Course Syllabus

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Bellevue College

English Language Institute

Reading 3B #6211

Fall Quarter 2018

 

Instructor:    Weina Sun                                     Class: M-F; 12:30 – 1:20pm  

Email: weina.sun@bellevuecollege.edu            Classroom: L-210

Office Hours: By appointment

Office:     R230                                       

 

Text:

Reading Explorer 2 – 2^nd edition by Paul Macintyre & David Bohlke

ISBN#978-1-305-25447-3

 

Novel: About a Boy by Nick Hornby (Penguin Active Reading)

ISBN#978-1-4058-8450-1

 

Materials: -8 ½ x 11 college-ruled white paper for notes and assignments

           -A binder for handouts

           -English-English dictionary

           -A Bellevue College e-mail account

           -A Bellevue College username and password to access your Canvas

                               

Course Description:

This course will focus on improving your reading skills for academic purposes. You will be reading and responding to academic topics, short stories, and other types of reading. You will also learn to develop scanning, skimming, vocabulary, comprehensive and critical reading, guessing word meaning, and how to use a dictionary.

 

Learning Outcomes: 

At the end of this course, students should be able to:         

• Scan and skim to locate information in a text
• Read and understand paragraphs and short passages
• Outline and summarize a paragraph and short selection
• Express an opinion about a passage
• Use knowledge of word parts and context clues to guess meanings of new words
• Use a dictionary to find correct definitions, parts of speech, usage, syllables, and stress
• Locate level-appropriate reading materials in a library or on-line
• Read and understand graphs, tables, and charts

 

Grades:

 Your grade will be based on the following:

Unit Tests & Practice Exams	35%
Weekly Novel Quizzes	25%
Homework Assignments	15%
Final Novel Project	10%
*Participation, Preparation, & Attendance	10%
Reading Lab Visits	5%
Total	100%

 

Important: You must have a 75% or better on all classwork AND score a 75% or better on the final exam in order to move to Level 4. This means: if you don’t pass your final exam, you don’t pass the class. You will need to repeat Level 3 if you miss the final exam.

 

 Grading Scale:

100 – 96 %      A   (excellent)      

95 – 93        A-

92 – 90          B+   

89 – 87          B   (good)

86 – 84          B-                         

83 – 81          C+

80 – 78          C (satisfactory)

77 – 75        C-     

_______________      

0 – 74%        D (repeat class, good effort)  

0 – 74%        F   (repeat class, unsatisfactory effort)

 

*Participation includes regular attendance to class. To obtain a high participation grade, you will need to come to class prepared to discuss homework, ask questions when you don’t understand something, volunteer answers and work actively with your classmates in pair and group work, and listen politely when others are speaking. Each week, you will have chances to gain 10 participation points (2 for each day). Here’s how to get it:

Points	Your class behavior
0	If you are not in class, you are not participating
0.5	If you sit in class and speak only when the teacher calls on you, you are not participating well
1	If you sometimes volunteer an answer or ask a question, you are doing the minimum participation
1.5	If you often volunteer an answer or ask a question, you are participating well
2	If you always volunteer an answer or ask a question, you are participating very well

 

Assignments:

• Written assignments are considered late if they are not turned in at the beginning of class on the due date.
• Late assignments will be lowered 10% for each day they are late.
• No assignments will be accepted two days after the due date.

 

Make-up Tests:

Come to class on time and take all quizzes, tests, and exams on the days scheduled. Please contact me if you are having difficulty attending class for any reason. One make-up test is allowed. It is your responsibility to contact me before or the day after you miss class by email or in-person for a make-up test.

 

Attendance Policy:

Attend class every day. If you are absent from class, you should e-mail me BEFORE class and tell me that you are going to be absent. It is your responsibility to find out what you have missed from a classmate. I encourage you to get contact information from your classmates.

5 minutes late = tardy (late arrival)

3 tardies = 1 absence

10 or more minutes late = 1 absence

10 or 11 absences = no higher than a D (not passing)

12 absences = F (not passing)

15 absences = F and can be dismissed from the ELI program

 

Classroom Expectations:

1. Respect yourself, your classmates, and your teacher. You are supposed to listen thoughtfully and patiently when other people talk. Be friendly and supportive to your classmates. We are here to make progress together!
2. Always ask! Our class is a safe and comfortable place, so please feel free and be sure to ask me questions if you don’t understand something. Questions help you and your classmates learn.
3. Come to class every day on time, and be prepared to participate. Bring all of your own materials to class every day (book, eraser, pen, pencil, dictionary, paper, etc.).
4. Speak English only to your classmates and instructor. Your native language is beautiful, but it will help you improve your English fluency if you speak English as much as you can.
5. Phones can be helpful, but they can also be distracting. At times, I may want you to use your phone to do some online activities, but please do not use it during class without my permission.
6. Do your work on your own. If someone (classmate, tutor, or friend) helps you with your assignment, please list their names at the top of your assignment you turn in. This is to protect you against cheating.

 

Statement on Plagiarism and Cheating:

Students are in ELI classes to learn English and ELI teachers are here to help them. Cheating makes that harder for both the students and the teachers. “Cheating” is also called “academic dishonesty.”

 

There are different kinds of academic dishonesty:

• plagiarism (copying word-for-word from a Web page, book or article)
• using a paper or homework assignment written by someone else
• copying a classmate’s homework (partially or wholly)
• using your own essay or presentation from a previous quarter
• using “cheat notes” during a test
• copying answers from a classmate’s paper or test
• giving answers to a classmate during a test
• giving your own assignment to a classmate

 

Academic dishonesty is not acceptable at Bellevue College or in any American classes. Participating in academic dishonesty in any way, including writing a paper or taking a test for someone else, may result in severe penalties.

 

If you plagiarize:

 

First time: Your teacher will work with you so that you understand what not to do.

Second time:      You will fail the assignment.   

Third time:        You will fail the class and be reported to the Associate Dean of Student Services.

You will possibly be asked to leave BC.

 

If you cheat:

 

First time:            You will fail the assignment and have no opportunity to make it up.

Second time:  You will fail the class and be reported to the Associate Dean of Student Services.

You will possibly be asked to leave the school.

 

Important dates:

No classes on:

• Tuesday, Oct 2 (Professional Development Day)
• Monday, Nov 12 (Veterans Day)
• Thursday & Friday, Nov 22, 23 (Thanksgiving)
• Monday, Dec 3 (Student Success Day)

Final exam: Dec 4, 5, 6

Last day of class & EOQ party:     Dec 6