English 093 – Composition for Non-Native Speakers	Instructor: Margaret Goertz
Spring Quarter 2012 E-mail: margaret.goertz@bellevuecollege.edu	Office Hours: Please let me know if you need extra help, and we
Telephone: 425-564-3174	Can arrange a time to meet

Course Description: Course work will focus on reading and writing non-fiction essays, reading one novel, discussing corresponding contemporary issues and in-depth work on grammar and punctuation issues relevant to non-native English speakers.

Objectives: After completing this course and in preparation for English 101, students should be able to:

Use all stages of the writing process effectively
Identify the needs of their audience
Produce a substantive topic
Create a unified, coherent, and well-developed piece of writing which consistently follows appropriate conventions of Standard English
Use a variety of purposes for essay construction, such as analysis, exposition, and/or persuasion.
Demonstrate ability to recognize strengths and weaknesses in their own writing and editing process, based on specified criteria.

About Myself: I have an MA in English Studies, a BA in Secondary Education and 13 + years of teaching experience at the college and secondary level. I have lived in Europe and China and learned to speak a second language as an adult. My husband and I are raising our daughter in a bilingual household, so I am very aware of the challenges and rewards of language learning. I am excited to be teaching you and am eager to help you meet the course goals.

Required Course Materials:

Please come with the following materials by the third day of class. You will need to bring them to every class meeting.

Integrations Reading, Thinking, and Writing for College Success by William Robinson, Pam Altman
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
A paperback dictionary of your choice (Webster’s, American Heritage, Random House, etc.)

Reading Lab

Reading Lab credits are not required for this class. But as a non-native English speaker, you are in the process of developing your reading level, rate, and comprehension. To be successful in English 101 and other 100 level or higher courses you should be reading at an 11-12^th grade reading level. By taking 1 credit in the lab, you can continue to work on those necessary skills while making the most of your money and time.

Grading :

English 093 is a letter graded class. I will use the college’s letter scale of A – F. You will need a “C-“ or better to advance to English 101. It is important to take responsibility for your own learning, be organized and to attend class regularly. Those students who dedicate themselves to the learning process will see progress.

Consistent Attendance: If you miss more than 10 classes, you may be given a failing grade. If you are more than 10 minutes late for a class, it will be counted as an absence. Frequent absences and late arrivals are disruptive to me and impede the progress of serious students. If you know in advance that you will be missing several classes, this is not the ideal time for you to take this class. Please check the following site for relevant withdrawal dates and information. Consider an on-line course or taking this course another quarter. Please email me if you will be out more than one day. It would also be wise to have the contact information of one student in class who can keep you up-to-date on assignments, announcements or notes.

Assignments:

I will give you a 2-3 week long assignment calendar which will give due dates for the following:

4 essays (prewriting, first drafts, revision and proof reading, peer review).
Lit Circle Reading Journal for The Alchemist
Grammar exercises and quizzes.
Class participation in Lit Circles, discussions, attendance/attentiveness
In-class and independent non-fiction reading and reading response work
Final portfolio

I may add or subtract assignments to fit the needs and pace of the class.

Grading Scale:

You will need a C- or better to advance to English 101. I will use the following grading scale:

Class participation points are subjective: You will earn full points by participating regularly and appropriately in whole and small group discussions, being attentive during whole group instruction, taking in-class work seriously, and having good attendance. If you miss five or more class days, you risk losing half of your class participation points. So get involved. You will learn more and coming to class will be more fun!

Policy on late work:

No late work will be accepted. If you are sick, speak to me or a neighbor after class for missed notes.

If you know that you will be sick when an essay is due, submit it to me on-line by the due date. The day you return, bring in a hard copy. This is the only copy I will grade. Check the class website for handouts and additional instructions.

End of Quarter Portfolio

Keep all of your formal essays, the Alchemist work, as well as the graded papers that I will return to you on a memory stick. At the end of the quarter I will ask you to assemble them in a writing portfolio. I will provide more details on this later.

Essay Writing

Each formal essay we write will undergo a 3 stage writing process: prewriting, first draft, second draft, and a final revision. Full participation in the process is part of the assignment. The first draft and all subsequent drafts should be done on a word processor. If you do not have access to a computer at home, please plan to use the computer labs on campus. The drafts need to be printed out before you come to class. Having a writing group to give you feedback is a great benefit, so come prepared to fully participate.

Writing groups: Bring 3 copies of the first draft of your essay to class. You will read your essay aloud to your group while they read the hard copies. Your group will give you written feedback on your essay. Your job as a writer is to consider the feedback and then incorporate it into the next phase of the writing process. It is important that you share your essays with the group, so be mindful about how personal you are with your subject matter. If you aren’t willing to share something with your group, then take your writing in a different direction. Also, if you are not getting enough feedback from your group, change groups or ask me to help you find a more suitable group. Each meeting is worth 10 points. You must come with 3 copies.

Format for Written Work

· Word-process all essays written out of class. If you don't have access to a personal computer at home or work, you may use the computers in the Computer Lab in the N building.

· Put your name, the quarter, and the assignment title in the upper left corner of your paper.

· Use a 12 point, easy-to-read font.

· Give each essay a title. Center the title. Capitalize the first letter of each word.

· Leave margins of about 1 1/2 inches on the sides and at the top and bottom. MS does this automatically, even if the margins don’t show on the screen.

· Use the spell-checker to check your spelling.

· If you need to make minor changes after you’ve printed your essay, make them neatly by hand. Use dark ink, not pencil.

Ethics and Plagiarism

Your essays must present your own ideas in your own words. If you copy someone’s exact words, you must put them in quotation marks. If you summarize or quote someone else’s ideas, facts, or words, you must say where they came from. If you don’t do this, you’ll be considered disrespectful and unethical. Saying where words and ideas came from is called “citing your sources.” I’ll teach you the basic conventions for citing your sources now, and you’ll learn more about these conventions as you take higher level courses. I won’t accept an essay you’ve copied from someone else, an essay you wrote for an earlier class, or an essay in which you present someone else’s words or ideas as your own. These actions are called "plagiarisms." If you plagiarize an assignment, you will receive a failing grade for that assignment. If you do it again, I will report you to the college. You will risk failing this course and further disciplinary action from the college. Sometimes it's hard to know how to avoid plagiarism. If you're worried that I might consider something you've written to be a plagiarism, ask me about it BEFORE you turn it in.

Special Needs

If you have emergency medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case of emergency evacuation, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. If you need course or classroom modifications because of a disability, I can refer you to our Disability Resource Center (DRC). If you prefer, you may contact the DRC directly by going to B132 or by calling (425) 564-2498 or TTY (425) 564-4110. Information is also available on their website at http://bellevuecollege.edu/drc/

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination. We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp

Classroom Protocol

I will work very hard to help you achieve your reading and writing goals. Your classroom behavior needs to be respectful of my teaching goals, your learning goals, and the academic goals of every student in this class. To help ensure this:

Be on time. If you are late, take the closest seat to the door when you come in and settle in quietly.

Take breaks during the scheduled time and return promptly.

Raise your hand to participate during class discussions. Do not chat with your neighbor during classroom discussions.

Use your time productively during work sessions and do not impede or infringe upon the learning rights of other students.

In pair, small-group work or group projects do your fair share and live-up to your commitments.

Turn phones off or set them to a quiet vibrate mode. Do not take calls during class time. Do not have your phones out during the class. There are clocks on the wall if you need to know the time.

Unless you are told to specifically by me, you are not to have a laptop computer out and open during this class.

Turn music devices off and remove ear buds. (No exceptions.)

Participate in classroom activities in a way that will encourage communication and academic growth. Hoods should be down and hats that obstruct your eyes should be removed. People want to communicate with you and making eye contact is part of communication. Be sensitive to the fact that everyone in this class is a non-native English speaker, so we need to facilitate the communication process by limiting distractions, speaking in an audible voice, and listening attentively.

Use language that is respectful of your classmates and appropriate to a classroom environment.
Bring the required course materials every day. I will make one copy of handouts for each student – that’s it.