Reading 3

2:30 – 3:20 M-F, B256S

Instructor: Shannon King

Message phone: (425) 802-7439 before 9:00 PM

Email: sking@bcc.ctc.edu

Office: C227 MWR 10:00-11:30 OR by appointment

Required Texts and Supplies:

A Penguin Reader level 4 or higher

Issues for Today, 3^nd ed. by Smith & Mare

Two blue books

I strongly suggest you buy a three-ring binder and tabbed dividers. At the end of the course, you will have a portfolio that will show your progress from the beginning of the quarter until the end. All written work must be done on 8 ½” X 11” lined white paper with no fringe. All typed work must be done on A4 paper.

About the Course

This course is designed to improve your reading skills. Through this course you will achieve success in the following outcomes:

Comprehensive and critical reading: Recognize definitions and examples, enumerations, headings, subheadings and signal words, identify the main ideas of paragraphs and short selections, summarize the main points of a reading, identify the author’s point of view, express an opinion about a passage, confirm or revise predictions, draw conclusions and make inferences about a passage.
Scanning: Identify key words to locate specific information in a limited time
Skimming: Locate main ideas, emphasis words, vocabulary and important details in a reading passage in a limited time
Study skills: Use a dictionary to find correct spelling, meaning, and part of speech, identify common stems and affixes, find and use simple library materials, read and interpret graphs, tables, and charts, apply reading skills to supplemental readings

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Text Box: Vocabulary: Use knowledge of word parts and context clues to guess the meaning of words, identify technical vs. general interest words

Welcome to the class. I look forward to working with you. Good luck!

General BCC policy: Students with 10 absences or more cannot pass this class. Ten absences will result in an automatic D. Eleven or more absences will result in an F. If you are ten or more minutes late to class you will be counted absent. If you are ill, please contact me before class. If you do not take the final exam, your grade will be lowered by one full letter.

Things to remember:

Please do not eat in class. We want to understand you! J
Please turn off your cell phone.
Please arrive on time.

Assessment

Grading Scale (%): A = 93-100

B = 84-92

C = 75-83

D = 0-74 (repeat level; good effort)

F = 0-74 (repeat level; unsatisfactory effort)

We will de a variety of activities in and out of the classroom. Your grade is determined by the following activities.

Book Reports (10%): You will give weekly oral summaries of your Penguin Reader in small groups and you will turn in a paragraph summary every two weeks.

Media (10%): You will choose one article of at least 200 words from a newspaper, the internet, or a magazine. You will read the article on your own time. This assignment will include summarizing the article, reacting to it, and providing vocabulary. These words CAN be used for your vocabulary journal.

Research Projects (10%): You will complete one research projects based on the topics of the readings in your textbook. These assignments are in your textbook.

Participation, Attitude, Effort (5%): You are expected to participate in class as well as show significant effort in your independent work. Failure to participate or turn in homework, or engaging in disrespectful behavior will reduce your grade.

Quizzes (30%): You will have five reading skills quizzes and five vocabulary quizzes. You will have the opportunity to correct your mistakes in order to receive 1/3 of the total missed points added to your final score.

Final Exam (10%): You will take a comprehensive final exam. Students who do not take the final exam will have their class grade lowered by one full grade. There will be no make up for the final test. In order to pass this class and move to the next level, you must receive a passing grade for all of your work AND pass the ELI Level 3 Final Reading Exam.

Final Book Report (10%): You will do a final book report on your Penguin Reader.

Reading Journals (5%): You will have time in class to think about something you read: a newspaper article, your Penguin Reader, anything. Use the reading journal prompts to write about what you read. I will not correct your grammar in this journal. This is a short activity (10-15 minutes). It is your opportunity to respond to what you have read and write freely.

Vocabulary Journals (10%): Every week you will choose 5 new vocabulary words. These may not be the same as the vocabulary words you learn in your textbook for your vocabulary quizzes.

Welcome to the class. I look forward to working with you. Good luck!

How to Succeed in this Course

1. Participate. Join in the class. Be respectful and active.

2. Ask questions immediately. If you don’t understand something I say or something you read, ask me about it. Don’t wait to ask later. You might forget your question! J

3. Plan. Don’t wait until the last minute to do your work. Plan your time so that you aren’t rushed and so that you can ask questions before an assignment is due.

4. Give me feedback. If something is very difficult or needs to be explained more, please tell me. I am happy to go over the lessons again. Likewise, if you really enjoy something that we do, let me know.

5. Make appointments for extra help. If you find that you are struggling with something we are working on, make an appointment to see me for some extra support. I am ALWAYS happy to meet with students. Remember, you are responsible for your own learning. If you need help, it is up to you to ask for it.

6. Have a positive attitude. You may not like everything that you do in all of your classes, but try to find something positive about the work. Have a positive attitude toward your instructors and your fellow students. You will have less stress and more fun!

7. Share your ideas and opinions. Interact with the reading. Relate it to your own life. This will help you retain the information and will help you be a better writer!

8. Stay organized. Keep your papers in a binder in chronological order. This way you not only have a portfolio of your work, but you also can find assignments easily. Also, I will be giving you a lot of supplemental handouts which you will want to reference.

9. Do your own work. Do not copy your friend’s work or copy from a newspaper or Internet site. Trust me, I will know. This is plagiarism. It is a very serious offense in United States colleges and universities.

10. Try your hardest. I know that you are going through a lot as students. I know you are under a lot of pressure too. Don’t let that get you down. Always try to do your best.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

WEEK 1

1/1

Holiday

1/2

1/3

1/4

Classes Begin

1/5

WEEK 2

1/8

Late Placement

Challenge Test (New Students)

1/9

1/10

1/11

1/12

Faculty Meeting

WEEK 3

1/15

Holiday

1/16

1/17

1/18

1/19

WEEK 4

1/22

1/23

1/24

1/25

1/26

WEEK 5

1/29

1/30

1/31

2/1

2/2

WEEK 6

2/5

2/6

2/7

2/8

Midterm Evals

Due

2/9

WEEK 7

2/12

2/13

2/14

2/15

2/16

WEEK 8

2/19

Holiday

2/20

2/21

2/22

2/23

Inst. TOEFL

WEEK 9

2/26

2/27

2/28

3/1

3/2

No Class

WEEK 10

3/5

3/6

3/7

3/8

3/9

WEEK 11

3/12

3/13

3/14

3/15

Reading: 2:30

Speaking 3:30

Electives: Class

time

3/16

Writing: 12:30

Grading: 1:30

Party: 2:30

Reading Journal

You can use the following prompts to help you write reading journal entries. You do not have to write on one of these topics. These are only suggestions. You may write about the novel or an article we read in class. I will not correct grammar or spelling in your journal. Do not write a summary. This is an opportunity for you to think about what you have read and put your thoughts on paper.

What message is the writer giving the reader?

What is the tone of the reading? Happy? Sad? Tense and dramatic? Sarcastic?

Do you agree with the writer’s opinion?

How are you similar to or different from a character?

Have you had an experience that is similar to an experience of one or more characters?

What did you think of when you read the article or story?

How did the article or story make you feel? Why do you think you felt that way?

What new information did you learn from the reading?

What information would you like to share with others?

Vocabulary Journal

You are required to keep a vocabulary journal. In the journal you will write new words from materials you read or listen to during the week. You will write five entries each week. These journals will be collected and graded on Fridays. The purpose of the vocabulary journals is to help you learn new words and how to use them.

Each entry should contain:
1) the word and any prepositions that go with it
2) the part of speech (if it is a noun, whether it is countable or

Uncountable, if it is a verb, whether it is transitive or nontransitive)
3) a definition

4) a synonym or an antonym if one exists
5) the sentence you found the word in.

6) the word used in a sentence you make (NOT COPIED FROM THE DICTIONARY)
7) other frequently used forms of the word

Sample:

Convict (of)- (transitive verb) to officially decide in court that a person is guilty.

Opposite of acquit.

He has been convicted of robbery. .

The jury has the power to convict or acquit.

noun- conviction, convict (person)
adj- convicted

Also note that there are several websites that are helpful for studying vocabulary:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com

http://www.hyperdictionary.com