English 95: Accelerated Reading, Writing and Critical Thinking

Fall Semester 2015

Instructor: Sara Toruño-Conley Office: CC2-286
Section: 1403 Office Hours: TTH 11-12,
Class Times: TTH 12:30-3:20 W (Online)3-4:30 pm
Location: CC2-214 Phone: 925-439-2181 x37865
E-mail:
(E-mail is the best way to contact me.)

Course Description

English 95 is an accelerated reading, writing and critical thinking course designed to prepare you for college-level work. “Accelerated” means you will be challenged in a fast-paced course to demonstrate your ability to read, write, and discuss college-level material, but with extra support from the instructor. Because this course is more challenging (than English 70 or 90), itis recommended for students who are highly motivated.

Also, English 95 relies heavily on thoughtful class and small group discussions, all of which are meant to help develop your critical reading, writing and thinking skills. Most class sessions will involve in-class writing, group work, and class discussion while some sessions will require in-class reading. You will hopefully become comfortable with your fellow classmates (making friends along the way) while learning fromand motivating each other. I hope by the end of the semester, you will be confident and ready to enroll in English 100! I look forward to getting to know you.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

  1. Read actively and demonstrate critical thinking skills through the ability to comprehend, summarize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate a variety of primarily non-fiction texts, which would include diverse perspectives and worldviews
  2. Write, edit, and revise expository essays, which integrate and synthesize course readings and are clearly focused, fully developed, logically organized, and show developing syntactic maturity
  3. Demonstrate awareness and use of strategies for academic success

Required Texts

In the LMC Bookstore

  1. Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
  2. Pruno, Ramen, and a Side of Hope by Courtney B. Lance & Nikki D. Pope

Provided by Instructor

  1. English 95 Reader

Course Requirements

MajorEssay Assignments (65%)

  • 4 take-home, typed essays (4-6 pgs)—55%
  • 1 in-class essay (the final)—10%

The way it works:

For the first essay, you will receive comments from me (on strengths and weaknesses), but no grade. However, you are still required to complete the essay to pass the course. For the last 4 essays (including the final) you will receive a letter grade.

Important Notes:

  • You will not pass the class if you do not complete ALL of the above essays within the timeframe given
  • If you do notsubmita rough draft for the required essays, I will not accept your final draft essay, which is required to pass the class.
  • If you turn in an incomplete rough draft or a late rough draft, you might not receive professor comments/feedback.
  • I will expect you to use MLA format for all major, typed essays.

Open-Book Reading Quizzes (20%)

Reading quizzes will be given throughout the semester. Although the quizzes are open-book, you will need to have done the reading to do well on the quiz since I give questions that require in-depth knowledge of the text. You won’t have time to catch up on reading during the quiz. You will be given a window of time (about 60 minutes) for each quiz, and these cannot be made up. Note: Each quiz will be at the very beginning of class. If you are late, you will miss out on the quiz (no exceptions).

Homework (5%)

Homework will consist of mostly note-taking and low-stakes writing assignments. Some homework assignments may require you to utilize campus resources (such as the Center for Academic Support and/or the counseling office).

Rough Drafts and Workshops (5%)

For each major take-home essay, you will be required to write a rough draft and participate in a workshop (see dates on the course outline at end of syllabus) during which you will give and receive peer-feedback. You are required to participate in the workshop to receive full credit for your draft.(Note: Laptops may only be used for rough draft workshops).

Participation and In-Class Work (5%)

Class participation consists of the following: speaking up (presenting group findings/discussions to the class), contributing to class discussions, participating in group sessions, participating in a respectful manner, andattending student conferences.

In-class work consists of low-stakes reading and writing assignments as well as reading-based activities. Note: We will often do 5-minute freewrites (or other small writing assignments) at the very beginning of class. Thesecannot be made up or turned in late

Participation grading Info: If you miss more than 2 full class sessions of activities, I begin deducting points from your class participation grade (2 points per session). If you are late or leave early more than twice, causing you to miss a reading, writing, or group activity, your grade will be deducted by 1 point per missed assignment, which is why it’s important to come to class on time and not leave early! You cannot make up in-class assignments.

The key to doing well in this class is to show up consistently on time and participate actively, which will all help you do better on the writing assignments!!

Grading Policy

In order to give you time to improve and grow as a reader and a writer, the first essay of the class will not be given a grade. I will, however, leave extensive comments on this essay so you will know what you need to improve by the time the first graded essay comes along. Note: Although the first essay is not graded, you are still expected to treat it with the same attention and rigor you would a graded essay. Remember, if you do not complete the first essay or turn in incomplete work (fewer than required pages), you will not pass the class.

Evaluation of your essays will be based on your ability to meet SLOs 1-2:

  1. Read actively and demonstrate critical thinking skills through the ability to comprehend, summarize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate a variety of primarily non-fiction texts, which would include diverse perspectives and worldviews
  2. Write, edit, and revise expository essays, which integrate and synthesize course readings and are clearly focused, fully developed, logically organized, and show developing syntactic maturity

In addition, see the grading rubric on D2L for more specific guidelines.

A (Excellent)90-100%

B (Good)80-89%

C (Satisfactory)70-79%

D (Poor)60-69%

F (Failing) 0-59%

Note: Students are responsible for keeping copies of all graded assignments, rough drafts, homework and in-class work (handed back).

Attendance and Being on Time

Attendance is a must in order to do well in this course. Students who miss class consistently rarely if ever pass the course. If for some reason you do have to miss class, you will need to contact another student for missed assignments. I do not respond to e-mails asking for missed assignments.

Sporadic attendance and/or consistent lateness will affect class participation due to your inability to participate fully in every session. Being on time to class is also imperative as it affects your ability to participate in class discussions and keep up with class material. We will often have in-class freewrites at the very beginning of class, which cannot be made up. Also, important announcements will be made at the beginning of class, which I often do not repeat. Just as you would need to show up to work on time in any given career, make sure you show up to class on time consistently.

Note: If you are going to be absent for up to 2 days in a row, I ask that you let me know via e-mail. If you communicate with me, I may be more understanding, and realize that you aren’t missing because you don’t care about passing, but because of something you can’t control. I realize that life gets in the way sometimes.

Drop Policy

If students do not attend the first day of class, they will be dropped. I will drop students who miss two consecutive weeks of instruction and/or will drop students if the absences have irretrievably affected the student’s progress. It is your responsibility to drop for other reasons.

Side Note: If you decide you’d like to drop the course (for whatever reasons), I ask that you please let me know first. When students sometimes drop, I wonder where they went. By coming to me first, I may at least know if there was something I could have done to change your mind.

Missing and Late Work

I accept late homework and essays up to one week only; however, lateness will result in a drop of one letter grade for the assignment. I do not accept late in-class work, reading quizzes, or the final.

Submitting Your Essays

Allfinal draftsof essay will be submitted online, typed, on the due date. You must submit your essay through Desire2Learn (D2L) by the due date; otherwise, your essay will be marked late resulting in a drop of one letter grade.

Cell Phones

I expect all cell phones to be put on silent and put away during class sessions, which also means no texting. I do not allow the use of cell phones during class unless I specify you can use one for an assignment. I also do not allow you to charge your cell phones or have them sitting on your desk (again unless we are using them for in-class work). If by chance your phone rings or I find you texting during class, you will be asked to put the phone away. If this request is not met or I have to ask you more than once, you will be dismissed from class. If you have an emergency and need to use your cell phone, simply leave the class to do so.

Laptops

Unfortunately, I do not allow laptops to be used in class unless needed for disability reasons in which case a note will be needed from the disabilities office. The one exception I will make for the use of laptops is if one is needed for the rough draft workshop.

Disciplinary Issues

I don’t expect to have any problems with rude/inappropriate behavior, but if by chance a student is found to be disruptive, disrespectful, and/or just rude, he/she will be given a warning. If the behavior continues, he/she will be asked to leave class and will need to report to the dean. Please refer to the “Student Code of Conduct” for further information (

Plagiarism

Plagiarism, defined as copying someone else’s work or submitting someone else’s work as your own, is a serious offense and will not be taken lightly; a plagiarized paper will receive a zero! Remember it is much better to receive a failing grade on a paper you have written yourself than to receive a zero on that paper.

For all essay assignments, refrain from taking information online and putting it in your essay as this will often result in plagiarism.

ADA Statement

If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please inform me at the beginning of the semester or as soon as possible after documentation has been received.Students with documented learning and/or physical disabilities may receive reasonable classroom and/or testing accommodations. Please make these arrangements with me at the beginning of the semester or as soon as possible after documentation has been received. Last minute requirements may not be determined “reasonable”.

Extra Credit!!!

The Center for Academic Support(5 points extra credit for seeing a consultant one time!!!)

Be sure to visit the Center for Academic Support (located in the CORE on the 3rd floor of the college complex) at least once in order to gain feedback and help with the reading or writing process. You can bring in a rough draft, an outline, or just brainstorming notes. Be sure to make an appointment with a consultant at least a week in advance because the center gets booked pretty fast!

Final Note

I’m hoping you will begin to form close bonds with your classmates and rely on each other throughout the semester for support and guidance. Think of me as a coach and not as a gatekeeper that decides if you pass or fail. Only you can decide if you will pass or fail a course by either doing the work, seeking help when needed, or not doing the work or seeking appropriate help. I am simply the guide steering you in the right direction. I look forward to getting to know you and helping you achieve success!

*Note: The syllabus is subject to change

Syllabus Contract
By signing this document, I give full consent to meet the course requirements (outlined in the syllabus) in order to pass the class. I agree that I will attend all (or close to all) classes and come prepared and on time. If I decide I’d like to drop the course, I will contact Sara Toruno-Conley first either in person or via e-mail.

Print Name:

______

Sign Name:

______

Disclaimer

By signing this document I give consent to allow my written and/or typed work to be used in future classes. Any work used will be anonymous.

Print Name:

______

Sign Name:

______

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