ABE 064 English Syllabus - #7661
Fall 2013
Instructor: Tonya Estes Office Location:
R 130W
E-mail: tonya.estes@bellevuecollege.edu
Office Hours: M, T, W, 11-12
Phone: (425) 564-2065 by appointment
Books and Materials Required
The novel will be available in the Bellevue
College
Bookstore, located in the B Building. There are a few copies in our library
that you can check out for 3 weeks at a time. You can also check the King
County Library System.
Go and Come Back, by Joan Abelove, Puffin Books ISBN
978-0-14-130694-0
Each student should come to class with a 3-ring binder,
plenty of lined paper, pencil, pen, and eraser.
You may also want a dictionary or other reference books.
Students in this course will improve their ability to read
with understanding according to Washington State Reading Standards. To do so,
students will focus on determining the reading purpose, selecting reading
strategies appropriate to the purpose, monitoring comprehension and adjusting
reading strategies, analyzing information and reflecting on its underlying
meaning, and integrating it with prior knowledge to address the reading
purpose.
Students will also improve their ability to convey ideas in
writing according to Washington
State
Standards. To do so, students will focus
on determining the purpose for communicating, organizing and presenting
information to serve the purpose, paying attention to conventions of English
language usage,
including grammar, spelling, and sentence structure, to minimize barriers to
reader’s comprehension, and seeking feedback and revising to enhance the
effectiveness of the communication.
Throughout the quarter, you will read a variety of kinds of
writing, including a novel, and write short answers, paragraphs and essays
responding to and summarizing the reading topics. You will build your vocabulary and your
understanding and correct use of English grammar. You will have many
opportunities to work in small groups and to gain an understanding of the
college campus culture and resources.
Students attending ABE classes as BC are expected to make significant
and sustained academic progress for their program and level. If academic
progress, as defined in program policy, is not met, students may not continue
in the program. Academic progress is determined by the teachers based on
classroom work, tests, demonstration of competence on performance tasks, and
attendance. Students will be informed at mid-quarter of the current quarter if
they need to improve their performance and make a plan for success.
Your attendance is an important part of your ability to make significant
and sustained academic progress. To promote your progress the ABE program
requires a minimum class attendance of 80%. If you do not meet this
minimum you may be dropped from the course. Students who do not meet this
requirement may not be eligible to receive tuition or parking waivers for the
following quarter. Students who have extenuating circumstances, such as
a personal emergency or illness, may contact the instructor and appeal this
requirement.
Students receive oral and written feedback on written work,
participation in discussion, and other activities. The purpose of the feedback
is to allow students to build on their strengths and focus their studies on the
areas they are weakest in.
The ABE/GED department requires students to take the CASAS reading and
math assessments. Each student takes the assessment before placement into a
course and a post-test at some point after 45 hours of instruction. The purpose
of these assessments is to make sure students are improving their reading and
math skills to strengthen their employability and other life skills.
If you are sick, please do not come to class. If you have a fever, wait until your fever
has been gone for 24 hours before returning to class. Contact your instructor to keep up with
classwork, if you are able.
We are participating in a group learning classroom. We are all different, so we need to be
respectful of our differences and supportive of all of our desires to
learn. It is necessary that each student
receives equal time and ability to ask questions, provide answers, and
participate in activities. If you find
that you have many questions, please come to my office hours for additional
help. Cheating and copying (plagiarism)
are serious offenses. Expect to have a
one-on-one conversation with me the first time.
And then, the second time, you will be referred to the Vice President of
Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College.
I expect you to be ready to study at the beginning of
class. I expect you to use breaks wisely
and return to class at the set time. I
expect you to turn off all electronic devices before class begins. I expect you to come to class with homework
completed to the best of your ability. I
expect you to come to class with the food, water, and rest necessary to stay
focused. I expect myself, your
instructor, to also follow these rules for conduct.
If you have concerns about any part of this class, I
encourage you to talk with me. If for any reason you don’t feel comfortable
talking to me, the usual next step would be to speak with the Program Chair,
Tonya Estes, R130W. If Tonya is unable to help, you may contact the Dean,
Maggie Harada, or the Assistant Dean, Scott Bessho in R230.
We do not wish other people to speak for
students about school performance because this can slow student growth and
progress because federal law (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) says
that we must protect the privacy of student education records. It is BC
policy to keep school performance between the school and the student. If a
student asks for a parent, spouse, or friend to be at any instructor-student
discussion of academic performance, instructors will look at each situation and
make a final decision. You can see this policy, A&H Commitment to Student
Growth and Development, www.bellevuecollege.edu/artshum.
Disability Resource
Center (DRC)
The
Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning
challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or
learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for
treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful
in college, please contact us as soon as possible. If you are a student with a
documented autism spectrum disorder, there is a program of support available to
you. If you are a person
who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire,
earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual
instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter. The DRC office is
located in the Library or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf
students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110.
. . Please visit our website for application information into our program and
other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc
