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STEPS:
ENGLISH 072 Instructor: Linda Leeds English
072 is part of a program that we call STEPS. The purpose of
the STEPS program is to prepare you to take a reading and writing test for
entrance into English 092, 093, or 101. Depending on your skills at the beginning
of the course, it may take you one, two, or even three quarters to pass this
test. The test will be given in class at the end of the quarter. During
the next eleven weeks we'll work to improve your reading, writing, and study
skills. We’ll spend about half of our time together each week practicing the
technical skills of reading and writing. During the rest of the time we’ll
work on the art of finding meaning in what you read and communicating meaning
in what you write. This
class has both short-term and long-term goals. Your short-term goal is to
test into English 092, 093, or 101 by the end of the quarter. Your long-term
goal is to develop the reading, writing, and organizational skills to do well
in other courses and in jobs that require these skills. Textbooks and Materials
Patterns
2 has also been ordered for this class. Don't buy
this book until you know whether you need it. You won't need it unless you
already know most of the material in Patterns
1. Your Reading Goals To
place in the next highest class, you should be able to
Your Writing Goals To
place in the next highest class, you should be able to
Your Organization Skills Goals
Kinds of Assignments I’ll
give you a calendar that tells you what to do each week. Here is a general
description of the kinds of work you’ll do.
Keep
all of the work you do while you’re in this class, including
your quizzes. Keep it in order and make sure you can find it again. Keeping
your work in order is part of your organizational skills. Due Dates I’ll
give you a calendar that shows the homework assignments and the dates they
are due. I won’t put assignments on the board. Keeping track of due dates is
your responsibility. When
you see a reading assignment on the calendar, it means you must finish the
reading BEFORE CLASS on that day. If you see a quiz, it is on the reading
assigned for that day. When you see a writing assignment, you must complete
it BEFORE CLASS on that day, unless the calendar tells you differently. Occasionally,
if the needs of the class change, I may add or subtract an assignment or
change a due date. If you miss class, remember to ask if I made any changes
while you were gone. It’s your responsibility to find out what you missed. If
you turn in a late writing assignment or self-evaluation, I'll subtract one
point from your total for each day it is late. I won't accept work that is
more than a week late unless you give me a note from your doctor confirming
that you've been ill. Grades STEPS
is graded Pass/Fail (P/F). An
F
grade will not affect your GPA, but it may cause you to lose financial aid,
and it will limit the amount of financial aid you can receive in the future. To
receive a passing grade in the course, you must earn 240 points out of 300
(80%). You may earn points by passing the required work.
In
addition, you must pass all of the assigned on-line practices in order to
pass the course. If
you don't pass a quiz, assignment, or practice, you may repeat it until you
pass. I may give more than 10 quizzes. If I do, the extra points count as
extra credit. These are the only extra credit points available. Attendance. I take attendance
twice each day. You'll lose one point for each
hour of absence. Arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving more than 15
minutes early counts as one hour of absence. If
an emergency causes you to miss more than one class, please e-mail me
(lleeds@bellevuecollege.edu). If you don't have access to e-mail, telephone
me (425-564-2016) and leave a message. I worry about you. Passing the course does not guarantee
you entrance into English 092, 093, or 101. At the end of the quarter, you'll
turn in a portfolio of your best work and take a reading and writing test
that is very similar to the one you took on the first day of the quarter. Two
instructors will evaluate your test and portfolio and agree on a placement. Doing
badly on the final test does not mean you will fail STEPS. As long as you
make 80 points or more, you’ll receive a passing grade for this quarter.
Doing badly on the test does mean that you are not yet ready to move up to
the next level. The instructors may place you in STEPS for another quarter,
or they may recommend other classes to meet your specific needs. Reading Lab When
you registered for STEPS, you were automatically registered in a Reading Lab
section. You'll work in the Reading Lab outside of class on your own
schedule. If
you registered for two credits of Lab, you must complete a minimum of 44
hours during the quarter to receive credit. If you registered for one credit,
you must complete at least 22 hours. You may work in the lab for more hours
than you are registered for. If you don't complete the required number of
hours, you won't pass the Lab part of the course. Failing
the Lab does not mean you'll fail STEPS, but it does mean that your reading
mechanics may not improve enough to give you placement in a higher class at
the end of the quarter. Placement in the next higher class requires that you
reach the 089 level in at least three of the Lab programs. Decorum Our
job—yours and mine together—is to move you up to a
higher class. To do that job efficiently, we need some classroom conventions.
In my experience, class moves most efficiently if you
Ethics 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” or "documentation."
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 downloaded from the Internet or copied from
someone else, an essay you wrote for an earlier class,
or an essay in which you present someone else’s written words or ideas as
your own. These are called "plagiarisms." If you plagiarize once,
I'll give you an explanation, a warning, and a more difficult make-up
assignment. If you do it again, you'll fail the course. If you plagiarize in
two different courses, you may be expelled from BCC. 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. Office Hours Most
days, I’ll have time to talk to you right after class. I’ll also be in R230
from 9:00-10:20 Tuesday through Friday (unless I have a meeting). You’re
welcome to drop in and talk to me without an appointment during this time.
I'm available by e-mail at other times. 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/ |