STEPS: ENGLISH 073
Winter 2010
Instructor: Vijaya L. Aluru
Telephone:
(425) 564-2341
E-mail:
valuru@bellevuecollege.edu
Office: R230
L
English 073 is part of a program that we call STEPS. The purpose of the STEPS program is to prepare you to take a reading and writing test for entrance into English 092, 093, or 101. Depending on your skills at the beginning of the course, it may take you one, two, or even three quarters to pass this test. The test will be given in class at the end of the quarter.
During the next eleven weeks we'll work to improve your reading, writing, and study skills. We’ll spend about half of our time together each week practicing the technical skills of reading and writing. During the rest of the time we’ll work on the art of finding meaning in what you read and communicating meaning in what you write.
This class has both short-term and long-term goals. Your short-term goal is to test into English 092, 093, or 101 by the end of the quarter. Your long-term goal is to develop the reading, writing, and organizational skills to do well in other courses and in jobs that require these skills.
Textbooks and Materials
Your Reading Goals
To place in the next highest class, you should be able to
Your Writing Goals
To place in the next highest class, you should be able to
Your Organization Skills Goals
Kinds of Assignments
I’ll give you a calendar that tells you what to do each week. Here is a general description of the kinds of work you’ll do.
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Articles |
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Short quizzes on the assigned reading |
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Journal writings |
Fifteen-minute, informal journal writings on topics from your reading |
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In-class essays |
Practices for the final reading and writing test |
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Summaries and essays |
Drafts and revised drafts of summaries and essays |
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Editing practices |
Practices in Mastering Written English |
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Editing tests |
Tests on what you've studied in Mastering Written English |
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Portfolio |
A collection of your best work (revised and edited) |
Keep all of the work you do while you’re in this class, including your quizzes. Keep it in order and make sure you can find it again. Keeping your work in order is part of your organizational skills.
Due Dates
I’ll give you a calendar that shows the homework assignments and the dates they are due. I won’t put assignments on the board. Keeping track of due dates is your responsibility.
When you see a reading assignment on the calendar, it means you must finish the reading BEFORE CLASS on that day. If you see a quiz, it is on the reading assigned for that day. When you see a writing assignment, you must complete it BEFORE CLASS on that day, unless the calendar tells you differently.
Occasionally, if the needs of the class change, I may add or subtract an assignment or change a due date. If you miss class, remember to ask if I made any changes while you were gone. It’s your responsibility to find out what you missed.
If you turn in a late writing assignment or self-evaluation, I'll subtract one point from your total for each day it is late. I won't accept work that is more than a week late unless you give me a note from your doctor confirming that you've been ill.
Grades
STEPS is graded Pass/Fail (P/F). A F grade will not affect your GPA, but it may cause you to lose financial aid, and it will limit the amount of financial aid you can receive in the future.
To receive a passing grade in the course, you must earn 80 points out of 100 (80%). You may earn points by passing the required work.
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10 |
Attendance |
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10 |
Ten reading quizzes (1 pt each) |
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10 |
Ten editing tests (1 pt each) |
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10 |
Ten edited journal writings (1 pt each) |
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15 |
Three summaries (1, 2, and 2 points) |
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15 |
Three essay draft sets (5 pts each) |
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30 |
Portfolio |
If you don't pass a quiz or assignment, you may repeat it until you pass. I may give more than 10 quizzes, and there are more than ten on-line practices. The extra points count as extra credit. These are the only extra credit points available.
Attendance. I take attendance twice each day. You'll lose 1/2 point for each hour of absence. Arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving more than 15 minutes early counts as one hour of absence.
To pass the course, you must attend 80% or more of the class sessions. If you're absent more than 10 times (20 hours), you won’t pass, even if you earn 80 points or more.
If an emergency causes you to miss more than one class, please e-mail me (lleeds@bcc.ctc.edu). If you don't have access to e-mail, telephone me and leave a message. I worry about you.
Passing the course does not guarantee you entrance into English 092, 093, or 101. At the end of the quarter, you'll turn in a portfolio of your best work and take a reading and writing test that is very similar to the one you took on the first day of the quarter. Two instructors will evaluate your test and portfolio and agree on a placement.
Doing badly on the final test does not mean you will fail STEPS. As long as you meet the three requirements listed above, you’ll receive a passing grade for this quarter. However, it does mean that you are not yet ready to move up to the next level. The instructors may place you in STEPS for another quarter, or they may recommend other classes to meet your specific needs.
Reading Lab
When you registered for STEPS, you were automatically registered in a Reading Lab section. You'll work in the Reading Lab outside of class on your own schedule.
If you registered for two credits of Lab, you must complete a minimum of 44 hours during the quarter to receive credit. If you registered for one credit, you must complete at least 22 hours. You may work in the lab for more hours than you are registered for. If you don't complete the required number of hours, you won't pass the Lab part of the course.
Failing the Lab doesn't mean you'll fail STEPS, but it does mean that your reading mechanics may not improve enough to give you placement in a higher class at the end of the quarter. Placement in the next higher class requires that you reach the 089 level in at least three of the Lab programs.
Decorum
Our job—yours and mine together—is to move you up to a higher class. To do that job efficiently, we need some classroom conventions. In my experience, class moves most efficiently if you
Ethics
Your essays must present your own ideas in your own words. If you copy someone’s exact words, you must put them in quotation marks. If you summarize or quote someone else’s ideas, facts, or words, you must say where they came from. If you don’t do this, you’ll be considered disrespectful and unethical. Saying where words and ideas came from is called “citing your sources” or "documentation." I’ll teach you the basic conventions for citing your sources now, and you’ll learn more about these conventions as you take higher level courses.
I won’t accept an essay you’ve downloaded from the Internet or copied from someone else, an essay you wrote for an earlier class, or an essay in which you present someone else’s written words or ideas as your own. These are called "plagiarisms." If you plagiarize once, I'll give you an explanation, a warning, and a more difficult make-up assignment. If you do it again, you'll fail the course. If you plagiarize in two different courses, you may be expelled from BCC.
Sometimes it's hard to know how to avoid plagiarism. If you're worried that I might consider something you've written to be a plagiarism, ask me about it BEFORE you turn it in.
Office Hours
Most days, I’ll have time to talk to you right after class. If you can't meet with me right after class, you're welcome to make an appointment for another time.
Special Needs
If you have emergency medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case of emergency evacuation, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. If you need course or classroom modifications because of a disability, I can refer you to our Disability Resource Center (DRC). If you prefer, you may contact the DRC directly by going to B132 or by calling (425) 564-2498 or TTY (425) 564-4110. Information is also available on their website at http://bellevuecollege.edu/drc/