English 085.81,College Reading

Winter 2014, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 – 12:25

February 4 – May 1, 2014. Jackson College, Hillsdale Campus

Instructor: Sue Skiendziel

Email:

I prefer to be contacted by email and will respond to your email within 24 hours, except on weekends or holidays. You may also leave messages for me in my mailbox at the JC office.

Textbooks:

  • Experience Reading 2by Suzanne Liff and Joyce Stern; ISBN: 978-0-07-340715-9
  • The Other Wes Mooreby Wes Moore; ISBN 978-0-385-52820-7
  • Making Connections 2013-2014, 085 Course Pack

Supplies:

  • Black or blue pens
  • College-ruled paper, not paper torn from a spiral notebook
  • Index cards will be helpful, but not required

Course Objectives:

  1. Improve your reading comprehension.
  2. Write clear summaries of what you read.
  3. Make connections between what you read and your own experiences.
  4. Increase your vocabulary.
  5. Read for pleasure and information.

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”
―Margaret Fuller

Associate Degree Outcomes:

The JC Board of Trustees has developed a list of essential skills that all graduates should develop. The Board has said: “JC’s goal is to prepare students to live productive and meaningful lives. Implicit in this goal are efforts to prepare students to: (a) live and work in the 21st century, (b) be employed in situations which will require retraining several times during a productive life, and (c) function in a rapidly changing international society.”

In support of these guidelines, Eng 085 students will develop Critical Thinking Skills, including the ability to:

  1. Generate questions about text before and while reading.
  2. Identify impact of emotion on thought.
  3. Distinguish between fact, opinion, and inference.
  4. Recognize bias in a piece of writing.
  5. Incorporate new knowledge with old.

Specific Course Assignments

1)Vocabulary assignments and quizzes: Because increasing vocabulary is so important to developing reading skills, there will be class time devoted to learning basic prefixes and root words. There will be fourvocabulary quizzes that will cover Latin/Greek word parts and selected vocabulary words. There will be a final vocabulary test.

2)Reading of The Other Wes Moore: There will be questions and vocabulary for each section of this book.

3)Readings and assignments from Experience Reading:

4)Assigned readings from Making Connections: These articles will play a major part in our class-time work.

5)Miscellaneous readings and assignments: There will be other articles, poems, and exercises.

Attendance:

Although I do not make deductions for absences, absences will definitely hurt your grade:

  1. You cannot make up in-class work.
  2. Your participation grade will suffer.
  3. You will miss valuable class time of instruction and practice.
  4. You will develop habits that will hinder your success in other classes and in your future professional work life.

My goal is for you to be successful in this class. My experience has shown me that students who don’t attend the classes are generally not successful in class, and those who attend each class have the most chance at success. Although I do not keep track of excused absences, I do realize that major events can happen in all our lives, such as deaths, surgeries, house-fires, etc. Please tell me about the situation if such an event happens to you. I will be happy to work with you, so that the stresses of the coursework do not overwhelm you during an already unhappy time. Each student who has perfect attendance—no absences, tardies, and does not leave any class early—will receive 10 extra credit points.

Remember: in college, non-emergency dentist or doctor appointments are not excused absences.

Participation:

It is expected that students will participate in class discussions and group discussions. Everyone will get more out of the class if I am not the only one discussing the subject. Class participation makes our time together much more interesting and valuable to everyone, including me. Participation points are given for each class session. Participation points will be deducted when students do not participate either vocally or through body language, are absent or late, have obviously not prepared for class, do not bring books or supplies, disrupt the class, sleep, text-message, or do other things besides this class’s work.

Late Work Policy:

It is expected that assignments will be turned in on time. There is a 50% deduction for late work. I will not accept work that is more than one week overdue. If you will not be in class, homework is considered to be on time if it is in my mailbox or email by the start of class. Quizzes, tests, and in-class assignments cannot be made up, unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor due to unusual circumstances.

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
―Joseph Addison

Grades:

Grades on individual assignments will be assigned using points. Your final course grade will be assigned according to a 4-point scale. I use a point system to calculate grades, with a possible point total of approximately 1000 for the semester. The assignments are weighted for this class as follows:

Experience Reading assignments140 points

Vocabulary quizzes and test160 points

Other Wes Mooreassignments270 points

Misc. reading assignments80points

Participation140points

Making Connections assignments210 points

Please note that these point totals are only estimates, and they may change slightly during the course of the semester.

Final course grades will be assigned as follows:

Grading scale:

4.0 94%—100% (940—1000 points)

3.588—93

3.082—87

2.576—81

2.070—75

1.564—69

1.057—63

.550—56

You may view your grades on JetNet on the JC website throughout the semester.

In case of cancellation of class:

If the class is cancelled due to weather or instructor illness, I will post instructions to your JC email account regarding homework. It is your responsibility to check it immediately and turn in the work as instructed.

Academic Honesty Policy

The Jackson Community College Catalog states: “Academic honesty is expected of all students. It is the ethical behavior that includes producing their own work and not representing others’ work as their own, either by plagiarism, or by cheating, or by helping others to do so…Faculty members who suspect a student of academic dishonesty may penalize the student by taking appropriate action to and including assigning a failing grade for the paper, project, report, exam, or the course itself.”

Assessing your Reading Skills

At the beginning and end of the semester, you will take the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. This is one way we determine whether you have achieved the level of reading comprehension necessary to succeed at JC. The other means we use is your performance in this class. One of your personal goals should be to read a lot and work hard in order to improve your comprehension test scores. I can almost guarantee your scores will improve if you attend class regularly, spend the necessary time doing homework, do all the assigned work, participate actively in class activities, and get assistance with any work you find confusing or difficult.

At the end of the semester, I will meet with each of you individually and go over your assessment scores and class grades with you

Other Items to Keep in Mind:

  1. Please turn off cell phones before class. If you must be accessible by phone for family emergencies, please have your phone on beep only. All phones and personal media devices should be put away during class.
  2. I do not tolerate text-messaging during class at all.
  3. If you have your laptop computer with you, it should be closed during all class sessions.
  4. It is considered rude to be talking when the instructor or your peers have the floor. Participation points will be deducted for this and for not using class time appropriately when there is time to work on assignments.
  5. If there are any specific questions about grades, please address these to me after class.
  6. I want you to succeed! Let me know how we can work together toward your success.

“Why do I read?
I just can't help myself.
I read to learn and to grow, to laughand to be motivated.
I read to understand things I've neverbeen exposed to.
I read when I'm crabby; when I've justsaid monumentally dumb things to thepeople I love.
I read for strength to help me when Ifeel broken, discouraged, and afraid.
I read when I'm angry at the wholeworld.
I read when everything is going right.
I read to find hope.”
―Gary Paulsen,Shelf Life: Stories by the Book

Syllabus Quiz

Name ______

  1. Tell which two College Reading course objectives you most want to achieve, and why.
  1. What is this instructor’s policy about cell phones in class?
  1. What is the policy for late work in this class?
  1. What are the connections between class attendance and your grade?
  1. How can you contact the instructor?
  1. If you miss class, what can be made up?
  1. Write one question you would like answered about the College Reading class?

RL: 8.8