English 90: Basic English Skills
Spring 2012
Section 7082 Bldg 52 Room 571
Tuesdays/Thursdays, 7:00pm – 8:40pm
*Linked with ENGL 090R-7087 (Professor Jenny Nolen)
Professor: Katherine (Katie) Ness Santana Office Hours: before/after class,
Email: & by appointment
Website: www.katiesclasses.com
Required Materials:
Textbooks
• English Essentials, by John Langan & Beth Johnson
• A college-level dictionary (Such as The American Heritage College Dictionary)
Shared books with 90R:
• Inside Out by Terry Truman (Shared book with 90R)
• The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara (hared Book with 90R)
Other Materials:
• A Flash Drive • Three Ring Binder
• Composition Paper (straight edge) • Pencils
• Blue or Black Pens • 3 X 5 Note Cards
• Change (dimes, nickels, quarters) to use the printer in the Tech Mall
Recommended Preparation: Completion of the assessment process with appropriate score for entrance to ENGL 090.
Course Description:
English 90 is designed to teach basic English skills through classroom lecture, small group, andindividualized instruction. Basic English Skills will promote the students’ knowledge of spelling, vocabulary,and grammar. Students will also demonstrate their knowledge by writing sentences and short paragraphs. This course is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis only.
Student Learning Outcomes for English 90
Reading Outcomes
Students will:
1. Identify main ideas and key supporting ideas in paragraphs or short essays.
2. Draw basic conclusions using evidence in paragraphs or short essays.
Grammar Outcomes
Students will:
1. Identify the parts of speech.
2. Identify the major components of a sentence, including subjects, verbs, phrases, and clauses.
3. Use basic punctuation correctly in order to avoid fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.
4. Recognize and correct shifts in verb tense and point of view.
5. Recognize and correct commonly misused and confused words.
Writing Outcomes
Students will:
1. Employ the writing process (brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and reflection) to organize and develop a paragraph focusing on one main idea with supporting details.
2. Apply an appropriate level of vocabulary and diction in sentences and paragraphs.
Formal Paragraphs/Reader Responses / 40%Quizzes & Tests / 30%
In-Class Writes / 10%
Final Exam / 5%
Participation: Attendance, in-class assignments, workshops, homework , etc. / 15%
Assignments and Grading:
*Assignments subject to change at the professor’s discretion*
Class Policies:
Important Grade Information
A letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) will not be granted for his course. Instead, all students will receive a Credit/No Credit grade. To receive credit for the course, you must receive a minimum cumulative total of 72% on all of the required assignments. Just to be clear, a 71% is not sufficient to receive credit for this course. The skills you acquire in this class are equivalent to the very least you should know about standard written English for continued success in the Grossmont College English program. A cumulative total below 72% indicates that you are not proficient in the basic entry level skills needed for English 98 and that you may benefit from repeating English 90. A cumulative total below 72% can also mean that you simply did not complete the required assignments—if this is the case, you will not receive credit for the class.
To receive the maximum benefit from this course and to improve your chances of meeting the required 72% cumulative grade point average, plan to do the following:
ü Attend class regularly
ü Be on time for class
ü Turn all of your work in on time
ü Take all assignments seriously
ü Complete the English Essentials Workbook Exercises and all other assigned work
ü Do the required lab exercises repeatedly until you have achieved a 75% or higher proficiency level
ü Ask for help when you need it
ü Meet with your instructor regularly throughout the semester to formally check on your progress
ü Make learning a priority
● Course Philosophy
Communicating effectively in writing (for both work and school) is a valuable skill. In your professional and personal life, you will be expected to organize your ideas clearly and write in a manner that is easy to understand. Your writing will be expected to be free of major grammatical and spelling errors. Writing is a skill that is developed through hard work and practice. English 90 is designed to provide you with many opportunities to practice and develop your writing skills.
● Papers/Homework Assignments
All assigned work completed out of class must be typed (double-spaced). All typed work must be in size 12 point. Leave a margin of approximately 1" at the top, bottom, and sides of each page. Please staple all papers. Reading, textbook, and homework assignments must also be completed before the due dates, as many in-class writing assignments will be based upon the assigned readings, and productive class discussions will depend upon careful readings of each text.. Homework assignments will receive either a “+” for excellent work, a “√” for Satisfactory Credit, or a “0” for No Credit. Please bring your textbook to class every day. Failing to do so will result in a loss of participation points for that day.
● Late Work Policy
HOMEWORK: All assignments (including those completed in your textbook) must be submitted at the beginning of class on the day they are due. No late homework will be accepted and no make-up quizzes/tests will be allowed (except by prior arrangement with me). If you are late to or miss class, you will NOT receive credit for your homework.
● Attendance
Attendance in this class is required and students are expected to attend every class meeting, to arrive on time and stay throughout the class period. Students may be dropped from class
§ for excessive tardiness,
§ for failing to attend class the first day or during the entire first week of the class,
§ or if the total number of absences exceeds twice the number of hours the class meets per week (missing 4 full or partial class periods)
I understand that “real life” sometimes prevents you from being in class. In those cases, please communicate with me as soon as possible and be able to provide some kind of “proof” of your situation. (Examples of legitimate reasons include medical and family emergencies with appropriate documentation. Excuses such as “I had to take my mom to the airport,” “I had a computer malfunction,” “I had a doctor/dentist appointment,” “My printer broke,” or “I had a soccer game,” will not be accepted.) It is your responsibility to schedule, within reason, all of your activities that are unrelated to this class outside of our regularly scheduled meeting time. If you do miss class, please refer to your course calendar and contact one of your classmates (not me) to find out what you have missed.
● Study Groups
If you must miss a class, you are still responsible for finding out that day’s homework assignment and returning to the next class session prepared and ready to work. Be sure to exchange phone numbers/email addresses with several classmates so you can keep up. For added benefit, form study groups with your peers in class.
● Etiquette
I expect each student to arrive to class on time, ready to discuss and write about the assigned readings. I also expect that all cell phones, iPods/MP3 players, laptop computers will be turned off and put away before class begins. Please take off your sunglasses and remove your headphones. Please keep in mind that disrespectful and disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students who exhibit such behavior will be promptly asked to leave the classroom and marked absent for the day. Extremely disruptive behavior may also result in the suspension or expulsion of the student from the College.
Disrespectful and Disruptive behavior includes the following:
ü Talking excessively
ü Talking out of turn to other students (even if the discussion is “about class”)
ü Making inappropriate outbursts or rude comments
ü Repeatedly failing to turn off an electronic device (e.g. cell phone, etc.)
ü Receiving or sending text messages
ü Sleeping (including resting your head on your desk and/or resting your eyes)
ü Doing work for another class
ü Repeatedly failing to participate in discussions and group work because of a lack of preparation
ü Arriving late or leaving early without prior notification and “packing early.”
Above all, please respect everyone in the class and allow every voice to be heard.
● Lab
Lab attendance is required. Lab time is reserved for working on on-line exercises and quizzes and/or writing assignments. Surfing the internet and/or emailing friends is prohibited during lab unless authorized by your instructor for a particular assignment.
● Revision Policy
If you not satisfied with your work on a paragraph assignment or reader-response, you may revise it. Your revisions, however, must be thorough and complete; it is not acceptable to simply correct a few typos and turn it in for a new grade. In order to revise an assignment, you must follow this procedure:
1. Meet with me briefly to discuss what assignment you want to revise/rewrite and what you will focus on during your revision process;
2. Visit a tutor in the English Writing Center (room 70-119) for assistance in the revision process;
3. Write a one-paragraph (typed, double-spaced) analysis of what you focused on during the revision process, and what specific changes were made. You may respond to the following questions, but are not required that you do so:
· What have you learned through this revision process?
· What do you feel has improved the most?
· What are you most happy with?
· What did you struggle with?
Revision Packet:
When you turn in your revision, please include the following and in this order:
1. One-paragraph analysis
2. Final, revised draft
3. Slip from tutoring center with date and signature from tutor
4. Marked up draft discussed with tutor
5. Final assignment previously graded by me (with grading rubric and my comments)
6. All Peer Review worksheets and reviewed drafts.
Please note: In order to be revised, the assignment must have been turned in on the due date (in other words, you cannot have used a late coupon). Only assignments that are turned in on time may be revised. You will not be able to revise any in-class writing, homework assignment completed in the book, or any quiz/test.
● Blackboard
Blackboard will allow you to check your grades and email your fellow students. To access the Blackboard website, go to http://gcccd.blackboard.com. Click on “login.” Enter your username and password. Your user name is firstnamelastname. Your password is your birthdate (MMDDYY). Click on English 90. To ensure you receive all email correspondence, please make sure your email address on Webadvisor is current.
● Website
I have created a website for all of my classes. This website will be an important device for this class. Go to www.katiesclasses.com to access class handouts (syllabus, calendar, prompts, etc.), and refer to upcoming and past assignments. I will also have a page with links that can help you with any grammar and punctuation difficulties.
● Withdrawing from a Course
Should you decide to stop attending class, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw from the course by submitting a drop card to the Office of Admissions and Records. If you do not officially drop the course, then your name will appear on the final grade roster and you will receive a “No Credit” grade for the semester. April 20th is the last day to drop semester length classes. If you fail to officially drop by this date, you will receive a letter grade (C or NC) based on the work you completed.
● Academic Integrity
Every semester I witness students who try to achieve success the easy way. They plagiarize by copying something from the Internet or cheat by copying homework or test answers from a classmate. Sometimes they cut corners by reading Cliff’s Notes or by watching the movie version instead of reading the book. But students who cheat or cut corners compromise their integrity, rob themselves of the opportunity to improve their skills, and just waste my time. Furthermore, letting other students copy your homework does not help them; you are enabling the cheaters, letting them take advantage of you and your hard work, and ruining my trust in you. With this said, I sincerely hope that no student plagiarizes, cheats, or enables cheating, but anyone who does make any of these grave mistakes will face the following disciplinary actions:
· Students who cheat, plagiarize, or enable cheating will earn a zero on that assignment or test.
· Students who cheat, plagiarize, or enable cheating more than once will be reported to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and will be suspended from class.
● Accommodation of Disability
Students with disabilities who may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact Disabled Student Services & Programs (DSP&S) within the first two weeks of the semester so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact DSP&S in person in room 110 or by phone at (619) 633-7112 (voice) or (619) 644-7119 (TTY for deaf).
● Supervised Tutoring Referral Information
1. Students requiring reinforcement of concepts or additional help to achieve the stated learning objectives of the courses taken in English 98 or English 98R are referred to enroll in IDS 198, Supervised Tutoring, for assistance in the English Writing Center (70-119). To add this course, students may obtain an Add Code for the English reading or writing sections of IDS 198 at the English Writing Center.
2. Students can also enroll in other sections of IDS 198 to secure assistance for other content areas, i.e. biology, history, sociology, etc. Add codes may be obtained in the Tutoring Center (70-229).
3. In addition, students can receive tutoring in general computer applications by enrolling in the appropriate IDS 198 section. Add codes may be obtained in the Tech Mall.
4. All Supervised Tutoring courses are non-credit/non-fee. However, when a student registers for a supervised tutoring course, and has no other classes, the student will be charged the usual health fee.