Course Objectives: In this course you will . . .1. The more you invest time and effort in reading, the more your reading skills will develop.2. Skillful reading requires vigorous mental activity. Be alert and actively seek out what the author wants to say by asking questions, making guesses and predictions, reflecting on ideas, and drawing on your own knowledge and experience as you read.3. Pay attention to how the author organizes ideas, noticing heading titles, bold or italicized words, central themes, patterns, etc. (Noticing how writers organize their ideas can also make you a better writer.)Syllabus for English 085, College Reading, Fall 2008Instructor: Ted Miller Office hours:Office: Walker Hall, Room 244 Monday through Thursday 3-5; and by appointmentPhone: 517-796-8597Email: [email protected] and supplies:1. the curious incident of the dog in the night-time a novel by mark haddon2. Generation Debt: Take Control of Your Money—A How to Guide by Carmen Wong Ulrich3. Journal notebook: spiral, single subject, college rule, size 8” x 10½” (that’s important)4. Folder for loose papers.* You may also want to purchase a portable dictionary—recommended but not required. Course Objectives: In this course you will . . . 1. Improve your reading comprehension. 2. Make connections between what you read and your own experiences. 3. Write clear summaries of what you read. 4. Combine information from several reading sources. 5. Read for pleasure and for information. Associate Degree Outcomes: The JCC Board of Trustees has developed a list of essential skills that all graduates should develop. The Board has said:JCC’s goal is to prepare students to live productive and meaningful lives. Implicit in this goal are efforts to prepare students to: (a) live and work in the 21st century, (b) be employed in situations which will require retraining several times during a productive life, and (c) function in a rapidly changing international society.In support of these guidelines, ENG 085 students will develop critical thinking skills, including the ability to . . .- Generate questions about a text before and while reading.- Identify the impact of emotion on thought.- Distinguish between fact, opinion and inference.- Recognize bias in a piece of writing.- Incorporate new knowledge with old.Eng 085 Grading- Journal, Notes, Various Writing Assignments 25%- 2 Reading/Research Projects 30%Page 1- Oral Presentations 10%- Comprehension Quizzes 10%- Small Group Work/Participation/Attendance 25%Keys to reading skill development 1. The more you invest time and effort in reading, the more your reading skills will develop. 2. Skillful reading requires vigorous mental activity. Be alert and actively seek out what theauthor wants to say by asking questions, making guesses and predictions, reflecting on ideas, and drawing on your own knowledge and experience as you read. 3. Pay attention to how the author organizes ideas, noticing heading titles, bold or italicized words, central themes, patterns, etc. (Noticing how writers organize their ideas can also make you a better writer.)Journal, Notes, Various Writing Assignments (25%)Your journal is a place where you will write about your thoughts, feelings, reactions, interpretations, and connections with a particular reading assignment. Sometimes, you will be asked to summarize, in your own words, what the words on the pages are saying. Here thefocus is on the words of the text. Paraphrase the most important information. A good summary will not leave out leave out any key parts or important ideas. [Example: A tortoise and hare ran a race. The hare started fast but then stopped to rest and fell asleep. The tortoise went slowly but won the race. Sometimes, you will be asked to review the piece of writing and make a guess about what theauthor’s intentions were in writing this. What lessons is she/he trying to convey? Quote from the text to support your interpretations. Here the focus is on the author’s ideas. The only wayto guess what the author’s purpose was is to read between the lines. [Example: The author wanted to teach people the value of steady efforts and the danger of being arrogant and lazy.] Sometimes you will be asked to connect this piece to your own experience, your own thinking, or other things you’ve read. What does this writing say to you personally? Tell yourrelated stories. Here the focus is on you, your experiences, and your ideas. [Example: From 1992 to 1998, I was working toward my doctorate degree, a major life goal. I had classmates who were smarter than I, and sometimes that made me lose confidence. However, I completed one assignment at a time, one or two courses at a time, and then my 200-page dissertation that took two years to write. I won! Some of my smarter classmates did not get the degree.]In most assignments, your journal writing will have a specific task and writing prompt.Page 22 Reading/Research Projects (30%)In addition to the assigned reading, you will be learning how to find and read materials on two particular areas—the first we will all work with as a class, and our focus will be on the topic of autism. The second reading/research topic will be chosen by you, based on your personal interests or areas that you have always wanted to explore, but may never have had the time or opportunity. You will be locating resources to help you research those topics—books, magazines, newspaper articles, films, songs, people, and the internet.Oral Presentations (10%)Projects worked on individually—for example, the reading/research autism project and your own project for research—will be shared orally with members of the class. You will be givenrubrics (guidelines) to help you know how to present and share the information you discovered.Comprehension Quizzes (10%)You will be quizzed on your comprehension of assigned readings from time to time. The quizzes will consist of an array of questions—multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and short essay. Sometimes you will know about the quizzes in advance, and sometimes you will not know in advance.Small Group Work/Participation/Attendance (25%)See more information about this area on the Learning Community Overarching Responsibilities Handout.Page