Course OutlineFor

English 84 RInstructor: Maria Elena Ramirez

Fall 2004ramirez_maria@smc.edu

Course Title: Reading and Vocabulary III

English 84R serves as a bridge to English 21.

Course Objectives:Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. Employ literal and inferential comprehension skills beyond eighth grade reading level.

2. Demonstrate inferential and critical thinking—with special focus on author’s purpose and tone.

3. Demonstrate an increase in vocabulary of 1-2 years.4. Enlarge reading and writing vocabulary.5. Utilize comprehension and vocabulary strategies to improve reading rate.6. Compose a summary of beginning high school level reading text that identifies

the thesis and key supporting details.7. Summarize with 70% comprehension.8. Develop metacognitive strategies.9. Apply reading skills, including how to approach different types of literature.

Course Content1. Review finding the main idea, patterns of organization and transitions.2. Develop inferential skills3. Recognition of irony.4. Awareness of tone.5. Ability to draw accurate conclusions.6. Develop critical reading skills:

a. Recognition of author’s purposeb. Awareness of stylistic differencesc. Discernment of fact and opiniond. Evaluation of fact and opinione. Recognition of propaganda techniques

7. Present vocabulary building methods8. Use comprehension and vocabulary strategies to raise reading rate.

Requirements:Text: Ten Steps to Improving College Reading Skills, 4 th ed. Langan & Langan, Townsend Press: New Jersey. 2003Improving Vocabulary Skills, 3 rd ed. Nist, Sherrie and Carole Mohr. Townsend Press: New Jersey. 2002

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Fallen Angel. Walter Dean Myers.Portable Dictionary –

This course requires your active, dedicated participation. Schooling is often seen as a passive process. Learning is an active process that results in knowledge/understanding and skill.

You are not working for a grade or even “credit” in this class. You must put your best effort into this project in order to strengthen your own skills---skills that you will need in all of your other classes and everyday beyond the classroom.

Questioning is required. If something doesn’t make sense or you don’t understand something, let’s clarify it right away. YOUR time is wasted if we do not.

Week 1Course introductionStandardized AssessmentStudent IntroductionsWriting Sample

Week2Previewing, prediction, and metacognition in reading.Being a College Student (brainstorm/group activity)Time Management

Week3Vocabulary Skills: Review Dictionary Use (practices and tests)Introduction to Reading Lab and Lab Assignments

Week 4 Comprehension S kills: How to Find the Main IdeaVocabulary Skills: Context cluesIntroduction to note takingShort Story/book introductionIntroduction to stylistic difference and irony

Week 5 Comprehension Skills: Implied Main Idea (practice and tests)Vocabulary Skills: More context cluesNote takingBook Discussion in a Longer Reading Selection (practices and tests)Vocabulary Skills: Word Roots

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Week 6 Comprehension Skills: Supporting Details (practices and tests)Vocabulary skills: Word RootsNote takingBook discussion and quizReading Lab

Week 7Reading Lab ReviewComprehension Skills: Implied Main Idea and Main Idea in a longer Reading selection (practices and tests) Vocabulary skills: Word RootsNote takingShort Story/Book discussion and quizReading Lab

Week 8 Comprehension Skills: Patterns of Organization and Transitions (practices and tests)Vocabulary skills: Word RootsNote takingSummarizing magazine/newspaper articlesShort Story/book discussionReading Lab

Week 9 Comprehension Skills: Fact and Opinion (practices and tests)Vocabulary Skills: Word RootsNote taking Summarizing magazine/newspaper articlesShort Story/book discussionReading Lab

Week 10Comprehension Skills: Inference SkillsVocabulary Skills: PrefixesNote takingSummarizing magazine/newspaper articlesShort Story/book discussionReading Lab

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Week 11 Comprehension Skills: Purpose and Tone (practices and tests)Vocabulary Skills: PrefixesSummarizing magazine/newspaper articlesShort Story/book discussionReading Lab

Week 12 Comprehension Skills: Recognizing propaganda (practices and tests)Vocabulary Skills: SuffixesNote takingSummarizing magazine/newspaper articlesShort Story/book discussionReading Lab

Week 13 Comprehension Skills: Argument (practices and tests)Vocabulary Skills: SuffixesNote takingSummarizing magazine/newspaper articlesShort Story/book discussionReading Lab

Week 14 Comprehension Skills: ReviewVocabulary Skills: ReviewNote takingSummarizing magazine/newspaper articlesShort Story/book discussionReading Lab

Week 15 Reading Lab Folder dueStandardized Post AssessmentReview for final exam

Week 16 Conferencing, results of posttests and final exam.

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Methods of Evaluating:1. Standardized Pretests and posttests to measure progress2. Unit tests and quizzes for comprehension and vocabulary (at 70% or higher)3. Student’s summaries of readings and/or a readers response journal4. Successful completion of reading lab assignments (at 70% or higher)5. Successful completion of homework (at 70% or higher)6. Optional: rate tests

The course is offered credit/no credit. The student will maintain an average of 70% or higher on all assignments and show progress.

REQUIREMENTS:1. Attend class and lab (a student with four unexcused absences will be

dropped from the course.)2. REPEATEDLY ARRIVING MORE THAN 5 MIN. LATE AND/OR

LEAVING EARLY EXCEPT FOR EMERGENCIES WILL CAUSE YOU TO BE CONSIDERED A DROP.

3. Complete all writing assignments. Tests and quizzes are mandatory.4. Take and pass the two-hour mastery exam given as part of the final at the

end of the semester.5. TWO hours of Lab attendance per week beginning week #5 (9/27/04).

LAB HOURS: [Unavailable: Tuesdays & Wednesdays 12:00 pm – 2:15]TBA

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