Central State University
English 0950: Basic Writing and Reading Enhancement
Course Syllabus
Course Information
Document Date: Fall2009
Course Number: 950
Course Prerequisites: N/A
Credit Hours: 4
Classroom Location: Wesley Hall 217
Class Time and Day: M/T/W/TH – 10:00 AM
Instructor Information
Name: Annette Lorenzo, MPA
Instructor’s Office Room Number: Wesley Hall #337
Instructor’s Office Telephone Number: 937-776-6410
Instructor’s e-mail address: alorenzo2@aol.com
Instructor’s Office Hours: 8:00/9:00 AM – M/T/W/TH/F, 1:00 – 2:00 M/T/W/TH/F
Biographical Statement:
Professor Lorenzo has a MPA and an undergraduate degree in Social Sciences. She has taught grades K-12, undergraduate and graduate level courses. With almost 15 years of higher educational experience in departments of Physical Education, Business, Sociology, Psychology and General Education she is well verse in classroom management and student relationship building.
Required Texts and Materials
- Stick and Stones
- Central State Universities Student Handbook
- A paperback dictionary, available at the bookstore.
- One 3-ring binders or folders (one for your portfolio, one for your journal).
- External Flash Drive
- Computer - Course Blog membership
- Journal/pen
Electronic Course Management Tool:
- Blackboard -Central State University Blackboard tool - http://centralstate.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?content_id=_7306_1&displayName=Learning+Community+Course+Syllabuses&course_id=_677_1&navItem=content&href=http://centralstate.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
- Blackboard - Mandatory Student Training session attendance
- Course Face book
- Course Blog
- Student Email Address - One personal and One CSU student email address
- MyCSU account
- Power Point
- MS Word 2007 version
Catalog Description:
ENG. 0950 (4 credits, I, II) Basic Writing and Reading Enhancements: An integrated skills course designed to help students develop college-level proficiency in reading and writing. The reading component stresses enhancing vocabulary, building comprehension, and developing the interpretive and analytic skills required for college coursework. The writing component stresses the conventions of standard American English grammar and mechanics and basic essay writing skills using summary, narrative, and expository writing. Individualized and small group work on the writing process included. Instructors may require a weekly one-hour tutorial in addition to classroom hours. Mandatory placement based on admissions profile and/or the recommendation of the English faculty. Prerequisite: none. Credits do not count toward graduation or general education requirements.
Course Objectives
At the completion of the course the student will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions as follows:
Knowledge (what you can explain and/or teach to others):
- Know what the terms thesis and topic sentence mean;
- Know what active and passive reading are and how they differ;
- Understand how a dictionary is organized;
- Distinguish active reading from passive reading
- Explain the relationship between details and themes of texts;
- Use a dictionary and other reference tools to obtain information.
- Skills (tasks you can perform)
- Select and use appropriate strategies for reading a variety of materials
- Use a more extensive, sophisticated vocabulary (as appropriate for students preparing for college-level work);
- Demonstrate recall of facts by answering questions over reading selections;
- Make inferences from reading passages of varied length and difficult;
- Write effective summaries of readings;
- Develop and apply critical thinking to analyze, synthesize, and apply information contained in readings;
- Write effective topic sentences and thesis statements;
- Write effective paragraphs and short essays for a variety of purposes utilizing various modes of development;
- Use correct grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation (as appropriate for students preparing for college-level work);
- Utilize word processing, WebCT and/or other computer-based tools effectively.
- Dispositions (attitudes and patterns of behavior):
- Understand and appreciate a variety of literary and non-literary texts;
- Examine personal views in comparison/contrast with those explored in texts;
- Appreciate and explore a divers range of authors, cultures, and perspectives;
- Show interest in relationships between literature and life/universal truths’
- Appreciate and create effective written communication;
- Develop confidence in responding to oral/written prompts;
- Appreciate the importance of documentation.
Policies/ Requirements
1. Read materials as assigned;
2. Write minimum of three essays and other shorter compositions;
3. Complete all assignments according to scheduled due dates;
4. Participate in all class discussions, activities, and assignments;
5. Attend tutorial sessions and complete activities as assigned;
6. Take the departmental final examination at the prescribed time;
7. Avoid plagiarism, which is the submitting of another student’s work or material from other printed sources as one’s own work and which may result in the grade of “F” for the paper or for the course itself;
8. Attend class on a consistent basis. Students are responsible for obtaining materials, assignments, and information given on missed class days. The University attendance policy states that a student may fail a course for having more unexcused absences during the quarter than the number of ties the class meets per week.
9. Instructors may develop and enforce other policies consistent with the curr4ent CSU course Catalogue, departmental guidelines, and standard academic practices.
Criteria for Grading:
The grade for the class will be determined by the student’s level of competence in class assignments and activities, homework, test, quizzes, and essays. Instructors may develop and enforce attendance and other policies consistent with the current CSU course catalog and Departmental guidelines.
Each instructor will develop a course section syllabus discusses specific methods of delivery, topics, activities, and assignments. The final exam will count as a least 10% of the final grade.
Americans with Disabilities Compliance: If you have been documented as an individual with disabilities, please contact the Office of Disability Services at ext. 6387, so that reasonable accommodations can be made to assist you in your learning.
Calendar Weeks:
ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE - Tentative Course Schedule (subject to change)
WEEK
Dates
General Topic/Reading/Assignment/Paper/Exam
W1 - 8/17
Ice-Breaker, Syllabus Review, Blog Following, Face book Fan, Text Review, Key Concept, Library Visit, Student Handbook Review, Office Visit, First entry into course journal, Read first few chapters of main text
W2 - 8/24
Blackboard Training, Office Visit, Student Bio, Review of writing skills, How to Read A Book – Lecture and Exercise, Syllabus Quiz, Voc Drills
W3 - 8/31
Role Playing Exercise, Grammar Drills, Study of: Themes, Writing and Reading tools, Vocabulary building, Sentence Structures, grammar, Critical Thinking, Documentation, Plagiarism
W4 - 9/07 Holiday (Four day week) 9/08 Tues
Review of MS/Power Point tool, Review of Journal, Paper Due
W5 - 9/14
First Interim Grades Due, Literature Review
W6 - 9/21
Essay Drills
W7 = 9/28
Paper Due
W8 - 10/05 (Four Day Week) Fall Break 10/9 Friday
Mid Term Exam, pre-exam drills, review of course journal,
W9 - 10/12 (Four Day Week. Holiday 10/12
How to develop Presentation Skills, Voc Drills
W10 - 10/19 (Four Day Week. Career Day off
Second Interim Grade Due, Career Day 10/21,
W11 - 10/26
Refresher Drills: Sentence Structure/Grammar, Begin Final project, Paper Due
W12 - 11/02
W13 - 11/09
Course topic review
W14 - 11/16
Final Paper =Oral Presentations
W15 - 11/23 (Two Day Week)
Final Paper = Oral Presentations
*11/25 – 11/29 = Thanksgiving Holiday Break
W16 - 11/30
Students Evaluation of Faculty,
W17 - 12/07
FINAL EXAM WEEK – Schedule to be announced
Assignment Points (Grading and Revisions)
In any skills course, what counts is improvement. Thus, the grades you earn on later papers count more than grades on earlier papers. The percentage of each contribution to your final grade is as follows:
1. In-class writing, homework, and class participation 15%
2. Essay 1: Essay 5%
3. Essay #2: Essay 10%
4. Essay #3:Essay 10%
5. Mid-Term Exam 15%
6. Power Presentation: Primary Skill Statements 15%
7. Final Portfolio (Revisions and Reflections) 20%
8. Final Exam 10%
Note: In-class participation is closely related to the successful development of your portfolio (Revision and Reflection) grade.
The final letter grade will be based on the following scales:
Points - Letter Grade Interpretation
90 – 100 A
Superior (Very High)
80 – 89 B
Above Average (High)
70 – 79 C
Average (Satisfactory)
60 – 69 D
Below Average (Low/Poor Work)
Below 60 F Failure
A represents a writing level of unusual polish and style, and often takes a surprising angle in developing a topic. A-level writing shows consistence excellence. A-level writing always surpasses assignment expectations.
B represents solid, readable writing that does what the assignment asks. B-level writing demonstrates concrete support for claims, fine organization, and substantive thoughtfulness, but it is not rich in specific details. B- Level writing is free of grammatical problems.
C represents writing which probably satisfies all the requirements of an assignment. However, such writing lacks sufficient, concrete support needed to illustrate its assertions or prove its point. C- Level writing also sows laps in editing proficiency and contains careless errors.
D represents that there is a poor sense of audience and a limited sense of purpose. The purpose or thesis cannot be discerned without significant work on the part of the reader. Necessary evidence is out of order and/or missing; irrelevant evidence may instead be present. The reasoning will necessarily be flawed. The organization of the students work is difficult to discern, with introduction being unclear or nonexistent, paragraphs are not well developed or arranged, and transitions are incorrect or missing.
F represents that the paper is off the assignment. The thesis is unclear; the paper moves confusedly in several directions. It may even fall seriously short of minimum length requirements. There is virtually no evidence, or the attribution of evidence is problematic or has been neglected and/or the organization seems to a significant degree haphazard or arbitrary.
Note:
· Late written assignments and revised written assignments will receive the high grade of 79% or C+.
· Make up quizzes and or essays will only be permitted in extreme and extenuating circumstances.
Tardiness/Lateness Policy:
Excusive tardiness will result in a 10% reduction in total accumulation of points. Professor reserves the right to prohibit any students from entering the classroom, five minutes after the assigned beginning time of class. Students will not attempt to justify their tardiness/lateness, and if said student attempt to do so, the Professor will view this as student misconduct.
Academic Integrity/Honesty Policy: Academic dishonesty in any shape or form will not be tolerated. Written or other work submitted by a student must be the product of his/her own efforts. Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty, including dishonesty involving computer technology and cell phones, are prohibited. Students caught engaged in any form of academic dishonesty will automatically receive an F in the course.
ADA Policy:
CSU provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in class activities or meet course requirements should contact the Office of Student Disability for their CSU accommodation letters. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and present the accommodation letter to the instructor
at the beginning of the semester.
Instructional Methods:
This course will be a paperless course. Students are required to view the mastering of basic technological skills as mandatory core skill base to pass this course. Online classrooms will be conducted and should be viewed equal to the face-to-face class environment both in assignment weight and time frame to perform task. The professor will conduct an online evaluation drill two weeks in the course to secure students are not dysfunctional in this learning modality model. Study table attendance will be mandatory if student is found to be deficient in function within a ‘blended’ technical classroom.
Amendments to Syllabus:
This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. The instructor reserves the right to amend this syllabus at any time. Any such change will be announced, and if practical, distributed in class. As with all other class requirements, the student is responsible for being present to receive such changes.
I, _______________________________, certify that I have read and understand the policies and procedures for this 0950 English course. I agree to abide by these policies and contact a fellow student and instructor Annette Lorenzo ASAP if I have questions, comments or problems.
_________________________ Signature of Student
________ Date
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