Bellevue College

ESL L4/L5 Class – Fall Quarter 2009

ESL 064A & 065A

 

 

Instructor Information

 

Name:                          Eveline Piersma

 

Phone number:               (425) 564-3088   

 

Office:                         R130

E-mail:                 epiersma@bellevuecollege.edu

 

Office hours:               by appointment

 

School closure information:     (425) 401- 6680

 

Course Schedule

 

Dates:                     Monday to Friday; September 21 to December 9, 2009

                               (No class: 10/5, 11/11, 11/26, 11/27)

           Time:                      7:30 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.

Classroom:              R109

 

Outcomes

 

For fall quarter, our English lessons are about goals, housing, and topics you choose.  For each of the topics, by the end of the quarter, successful students should be able to:

 

Speak So Others Can Understand.

·         use appropriate vocabulary, show control of basic grammar (present, future and past tenses), and use a variety of sentence types

·         learn and use different strategies to help you be a better speaker

 

Listen Actively.

·         understand longer conversations, stories, and detailed instructions that are at normal speed in English

·         ask clarification questions when you don’t understand

·         use who, what, when, where, why to improve listening and respond appropriately to conversations

 

Read With Understanding.

·         read common and unfamiliar words

·         show that you understand texts and vocabulary

·         find important information in texts

·         use who, what, when, where, why to help you understand a text better

·         use context clues to find the meanings of words without a dictionary

 

Convey Ideas in Writing.

·         use a “cluster map” or similar tool to plan before you write a paragraph

·         write a short essay using organized paragraphs with a clear topic and supporting details

·         write a short business letter

·         revise and edit your writing

 

       Set goals for your English and keep track of progress every week.

 

Attendance

 

To go to the next level, you must show progress in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  Attendance is important for your progress to the next level.  If you miss 20% of the total class time (20 hours), you will receive a grade of “No Progress” for the quarter.  If you come to class more than one-half hour late or leave more than one-half hour early, the time you miss is part of the 20%.  Also, if you miss the CASAS reading and listening tests, you will receive a grade of “No Progress.”   This is very important.

 

Textbooks

 

We will use a student textbook and workbook package and a second book which helps with conversation practice.  Please do not buy a package before you talk with the teacher. During the first week of class, the teacher will talk to each student about which books to purchase. The books are available at the BCC Bookstore. 

 

We will use

                      All-Star Book 3 Student Book with Workbook Package.  ISBN 0-07-320531-1

and

                      Side-by-Side Plus, Student Book 3 (with audio CD).  ISBN 0-13-240256-4.

Students should use an English-English dictionary.  One excellent example is the   Longman Dictionary of American English   ISBN 013192762-0   

 

About Class

 

  • Come to class on time.  If you come late, you may miss important announcements and you will disturb the other students in the class. 
  • Bring the required books, a loose-leaf binder, loose-leaf paper, and pencils to each class.
  • Do all homework and participate in class.  Be ready to work in groups or pairs and ask questions.
  • At the end of each week, put completed homework for that week in your school folder.  The teacher will mark papers and enter all the grades on your folder's homework assignment sheet.  At the start of the following week, the teacher will return those papers to you, and you can put them in your loose-leaf binder. You will return the school folder to the file box.   
  • When you return to class after being absent, it is your responsibility to see what you missed.  It is a good idea to ask a class partner to remember to collect any handouts for you while you are absent.  You can return the favor when that person is absent. 
  • Be polite and respect your classmates.  We learn from each other.  We can help each other.  We must treat one another with respect, even when we have different ideas.  We will use professional student behavior that does not disturb others.

 

Grading

 

I will mark your tests and homework using these marks:

100 - 96%

4

É

=  Excellent

95 - 86%

3

PÉ

=  Good

85 - 80%

2

P

=  OK

79% and below

1

P

=  Needs more work

 

Your school folder will help show you how much English you learn.  Do not remove any papers that teachers attach to your folder.  Some of the things in the folder are:

1)  Attendance/Homework Assignment sheets from every quarter at Bellevue College;

2)  Goals Progress sheets from every quarter at Bellevue College ;

3)  ARM sheet with all of your CASAS scores from every quarter at Bellevue College;

4)  examples of your writing from that school year at Bellevue College .

Gifts

 

The students in this program often like to do nice things for their teachers at the end of the quarter.  A really good way to thank your teacher is a card with words from all the students or a short letter from you. Please do not buy your teacher a gift.

 

Other Important Information

 

 

Students in ESL classes at Bellevue College should make progress in their level.  If there is no progress, students may not continue in the classes.  The teacher looks at your attendance, classroom work, and tests (including CASAS tests) to decide your progress.  The teacher will tell you at the end of the quarter that you need to improve.  If you don’t improve, you might not be able to register for classes in the future.

 

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 Bellevue College 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.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum.

 

 

 

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Disability Resource Center (DRC ) office, room B132 (telephone 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110), to establish their eligibility for accommodation.  The DRC office will provide each eligible student with an accommodation letter. Students who require accommodation in class must review the DRC accommodation letter with each instructor during the first week of the quarter.

  

Students with mobility challenges who may need assistance in case of an emergency situation or evacuation should register with the Disability Resource Center

 

Some people may have a special medical problem.  If you have information to tell me about a medical problem, please see me after class or come to see me in my office.  Then, we can plan for an emergency.

 

 

If you have a disability and need special help in class, I can tell you about our Disability Resource Center (DRC).

 

  More information about DRC is on their website: http://bellevuecollege.edu/drc/

 

 

Text Box: Medical 
Condition
Text Box: Learning
Disability
                                                                 

 

 

Calendar for Fall Quarter 2009

 

 

 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

September

 21

first day of class

 22

23

 

24

 

25

October

28

29

30

1

2

 

5

no class

6

7

8

9

 

12

13

14

15

16

 

19

20

21

22

23

 

26

27

28

29

30

November

2

3

4

5

6

 

9

10

 

11

no class

12

13

 

16

17

18

19

20

 

23

 

24

25

26

no class

27

no class

 

December

30

1

2

3

4

 

7

8

 

9

last day of quarter

11

12

Quarter Break:  December 10th  to January 1st

 Winter Quarter Begins:  January 4th

 

 

Sometimes Bellevue College is closed because of bad weather or other special reasons.  If you think school may be closed on a regular class day, you can check before you leave home.  Here are some easy ways to check.

o    Call (425) 401-6680.

o    Listen to local radio/TV stations.

o    Check the BCC website http://bellevuecollege.edu/status