport form that you must fill out and take with you to the WRC. In order to receive credit, you must complete the required tutoring hours or minutes by the due dates indicated on your syllabus and must have a WRC tutor fill in the time in and time out and date, stamp, and sign the form for each visit. You can make appointments at the WRC or drop in during the hours the center is open. All tutor schedules are posted in the center.
Turnitin.com Requirement
Turnitin.com is a tool to help you avoid plagiarism. Approximately two hours after submitting a paper to this online program, you can access a color-coded report with details about the use of sources in your paper. Because this site does not detect problems with paraphrasing that is not cited properly, you should use this site only as a guide. To use turnitin.com, you will need to register on the site and set up a password. Once this is done, you then will need to create a “user profile” specifically for this class and any others that may use the site. You will need the following information to set up your user profile:
Class ID—(given in class)
Class Enrollment Password--gorunners
After creating a profile, students can log onto and use the site.
Note: Submitting a paper to turnitin.com is not the same as submitting a paper to your instructor; you also must hand in a copy of your paper to your instructor.
Revision Policy
Required revisions are indicated on the course schedule. When you revise your writing, the original essay must be submitted with the rewrite. In order for a grade to improve, you need to do more than simply correct the marks on the original essay. In other words, rewritten papers should show extensive revision as well as editing.
Assignments:
Papers: Guidelines for papers will be given in class. For all out-of-class essays, you must turn in all drafts and any other related assignments to receive credit (more will be discussed in class). All writing workshops are required because they are extremely beneficial to your success in this class! All papers must be typed in 12 point font and double-spaced; furthermore, you must come to class with the paper already printed out and stapled.
Late Assignments: Your assignments are due on the date indicated on the syllabus or indicated by the instructor. Please do not come to class with your work on a flash drive and ask if you may “print it out quickly.” You should have your work in your hand when you arrive for class. I always accept late essay assignments; however, be aware that essay grades are reduced by one letter grade for each DAY they are late. Also, please refer to the absent policy for turning in assignments if you miss a class.
In-Class Writing Assignments: You will be required to write at least two in-class assignments during the quarter. You must pass at least one of these in-class writing assignments with a C- or higher to be eligible to pass the class. More will be discussed in class.
Reading Assignments:
This class focuses on improving your reading and writing skills in order to succeed in college; therefore, each week you will have several reading assignments from the required books and sources provided to you, along with some reading of your choice. Most of your reading assignments will include writing, revision, and discussion assignments as well. In other words, be prepared to read and write A LOT!!
Portfolio:
We will be keeping a portfolio of coursework and writing assignments throughout the year. You must include all drafts of essays as well as required evaluations. More will be discussed in class.
Breakdown of Grade:
In-Class Essays—20%Participation/Tutoring—10%
Midterm Essay—15%My Writing Lab Plus—10%
Final Essay—15%Portfolio and Reflections—5%
Reading and Writing Assignments Water Project—5%
(homework andclasswork)—20%
Course and Homework Schedule
*please note this syllabus is tentative and subject to change; in fact, it most likely will!
Week One: 8/22-8/25
MWLP: Pathbuilder (due Friday by midnight)
- Introduction to course, MWLP, Blackboard, and turnitin.com
- Reading Due: Critical Reading Ch 1 and 2
Week Two: 8/29-9/1
MWLP: The Writing Process; Prewriting (due Friday by midnight)
- Reading Due: Mosaics Ch 4 and 5; Critical Reading Ch 3
- Writing Workshop: Thesis and Main Ideas
- In-Class Essay #1
Week Three: 9/5-9/8
MWLP: Thesis Statements (due Friday by midnight)
- No Class Monday 9/5: Labor Day
- Reading Due: Critical Reading Ch 4; Mosaics Ch 6
- Reading Workshop: Mindset; Purpose and Audience
- Writing Workshop: Development and Organization
Week Four: 9/12-9/15
MWLP: Developing and Organizing a Paragraph (due Friday by midnight)
- Reading Due: Mosaics Ch 6
- Reading Workshop: Mindset
- Writing Workshop: Development and Organization cont.
Week Five: 9/19-9/22
MWLP: Parts of Speech (due Friday by midnight)
- Reading Workshop: Mindset
- Writing Workshop: Quoting and Paraphrasing; Midterm Essay
Week Six: 9/26-9/29
MWLP: Fragments; Run-Ons (due Friday)
- Reading Due: Mosaics Ch 7
- Book-of-the-Month worksheet #1 due
- Writing Workshop: Midterm Essay Revision
Week Seven: 10/3-10/6
MWLP: Subject-Verb Agreement (due Friday)
- Writing Workshop: Midterm Essay Revision
- 3 tutoring hours due
- Midterm Essay Final Draft Due
Week Eight: 10/10-10/13
MWLP: Commas (due Friday)
- Reading Due: The Big Thirst
Week Nine: 10/17-10/20
MWLP: Apostrophes (due Friday)
- Reading Due: Big Thirst
Week Ten: 10/24-10/27
MWLP: Capitalization (due Friday)
- Reading Due: Big Thirst
- Book-of-the-Month worksheet #2 due
Week Eleven: 10/31-11/3
MWLP: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement (due Friday)
- Reading Due: Big Thirst
- In-Class Essay #2
Week Twelve: 11/7-11/10
MWLP: Tense (due Friday)
- Reading Due: Big Thirst
- Writing Workshop: Synthesizing Sources
Week Thirteen: 11/14-11/17
MWLP: Easily Confused Words (due Friday)
- Reading Workshop: Big Thirst
- Writing Workshop: Final Essay
Week Fourteen: 11/21-11/24
MWLP: Avoiding Plagiarism (due Friday)
- Writing Workshop: Final Essay
- No Class Thursday—Thanksgiving
Week Fifteen: 11/28-12/1
MWLP: Mastery check (due Friday)
- Writing Workshop: Final Essay Revision
- Book-of-the-Month worksheet #3 due
- 3 tutoring hours due
Week Sixteen: 12/5-12/6
- Last Week of Class—Final Essay Due
- Water Project Presentations