Preparing for College Reading II (ENGL092-15)

 

Meeting time and location:          Friday 3:00 – 5:55 p.m. Room FA 327

Instructor:                                 Wayne Hatmaker

Email:                                       hatmaker@massasoit.mass.edu

Office Phone:                            508/588-9100 ext. 1996

Home Phone:                            508/224-9680

Office Hours:                            By appointment.  I encourage you to meet with me as often as you feel necessary to help you succeed in this class.

 

Catalog Description for Preparing for College Reading II

This course is designed to afford students an opportunity to increase the accuracy of comprehension and to further develop general knowledge, vocabulary, study skills, and critical reading skills.  An additional one-hour lab in the Academic Resource Center (ARC) may be a required part of the course.  NOTE: Credits earned in this course cannot be applied toward graduation.

 

Required Texts

  1. Smith, Brenda D. Bridging the Gap. 7th ed. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc, 2003.
  2. Steinbeck, John. Cannery Row.  Any edition.

3.       College-level dictionary—must contain at least 50,000 words.  Please bring this to every class.

Additional readings such as newspaper and magazine articles, essays, and textbook chapters may be assigned.

 

Course Goals

This course will provide students the opportunity to learn and practice a variety of reading strategies and critical reading skills.  Since reading ability is closely linked to the other language arts, we will also focus on strengthening critical thinking, writing, speaking, and listening skills.  This course incorporates the following Massasoit competencies: reading, writing, oral communication, critical thinking, quantitative skills and computer skills.

 

Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this course will:

  • read on a regular basis with increased comprehension, speed, and confidence;
  • employ the college’s human, print, and electronic resources to meet course expectations and prepare for academic challenges as confident, independent learners;
  • acquire and use general knowledge to enhance comprehension and to promote connections to the world around them;
  • use word structures, word meanings, contextual clues, and dictionary skills to expand vocabulary and improve reading comprehension;
  • use the many parts of a college textbook (table of contents, preface, forward, glossary, index, and appendices) to access information necessary for learning;
  • apply various reading skills and strategies (previewing, detecting main ideas and related details, summarizing, note taking, outlining, skimming, scanning, and reviewing) to comprehend oral and written material presented in all college disciplines;
  • prioritize time, organize lecture notes, employ effective memory strategies, and anticipate objective and subjective test items in order to prepare for examinations and to achieve academic success;
  • conduct and evaluate research, link new information with existing knowledge, document information, and report the results of research in an orderly manner;
  • strengthen Core Competencies (see Course Goals) in order to increase academic and workplace success.

 

 

 

 

Teaching Procedures

Students will be involved in discussions, cooperative group activities, individual projects, and oral presentations.  Lecture will be used primarily to introduce new material and give students practice taking lecture notes.  Audiovisual materials may also be used.  If it becomes apparent that the class is not keeping up with assigned readings I reserve the right to administer unannounced quizzes.  Specific exercises will be assigned for each chapter as appropriate.

 

Course Requirements

Class Participation                                                                     25%

Weekly Assignments                                                                 25%

Midterm Exam                                                                          25%

Final Exam                                                                                25%

 

Grading

A         93-100                                      A-        90-92

B+        87-89                                        B          83-87                                        B-        80-82

C+        77-79                                        C          73-76                                        C-        70-72

D         66-69                                        F          65 and below

 

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory.  Being tardy or absent will negatively impact your grade. You are responsible for all work assigned in the class–regardless of whether or not you attended the class in which an assignment was given.

 

Late Work

Late assignments are not acceptable unless you have made prior arrangements with me.  They will be discounted one half letter grade for each late day.  In no case may work be submitted for evaluation more than one week after the due date.

 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting the work of others as your own.  It is cheating and theft and will result in failure.

 

Academic Resource Center

Tutoring for this course and others is available without cost in the ARC.  There is also space in the ARC for individual or group study.

 

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations are encouraged to contact the Disability Counselor for Learning Disability Services, Andrea Henry, at extension 1805, or Disability Counselor, Stan Oliver at extension 1464, as soon as possible, in order to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

 

 

Here is vocabulary from Cannery Row.

 

 

Tentative Schedule

 

This syllabus is subject to change. Even if you are unable to attend class you are responsible for assigned material.  It is your responsibility to contact one of your classmates to determine what you missed.

 

Class 1

 

Introduction/Syllabus Review

Strategies for academic success, including time management and test taking.  Instructions for reading journal.

 

No Class Meeting September 17, 2004

Class 2

 

Smith, Chapter 1

Selection 1, Comprehension questions and vocabulary, p. 25-28.

Steinbeck handout “About Ed Ricketts”

Class 3

 

Smith, Chapter 2

Steinbeck, Chapters 0 - 4

Exercise 2.4, 2.9, 2.10

Library Orientation/Research Skills

Class 4

 

Smith, Chapter 3

Steinbeck, Chapters 5 - 8

Selection 2; Comprehension questions and vocabulary, p. 117-119.

Class 5

 

Smith, Chapter 4

Selection 1, Comprehension questions and vocabulary, p. 165-167.

Steinbeck, Chapters 9 - 12

Class 6

 

Smith, Chapter 5

Selection 1, Comprehension questions and vocabulary, p. 218-221.

Steinbeck, Chapters 13 - 16

Class 7

 

Smith, Chapters 6 and 12

Selection 2, Comprehension questions and vocabulary, p. 283-286.

Steinbeck, Chapters 17 - 20

Class 8

 

 

Steinbeck, Chapters 21 - 24

Review for Mid-Term

Mid-Term Examination

Class 9

 

Smith, Chapter 7

Selection 2, Comprehension questions and vocabulary, p. 336-339.

Steinbeck, Chapters 25 - 28

Class 10

 

 

Smith, Chapter 8

Selection 1, Comprehension questions and vocabulary, p. 370-371, Reader’s Journal, p. 383.

Steinbeck, Chapters 29 - 32

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Class 11

 

Smith, Chapter 11

Selection 2, p. 485, Comprehension questions, p. 488.

Class 12

 

Smith, Chapter 10

Selection 1, p. 446, Comprehension questions and vocabulary, p. 455-458.

Course project due

Class 13

 

Smith, Chapter 9

Final Exam