English 262/4 Units	Reading Improvement
Ruben Delgado, instructor
Office: HUM 52
Spring Semester, 2010

Office Hours:
2:00-2:50 Tues/Thurs; Wed-1:00-1:50

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

Class days, time, & location:
11:00-11:50 (54459) M,T,Th,F: LFS-B; Wednesday Lab: Agr 1
3:00-5:15 (54574) T/Th: Soc 35; Thursday Lab (4:00-5:15) HUM 62
6:00-8:15 (54028) T/Th: LFS-B; Thursday Lab: (7:00-8:15) HUM 62

Important dates & holidays:
January 11 (M) spring 2010 instruction begins
January 18 (M) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observed - no classes held
January 22 (F) Last day to drop a full-term fall class for a refund
January 29 (F) Last day to register for a full-term spring 2010 class
February 12 (F) Lincoln Day (no classes held, campus closed)
February 15 (M) Washington Day observed (no classes held)
February 16 (T) Last day to change a spring class to/from a Pass/No-Pass
				grading basis
March 12 (F) Last day to drop a spring 2010 full-term class 
			    (letter grades assigned after this date) 
March 29 - April 2 (M-F) Spring Recess (classes reconvene April 5)
May 17-21 (M-F)  Spring 2010 final exams week
May 21 (F) End of spring semester/Commencement

Final Exam Dates & Times (p.135 Spring 2010 class schedule): 
11:00 class: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 @ 11:00-12:50
3:00 class: Thursday, May 20, 2010 @ 3:00-4:50
6:00 class: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 @ 6:00-7:50
Course Outline and Policies
I. Goal:
This course is designed to help the student understand and apply the reading process to different types of text. We will explore both aesthetic text and informative text. Besides developing reading skills for learning, a major goal of this course is for the student to develop a stronger interest in reading and a recognition of the importance of this activity in daily life.

II.	Course Content:
A.	The process of reading
1.	What makes a good reader?
	a.	Effective reading; metacognition
	b.	Efficient reading; miscues
2.	Reader/writer transaction
3.	Schema theory/background knowledge
4.	Reading for different purposes
5.	Aesthetic reading vs. informative text
B.	Vocabulary Development
1.	Context
2.	Dictionary usage
3.	Thesaurus usage
C.	Comprehension
1.	Subject; topic
2.	Main idea
3.	Topic sentences; paragraphs
4.	Major/minor supporting details
5.	Summarizing
6.	Implied main ideas
7.	Patterns of organization (paragraphs and longer selections)
8.	Inferences
D.	Reading
1.	Aesthetic reading
a.	Imaginative text
1.	Poetry
2.	Short stories
3.	Novels
                     2.  Content area reading / study skills
a.	Informative text
b.	Persuasive text/argument
III. Required Materials:
A.	Textbook:	Langan, John (2005). Ten Steps to Building College 				Reading Skills (Fourth ed.).  New Jersey: Townsend
				Press.

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 thumb drive for computer document storage
				*Highlighter(s).
				*Post it note pad.

IV.	Grading and Credit:
English 262 is a four-unit graded course with a CR/NC option. You must receive a grade of “A”, “B”, or “C” to pass this class.  You may switch your grade option to CR/NC by February 16th.  If switched to CR/NC, you must achieve the equivalent of an A, B, or C grade to receive CR (credit). A grade equivalent of D or F will result in an NC (no credit) grade.

The grades earned on your work will be averaged within five categories to determine your final course grade. A percentage point system will be used for each assignment, enabling students to track their grades as they progress toward fulfilling the course requirements. It is each student’s responsibility to keep graded, returned work until the end of the semester and maintain an accurate account of all grades on the “Student Grade Record Sheet” provided by the instructor.

Midterm Grade: Individual grade reports listing all scores earned before
the midterm drop date (March 12) 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)
*Group participation and presentations
*Internet research reports and inquiries
Several assignments will be counted toward the Daily Work portion
	    of your final grade.

B.  Tests (20% of final course grade); Unit tests will be given throughout the   semester.

C.	Quizzes (20% of your final course grade); Several quizzes will be given during the semester. Some quizzes will be take-home and some will be in-class.

D.	Book reports (20% of your final course grade)
Two book reports are required during the semester: one group report and one individual report. Detailed information and formats of reports will be provided.

E.	Final Exam (20% of your final course grade)
The final examination for this course will be cumulative. It is a lengthy exam designed to assess your fulfillment of the course outcomes (see course outcomes). 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 assignments were missed.  Classwork cannot be made up.  Tests and quizzes must be completed within three (3) days of your return.  If you are absent for more than three days without contacting me, you may not be able to make up tests or quizzes.  After the third day of absence, a zero will be entered for each missed test/quiz. 

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 will 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 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 the “tardy sheet” or be counted absent for the day.

Cell phones, etc.: Please turn off all cell phones and various other noise makers before class.  I will not tolerate cell phone rings in class.  You may not play with your cell phone or text message during class.  If your cell phone disturbs the class, I may ask you to leave 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) for the semester, 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, please 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 262:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

A.  apply a variety of vocabulary techniques for increased comprehension during reading.
B.  utilize expanded vocabulary in original writing tasks.
C.  apply prereading strategies and active reading strategies to increase success with and comprehension of unfamiliar texts.
D.  identify the main idea or central point of texts of varying lengths from textbooks and periodicals and infer logical conclusions from what is read.
E.  conduct basic research using traditional and electronic resources.
F.  summarize a variety of reading tasks without plagiarizing texts.
G.  utilize effective study techniques to improve comprehension and metacognition while reading for information.
H.  demonstrate more confidence as a reader through successful application of learned reading strategies.

This document is subject to change at instructor’s discretion.

*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.

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