English 085 Section 77 Fall 2009 / T. Latimer Syllabus for College Reading 1. Instructor Contact Information Thomas Latimer Office Hours: By appointment. I am on campus Tuesday and Thursday evenings both before and after class. Please speak to me in class or via email to arrange a meeting on one of those days. School Email: [email protected] Other Email: [email protected] Please use this address only if the JCC website is unavailable. 2. Class Time / Location Tue.& Thu. 7:00 PM – 8:58 PM 08/25/09 through 12/17/09 Room 225 JCC@LISD Adrian campus 3. Textsbooks and In-Class Materials Title: An Introduction to Critical Reading (Listed as ICR on Course Calendar) Author: McCraney 2007 Title: The Last Lecture (Listed as LL on Course Calendar) Author: Pausch 2008 Title: Making Reading Relevant (Listed as MRR on Course Calendar) Author: Quick, Zimmer, Hocevar 2007 Please bring all textbooks to class each time we meet. You will also need: * Two packets of white, lined 4" x 6" index cards (100 count each). * A notebook, folder, or Trapper for handouts and returned papers. * 8 ½ by 11" notebook paper and pens/pencils for in-class work. You should have access to a good collegiate dictionary and thesaurus. Although you may wish to borrow or buy paperback copies to use in class, this is not mandatory. 4. Course Description JCC administrators designed this course for students who need to develop college- level reading skills. Students must show an ability to read some pre-college material independently. Class members are provided with a sequentially structured approach to comprehending college-level writing. Student writing is a significant component of the course. 5. Course Objectives and Associate Degree Outcomes (ADOs) The College Board of Trustees has determined that all JCC graduates should develop or enhance certain essential skills while enrolled at the college. The college website (www.jccmi.edu) includes a summary of these skills called Associate Degree Outcomes, or ADOs. Instructors must design their curriculums to align with the ADOs relevant to their particular course. I have listed the course objectives for College Reading below. Students who fulfill course requirements will: 1) increase their reading comprehension; 2) make connections between their reading assignments and their personal experiences and prior knowledge; 3) express their understanding of readings through their own writing; 4) learn study strategies which enhance their understanding, memory, and time efficiency for reading assignments; and 5) increase the use of written material as a source of information and enjoyment.6. Academic procedures and requirements You should plan to spend one to two hours of your own time in preparation for each class hour. 6a. Reading done outside class as homework: See the Course Calendar handout for the selections from our textbooks and the dates they are due. We will study several titles each week, and you will take notes and complete a quiz for each of these readings. 6b. Reading completed together in class: I will provide copies of articles, poems, and short stories not included in our textbook. Although none of these are intended as homework, you will read each work, prepare notes, and take quizzes in the same manner as readings done outside class. We will also conduct student readings and oral presentations as a part of the course. 6c. Notes: I ask that you prepare notes for the various readings on 4" x 6" index cards, mostly because they are easier to sort and encourage organization and brevity. We will discuss strategies for taking good notes, a skill that is crucial to this class and nearly every other college course. You may use the notes you prepare as a resource during the quizzes. In other words, many of the quizzes are "open notes" (although not "open book"). In order to receive full credit for notes: * Locate the selection due according to date listed in the course calendar. * Read the entire story or article and prepare notes on index card(s) according to the question words Who, What, When, Where, Why and/or How. * These index cards must be in your own handwriting and not printouts or photocopies. I will collect the quiz and your notes and grade both items. * List or briefly summarize the key points of the reading (25 words minimum). The points in your notes should correspond to the main points in the author’s work up to and including the end of the selection. In other words, you will not earn full credit if your notes only refer to part of the reading. This summary is worth 50% of your index card grade. * List any vocabulary words given in class, and include at least one word of definition (synonym) for each vocabulary term. For each missing vocabulary word I deduct 5% credit. If no vocabulary notes are included, you lose 50% credit for those notes. * Please make sure to include your name and the date at the top of each card. Remember, the index cards count as much as the quiz results. If you prepare effective notes, your index card grade and quiz scores will both improve. 6d. Quizzes: We have at least one quiz every class. The good news is that we do not have any single massive project that consumes 40 or 50% of your overall course grade. I prefer—and I think many students would agree—a large number of small tasks to a small number of large tasks. 6e. Grade weights: You may determine your grade at any point during the semester simply by dividing the sum of all your scores by the number of points possible up to that time. For example, if two weeks into the course we have taken eight quizzes, add all your scores for those quizzes together and divide by 800: 85 + 90 + 75 + 70 + 95 + 100 + 85 + 100 = 700 pts earned