DEVELOPMENTAL COMPOSITION II COURSE SYLLABUS ENGL 062/503 Spring/2005 Tuesday-Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
“T he ability to read and write has long been the fundamental skill of an educated person.”
(We read this syllabus aloud on the first days, paragraph by paragraph, completing written responses as we go along.) BASIC INFORMATION Prerequisites
Willingness to learn and recognize your own potential English Placement Test Score 6, or successful completion of English 061 with Y grade
Required Texts and Materials
Sentence Skills With Readings (2nd or 3rd Edition; ISBN 0-07-242981-X) by John Langan *42 new and used from $9.67 on Amazon.com “New and Used Textbooks”* A Good College Dictionary The Pocket Oxford English Dictionary (personal favorite of mine) Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition Random House Webster’s College Dictionary Webster’s New World College Dictionary A 3” three-ring binder with subject dividers Lots of wide-ruled notebook paper inside the binder (no spirals—ever) DEVE/ESLN Exit Exam Study Packet (available in Delgado bookstore, but don’t run out and get it just yet)
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Name Angela Breckenridge Phone Numbers Covington Office – 899-6286 Office Hours Slidell Office – 646-6457 Monday and Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. – Dire Emergencies – 624-8943 12:00 p.m. in Covington Faculty Office Tuesday and Thursday: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 Email p.m. in Slidell Faculty Office [email protected] By Special Appointment DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
Background Up until last year, I was a pretty successful corporate consultant for about 10 years. I had my own business and also worked for one of the big global accounting/consulting firms. I worked with CEOs and other executives on how to be good leaders, and I worked with all kinds of employees from managers to janitors on how to find their potential and work toward their own kind of success. But nothing beats being back in the classroom, especially at Delgado. I’m very lucky to be back and have the chance to work with people like you who want to learn and take that learning somewhere into the world.
I love Shakespeare. (Are you ready to run away far and fast now?) It’s just my thing. I read it, teach it, perform it, write about it, and wish everyone would love language like he did. Next summer, I’m even going to fulfill a life-long dream and play the role of Hamlet in New Orleans—you should come!
I’m a student, too, working on a doctorate in Human and Organization Development— kind of fancy way of saying I’m learning how to help people and groups recognize and reach their potential. I like it when others succeed. Most recently, I’ve been doing research on developmental programs in community colleges. I think they’re pretty important, a way to add a lot of value to our community by supporting the folks in our community. So, lately, a lot of my work has been trying to figure out how to be the best instructor of English I can be to you.
I like to think of myself as an idealist. If you’re not sure what that means, stop and look it up right now! It’s a good word. But what it means for you in this class is that the only thing that will keep me from doing whatever it takes for you to succeed is your own disinterest. That always gets to me. But I am a believer in personal achievement, and I’ll tell you right now I believe in your potential and will do just about anything to help you to realize it.
But that’s enough about me. Let’s get to the important stuff.
PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW OF THIS COURSE
I’m wondering what you’re thinking about this class and how you feel about the idea of “developmental” courses. Your attitudes about that will make a difference on how you approach the class. Here’s a way of looking at it from one side of the coin—the educator’s.
Developmental education, as an umbrella term for a wide range of learning- centered activities, has several key goals:
To preserve and make possible educational opportunity for each postsecondary learner To develop in each learner the skills and attitudes necessary for the attainment of academic, career, and life goals To ensure proper placement by assessing each learner’s levels of preparedness for college coursework To maintain academic standards by enabling learners to acquire competencies needed for success in mainstream college courses To enhance the retention of students To promote the continued development and application of cognitive and affective learning theory
What does all that mean? Look at it line by line. What does that mean to you? (We look up the words in bold above, add them to the Vocabulary List, and paraphrase in their own words below its meaning to them.)
2 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
What You’ll Do in This Course
You’ll use your own thoughts and language to communicate through writing. Unlike some other courses or maybe your own experiences with school, this course is not about sitting silently in a desk while someone presents you with information. It’s about learning how to communicate information clearly. You can’t learn to communicate if I do all the talking or “lecturing.” You won’t be an answering machine, recording and giving back information that comes from a book or someone else’s brain. You’ll need to be something much more exciting than an answering machine. You’ll need to be the pilot of your own learning, and I get to be the air traffic controller. Or, to use another metaphor—
Stop. Do you remember what a metaphor is? Let’s look it up right now if you forgot or never knew. It’s a good thing to know for writing.
To use another metaphor, I am your coach. You do the workouts, get in great shape, and compete in the championships. Meanwhile, I watch you carefully, give specific coaching and feedback along the way, and support your hard work. You don’t start out as a star athlete! Or a fabulous writer! We’ve got to take a learning journey that begins wherever you are right now and ends wherever you take it, which means that you should expect A LOT of attention from me along the way . You should expect me to push you, to acknowledge your progress, to support your effort, and to give you the feedback I feel you need to reach your potential. You should expect to fall down sometimes, to work hard, to get frustrated, to get stronger step-by-step, to gradually see the results of your efforts not only in this class but also in other areas of your education and professional life.
Learning is not a comfortable thing. In fact, you’ll know you’re learning something when you feel uncomfortable, like you’re in unfamiliar territory. Think of the very first time you drove a car, or rode a bicycle, or (if you can remember that far back) the first time you stood up and took steps alone. Or if your life has not had these experiences, think of the first time you had to do something completely new in order to grow into the person you are now. You were not perfect when you started. And it was probably a little scary at first. But you worked at it and learned what you needed to do to survive. It takes courage and will to learn. You have a lot of courage to enter into this new experience of college. Don’t forget that. It’s a source of strength.
In this course, we’ll gradually work toward writing a certain type of thing—an essay. The college essay is probably not like anything you’ve ever written. If you’ve written a research paper in school, it probably was nothing like what you’ll write in a college essay. If you’ve ever written an editorial to a newspaper—
Aha! Editorial! Don’t keep going. Let’s look it up right now!
If you’ve ever written an editorial to a newspaper, you’ve probably come really close to writing an essay. If you’ve ever written a complaint letter to a company, describing your complaints and telling them just what you think of their product or service, you’ve probably come really close to writing an essay. If you ever had to write a proposal for your job, you probably came slightly close to an essay. These are examples of how a human being can use written language to communicate his or her thoughts about some kind of information for a particular purpose.
3 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
So, you see, essays are not repeated information that you read from a textbook or that someone lectures about. Essays are your thoughts and ideas about some kind of information, and they are meaningful because of that. But it brings up a good point. In order to write a meaningful essay that communicates your thoughts about some kind of information, we’ll need to have two things: your thoughts and some kind of information. But, in a writing class, we don’t have anything like History stories or Psychology theories or Math formulas to provide us with content to write about.
Stop! “Content” may not be completely clear. Look it up right now before you go on.
Writing classes don’t have content like most other classes. We have to come up with content ourselves. We have to have something to write about so you can practice writing. So, we’ll do a lot of reading in a lot of different areas to get information/stuff to write about. From there, we’ll do things like talk, discuss, ask questions, freewrite, “mind-map” (we’ll define that one together), reflect in order to stir up the other ingredient of your writing: your own thoughts and ideas. No one will have exactly the same thought as you about the same topic—wow! See how that’s different from a high school research paper or a typical response on an essay test? You’re going to have to use your brain in a different way for this type of course and, incidentally, for real learning to occur in any other college course you take.
In this course, it’s YOU who bring the thoughts to the class. I just help you clearly communicate them through written language. The challenge will be to communicate your own thoughts and ideas in the clearest way possible, using a format for essays. This course is about developing the skill and the confidence to do that. Right now, begin to prepare yourself for the time it may take, especially at the beginning, to do this. Expect to struggle; expect to learn; expect to work hard at clarifying your own thoughts in writing; expect to have support.
Process what you’ve just read for a few minutes. What comes to mind when you think about what you just read? What seems weird, confusing, or unclear? What sparks your interest or makes you nervous about anything you read so far?
Your “Notebook “ Things You’ll Be Doing In This Course
Even though the class will be focused on the same ultimate goals for this course, each person will have a different way of reaching them. Each of you has unique style, experiences, values, and ways of looking at the world. Because of that, everyone will be at his or her own spot in the learning journey. You and I will figure out where that is for this class, and you will develop your own learning plan with specific assignments, goals, and a process to get you where you want to be by the end of the semester. You will include things like a personal grammar log, spelling and vocabulary list, special quizzes, writing lab appointments, and revision recommendations for your work. I’ll explain all that in more detail as you need it. This goes in a special section of your notebook called “Learning Plan.”
4 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
Reflection is a big part of taking control of your learning, so you’ll do a lot of reflecting about your work, your writing, your progress, the class, other people’s writing, and what you need from me or the class to help you become a better written communicator. You’ll keep these reflections in a section of your notebook called “Reflections.”
Along the same lines as reflection, you’ll prepare a “Self-Evaluation” and “Instructor Feedback” around mid-term and bring them to your one-on-one conference with me (Yea!). The Self-Evaluation will be what guides that conversation. I will also have a mid-term progress report and feedback for you, based on the work you have done and my own recommendations. You’ll provide me with Instructor Feedback, too, so that I can learn how to be a better coach for you. In addition, you will periodically receive and give feedback to the other students in class on a “Peer Feedback” form. All of this will be kept in a section of your notebook called “Evaluation and Feedback.”
You can’t learn how to communicate clearly unless you practice doing it and learn from your mistakes—through talking or writing. So you can’t learn how to communicate clearly if I’m doing all the talking! Talk in class everyday. Prior students of mine have often said that their advice to new students in this class would be never to leave the classroom confused or unsure of what to do next. This means that you must join the conversation of the day, adding your own thoughts or ideas—even if those thoughts are that nothing is making sense whatsoever! Every question or confusion in your mind is an opportunity for you and everyone around you to learn. We can’t have learning without confusion and questions. And, hey, how would anyone know the stuff isn’t making sense if no one says so? Let’s face it, if all this writing and grammar stuff was clear as a bell, you wouldn’t need me and I wouldn’t have a job! So, your questions and confusion are natural, important, expected and REALLY IMPORTANT!
A couple of times a week, you’ll be asked to summarize what we’ve been discussing in class Putting a lesson into your own words on paper not only helps you retain the information; but it also helps you see exactly what pieces of information that you didn’t realize you didn’t understand! Then you’ll have questions! Learners are people with questions. Could come in handy if you want to learn in other courses, too. . . These summaries and other notes that you make will be kept in a section of your notebook called “Class Notes.”
You will have other daily writing assignments in different forms, including sentences, summaries, paragraphs, revisions, peer feedback, and different types of brainstorming. Since this is a course in essay writing, all of these smaller assignments will somehow relate to larger essays. You’ll end up with three final out-of-class essays (one of which we’ll carefully build together, learning at each step in the writing process), and three in-class essays (preparation essays for the “Exit Exam”). You will be expected to use a standard essay format, which we will learn. These assignments will go in a section of your notebook called “Writing Assignments.”
We will have frequent “Grammar Busters,” which will include mini grammar lessons of all sorts, individual assignments, practice on certain grammar annoyances, and the “Student Lessons.” In pairs, you will present and lead a lesson with the class on a particular grammar. Out of class, you will learn the lesson inside and out, using me as a resource of course if you choose to. Together, you and your partner will come up with a creative way for the class to learn, practice, and demonstrate understanding of your grammar lesson. You’ll actually teach the lesson, follow-up with a method to practice it, and then use another method to make sure they learned it. Another sure-fire way to learn something is to teach it. These assignments will go in a section of your notebook called “Grammar Busters.
Take a few minutes to process what you’ve just read. Write down the different sections that you’ll have in your notebook. Write down concerns, questions, and thoughts you have about each of these sections. If you are not sure what your thoughts are yet, reread these paragraphs and write down the importance of each section in your notebook.
5 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
The last three weeks of this course will be spent learning how to communicate your thoughts under pressure. You’ll already know how to write an essay by then, how to summarize and respond with your own ideas to a given topic. So the last three weeks of the semester will be an intense “Workout Schedule” to get you in shape for the English “Exit Exam,” which is a timed “Reader Response” essay on a topic chosen by the department. You’ll have three opportunities to practice similar timed essays, to get feedback, and to learn exactly what YOU need to do in order to fulfill the requirements of the writing exam and achieve the standards of written language Delgado is committed to.
Bear in mind, however, that this course and the “Workout Schedule” is your personal TRAINING. As 061 students, you have the benefit of TWO WHOLE SEMESTERS of this kind of training before you are expected to plunge into the demands of ENGL 101. You can take the Exit Exam, get the feel for what its like, go back for another valuable semester of training in 062, and be that much more confident and prepared to ace the Exit Exam and enter ENGL 101. How often do you get to learn how to succeed in a class before you take the class for a grade? Not a bad deal.
Take a few minutes to write down your own attitudes about English classes? What does an English class mean to you? What do you expect?
6 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
SELF-MANAGEMENT and BRAIN USAGE: THE KEYS TO DOING WELL IN THIS COURSE
Come to class prepared to think--not as easy as you might think Know what you need in order to succeed and ask for it Manage your time wisely with other courses and life Practice all phases of the writing process, including generating ideas, outlining, writing and expecting to rewrite, using the feedback, giving feedback, reflecting, proofreading Build up your think-muscle. Train yourself to generate ideas on topics you don’t know much about or even care about Make connections between this course and others, bring in questions or things to write about from your other courses Expect to spend about 4 hours practicing and learning outside of class for every hour we spend in class-you will have homework almost everyday Reflect on your writing and know your strengths/weaknesses Read for meaning and write for meaning Be willing to change
Enjoy learning
7 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES
If we all are working on our piece of the learning journey, by the end of this course you should be able to:
Write a summary that clearly shows you understand an author’s main idea and supporting points
Write a college-level essay in good standard English using a step-by-step process, including:
o generating ideas with different techniques o organizing the writing with an outline or other technique o drafting and rewriting or revising o proofreading and editing
Write a college-level essay in good standard English that has:
o something meaningful to say o an interesting introduction o a flow through it, using transition words and phrases o paragraphs that contain “actual-factuals,” or evidence and specific detail o a conclusion that gives closure to the thoughts and leaves the reader glad he or she read it
Write with a command of standard English grammar. You may still have some “errors” in your writing (who doesn’t, right?), but you shouldn’t have glaring patterns of error that make your communication hard to understand.
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING: COURSEWORK AND EXIT EXAM
Coursework You will receive daily grades. These will be in the form of short writing assignments, reflections, peer feedback, grammar work, self-evaluation, instructor feedback, individual assignments and spontaneously generated assignments from the class. You will receive a special grade for a special project you complete and present to the class with a partner (Assignment details to come). You will receive essay grades on 6 essays (three out-of-class, three in-class).
Your overall course grade will be calculated like this:
Essays: 65% Daily Grades (Notebook 5%): 30% Student Grammar Lesson: 5% 100% A = 90 – 100 Work is consistently complete, grammatically accurate, and on time. There is thought behind the words you write and an obvious effort to give the work meaning. In essays, there is consistently a strong sense of audience, as if you are writing with a special purpose to a person or a certain group of people. The thoughts are always mature, respectful, and consider the perspectives of others. In daily work, you consistently reach beyond the minimal requirements of the assignment, and bring creativity and enthusiasm to the study. If you make an A in this course, you have shown consistent, genuine commitment to the class as a whole, contributing to discussions, and giving/receiving feedback with a positive attitude. You reach the expectations you set in your learning goals at or above what was set in your learning plan.
B = 80 – 89 Work is almost always complete, grammatically accurate, and on time. There is often sincere and successful attempt to give meaning to your writing. In essays, there is often a sense of audience, as if you are writing with a special purpose to a person or a certain group of people. The thoughts are mature, respectful, and consider the perspectives of others. In daily work, you do a good job of fulfilling the requirements of assignments and demonstrate a willingness to work hard and learn. If you have a B in this course, you will often contribute to the class as a whole by participating in discussions, and giving/receiving feedback with a positive attitude. Learning goals set in the learning plan are achieved.
C = 70 – 79
8 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
Work is mostly complete, sometimes grammatically accurate, and on time. The student may struggle with language or understanding what an essay is. The student’s work is either inconsistent in quality and quantity or consistent at meeting the bare minimum requirements of assignments. The thoughts in his or her writing are mostly clear, but the student may struggle with the “right words” or the logic of his/her claims in the essay. A student who makes a C in this course will sometimes contribute to the class as a whole by participating in discussions, and giving/receiving feedback with a positive attitude. Most learning goals set in the learning plan are achieved.
D = 60 – 69 Work is inconsistently complete, rarely grammatically accurate, and sometimes on time. The student’s essays may not be complete, organized, or demonstrate an understanding of the basic essay structure. Work sometimes falls below minimum requirements. The thoughts expressed in the essays may be unclear or intolerant of other perspectives. Essays may have some but not all of the standard requirements. A student who makes a D in this course has not contributed to the class as a whole, participated in discussions or given/received productive feedback with a positive attitude. There may be personal or outside issues that have distracted the student from reaching her learning goals set in the learning plan.
F = Below 60 Student probably doesn’t want to be in the class.
Late Work Your assignments are due when stated on the assignment sheet. If you cannot or do not complete them by the time they are due, you can hand in one Homework assignment, one in-class essay and one out-of-class essay assignment within one week after the due date. From then, one letter grade will be deducted for each day the assignment is late.
The Developmental Exit Exam – Written the last two days of class (April 26 and 28) This is a department-wide exam that all developmental students take. It will be a “Reader Response” type of essay, which you’ll learn how to write in class.
It assesses your ability to understand a reading by summarizing it and identifying the main ideas your ability to respond to this reading by communicating your ideas clearly your ability to use standard English appropriately, explaining your thoughts with specific details, and following a standard structure for college essays.
You must score an 8 or higher on the Developmental Exit Exam and achieve an overall “C” average in this course in order to take ENGL 101 next semester. If you score an 8 or higher on the exit exam, your final course grade will be the same letter grade you had prior to taking the exit exam. The exit exam doesn’t impact your overall course grade, just whether or not you go to ENGL 101.
You have two opportunities to take the Developmental Exit Exam. If you don’t do so well the first time, you’re eligible to re-take the exit exam if you have a “C” or better in the course.
If you score below 8 on the exit exam, your final course letter grade will have a “Y” in front of it. It will look something like this on your grade report: YA, YB, YC, or YD. It means you are “in progress” toward ENGL 101 and are eligible for another semester of Developmental English (062) in which to prepare for ENGL 101. You can enroll in Developmental English for up to three semesters if necessary.
9 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
The English Writing Lab: A tutoring facility paid for by your tuition dollars.
Angela Miller 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Beth Nolan 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday George Phillips 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday
Websites:
http://webster.commnet.edu/cgi-shl/challenge2.pl/challenge_quiz.htm: The Grammar Quotient Quiz – helpful to see where you are with certain grammar rules, practice identifying errors http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm: Interactive Quizzes – all kinds, all levels http://www.better-english.com/grammar.htm: Business English Grammar – good for seeing how important grammar is to Business Language http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/: Guide to Grammar and Writing http://www.chompchomp.com/exercises.htm: Exercises – Comma Splices and Fused Sentences http://www.iei.uiuc.edu/web.pages/grammarsafari.html: Examples of English Language Usage as Found in “Web Safaris” http:// www.dictionary.com : Great online dictionary – see what other dictionaries say about the same entry http://www.mhhe.com/langan: Online learning center by the publishers of your textbook, student resources available when you click on your textbook and find the chapter you want to work on http://international.ouc.bc.ca/chalkntalk/: A really neat site written by a teacher to her former students who wanted to reference her great grammar exercises after they graduated.....go figure...
Delgado services
Bookstore (504) 361-6436 Financial Aid (504) 483-4134 Advising (504) 483-4968 Registrar (504) 483-4492 Admissions (504) 483-4004 West Bank Campus (504) 361-6444 Slidell Campus (985)646-6420 Covington Campus (985) 893-6286 City Park Library (504) 483-4119
10 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
CALENDAR AND LEARNING STRATEGY
1/18 – 20: Learning from the syllabus (first summary), Student information cards, learning plan, diagnostic essay. Grammar busters: diagnostic quiz.
1/ 25 – 27: Finalize learning plans; Student competency interviews; Student competency summaries; Oral readings, reflection, and feedback; Personal competency summaries. Grammar busters: student log, spelling and vocabulary list.
1/1 – 3: Summaries from other classes and page 6 in the book, Oral readings, Outlining summaries and page 11. Grammar busters: student lessons, exercises, and quizzes assigned; subjects and verbs. (February 5 – 9 Mardi Gras Holiday) 2/8 – 10: Short week. Outlining the main idea and supporting points: Paragraphs on people; Rearranging the furniture. Grammar busters: fragments.
2/15 – 17: Generating thoughts about a given topic, free-writing, questioning, listing, and mind- mapping; Organizing thoughts; Paragraphs on topics (page 79); Oral readings, reflection and feedback; Editing and proofreading. Grammar busters: student lesson ideas and questions due; run-ons.
2/22 – 24: About paragraphs, Supporting details and transitions; Oral readings, reflection and feedback. Grammar: student lesson outlines due; sentence variety.
3/1 – 3: Microsoft Word seminar; Essay format; Essay parts; Supporting paragraphs on topics (in-class); Oral readings, reflection and feedback. Grammar busters: verbs. (March 7 – 12 Mid-terms) 3/8 – 10: Rearranging the furniture; Audience; Introductions and conclusions: Add to other paragraphs; Oral readings, reflection and feedback. Schedule conferences and student lessons. Grammar busters: student lessons due; subject- verb agreement.
3/15 – 16: Microsoft Word: creating a quality college essay (in-class); Oral readings, reflection and feedback; Conferences and self-evaluation. Grammar busters: more verbs; student lessons.
3/22 – 24: Short week. Rearranging the furniture. All individual assignments due-no exceptions. Out-of-class essay assignment; idea generation (in class); Conferences and self-evaluation. Grammar busters: student lessons; pronouns. (March 24 – 27 Spring Break) 3/29 – 31: Out-of-class essays due; Oral readings, reflection and feedback. The “Reader Response Essay;” exit exam preparation: readings and strategy. Grammar busters: remaining student lessons; adjectives and adverbs.
4/ 5 – 7: My birthday! Presents o.k. Workout Exit Exam #1, reflection; Workout Workshop #1, reflection and feedback. (April 13, last day to withdraw with a “W”) 4/12 – 14: Workout Exit Exam #2, reflection; Workout Workshop #2, reflection and feedback.
4/19 – 21: Workout Exit Exam #3, reflection; Workout Workshop #3, reflection and feedback. (final individual assignments due) (April 25 Last day for Reinstatement by Registrar) 4/26 – 28: Notebooks due. Exit Exam Parts 1 and 2 (Retake exam – TBA) (May 2 Last day of classes) (May 3 – 13 Final exams, May 14 Final grades in)
11 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
REGISTRATION March 28 – April 1: Advanced registration for Summer/Fall 2005, in person and by telephone or web for continuing students April 11 – May 6: Advanced registration for Summer/Fall 2005, in person and by telephone or web for continuing students, by appointment for new, transfer, or readmit students
CELL PHONES Anyone whose phone rings and disturbs class will lose his or her daily writing grade for that day. Anyone foolish enough to answer his or her phone during class will be given a “drop” form to take to the registrar to drop this class. If there is a pending emergency for which you must be available by phone to someone, you must inform me in writing prior to that day’s class time that you need access to your phone. Such emergencies should be of the “dire” sort such as death, injury, or utter financial ruin. Any other reason is insufficient to disturb your classmates. Each day you need phone access will require separate written permission.
DROPPING A COURSE April 13th is the last day you can drop the course with a W (Withdrawn). After that date, I have to give you a letter grade. In other words, if you can’t complete the class, you have to drop by the deadline so that you won’t get an F. Go to the front desk to the Registrar’s Office on the City Park Campus.
ATTENDING CLASS I drop students who miss over 3 of the total classes. Writing is not something you can get “caught up” in if you miss class because of the revision process. It’s like if you wanted to become a great tennis player, but you missed 5 of the 10 classes— you wouldn’t go back and expect to be the champion or even to come back where you left off. Experience has taught me that students who miss more than three classes do not pass the class anyway, so just come to class. Hey, you’re paying to learn critical thinking and writing. Why not get your money’s worth?
BEING LATE TO CLASS If you are late, pretend you’re invisible and take the nearest seat. Time is the single most valuable commodity in the world market today. If you are late to a meeting with a client, your boss, your employees, etc. your credibility shrinks to nothingness. Employers are not interested in hiring or promoting or developing people who do not recognize the value of time. I will never waste your time. Take care not to waste your own or others’ by arriving late and disturbing the flow of the class. That said.... Delgado’s policy for late instructors is....Students are required to wait 15 minutes, get a volunteer to take roll and hand it in to the front desk, and then leave.
POLICIES YOU SHOULD BE INFORMED OF Disability Service Statement: It is the general policy of Delgado Community College to assure equal opportunity for all qualified persons. Reasonable accommodations for qualified persons with disabilities will be made provided the students have self-identified with the office of Disability Services and have provided required documentation. Individual instructor s will modify the methods, requirements, and procedures of courses and examinations appropriately to accommodate the special needs of students with disabilities, provided the academic integrity of the course or examination is not violated, and the health and welfare of all students are safeguarded.
Discipline. The college expects of its students a high degree of integrity. Cheating on any test or plagiarizing is a serious offense. An instructor may assign a grade of F on any work on which a student has cheated or plagiarized and may fail the student for the entire course. Also, cheating and/or plagiarizing may result in more serious disciplinary actions, such as suspension. Before any action is taken, the instructor will discuss the matter with the Director of the Slidell Learning Center and/or the Department Head of English.
The “I” Grade. A grade of I (Incomplete) indicates that satisfactory work has been done in a course, but the student has been prevented from taking the final exam. The I grade is not given unless the student contacts the instructor and requests an I grade. In addition, the Director of Slidell Learning Center must agree that an I grade is appropriate, and documentation of the reason for missing the exam may be required. I’s are considered only at the point where 90% of the class work is successfully completed.
Grievance Procedures. Before a student comes to Communication’s Division Office, he or she should first consult with the instructor to try to resolve the situation. If the student and the instructor cannot resolve the issue, the student should come to see the Director of the Slidell Learning Center, who may also consult the Department Head of English. During the initial meeting, the Director or Department Head will function as mediator. Further action will depend on the outcome of this meeting.
12 DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH II
English 101 Standard Writing Format Unless otherwise instructed, all of your homework and essays should be completed using the following format.
Standard heading: In the top left corner of your paper, single space the following:
o Your first and last name o English 062/504 o Breckenridge o The full date (i.e., January, 21, 2005)
Number all pages at the top right hand cornet Put your name at the top left of all pages Center your title
Handwriting your work: Use wide-ruled notebook paper (no spiral) with three-holes so it fits in your notebook Skip lines and write only on one side of the page Indent paragraphs five spaces from your left margin Keep a one-inch margin on the right Center your title on the top line. Skip two lines to start your first paragraph Write very very legibly.
Typing your work: Use standard, 8.5 x 11” white typing or copy paper. Double-space your work (except your heading) Use a 12 point, serif font o A serif font has little feet on the letters. Use “Times New Roman,” “Garamond,” or “Courier.” They are easier to read for text because the “feet” help they eye move from one letter to the next. . Times New Roman . Garamond . Courier o A sans-serif font does not have little extensions at the tops and bottoms-like feet. Arial, Tahoma, and Veranda are examples of this. Don’t use them for your writing in this class. They are harder to read in text, better for headings. . Arial . Tahoma . Verdana Use 1” margins on the top, bottom, left and right. Do not put any extra space between paragraphs, just indent or tab ½ 1/2 inch on the first line of each new paragraph.
See example of standard typing format that follows:
13 Don Brode English 101/504 Breckenridge September 29, 2004
The Importance of a College Education
Did you know that approximately 63% of Americans get some form of higher education after high school? The article, “Why Go to College?” by William Henry, tells us that this is a high percentage compared to other countries where fewer students have the opportunity to go to college. As Americans, we tend to take a college education for granted, while other countries consider it a privilege. In other countries, such as Japan, only students who displayed great ability for learning get the opportunity for higher education. But why do people go to college?
As President Clinton once said, “Education is an investment in human capital.” I believe that obtaining a college education is the key to a successful career. I believe knowledge is power.
Investing in higher education will benefit students for the rest of their lives. Knowledge is power. Continuing your education and obtaining more knowledge and skills is what leads to success. After graduating high school, I entered the workforce, making minimum wage with no future in sight. I decided that living from paycheck to paycheck, trying to make ends meet was not the lifestyle I wanted to live, so I decided to continue my education. I enrolled in an LPN
(licensed practical nurse) program, from which I graduated. I now have the knowledge and skills needed to be successful as an LPN. All of my success is due to higher education.
A doctor? A lawyer? A teacher? What will I be when I grow up? This is a question that all young people ask themselves as they’re growing up. But for all of these things, a college education is necessary. Although it may be taken for granted, higher education is the key to success. For example, my mother did not continue her education after high school, and she has struggled all of her life just to make ends meet. My older sister, on the other hand, obtained a
14 college degree and has a successful career. College can mean the difference between living from paycheck to paycheck or having a comfortable life.
In conclusion, I ask once again, “Why go to college”? Higher education is the key to success. Education is something that benefits people for the rest of their lives. I think President
Clinton hit the nail on the head when he said, “Education is an investment in human capital.”
15 Date: Course # and Section:
Learning Plan For
Complete the sections in this learning plan on separate notebook paper. You may also set up a 30 minute meeting with me, and I’ll type it up while you dictate.
Assessment of Personal Assets (define what you bring to the table as a writer, what life or work or school experiences have given you expertise as a communicator? What personal traits, characteristics, or hobbies/interests do you have that support your ability to communicate well? To learn? What areas do you know you need to develop? What do you know will be your biggest challenge to becoming a good communicator of written language?)
Learning Goals and Objectives (define the goals you have for this course and why you chose them. Also include how you will achieve them. These are specific things you want learn—like, say, effective conclusions. Your resources and strategies will enable you to learn them. You set a target date for their completion.)
My Strategies for Achieving Learning Goals (What kinds of activities, instruction, or assignments do you think will work best for you to achieve your learning goals and objectives? What resources will you use to achieve those learning goals? How will you use them? What changes will you have to make in your personal/work/school life to achieve those learning goals? How will you accomplish that?)
My Timeline and Sample Schedule (Create a calendar with major assignment due dates, milestones, holidays, etc. Insert completion dates for learning objectives as well. Look at what you have and then draft a sample “daily schedule” for your own time management that balances these learning goals with your other courses, work, family, friends, significant others, pets, hobbies, and everything else that is important to you.)
My Evidence of Accomplishment (How will you show yourself and others what you have learned? How will it be evaluated? What criteria?)
Purpose of this Learning Plan (define in your own words how you would like to use this learning plan to help you succeed in becoming a better communicator through writing) You may need to revise or renegotiate this Learning Plan as you go along. If this happens, just make an appointment with me to talk about it.
I am accountable for this learning plan and my work in this course.
(Student)
I am accountable for my coaching, teaching methods, and management of this course. I am committed to fulfilling my role in this student’s strategy for learning in this course.
(Instructor)
16 Date: Course # and Section:
Mid-term Self-Evaluation and Progress Review For
Congratulations! You’ve set goals for yourself, made a personal strategy for achieving them, identified resources that meet your needs, and completed a fair amount of work so far in the process of developing your communication skills. Now that you’re about mid-way through the course, it’s time to take a look at where you have come and where you want to go from here.
1. What have you done to achieve the learning needs identified in your Learning Plan?
2. What activities, experiences, or feedback have helped you the most to address your learning needs?
3. What disappoints you about the work done so far?
4. Name one thing you feel more confident about in your writing.
5. What would you like to know more about?
6. How would you approach things differently if you had to do them again?
7. How do you feel about your progress overall?
8. What needs to change? What needs to continue?
17 Date: Course # and Section:
Mid-term Instructor Feedback For
As your writing coach and main support during this course, I have a vested interest in your learning and success. In fact, I consider it a privilege to share a little piece of your college journey with you. Now that we’re at the mid-point of this journey, it’s time to reflect on your progress, your responsibilities and my commitment to that progress.
1. Have the course requirements and expectations been clearly communicated to you? How?
2. Have you been able to participate in planning your own learning strategy? Why/why not?
3. Have you been able to understand the feedback that you have received? Why/why not?
4. Has the feedback been useful in guiding your development? Why/why not?
5. What would you like to see more of?
6. What would you like to see less of or none of?
7. Do you feel like you understand the grading strategy of this course?
8. Do you feel like this strategy accurately reflects your performance in the course? Why/why not?
9. What is the best thing about this course? Why?
18 Date: Course # and Section:
Peer Review For
Peer review is important to achieve clear, precise writing. This is just as true for professional scientists as it is for students. Before scientific manuscripts are considered for publication, the journal editor selects 2-3 "peers" to review the manuscript. A reviewer typically reviews the scientific merit of the paper, specifically addressing the cohesion and logic. Reviewers then suggest revisions to improve the paper before publication. Suggested revisions always include comments on the content of the paper. In most professional settings, particularly academic and scientific settings, a piece of writing is like part of a conversation. Readers participate in the conversation by asking questions, commenting on the thoughts, suggesting improvements, and recognizing good written communication.
Our writing means NOTHING if others don’t read and understand it. These are not just words on a page; they are another person’s personal thoughts and ideas, trying to form sense and meaning through language. Read your peers’ thoughts with the integrity that every writer deserves. Respond with the intelligence and dignity you possess. The feedback you give peers is a direct reflection of yourself.
Read through the essay once, without writing anything. Try to identify the writer’s main idea and purpose for writing. Provide feedback using the following guidelines.
1. Summarize the essay, including in the first sentence what you see to be the main idea of the essay.
2. What kind of audience do you think would be interested in reading this information? Did the writer clearly communicate his/her message in a way that would be interesting for that audience? Why/why not? What suggestion do you have?
3. Where did the logic seem unclear? Why? What suggestions do you have?
4. Did the introduction grab your attention and clearly let you know what was coming up in the essay? Why? What would have worked for you?
19
5. What kind of factual evidence did the writer use to explain his/her claims in the body paragraphs? What claims did not have factual evidence?
6. Was the conclusion meaningful? Did it sum up the ideas in the essay and leave you with a strong statement? What would have worked better for you as a reader?
7. Were the paragraphs more or less the same length? (4 or 5 sentences each?) If not, could some of them have been combined? Or developed more, using factual evidence and specific details?
8. How many grammar errors could you find? What were the major ones? Correct one of the sentences with a grammar error.
9. (For “Reader Response” essays only) Did the writer include a 4-5 sentence summary of another piece of writing in the introduction? Did he/she identify the author’s name, the title of the article, and the author’s main idea in his/her own words?
10. (For “Reader Response” essays only) Was the body of the essay a personal opinion in response to something found in the reading? What part of the reading or topic did this writer respond to? Did he/she agree or disagree with the author of the article?
11. What was the strongest point(s) of this essay? Why?
20
12. What was the weakest point of this essay? Why?
21 MY SPELLING LIST The Attempt The Dictionary Spelling Points to Remember alright all right two words ocasion occasion two “c”s
22 MY VOCABULARY LIST The New Word! The Definition In My Own Words
23 MY PROGRESS CHART FOR GRAMMAR DATE ASSIGNMENT EXPLANATION TO DO INST. INITIALS
24 Your Name: Date: Course # and Section:
LEARNING STYLE INVENTORY Directions: Choose the answer that best explains your preference in each situation and put the letter in the box.
1. You are about to give directions to a person. She is staying in a hotel in town and wants to visit your house. She has a rental car. Would you: V) draw a map on paper A) tell her the directions R) write down the directions (without a map) K) pick her up from her hotel in your car
2. You are staying in a hotel and have a rental car. You would like to visit a friend whose address you do not know. Would like him to: V) draw you a map on paper A) tell you the directions by phone R) write down the directions (without a map) K) pick you up from the hotel in his car
3. You have just received a copy of your itinerary for a world trip. This is of interest to a friend. Would you: V) show her on a map of the world A) call her immediately and tell her about it R) send her a copy of the printed itinerary
4. You are going to cook a dessert as a special treat for your family. Do you: V) thumb through the cookbook looking for ideas from the pictures A) ask others for advice R) refer to a specific cookbook where there is a recipe you know about K) cook something familiar without need for instructions
5. A group of tourists have been assigned to you to learn about national parks. Would you: V) show them slides and photographs A) give them a talk on national parks R) give them books on national parks K) drive them to a national park
6. You are about to purchase a new stereo. Other than price, what would most influence your decision? V) it looks really classy A) a friend talking about it R) reading details about it K) listening to it
7. Recall a time in your life when you learned how to do something like playing a new board game. (Try to avoid using a very physical skill like riding a bike.) How did you learn best? V) by using visual clues, like pictures of diagrams A) by listening to somebody explain it R) by reading written instructions K) by doing it
8. Which of these games do you prefer? V) Pictionary R) Scrabble K) Charades
9. You are about to learn to use a new program on a computer. Would you: A) call a friend and ask questions about it
25 R) read the manual that comes with the program K) ask a friend to show you how to use it
10. You are not sure whether a word should be spelled dependent or dependant. Do you: V) see the word in your mind and choose the way it looks best A) sound it out in your mind R) look it up in the dictionary K) write both versions down
11. Apart from price, what would most influence your decision to buy a particular textbook? V) it looks OK A) a friend talking about R) skimming through parts of it K) using a friends’ copy
12. A new movie has arrived in town. What would most influence your decision to go/not to go? V) you saw a preview of it A) friends talked about it R) you read a review about it
13. What is your guess about how you learn best? V) visual cues A) listening and discussing R) reading K) doing, i.e., touch, taste, smell, feel
Total of each answer: V A R K
[ V = visual, A = aural, R = read/write, K = kinesthetic]
Adapted from Fleming, N.D. & Mills, C. (1992). Not another inventory, rather a catalyst for reflection. To Improve the Academy, 11, 137 – 155.
26 Learning to Write Clearly: Lesson 1 Summing Up Information To Make a Good Paragraph and Responding to a Piece of Writing With a Paragraph
Preparation: In-class explanation of paragraphs, main ideas, and details.
Overview Partner interviews. 2 paragraphs written, one from information a partner gives you and one in response to something someone else has written. Reflection before writing the response.
Due: First draft of first paragraph due in class today. Final draft of first paragraph and second paragraph due at the beginning of class on Thursday, January 27th. These are your first two class grades.
Format: Use standard writing format from your syllabus.
Length: 6 or 7 sentences each.
Objective: To talk with another person and get some information to write about To look at the information you got and get a main idea or theme from it that you can use to talk about in a paragraph To write a paragraph explaining your main idea by using details from the interview with the other person To hear what someone has written about the information you gave him or her To reflect on what someone has written about that information To write a paragraph explaining your response to what someone else wrote about your information To proofread your own work and correct grammar errors
Purpose: Summarizing shows that you understand something. So, in this lesson, we’ll practice communicating that we understand our own thoughts about something. The purpose is: To learn how to pull bits of information together in order to form a piece of writing that communicates one main idea To learn how to summarize “subjectively,” identify your own main idea, and explain it clearly To learn how to identify someone else’s main idea from their writing To learn how to respond with your own idea to something someone else has written
Instructions 1. Choose a partner, someone you haven’t met yet. 2. Decide who will write first and who will talk first. 3. The first writer asks the following questions to the first talker:
27 a. What is the best attribute you have to succeed in school? Why do you think so? Give an example of how you have used this attribute. b. Describe your abilities as a communicator. How do you communicate best with other people? Give an example of how you have used any of these abilities in the past. c. Are you more comfortable giving or receiving feedback? Why? Give an example of how you have given or received feedback well. 4. Now switch. The second writer asks the same questions to the second talker. 5. Now both of you look over what you have written down from the other person. In taking in all that information, think of an overall idea of how this person would be a good contributor to this class and to our class goals of learning how to communicate well through writing Standard English. 6. Write one sentence that states that main idea. 7. Explain what you mean by that main idea by using other details that your partner gave you or some of your own. Be prepared to read these out loud to one another and/or the class. 8. When you hear what your partner wrote about what you said, remember your response. Write a brief reflection in that section of your notebook that describes your overall response to your partner’s paragraph. Do you agree with it? Disagree with it? Feel embarrassed about it? Was it clear? Was it what you expected? Why? 9. For homework, write one sentence that sums up what the person wrote, using this format: In a paragraph about my contributions to this English course, ______wrote that I would contribute ______because I ______. 10. Write one sentence that states your overall response to this main idea. 11. Explain what you mean by your response, using details from your partner’s paragraph and/or your own thoughts. 12. For homework, carefully edit the first paragraph you wrote and re-write if necessary 13. Carefully edit your response paragraph. 14. Both paragraphs due at the beginning of next class. 15. Be prepared to read out loud your response paragraph in class.
28 Example: Notes from an interview like this: Tracy is interviewing Claude
Claude’s best attribute for school is determination. He really wants to stop doing construction work and thinks that a college degree will help him to provide better for his family. He thinks that determination is necessary for succeeding in college. An example of this is: He wanted to fly fish really badly as a kid, but his dad wouldn’t teach him because he said he was too young. Claude wanted to show his dad that he wasn’t too young and he could do it on his own, so he practiced after school everyday for 6 months. Then when his dad asked him to come along on a fishing trip, he surprised everyone with his skill and caught the most fish!
Describes his abilities as a communicator as limited. He’s not very confident in writing, but thinks he’s pretty good at talking to people. He always tries to teach the new guys on the construction sites how to deal with the Foreman, who is a real jerk. Once he even stopped a fist fight between the foreman and a new worker by explaining the value of both sides.
He’s more comfortable receiving feedback because he wants to learn what to do to get better at anything. It’s hard for him to give feedback to someone because he doesn’t want them to feel bad if it’s not good feedback.
Notes on an overall idea about Claude’s contribution to the class, by Tracy:
Claude can add a lot to this class because he seems to have a strong sense of personal value and also seems to value other people’s opinions.
Paragraph on how Claude can contribute to the class:
Claude can add a lot to this class because he seems to have a strong sense of personal value and also seems to value other people’s opinions. First of all, determination is a sign of commitment. This is a good quality to have in our class because it means you can count on him to stay focused and to do the best he can. He also seems to enjoy seeing other people do well and do well together. He showed this when he was a mediator between his boss and another employee at his work. I think he will be able to look at different opinions and respect them. Finally, even though he doesn’t like to give feedback, I think he would be valuable in giving feedback because he does not seem to be judgmental.
29 Claude’s reflection on this paragraph:
Nice things to say, but I’m just a beginner like anybody else...... I actually was dang nervous when I had to work out that fight between my boss and that new guy....I wouldn’t want to do that again....but it’s true that I like to see other people do well.
Claude’s response paragraph:
In a paragraph about my contributions to this English course, Tracy wrote that I would contribute a lot because I have good personal values. She mentioned my determination and the way I like to see other people do well. I agree with her interpretation because I always like it when other people do well. I guess I also like to be a part of that. Sometimes it’s hard to get in the middle between two people who are competing to do well. I may have a knack for that, but it’s not my favorite thing to do.
But I do agree now that feedback is not so bad to give if means that someone will do well from it, even if it’s negative.
30