Sara Jones // Fall 2014
__North Seattle College__ Basic and Transitional Studies : Intensive English Program
COURSE SYLLABUS Fall 2014
College Reading—Level Six (062.01)
Our class will meet Monday through Thursday, from 2:30-3:35
INSTRUCTOR: Sara Jones
E-Mail:
Office: Variable-See me if you’d like to meet
Office hours: by appointment
REQUIRED TEXT: “Inside Reading 2”by Lawrence J. Zwier. (in the bookstore)
REQUIRED MATERIALS:You must bring these things to class every day:
➢8 ½ X 11 3-hole, loose-leaf paper (or similar notebook)
➢Pen or pencil and eraser
➢Your textbook
You also need:
➢a 3-ring binder or folder (to keep your notes and handouts organized)
COURSE OBJECTIVES: In this class you will prepare to handle reading and vocabulary at the college level. With that in mind, you’ll read a variety of non-fiction articles. You will do a complete review of the Academic Word List to make sure that you have the basic vocabulary needed for academic work in college. There will be a lot of tests, quizzes and assignments, but they are all designed to serve a purpose—to make you successful in college!
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
✓DO:
oCome to every class. There are no excused absences the IEP Program.The following are the program policies about attendance:
oIf a student misses 5 classes, this results in a warning from the IEP office.Your status in the class, and your visa status are now in danger.
oIf a student misses 10 classes, he or she will fail the class, but must continue to attend in order to avoid termination.
oIf a student misses 15 classes, the student’s I-20 is terminated and he or she is dismissed from NSC for 1 year. If you are late (tardy) three times it equals one absence.
oIf you have to miss class, please contact me, by:
▪telling me ahead of time, or
▪emailing me before class starts. ()
oBe on time. Our class begins at 2:30. If you have a problem getting here at 2:30, come speak to me. If tardiness becomes a problem, it is disruptive to the class and I will consider locking the door at 2:30. If you are late, you may not come in.
oBe ready. Come prepared. Do your homework before class. Always bring your textbooks and materials to class. Be ready to talk!
oAlways do your own work.
oMake a “study buddy.”Today, get the phone numbers and email addresses of two students in our class so that you can arrange to study together or so that you can call them if you miss a class. You will need to find out what you missed and do the homework for the next day. You can put your study buddy information at the end of this syllabus.
oAsk questions! Please, please, please. If you don’t understand something, please ask me during class or after class. If you don’t ask questions, I think that you understand me. I always welcome questions. They help me know what to teach you.
oUse your cell phone, but only as the class requires (e.g., dictionary, Internet search—no texting or e-mail)
oFollow the handbook. In all IEP classes at North, you must follow the policies in the IEP Handbook.
DON’T:
oTalk in class while your teacher is teaching, or while your classmates are speaking. This is very, very impolite. If you talk in class repeatedly, I will ask you to leave. Never talk to your classmates during a test! If you do, your teacher will think that you are cheating and may give you a zero for that test!
oSleep in class. If you sleep in class, I will ask you to leave.
GRADES: Your grade for this class will be based on your performance on tests, assignments, quizzes and (possibly) presentations. Other elements which affect your grade are attendance, class participation and preparedness. The approximate breakdown of your grade will be as follows:
50% Reading tests, quizzes, major assignments
30%Vocabulary tests, quizzes, major assignments
20%CHAP (Classwork, Homework, Attendance, and Participation)
NOTE: There are no “make-up”quizzes, tests, or in-class assignments. If you miss any of these, you will receive a zero. I know that emergencies can come up and that people get sick, so I have a policy of dropping your lowest scored test. Know thatif you miss more than one test, quiz or major assignment and your average is not above 75%, you will probably fail this class.
Important Notes:
oYou need to receive a grade of75% in order to pass this class.
oIn addition, you must pass your final with 75% to pass this class.
At the end of the quarter, you can find out your grades online. The International Program will send out information about how to do this near the end of the quarter. Due to confidentiality issues, I cannot email you your final grades.
A Note on Homework
It is important for you to do your homework on your own at home or in the library. Homework is a chance for you to practice English at home and to see if you understand what you learned in class.
❒Do not copy another student’s homework. If I discover that you have copied another student’s homework, you will both receive zeroes for that assignment.
❒Do not do your homework in class.
❒Do not ask someone else to do your homework for you.
❒If I discover copied homework, both students will receive zeroes.
C Late homework will not be accepted. You are responsible for turning in your homework when it is due.
A Note on Plagiarism
Do you know what plagiarism is? Plagiarism is when a writer uses words that are not his or her own words. In some cultures, it is an honor to use other writers’words –especially if they are wise words. However, in the United States, plagiarism is a kind of cheating. It is a big problem in the U.S. Many students try to plagiarize. They:
EAsk a friend to write their homework for them.
EAsk a Loft tutor to write their homework for them.
ECopy other students’homework or papers.
ECopy papers, or parts of papers, from the Internet.
ECopy information from books or the Internet and put it in their papers.
These are some of the kinds of plagiarism. Don’t do these things! It is very important that you understand that you cannot plagiarize. It is completely against the rules. If you are caught plagiarizing, some schools will expel you! Your teachers are very smart. They will know if you have plagiarized, and you will have to deal with the consequences. Please, do your own work. Your writing will not improve if you copy someone else’s work. If you are caught plagiarizing, you will receive a zero for the assignment.
Possible College Closures:
The college may close because of weather or other emergencies. Listen to radio or TV broadcasts or check on the Internet at http://www.northseattle.edu. Information is usually available before 6 a.m. You can sign up for text alerts about college closures if you go to the class webpage.