English 092  Developmental English

Winter Quarter 2013     

Bellevue College

Item # 1033, Section D              M – F   11:30 pm – 12:20 pm                 Room L 210

Instructor:  Nancy Eichner

Office Hours:  By appointment (usually available M & W 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm)

Phone:  (425) 564-2090 (messages only);  Email:  neichner@bellevuecollege.edu

 

Writing Lab:  D 204  (Free tutors available.  Free computers available when no class is present. 

        The computers in the N-Building are always available to you.)

FEB. 4:  $1000 DEEP ECONOMY SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST ENTRY DUE DATE

 

Course Goals

To understand college-level reading materials.

To write effective essays.

To write using correct grammar and punctuation.

 

Required Books and Materials

Please buy your books immediately.  They are available at the BC Bookstore in B Building. CHECK THE ISBN NUMBERS!!!  DO NOT ACCEPT BOOKS WITH A DIFFERENT ISBN.

·        Sentence Skills, Form A, 2011 ed., by John Langan (ISBN 10:0-07-337169-6)

·        The Impossible Will Take a Little While, by Paul Rogat Loeb (ISBN 0-465-04166-3)

·        Deep Economy, by Bill McKibben (ISBN 9780805087222)

·        A collegiate dictionary (must have the word “college” or “collegiate” in the title)

·        A soft folder with three pronged fasteners (not rings) for your Portfolio

·        A binder with three metal rings in which to keep your notes

 

Course Description

This course is designed as a workshop class to help you improve your reading and writing skills. 

 

You will have the opportunity to write, revise, and edit all of your essays before they are graded.  You will have the opportunity to receive feedback on all of your essays from your peers in writing workshops, as well as from me in conferences for essays one and two.

           

We will read and discuss published essays to use as models of effective writing.

We will read a non-fiction book (the BC Common Reading Book this year) to discuss and write about.

We will work on grammar in a number of different ways, including doing exercises in a workbook.

 

Grading

·        Three 500-650 word essays (2 to 3 pages), submitted in your Portfolio during the last week of the quarter (You will have grades for Essay 1 and 2; you will not have a grade for Essay 3, i.e. the "test" essay, until it is submitted in the Portfolio). 

·        Successful completion of all assigned work (grammar, writing, reading, vocabulary).

·        Grammar tests if deemed necessary

·        Writing and editing homework AND a corrected draft based on my corrections (due two days after I hand back my corrections)

·        Regular class attendance and constructive participation in workshops and class discussions.

 

Due Dates

You will be expected to hand in your assignments on time, that is, in class on the dates they are due.  HOMEWORK IS THE BASIS OF CLASSWORK, SO YOU MUST BE PREPARED ON TIME.  And, for this reason, no homework will be accepted late.

 

When I give you a reading assignment, you must finish the reading and any accompanying work before class on the day it is due.  When I give you a writing assignment, you must complete the writing before class on the day it is due (unless I tell you otherwise).

 

Keeping track of the due dates is your responsibility.

 

*********If you miss class, remember to phone a classmate to ask if any assignments were given or changes made while you were gone.  Also, arrange to get class notes you missed.  It is best to get the phone number of at least two reliable classmates.  Remember:  It is your responsibility to find out what you miss when you are absent.**********

 

Strong Suggestion

àREADING IS THE KEY!!!

Take one credit of independent learning at the Reading Lab (D204).  This credit is labeled English 080 and is Credit/No Credit.  You work a minimum of 22 hours on computer reading programs whenever you can fit it into your schedule.  There are teachers at the Lab to guide you.  If you work diligently, I can almost guarantee that both your reading and writing skills will improve significantly.

 

It is my experience that reading is the key to language learning, including writing and grammar.  It is also my experience that students who struggle in college are very often weak readers. 

 

Therefore, I want to encourage you to work hard on your reading this quarter beyond what we are doing in class.  The Reading Lab computer programs are designed to aid you in improving comprehension, vocabulary, and speed.  You work there at your own pace.  You are supported and monitored by skilled Reading Lab teachers who are always there to offer help.

 

 

Attendance

If you miss more than 10 classes, I will ask you to repeat the course another quarter.  This is our department policy.  Please feel free to speak with me if you are having problems with attendance.

 

I will start class on time.  If you are late, you will be counted absent.  Please speak to me about any kind of special problems regarding lateness. 

 

Ethics

Your papers must present your own ideas in your own words.  If you copy someone’s

words, you must put them in quotation marks and reference the source.  If you summarize or quote someone else’s ideas, facts, or words, you must say where the information came from.  If you do not do this, you will be considered unethical—a plagiarizer (an idea thief).

 

Saying where ideas and words come from is called “citing your sources.”  I will teach you the basic conventions for citing your sources now, and you will learn more about these conventions as you take higher-level courses.

 

I will not accept an essay you have copied from someone else or an essay in which you present someone else’s ideas or words as your own.

 

 

Format for All Written Work

1.                Type:  Please word process (use a computer to type) all papers

2.                Label:  Please put a label in the upper left-hand corner of all assignments (called the MLA label).  Write the following information on the first page (5 lines):

Your First and Last Name

Class Name, Time

Instructor: Nancy Eichner

Kind of Assignment (for example, ESSAY 1, First Draft; or, Response to

Ackerman's "A Slender Thread" in Impossible, p. 22)

Date

           

·        On the second page and all ensuing pages, put the following label in the upper right-

hand corner:

            Last Name  Page Number    [Example:  Tran 2]

3.   Staple:  Staple all your papers together BEFORE you get to class.  I will not accept unstapled

      work.

4.   Title:  Give each essay a title.  Center the title.  Capitalize the first letter of the first

      word and all important words.  Do not use any punctuation—no bold print; no quotation marks; no

underline.  Leave two spaces (just double space like the rest of the paper) between the title and

the first line of the essay.

5.      Margins:  Leave margins of about 1 ½ inches on the sides and at the top and bottom.  Most computer word processors do this automatically when they print, even if the margins don’t show on the screen.

6.      Font and Size:  Use a clear font (Arial, for example) and size 12 print.

7.      Spell Checker:  Use the spell-checker to help check your spelling.  However, don’t rely on the spell-checker to find all your mistakes.  Proofread OUT LOUD all your writing.

8.      Grammar Checker: Do not use the grammar checker on a computer.  It is often wrong.

9.      Paragraphs:  Indent (use the TAB key) all of your paragraphs.

10.   Last-Minute Corrections: If you need to make minor changes after you have printed your work, make them neatly by hand.  Use dark ink, not pencil. 

 


 

ABOUT THE

ESSAYS

 

            At the end of the quarter, you will submit three essays in your Portfolio.  I will give you a grade on your first two essays during the quarter after you have discussed them two times in a workshop and with me in a conference. 

            You should be working all quarter on improving your essays.  You will have the opportunity to receive feedback and help from your writing workshop group during class.  Also during class, I will work with you in individual conferences.

            Essay 3 will be a "test" essay.  That is, you will submit it in your Portfolio and will not have a chance to receive any feedback from me before handing it in.  You will have workshops regarding Essay 3, but not a conference with me.  

            Please use the tutors at the Writing Lab (D 204) for additional assistance.  It is best to make an appointment, although that is not mandatory. 

The Writing Process

               PREWRITING is the first step in the writing process.  You gather as many ideas as possible using whatever method of brainstorming works best for you.  Also, when writing a research paper (for example, in English 201), research is also part of the prewriting phase.

            ORGANIZING is the next step in the writing process.  Put your ideas in logical order and make connections between all ideas clear.  Your writing should flow easily and make sense to your readers because you present your ideas logically.  You may use any organizational method that works well for you.  Many people make an outline to organize their essays.

The FIRST DRAFT of an essay is to be written as well as you can, but without worrying about grammar corrections.  You will read your first draft out loud two times to your writing workshop group.  Your classmates will give you feedback on the content (NOT the grammar) of your writing.  What was interesting, touching, pleasing, important?  What was NOT clear?  Where would you need some more examples or information?  What was confusing?  What was effective, and why?  What was not effective, and why?

The REVISED DRAFT of an essay is an improved version of its contents.  Consider the feedback your workshop group and I have given you; use your own imagination and rethinking of your ideas to help you improve the writing.  This is also the stage of the writing process in which you work on correct word usage and enrichment of your written expression. 

The EDITED DRAFT is written when you are satisfied with the content of the essay and want to correct the mechanical language problems, such as sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling.  Try to find your mistakes yourself on your final revised draft.  Then, bring it to your workshop group and ask for editing feedback.  Work together to find and correct mistakes. Ask me for help in class when necessary.  The edited draft should, then, be the draft you present for grading in your Portfolio.  It is the final draft of an essay.

 

Note:  Bring 3 copies of a draft on WRITING WORKSHOP days.  The members of your writing group need to be able to read along as you read your essay out loud. 

           If members of your group are not working seriously enough to satisfy your needs, change groups!  It is your responsibility to get as much as possible from the feedback opportunities offered you in this class.  If you need help in joining a new group, come see me.

 

Essay Format

LABEL:

Each draft of your essay MUST have a label in the upper left hand corner of the first page:

                        First and Last Name

                        English 092, TIME

                        Instructor:  N. Eichner

                        Essay #____:    FIRST DRAFT

                                                (or—Revised Draft

                                                 or—Edited Draft)

                        Date

 

***Ensuing pages get a label in the upper right corner:  Last Name     Page #     (Example:  Tran 2)

 

TYPE, MARGINS, FONT, SIZE:

·        Type

·        Double space. 

·        Margins: about 1 ½  inches all around.  (Usually the default margins on a computer are about this size.) 

·        Size 12 print. 

·        Clear print style, such as Arial or New Times Roman.

 

TITLE:

An essay or a story always has a title.

·        Center it above the first line. 

·        Double space between the title and the first line of your essay (in other words, the spacing is the same as the rest of the paper). 

·        Capitalization:  Only the first letter of the first word and all the first letters of all important words of a title are capitalized. 

DO NOT

·        write the title in all capital letters.

·        underline the title.

·        use bold print.

·        use quotation marks to set off the title.


ABOUT THE

PORTFOLIO

 

 

            You will give me a portfolio of your writing to be graded at the end of the quarter.  A portfolio is a collection of your best work presented in a formal way.

            Here are the requirements for your portfolio presentation:

1.      Use a soft folder with three fasteners.

Please, do not put your writing in plastic.

Please, do not use a binder with metal rings, or a folder with a compression strip (they fall apart too easily).

2.      On the cover, print:

Writing Portfolio

Student:  First and Last Name

English 092

Instructor:  Nancy Eichner

Quarter

3.      Make the portfolio easy for me to read through.

·        Put a divider with a labeled tab in front of each essay.

·        Make the first page a Table of Contents, giving the titles of your essays in the order you present them.

4.      Order of the essays:

Essay 3, Essay 2, Essay 1


 

ABOUT

THE GRAMMAR ASSIGNMENT

Introduction

 

            The Langan book is based on the principle of Mastery Learning.  That means you may continue learning and practicing a particular point of grammar until you have mastered it. 

 

The Langan book has many grammar chapters.  In each chapter, there are explanations of a particular point of grammar, exercises to help you practice, a review test at the end of every chapter, and a section of mastery tests which concentrate on editing (finding mistakes and correcting them).

 

Diagnostic Exercise:  Immediately at the beginning of the quarter, everyone will do a diagnostic exercise in the book to determine which points of grammar need clarification and practice.  You will generate your personal list of grammar needs based on this exercise.

 

Assignments

Everyone in the class will do certain chapters of grammar together.  I will lecture on these chapters and you will do the practices at home.

 

In addition, you will be responsible for any extra chapters about grammar points for which you feel you need more work.  You will have to calculate how many additional chapters you should do each week in order to have completed your program by the end of the quarter.  Let me know what grammar has not yet become clear, and we will try to spend more time in class practicing it.

 

You must CHECK YOUR ANSWERS by comparing them with the answers at the back of the book!!!!  This is very important.   Ask me in class to explain whatever you have gotten wrong.

 

The goal is that, by the end of the quarter, you feel confident of the grammar in your own writing.

 

Homework Writing, Editing, and At-Home Correcting

Occasionally, I will give you a short homework writing assignment.  

 

After typing this assignment, you will correct your language mechanics, including grammar, spelling, and word usage, using your grammar books and dictionaries.

 

After you try your best to make the necessary corrections, print out the assignment and give it to me the next day in class.  I take your paper home and correct (edit) what you have overlooked or, possibly, have not understood, on at least the first page. 

 

You retype the section I have edited for you, using my corrections, and you give me this corrected draft two days later. 

 

Fourth line of the MLA label: 

Homework Writing: (title or assignment designation)--Corrected Draft.

 

In order for you to learn from this exercise, you must think about why I made the corrections I did AND, if you do not understand why, ASK ME TO EXPLAIN!!!  This is one of the most significant learning tools I can offer you. 

 

In class, I will put some of your sentences up on the board and we will analyze the grammar

errors.  This activity is called Error Analysis. Students have told me they find this activity a very useful learning tool.

       ABOUT

VOCABULARY CARDS

 

            There will probably be many new words in our reading selections or other reading you do throughout the quarter.  I suggest you keep new words on cards, which you keep in alphabetical order in a box.

 

            Each vocabulary card should use the format I will illustrate on the board.

 

            A note about using the dictionary:  This is one of the most important activities for a student of language.  Bring your dictionaries to class every day!

 

           

 

 

Reading is the key to language skills--both reading comprehension AND writing strength (including grammar).  Vocabulary is at the heart of reading ability.   If reading is an area in which you need more practice, I strongly suggest you take a reading class (English 089) or, at least, one credit of Reading Lab (English 080) to work independently on your reading skills.


ENGLISH 092

LIST OF GRAMMAR CHAPTERS

 

Note:  The whole class will do these chapters.  You will do any additional chapters in your program as determined by the Diagnostic Test.

 

Note:  * indicates that chapter will be discussed in class.  The other chapters must be done on your own.

 

1.   *Subjects and Verbs

 

2.      *Fragments

 

3.      *Run-Ons

 

4.      *Additional Information About Verbs

 

5.      *Irregular Verbs

 

6.      *Subject/Verb Agreement

 

7.      *Pronoun Reference, Agreement, Point of View

 

8.      *Pronoun Types

 

9.      *Adjectives/Adverbs

 

10.   *Misplaced Modifiers

 

11.   *Dangling Modifiers

 

12.   *Faulty Parallelism

 

13.   *Capital Letters

 

14.   *Apostrophes

 

15.   *Comma

 

16.   *Other Punctuation Marks

 

17.   *Quotation Marks

 

18.   Commonly Confused Words

 

19.   Effective Word Choice

 

20.   Sentence Variety I

 

21.   Sentence Variety II


 

DUE DATES

OF

ESSAY DRAFTS, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES, EXAMS

 

NOTE:  Writing Lab (D204)—free tutors!  Use them OFTEN.

 

Essay 1

            First Draft         Thur., Jan. 17               Give Nancy a copy.

                                    Jan. 17, 18, 22, 23, 24   Workshops and Conferences   (Bring 3 copies.)

Grammar in groups when workshop is finished.

            Revised Draft    Fri., Jan. 25                  Give Nancy a copy.

                                    Mon., Jan. 28                Error Analysis

                                    Tue., Jan. 29                 Editing Workshop

            Edited Draft       Thur., Jan. 31               DUE for grading (at the beginning of class)

 

Essay 2

            First Draft         Thur., Feb. 7                 Give Nancy a copy.

                                    Feb. 7, 8, 11, 12, 13      Workshops and Conferences (Bring 3 copies.)

                                                                        Grammar in groups when workshop is finished.

            Revised Draft    Fri., Feb. 15                  Give Nancy a copy.                  

                                    Tue., Feb. 19                Error Analysis

                                    Wed., Feb. 20               Editing Workshop

            Edited Draft       Fri., Feb. 22                  DUE for grading (at the beginning of class).

 

Essay 3

            First Draft         Mon., Mar. 4                 Workshops (Bring 3 copies.)

                                    Tue., Mar. 5

            Revised Draft    Mon., Mar. 11                Editing Workshop

            Edited Draft       Wed., Mar. 13               DUE for grading in your Portfolio. 

 

Portfolio                        Wed., Mar. 13               DUE at the beginning of class.  Contains the

graded drafts of Essay 1 and Essay 2 and the ungraded edited draft of Essay 3.

 

Grammar Test (maybe)  Thur., Mar. 14

 

Portfolio                        Fri., Mar. 15                  Returned with grades

And                                                                  Last day of class

Grammar Test

 

                       

 


ENGLISH 092

READINGS

AND

ACCOMPANYING ASSIGNMENTS

 

We will read the following essays from the book The Impossible Will Take a Little While, by Paul Rogat Loeb, in the order below.  Please type the assignments that go with each reading.   The schedule might change, especially if the class needs more time to evaluate a particular reading, so please pay attention in class to assignment changes.  All summaries are one paragraph.

 

ESSAY READINGS

Week 2

John Lewis:  “Walking With the Wind”

1.       Summary of the personal narrative portion

2.       Interpretation of the metaphor’s meaning

Week 3

Martin Luther King, Jr.:  “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

1.       List of illustrations of the pain of being a victim of racism

2.       Thesis

3.       Arguments to support the thesis

Week 5

Martin Luther King, Jr.:  Excerpt from “Beyond Vietnam” (handout)

1.       Explanation of the “revolution of values”

2.       Response

Week 6

Nelson Mandela:  “The Dark Years”

1.       Rhetorical Triangle

2.       One word that explains what all the stories illustrate

Week 7

Howard Zinn:  “The Optimism of Uncertainty”

1.       Rhetorical Triangle

2.       Your impression of Zinn  (Base your ideas ONLY on your reaction to reading his essay.)

Week 9

Marian Wright Edelman:  “Standing Up for Children”

1.       Rhetorical Triangle

2.       List of statistics to support the author’s argument

AND

Henri Nouwen:  “Fragile and Hidden”

1.       Your evaluation of whether or not the essay is effective

2.       Main idea and SUPPORT for it

 

ONGOING ASSIGNMENT

Bill McKibben:  Deep Economy:  All assignments are due on the last day of the week.

 

Each chapter is an argument essay.  For each chapter, write the thesis of the argument (one sentence in your own words) and the main supporting arguments (each is one sentence in your own words). 

In a separate section, write your reaction to specific details you find significant.  Does McKibben convince you?

 

Week 2:  Introduction

1.       Thesis and supporting arguments

2.       Response

Week 4:  Chapter 1

1.       Thesis and supporting arguments

2.       Response

Week 6:  Chapter 2

1.       Thesis and supporting arguments

2.       Response

Week 8:  Chapter 3

1.  Thesis and supporting arguments

2.  Response

Week 9:  Chapter 4

1.       Thesis and supporting arguments

2.       Response

Week 10: Chapter 5 and Afterword

1.       Thesis and supporting arguments

2.       Response

 

 


QUESTIONNAIRE

 

First Name_______________Last Name_______________

English_______Time_______

Instructor:  Nancy Eichner

College_____________________

Personal Information Questionnaire

Date_____________

 

 

1.      In which country were you raised?

 

 

2.      How long have you been in the U.S.?

 

 

3.      What is your first language?

 

 

4.      Do you work and, if so, how many hours per week? 

 

 

5.      Do you come directly from work to this class?  Or must you rush to work directly after this class?

 

 

6.      What are your academic goals? 

 

 

7.      What are your professional goals?

 

 

8.      Do you have any learning disabilities or special needs?

 

 

9.      Do you have any life challenges that might make it difficult for you to do less than your best academically?

 

 

10.   Is there anything else you might want to tell me that would help me support you in your academic efforts this quarter?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.   Why are you in college?  What are your SPECIFIC goals?

 

 

 

             

             

           

 

 

 

 

 

GRADING RUBRIC 

                                                                          +                                                 

                                                                         ____________________________________ 

Development

·        Focus (thesis or controlling                      ____________________________________

idea and purpose) is clear,

imaginative, fully realized,

and insightful.

·        Body paragraphs supported                     ____________________________________

by a variety of relevant facts,  

examples, illustrations from

experience, references to

related readings, etc.

·        Well-reasoned and insight-                       ____________________________________

ful observations, arguments,

etc.

·        Demonstrates specific attention                 ____________________________________

to relationship between

audience and purpose.

·        Clearly and thoroughly                              ____________________________________

responds to assignment.

Organization

·        Vivid, engaging, informative                       ____________________________________

introduction.

·        Clear, logical, and inventive                       ____________________________________

organization of ideas in relation

to one another and to the

essay’s focus.

·        Appropriate and smooth                             ___________________________________

transitions between

sentences and paragraphs.

·        Inventive, thorough, memorable                   ___________________________________

conclusion.

Style/Voice

·        Engaging and individualized                       ___________________________________

voice appropriate to the

audience/purpose.

·        Consistency of tone and voice.                   ___________________________________

·        Refreshing and revealing                       

word choice.                                            ___________________________________

·        Varied and skillful sentence

structure.                                                 ___________________________________

·        Vivid and varied use of detail  

in examples and descriptions.                     ___________________________________

Mechanics

·        Grammar                                                 ___________________________________

 

·        Punctuation                                              ___________________________________

 

·        Spelling                                                    ___________________________________

 

·        Capitalization                                            ___________________________________

 

·        MLA Elements                                          __________________________________