ABE    English 4 Syllabus

Spring 2013 ~ Tuesdays and Thursdays; 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ~ A210

Instructor: Rashmi Koushik         

E-mail:  rashmi.koushik@bellevuecollege.edu

Phone:           (425)-564-4032

Office location:        R230 E (second floor of R building, at end of the hall)

Office Hours:  Before class and by appointment

BOOKS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED

 

The textbooks will be available in the Bellevue College Bookstore, located in the B Building. You can also search for these books on an on-line retailer such as www.amazon.com, but you might not get your books for a few weeks, and this might delay your reading and homework.

 

The Breadwinner by Deborah Elis.

Groundwood Books; Reprint edition (November 10, 2001)

 

Study Guide – Will be emailed to you or printed for you by Rashmi

 

Supplies: 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.

 

COURSE OUTCOMES

 

Students in this course will improve their ability to read with understanding according to Washington State Reading Standards and in order pass the GED tests and/or retest the COMPASS to place into college credit English. To do so, students will focus on determining the reading purpose, selecting reading strategies appropriate to the purpose, monitor comprehension and adjust reading strategies, analyze information and reflect on its underlying meaning, and integrate 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 and in order to pass the GED tests and/or retest the COMPASS to place into college-level English.  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.

 

HOW OUTCOMES WILL BE MET

 

Throughout the quarter, students will read a variety of text types and a novel, write paragraphs, essays, summaries, and responses, and build English grammar competence.

 

INSTRUCTOR’S EXPECTATION

 

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 class work, by email or phone 

 

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.

 

GRADING

 

 

The ABE/GED department requires students to take the CASAS reading and math assessments.  Each student takes the appraisal and pre-test 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.

DISABILITY RESOURCE

 

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 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 B 132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498

 

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

 

The college's "Affirmation of Inclusion” is posted in each classroom and sets forth the expectation that we will all treat one another with respect and dignity regardless of whether or not we agree philosophically.  This expectation is in line with the principle of free speech in a free society:  we have the right to express unpopular ideas as long as we don't show disrespect for reasonable people who might believe otherwise.

 

Part of this respect involves professional behavior toward the instructor, colleagues, and the class itself.  Disruptive behavior is disrespectful behavior.  The Arts and Humanities Division honors the right of its faculty to define "disruptive behavior," which often involves such things as arriving late, leaving early, leaving class and then returning, talking while others are trying to hear the instructor or their group members, doing other homework in class, wearing earphones in class, bringing activated beepers, alarm watches, or cellular phones into class, inappropriate comments or gestures, cheating during quizzes or tests, etc.  Such behavior interrupts the educational process.  When you are in doubt about any behavior, consult your instructor during office hours:  the Division of Arts and Humanities recognizes the judgment of the instructor as the final authority in these matters.

 

When disruptive behavior occurs, instructors will speak to the students concerned.  Those students are then responsible for ending the disruptions at once.  Failure to do so may result in removal of the students from class.

 

We do not wish other people (parents, spouses, and friends of students) to speak for students about school performance because this can slow student growth and progress. We do this because we would like students to speak for themselves and be independent.  We also do it 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 the final decision. You can see all of this policy, Arts and Humanities Commitment to Student Growth and Development, at www.bellevuecollege.edu/artshum.

 

Student Code

 

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College.  Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates.  The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College.  Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.” 

 

 

 

Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC

 

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account.  Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, go to:  https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam . All messages from your instructors will go to your student email account.  You can link this account to your personal email if you want email forwarding.

 

BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Computing Services website.

 

Public Safety

 

The Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Department’s well trained and courteous non-commissioned staff provides personal safety, security, crime prevention, preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24 hours per day, and 7 days per week. 

 

Their phone number is 425.564.2400. 

 

The Public Safety website is your one-stop resource for campus emergency preparedness information, campus closure announcements and critical information in the event of an emergency. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/