ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE:  UNIVERSITY PREPARATION

Bellevue College

READING 4B:  Fall, 2009

Instructor: Shannon King         Office – C227  Available by appointment

                                     425 802-7439                                                                        sking@bellevuecollege.edu

Class Meeting Time:              Monday-Friday   12:30-1:20 L210

Course Overview

The purpose of this course is to help you develop the skills you need to become better readers, stronger thinkers and more confident participants in academic discussions. Areas of study will include using context to determine vocabulary, identifying main ideas and supporting details, making inferences, understanding the basic elements of literature, and reading critically. 

Textbook/Materials

• Concepts for Today  by Smith and Mare
• The Absolute True Diary Of A Part- Time Indian  by Sherman Alexie
• articles provided by the instructor
• a composition notebook (not spiral bound) for vocabulary and journals
• White 8 ½” x 11” college ruled paper

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Reading and Critical Thinking:

• Read to confirm or revise predictions
• Use context/word parts to predict meaning of vocabulary
• Make logical inferences
• Identify the main idea and supporting details of a reading
• Identify the author’s point of view
• Understand relationships between ideas and readings
• Evaluate arguments
• Separate fact from opinion

Discussion:

• Respond appropriately to questions about readings
• Clearly express an opinion related to the ideas in a reading
• Support views with reasons and evidence
• Expand ideas on a reading
• Accurately summarize a reading

Grading

Your grade will be based on the following criteria:  (Point values are approximate and are subject to change.)

• Tests                                                                     50      points each
• Quizzes                                                            10-20      points each
• Summary/Response                                                25      points each
• Literary Circles                                                           25     points each
• Participation & Attendance                                    20%   of total points
• Final Exam                                                            100      points
• Final Project                                                         100      points

ELI Grading Scale

93-100                             A

83-92                              B

75-82                              C

0-74                                D (good effort)

0-74                                F  (poor effort) 

Expectations and Student Information

• Show courtesy for your instructor and classmates by getting to class on time and by listening and not talking when others are speaking.
• Be active in class and group discussions. American teachers like active students. Don’t be afraid to give your opinion even if it differs from others.  Just do so in a polite manner.
• Do your reading. You will not improve your skills if you just listen to me talk about the skills and do not actively participate in discussions of what you’ve read.
• Keep your cell phones turned off during class. Talking on your phone or text messaging during class is not allowed under any circumstances and will result in loss of points!
• Be prepared to fully focus on your class work during class. Students should not be having personal conversations or taking care of personal needs during class.  I expect you to use college appropriate behavior.
• Communicate in English during class. Using your native languages in class is not acceptable except in rare circumstances. In order to improve your English, you need to think in English. Keep your use of translation dictionaries to a minimum.
• Respect different styles of learning and communicating.
• If you are sick and have to miss class, contact me or a classmate to find out what we did in class and what the homework is.  You are still responsible for your homework even if you are absent.  If you miss a class on the day of a test, contact me immediately so we can set up a make-up time in the morning the day you return.  It is your responsibility to contact me. 
• No eating during class, please. 
• Because I have had some difficulty receiving and responding to some e-mails, I prefer that you do all of your e-mail correspondence with me through your BCC e-mail account.  You can set up your free account by taking your student number to the computer lab in the N-building. When we go to a computer lab later in the quarter to do research, you will have to have this account set up in order to log on to the computers in the lab.
• Letters of recommendation will be written only for students who have earned a “B” or better in class and who I believe have made a concerted effort in the class.  Make sure to give me at least one week’s notice.  No recommendations will be written before mid-quarter grades come out. 
• I will often post announcements, answers to exercises and supplementary readings through MyBC.  Be prepared to access this information on your own and check it on a daily basis.
• Remember that the more you read, the more you will improve. 

English Language Institute Department Policies:

Student Absence

Students who miss class 12 times will receive a grade of “F.”  Students who miss class 10 or 11 times will receive a grade of “D.”  Three (3) tardies of 5 minutes or more will equal 1 absence.

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. There are different kinds of cheating: plagiarism, “borrowing” a classmate’s homework (partially or wholly), using an essay or a presentation from a previous quarter, using “cheat notes”, and copying answers from classmates’ papers during tests.

Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas as your own in both writing and oral presentations.  It is cheating and is not accept able in American classes.

Examples of plagiarism are:

• Copying from a Web page, book or article
• Buying papers
• Copying from another student
• Using a friend’s paper from a previous quarter

If you plagiarize:

• First time:  your teacher will work with you so that you understand what not to

            do

• Second time:  Fail the assignment
• Third time:  Fail the class and be reported to the Associate

             Dean of Student Services.  You will possibly be asked to leave the school

Special Needs

If you require accommodation based on a documented disability, have emergency medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case of emergency evacuation, please make an appointment with DRC (Disability Resource Center.)   If you would like to inquire about becoming a DRC student, you may call 564-2498 or go in person to the DRC program office in B132.

Please refer to the Arts and Humanities Student Procedures and Expectations   www.bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/studentinfo.asp   for all other information.