English 260  (4 Units)        
Basic Reading
Ruben Delgado, instructor
Office: HUM 52
Fall Semester, 2008

Office Hours:
9:00-9:50 Tues/Thurs/Fri

Office phone: (559) 638-3641 ext. 3297
Office e-mail: ruben.delgado@reedleycollege.edu

Class days, time, & location:
12:00-12:50 M,T,W,Th: POR1; Fri: AGR1 (Lab)

Important dates & holidays:
August 18 (M) Fall semester instruction begins
September 1  (M) Labor Day holiday (no classes held, campus closed)
September 5  (F) Last day to register for a full-term fall class
September 5  (F) Last day to drop a fall class to avoid a “W”

September 19  (F) Last day to change a fall class to/from a CR/NC grading
                               basis

October 17  (F) Last day to drop a fall class (letter grades assigned after this date)
November 11  (T)Veterans Day (no classes held)
November 27-28 (Th-F) Thanksgiving holiday (no classes held, campus closed)
December 15-19  (M-F) Final exams week
December 19  (F) End of fall semester
December 22 – January 7 Winter Break

Final Exam Dates & Times (p.144 Fall 2008 class schedule):
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008 @ 12:00-1:50

Course Outline and Policies
I. Goal:
This course is designed to improve your reading skills through reading practice, application of the reading process, and the development of strategies that will help you read a variety of college level materials more effectively and efficiently. Besides developing reading skills for learning, a major goal of this course is to help you develop more confidence as a reader and to cultivate a stronger interest in reading.

II.	Course Content:
A.	The process of reading
1.	What makes a good reader?
a.	Effective reading
b.	Efficient reading/monitoring what you read
2.	Reader/writer connection
3.	Using your background knowledge
4.	Four types of text/reading for enjoyment and learning
B.	Vocabulary Development/Spelling – ways to improve
1.	Context clues
2.	Dictionary usage
3.	Thesaurus/synonyms
C.	Comprehension/understanding what you read
1.	Subject; topic
2.	Main idea/topic sentences
3.	Topic sentences; paragraphs
4.	Major/minor supporting details
5.	Summarizing
6.	Outlining paragraphs
D.	Reading experiences
1.	Fiction
a.	Imaginative/expressive texts
1.	Poetry
2.	Short stories
3.	Books
                     2.  Non-fiction reading; how to get meaning from texts
a.	Textbooks 
b.	Articles

III. Required Materials:
A.  Textbook:  Broderick, Bill. Groundwork for College Reading (Third ed.).  New Jersey: Townsend Press, 2000.
B.  Dictionary:	Any good, comprehensive modern English dictionary will
			          suffice, such as Webster’s New World Dictionary.
C.  Thesaurus:      Rogete’s Thesaurus - paperback
D.  Other:		*Three~ring notebook for saving handouts and returned work.
				*A floppy disk for computer reading lab
				*Highlighter(s). *Post it note pad.

IV.	Grading and Credit:
English 260 is a four-unit course graded only on a CR/NC basis. A “Credit” grade is the equivalent of an A, B, or C grade. A grade equivalent of D or F will result in a “No Credit” grade.

The grades earned on you work will be averaged within five categories to determine your final course grade. A percentage point system will be used for all assignments, enabling each student to track his/ her progress in fulfilling the course requirements. Each student should keep graded, returned work and list all grades on the “Student Grade Record Sheet” provided by the instructor.
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Nine weeks: Individual grade reports listing all scores earned before the end of the first nine weeks will be distributed so each student will know their progress in class.

Final Grade: Final grades will be derived from averaged scores on all course work in the following areas (each area constituting 20% of the final course grade).

A.	Daily work (20% of your final course grade) Daily work includes a variety of
          assignments:
*Homework
*Summary Response papers (articles)
	Several assignments will be counted toward the Daily Work portion
of your final grade.  Some missed assignments may not be made up (see attendance).

B.	Free writing; internet research reports and inquiries (20% of your final course grade).  We will free-write two days a week for most of the first 
	nine weeks.  Students will receive a zero for each missed free-writing session.

C. Tests (20% of final course grade)
All tests will be in-class.	

D.	Quizzes (20% of your final course grade): Some quizzes will be in-class and others will be take-home.  Most quizzes will be based on readings.
 
E.	Final Exam (20% of your final course grade)
All students must take the final examination to receive credit in this course. Except in unusual cases of illness or family distress, final examinations will be administered only according to the “Finals Schedule” in the current Schedule of Courses. The time and date of final examinations will not be changed to accommodate holiday or travel arrangements or employment schedules.

V.	Attendance:
Regular class attendance is critical to success in college. Each student is responsible for good attendance.
*Absences reduce your contributions to the class and slow your progress in reading improvement.
*Absences lower your grade through missed Daily Work (class/group work). Each missed class work assignment will be graded as a zero.

If absent, it is your responsibility to find out what classwork or homework was assigned during your absence. All missed work (including tests and quizzes) must be completed within three (3) days of your return. After the third day, a zero will be entered for each missed assignment. It is also your responsibility to acquire a copy of each handout distributed during your absence. You should first ask me for leftover copies. If I have none left, you will have to borrow another student’s handout to make your own copy. Whether you are in class or absent, you are responsible for the information in the materials I hand out to the class.

Tardies:  it is each student’s responsibility to arrive on time for each class meeting. Although it is difficult for anyone to arrive on time every single day, I would like you to be on time as often as possible. Due to traffic and parking problems on campus, I will try to be flexible and will not count off points for tardies. However, if you are constantly tardy, I may have a conference with you to find out the problem. If you arrive late, you must not disturb the class. Also, I will not repeat the information you may have missed. If you come in late, you will have to do your best to catch up and try to understand what is going on. If late for a test, you do not get extra time to complete it. If you miss roll call, you must stay after class and sign in or be counted absent for the day.

Grading Scale:
90-100   = A
	80-89   	= B 	70-79	= C 	60-69	= D
Below 60 = F

I will not adjust my grading scale for any circumstances. For example, if a student receives an overall class score of 89% (B), I will not round it up to a 90% (A).

Your grades will he averaged on the computer, and print-outs will be distributed at various times throughout the semester. If you are concerned about your grade at any time, you may come into my office during an office hour and we will review them.

Course outcomes are the skills you should master by the end of a course.  The mastery of these skills indicates that you are ready to proceed to the next course level.
Course Outcomes for English 260:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

A. utilize the dictionary as a tool to support reading comprehension.
B.  apply a variety of skills to pronounce, classify and understand new vocabulary words.
C.  distinguish between and classify fiction and nonfiction texts and understand the required reading approach
      for each.
D.  interpret visual data and understand its supportive relationship to text.
E.   utilize a variety of prereading, reading and post reading strategies that demonstrate an active approach to the
       reading process.
F.   apply a variety of reading skills to comprehend the meaning of below 10th grade level texts.
G.  distinguish between main ideas and supporting details of text.
H.  demonstrate metacognition and self testing strategies during and after the reading process.
I.  demonstrate comprehension of a variety of texts through written summaries, book talks and class discussions.
J.  appreciate the importance and purpose of daily reading and how this activity enriches our lives.

This document is subject to change at instructor’s discretion.
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*If you have a verified need for an academic accommodation or materials in alternate media (i.e. Braille, large print, electronic text, etc.) per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, please contact your instructor as soon as possible.