Spokane Falls Community College

SYLLABUS

SPOKANE FALLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

COURSE: English 81 ESL Writing, 5 credits

Class time: 2:00 – 2:50 Daily Class location: Building 5, Room 117

Instructor: Pat Nasburg Office: Building 5, Room 124 Phone: 533-3581 E-mail: [email protected]

Required Materials: - Paragraph Essentials, Wong - Advanced American Dictionary, Longman - The New American Roget’s College Thesaurus in Dictionary Form - 3-ring binder with loose-leaf paper and dividers

Optional Materials - Understanding and Using English Grammar, Azar - Subscription to The Spokesman Review

Course Description and Objectives: In this course you will learn and practice writing strategies necessary for academic success in the American college system. By actively and fully participating in activities and assignments, you will learn to

- write clear sentences using a variety of sentence patterns. - use a dictionary and thesaurus effectively. - identify and correct common grammar and punctuation errors. - use the process approach to writing. - write a variety of paragraphs of increasing complexity and length. - recognize the structure of a basic essay. Page 2 of 3

Evaluation: Grades will be based on attendance, satisfactory completion of assignments, quality of written work, and demonstrated mastery of the writing objectives. To proceed to the next level of English composition, students must meet attendance and proficiency requirements as well as earn a decimal grade of 3.0 or above.

Nearly every activity earns points. At the end of the quarter, points will be totaled and grades computed as follows: Decimal Grade Letter Grade Equivalent

90% or more of the points 3.5 – 4.0 A 80% or more of the points 2.6 – 3.4 B 70% or more of the points 1.6 – 2.5 C 60% or more of the points 0.7 – 1.5 D Below 60% 0.0 – 0.6 F

Grades are based on the number of points earned on assignments, class activities and tests. Final grades are computed from approximately the following.

6 Writing Portfolios 150 points 10 Grammar Tests 150 points 10 News Reports 100 points 11 Vocabulary Exercises 110 points 1 CALL (Language Center) Project 60 points Final Exam Portfolio 50 points

Attendance and Other Policies: - Students are expected to be punctual and attend class daily. In order to earn a 3.0 or above, only four absences are allowed. (2 tardies = one absence). - Tests and exams cannot be made up. - Assignments which are late automatically lose 20% of their value. Late assignment may be turned in up to one week after they are due; after that time they will be given no points. (If you think you will be absent on the date an assignment is due, email it, send it with a friend or turn it in early.) - Assignments should be neatly written in pen on standard white loose-leaf paper or word processed. Page 3 of 3

Course Calendar (Tentative)

Week 1 assessment, course introduction, vocabulary building, writing a response to a news articles, grammar review: parts of speech

2 narrative paragraph, sentence pattern #6, grammar review: identifying subjects and verbs, dependent/independent clauses

3 narrative paragraph, grammar review: using past and present tense

4 3rd person narrative paragraph, sentence pattern #3, grammar review: comma rules, articles

5 descriptive paragraph (writing about a person) grammar review: irregular verbs and tenses

6 descriptive paragraph, sentence pattern #4 grammar review: subject and verb agreement

7 descriptive paragraph (writing about a place) sentence pattern #4, grammar review: prepositions of time and place

8 descriptive paragraph (writing about an object) sentence pattern #4, grammar review: singular and plural

9 exemplification paragraph, sentence pattern #5, grammar review: adjective clauses

10 narrative essay, sentence pattern #7, grammar review: appositives and adverbial phrases

11 final portfolio, final exam, assessment, conferences

Every Friday students will be given a weekly schedule which details activities, tests, and assignments for the following week.

Updated 4/05