ENG 83R-1/22/14

Elizabeth Buchanan

Agenda (DO NOT TURN ON THE COMPUTERS)

Please pick up all the handouts on the back table: Syllabus, Tentative Schedule, Lab Contract

Class Orientation Getting to Know You Activity Reading Interview Syllabus/Tentative Schedule Textbooks and The Book Thief Introduction to Vocabulary Townsend Press Lab Orientation

Class Orientation/Syllabus

Books You will need your books by the third week of the

semester. If you are unable to purchase your books by this

date, I have them on “reserve” in the library. You simply go to the reference desk, give the clerk my name, the name of the class “ENG83R” and the name of the book.

You may not take the book out of the library but can make copies or complete the homework on a separate sheet of paper.

You need to bring ALL you books to class every day.

Required Materials

EVERYONE must have a 3-ring binder with dividers.

Dividers: Syllabus; Tentative Schedule The Book Thief Literature Circle Lab Contracts Essays Vocabulary Handouts

Contacting Mrs. Buchanan

What ways can you contact me? During Office Hours By telephone: 791-2356 By Email (best way to contact me) Visit me in the Learning Center Lab

Attendance

Attendance is 10% of your total grade. You are allowed 4 absences for illness or

personal business. On the 4th consecutive absence, you may

be dropped from the roll sheet. HOWEVER, you must officially withdraw

through Banner or the Admissions Office. If you do not withdraw, you will receive an “F” for the class.

Tardiness

Once the attendance has been completed, anyone that is late will receive 1 point taken off the participation points for the day.

Also, anyone leaving the class early, will also have points taken off.

If you know you will be late, if you email me ahead of time, I will not take the point off.

Also, if you need to leave early and tell me before class, I will not take the point off; however, this cannot become a habit.

“The Book Thief Journey” Literature Circle

Next week I will hand out the activity packet.

Each week you will read from the book along with completing portions from the Literature Circle packet.

This project is worth 10% of your total grade.

Your final paper will also be based on the book.

I will introduce the book in more detail next week.

Grades

Your grade in this class is approximately weighted as follows: Textbooks, reading strategies assignments: 10% Vocabulary Assignments: 10% Textbooks, reading strategies Quizzes: 10% Vocabulary Quizzes: 10% The Book Thief Reading Project: 10% Lab Contracts: 10% Essays (3): 20% Participation & Attendance: 10% Final Exam: 10%

A = 90-100% B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F =59% and below (NC)

Class Format

During the first portion of the class there will be a PowerPoint Lecture Presentation.

There will small group and large group discussions on a regular basis.

For the last hour of class on Mondays, you will be allowed to work on anything you wish for the 83R class. This means that you may also work on assignments for Mrs. Long. On Wednesdays, you will work on your Lab

Contract.

Computers

When you come into class, please do not turn on your computers until instructed to do so.

You are not allowed to go on to websites that do not pertain to the class – this includes social media sites!

Tentative Schedule

Please note the legend at the top. Also, please understand that the

assignments are due on the date that is in the first column. For example, the assignment due on 2/3/14 is SQ3R VV#1 pp. 31-35, and study for quizzes.

As this is a “tentative” schedule – this means that it is subject to change.

Reading Interview/Engrade Info You are going to pair off again, but this

time, find someone new to pair off with. You will interview your neighbor. When

completed, you will again find someone new to interview you.

Please be honest with your answers. As you are completing your interviews,

the Engrade log-in password form will be distributed. Please write down your user name and password at the bottom of page 3 of the syllabus.

Break time

Okay, let’s take a five-minute break. When we return we will discuss

vocabulary.

VOCABULARY

How Much Do You Know About Vocabulary?

The February 14, 2000, issue of Time magazine reported some disturbing news: in 1950 the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words. By 1999, the average 14-year-old's vocabulary had dropped to only 10,000 words, less than half.

This is disturbing because a person's vocabulary reflects his or her overall general knowledge.

This is why I.Q. tests (intelligence tests), college entrance exams, and many other tests contain vocabulary sections.

Think of people whom you consider to be smart. The odds are they have good vocabularies.

(If you speak more than one language, you have two vocabularies.

This gives you an advantage over people who speak only a single language.)

Why should I spend time improving my vocabulary?

Did you know that the amount of money you earn in your lifetime is related to the size of your vocabulary? Decades of research by the Johnson

O'Connor Research Foundation, an independent, nonprofit scientific research and educational organization, confirm that income and vocabulary size are correlated.

Think of every word you add to your vocabulary as being like a deposit you make in your bank account.

A powerful vocabulary allows you to express your thoughts clearly and precisely.

It enhances the impression you make at job interviews.

For better or worse, people will make judgments about you based on the size of your vocabulary and how accurately you use words.

Doesn't it make sense to turn your vocabulary into an asset, a tool that works for you?

Here's some happy news: vocabulary knowledge is not an aptitude

(a natural ability or special talent). Anyone can learn words and expand his

or her vocabulary. It's never too late to improve your

vocabulary. Most people develop their vocabularies

by reading widely and by paying attention to new words they see and hear.

A strong vocabulary allows you to…

understand more of what you read; understand more of what you hear; paraphrase (put into your own words)

information you read and hear; speak more intelligently and precisely; communicate more effectively in writing;

A strong vocabulary allows you to…

score higher on tests, especially essay tests; feel more confident about your speaking and

writing; create a positive impression at job

interviews; advance on the job and earn more money

over the course of your lifetime. Like anything of value, developing your

vocabulary requires time and effort, but the rewards are great.

In each of your college courses, you will learn a wealth of specialized terms.

Along with learning academic terms, you should also make an effort to add general words to your vocabulary.

Most people's vocabularies are weakest in verbs. Do you use the same handful of colorless verbs--

such as got--over and over again? Are you aware that there is always a better,

stronger, more interesting, and more precise verb than got ?

If you want to see a dramatic improvement in your vocabulary, add verbs.

What are passive and active vocabularies?

When you are learning new words, you might find yourself thinking, "Who uses these words? I never hear anyone using them!" People do, in fact, use them.

The reason you don't hear them is because the words don't mean anything to you.

Once you know their meaning, you start seeing and hearing those words everywhere! They were always there, of course, but now you hear them because you recognize them.

Passive vs. Active Vocabulary

Everyone has an active vocabulary that consists of words the person actually uses when speaking and writing.

Everyone also has a larger passive vocabulary. A person's passive vocabulary consists of words the

person understands when he or she reads and hears them but doesn't actively use.

One goal of yours should be to move words from your passive vocabulary into your active vocabulary.

You do that just the way you would expect: by using those words in your own speaking and writing.

What is the size of the typical person's vocabulary?

How many words are there in the English language? More than a million!

The most complete English dictionary, The Oxford English Dictionary, has about 750,000 entries (words, abbreviations, and names that are defined).

What about the size of a person's vocabulary?

It is difficult to measure vocabulary size accurately. Total vocabulary size varies greatly from person to

person, but people typically use about 5,000 words in their speech and about twice that many in their writing.

A college-educated speaker of English could have a vocabulary as large as 80,000 words.

Shakespeare, whose body of work is considered the greatest in English literature, used more than 33,000 words in his plays. This is an astonishing number, especially considering

that he was writing 400 years ago.

Vocabulary growth varies greatly among students.

Many students whose culture differs from the mainstream one add vocabulary at slower rates than other students.

This means that over time, the gap between their vocabularies and other students' vocabularies grows increasingly large.

If you are behind in vocabulary, now is the perfect time to begin closing the gap!

Time for another break

When you return from break, please turn on your computers.

TOWNSEND PRESS LAB CONTRACTENGRADE.COM

Engrade.com

Engrade.com Please go to this website Type in your user name and password Follow the instructions

Townsend Press Lab Contract Go to Townsendpress.com The purpose of the lab contract is to reinforce

what you have learned in class. You will be allowed to work in class (on

Wednesdays) on your lab contracts; however, if you miss a class, you will need to make up the time on your own. You will go to the Learning Center Lab to make

up assignments. Okay, let’s follow the directions on your lab

contract to create an account.

Townsend Press Reading Lab For today, your assignment is to

complete: College Reading Test Form B. This should take the remainder of the class;

however, we are only going to work on this today.

If you do finish early, go ahead and start working on the other activities.

For each activity that you complete, be sure to write down the score and the date it was completed.

You will complete 2 lab contracts during ENG83R, 1 lab contract for ENG72, and a PSA group project.

PURCHASE YOUR BOOKS, ESPECIALLY THE BOOK THIEF

Assignments due Monday, 1/27/14