Speaking and Listening for Civic Leadership

Bellevue College

Speaking and Listening for Civic Leadership

Class Syllabus ESL 065/066 Fall Quarter 2014

Class Information

Room:R308

Days:Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Times:9:30am to 12:20pm and 1 hour online work (outside of class with a computer)

Dates:September 22 to December 10 (No class on 10/22 and 11/28)

Instructor

Name:Nancy E. McEachran

Office: R130U

Email:

Phone: (425) 564-2747

Office Hours:Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12:30 to 1:30pm

Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30am

By Appointment

Class Purposes

The class has five purposes:

1. To improve your English Speaking and Listening skills step-by-step.
2. To learn about leadership and to practice leadership skills.
3. To learn about the history of the United States of America.
4. To practice academic skills that will help you to transition to other college classes.
5. To gain confidence in your English skills
   

Washington State ESL Adult Learning Standards

The purposes of the class are connected to the Washington State ESL Adult Learning Standards. These two Standards guide the teaching and learning in the class. The Standards for the class and what students should be able to do by the end of the quarter are listed below:

Speaking Standard

Speak So Others Can Understand You

What students should be able to do by the end of the quarter:

1.Tell your purpose for communicating

2.Organize your speaking

3.Pay attention to grammar, vocabulary, and pace when speaking

4.Use different strategies (plans) to help you to speak clearly

Listening Standard

Listen Actively

What students should be able to do by the end of the quarter:

1.Pay careful attention to oral information

2.Make clear the purpose for listening

3.Use different strategies (plans) to help you to listen

4.Use previous information to understand the purpose of listening

Class Environment

The college’s Affirmation of Inclusion is posted on the wall in each classroom. It says that we will all treat one another with respect. We will talk about the Affirmation of Inclusion in class. A copy of the Affirmation of Inclusion is included with this syllabus. The Affirmation of Inclusion can also be found at

Professional student behavior is expected in the classroom. Professional student behavior includes respect toward the instructor, classmates, and the class itself. Disruptive behavior is disrespectful behavior. Some examples of disruptive behavior are arriving late and leaving early with no explanation, talking while others are trying to hear the instructor or class members, doing homework in class, talking on cell phones and texting in class, or making impolite comments. This behavior interrupts the educational process. If you are not sure about a behavior, make an appointment to talk with your instructor.

Class Book and Materials

The book for the class is U.S. Citizen, Yes: Preparing for Citizenship (third edition) by Ronna Magy. This text is available in the college bookstore. I will also bring some biography books to class about leaders that I will lend to students. Make sure that you don’t write in the books and that you replace them if you damage them. For every class meeting you must have materials including your book, notebook, pencils, pens, and required handouts as downloaded from the computer CANVAS site. You will also need a USB flash drive for some of your assignments.

Online Work

Speaking and Listening for Civic Leadership is a hybrid (HYA) class. In a hybrid class you work: (1) in the classroom and (2) outside of the classroom online with a computer. The Speaking and Listening for Civic Leadership class will meet in the classroom for 9 hours a week. You will also need to work outside of class for 1 hour each week on a computer. You must have computer access to meet the requirements of the class. We will use Canvas, the BC student learning management system, for our online work. Your practice with Canvas will help you to prepare for other college classes.

To get onto Canvas you will need to follow these steps:

1. Go to the Bellevue College homepage:
2. Go to the bottom right corner of the Bellevue College website page under Student Links and click on Canvas.
3. You will see the Canvas Learning Management System website page. Login to Canvas on this website page.
4. If you have a BC account you can login to Canvas using your user name and password. (You will use your user name and password to access your BC email. Your user name and password is your NetID.)
5. If you don’t have a BC account you will need to create your account. Below is a link to create your account, to change your password or to look up your user name
6. After you can login to Canvas you will see your course number: ESL 065.
7. We will practice the login to Canvas in class. You can also go to N250 and they will help you to login. Please let me know if you need further help.
   

Civic Leadership and Community Participation

In this class you will practice leadership skills and actively participate in the community as a volunteer. Volunteer work will help you to practice your speaking and listening skills. Volunteer work is also a chance to share your expertise and talents.

You will need to complete at least 6 hours of volunteer work this quarter. Some of this volunteer work will be during class time and some of the volunteer work will be outside of class. I have some ideas of how and where you can volunteer. You may have some ideas, too. We will talk about the volunteer work together to make the best plan for you.

Class Attendance and Progress

You need to attend every class session to improve your English step-by-step. Our class meets for 10 hours each week. The class meets in the classroom (R308) for 9 hours each week. The teacher also counts the completion of your online homework assignments as one hour of attendance each week. You must fully complete two online assignments to receive 1 hour of attendance each week. Your progress and learning in this class depends on your regular attendance and active participation.

If you are sick or have a family emergency contact the instructor by phone or email. Contacting an instructor if you cannot attend a class is a very important college skill. Remember: contact your instructor if you are unable to come to class or to continue in the class.

All students in ESL classes at Bellevue College should make progress in their level. If you are absent for more than 20% of the classes you may receive a No Progress evaluation.The teacher looks at your attendance (in-class and online) classroom work, and tests (including CASAS tests) to decide your progress.

The teacher will tell you during and at the end of the quarter what you need to do to make progress. If you don’t progress to the next level by the end of three quarters, you will need to take a break from classes at Bellevue College. After a one-year break, you can apply again and take the CASAS test, but you must place in the level higher than your last class level at Bellevue College.

Questions and Class Participation

Ask questions if you don’t understand the lesson activities and the homework assignments. You can ask questions in class or visit me during my office hours. Asking questions is an important part of learning and increasing your English skills.

Complete your homework assignments on time. Your work will be reviewed by the teacher. Some of your work will be for practice. For some of your work and the tests you will receive the grades in the box below:

96%-100%4 Excellent

86%-95%3 Good

80%- 85%2 Needs more work

79%-below1 Beginning

Important Information

Student Concerns with the Class

If a student has a concern or problem with their class they should talk to the instructor. If the student is not comfortable talking to the instructor they should talk with the following people:

1. Program chair, Jean Pauley at

2. Arts and Humanities Division Dean, Maggie Harada at

3. Assistant Dean, Scott Bessho at

4. More information is available at the Ombuds Office at

Disability Resource Center

The Disability Resource Center serves students with learning challenges and apparent and non apparent disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or a learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact the DRC staff as soon as possible.

The DRC office is located in B132 and the DRC website is You can also contact the DRC in the following ways:
Voice: (425) 564-2498
Fax: (425) 564-4138
Video Phone: (425) 440-2025
TTY: (425) 564-4110

Remember if you are someone who has either an apparent or non apparent disability and requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc., please meet with your individual instructor to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.

Public Safety

The staff of the Bellevue College Public Safety Department provides personal safety, security, crime prevention, and other services to the campus community, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Their phone number is (425) 564-2400. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web at

Privacy Information

We do not wish other people (parents, spouses, relatives, and friends of students) to speak for students about school performance because this can slow student growth and progress. We believe this because we would like students to speak for themselves and be independent. We also follow the guidelines because federal law, the FamilyEducational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), says that we must protect the privacy of student education records. It is Bellevue College policy to keep school performance information between the school and the student.

More Information

You can read more about student procedures and expectations at

You can read more about college policies of the Arts & Humanities Division website at

Gifts

The students in this program often like to do nice things for their teachers at the end of the quarter. Cards, flowers, and food are good ways to thank your teacher. You do not need to buy your teacher a gift or give money.

School Closure Information

For snowy or bad weather you can get information from these sources:

(425) 401-6680 or BC homepage at

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