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Level 4: Reading & Vocabulary Spring 2014 Instructor:
Hugh Le
Email:
hughhle82@hotmail.com
Class Dates:
June 9th – July 31st
Class Location & Time:
Classroom #______________ | 11 A.M. – 11:50 A.M.
Office Hours:
Mondays & Wednesday from 9 A.M. to 11 A.M. or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION Designed for high-beginning learners, this course continues using the concept of context with short novels and extended reading passages. Identifying main ideas and supporting details is emphasized as students continue to practice predicting, skimming, and scanning skills with increasingly complex texts. Focus shifts from content to critical thinking as students are introduced to basic analysis questions and begin to acquire critical thinking skills through directed discussion questions. Students will demonstrate competence in using sentence context and a basic English dictionary in order to select the correct definition of vocabulary words. GOALS & OBJECTIVES By the end of this course, students will be able to...
Demonstrate ability to use a basic dictionary to select the correct definition,
Continue using context to understand both sentence meaning and vocabulary within readings of increasing complexity,
Read increasingly longer, more complex texts on a variety of topics,
Answer content-related questions with specific details from the text (who, what, when, and where questions),
Begin to respond to basic critical thinking questions,
Begin to differentiate the parts of a reading, including the introduction, main argument, body, and conclusion, and
Continue developing predicting, skimming, and scanning skills.
COURSE MATERIALS
Reading & Vocabulary Level 4 Reader
Supplementary Materials from More Reading Power
Class website: www.csus.yolasite.com
Quizlet Website:
www.quizlet.com
2 POLICY FOR MAKE-UP EXAMS & ASSIGNMENTS All assignments must be completed on time. Points will be deducted for late assignments. Make-up exams and assignments will be given (full-credit) and accepted ONLY IF you show me that you had missed the exam due to an emergency. In-class work cannot be made up. Please turn in your homework assignments on time. In-class Activities Homework Vocabulary Quizzes Midterm Exam Final Exam
10% 15% 15% 20% 40%
The R Grade: Students who completed all the work and put in visible effort but lack the skills to meet the requirements of the class. 69% is NOT NECCESSARILY an "R" grade. 1. Assignments and the grading policy are subject to change. 2. NO negotiation on grades. If you try to negotiate, you risk a zero.
Total
100%
ATTENDANCE POLICY Every Monday through Thursday, you should come to class prepared and on time. You will be marked late if you arrive after class has started. Being late 3 times equals being absent for 1 hour. You will ALSO be marked absent if you:
do not come to class;
arrive more than 10 minutes late or leave more than 10 minutes early;
go out of the room for more than 10 minutes during class time;
sleep during class time; or
use your phone for talking, texting, surfing the internet, Facebook-ing, etc. during class time.
If you have more than 5 absences, you are considered out of status with SEVIS, and you risk termination from ELI, or punitive action from Immigration. With more than five absences, your final grade in this course will be No Pass. ELI CERTIFICATES & ADVANCEMENT POLICY Failing Procedure: If you receive a D, F, or R grade in any one class, you will need to repeat the class in the next session, and you will not receive a certificate of completion until you pass the class.
Receiving a D, F, or R grade in Grammar or Composition will require repeating both these classes in the next session.
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Receiving a D, F, or R grade in Grammar and Composition will require repeating the entire level in the next session.
If you receive a D, F, or R grade in more than one class, or if you receive a No Pass in more than one class, you will be required to repeat the level next session, and you will not receive a certificate of completion at the end of the session. The R Grade: The R Grade may be assigned to those students who have failed or nearly failed a class, but not due to lack of trying. Some students, though dedicated, may simply need an additional session to fully understand and learn the material presented in the course. The R Grade is given to a student who is trying to succeed, turning in all homework on time, actively participating in class, and attending without excessive absences, but falls short and is not ready for the demands of the next level. Assigning the R grade is completely at the discretion of the teacher, and, as with any grade, it is not negotiable. Behavior: Students are responsible for understanding and following the classroom civility code in the Academic Student Handbook (p. 8). If a student's behavior violates these standards, he or she risks being expelled from ELI, which includes termination of the SEVIS record. Teachers are required to document and report student incidents. PLAGIARISM Plagiarizing is turning in someone else’s work as your own, turning in something that you copied from the Internet, or not saying where your information came from. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable at Sac State and the ELI. If you are caught plagiarizing, you get an AUTOMATIC ZERO on that assignment. If you do it a second time, you will be reported to the administration and added to a list of plagiarists. ELI reserves the right to dismiss you and terminate your SEVIS record for plagiarism whenever it occurs. Make sure you understand what plagiarism is- for more information, please see the following website for more information: http://www.csus.edu/umanual/AcademicHonestyPolicyandProcedures.htm. WITHDRAWAL POLICY In order to withdraw from the English Language Institute you must notify a staff member before you plan to depart the United States so that they can discuss the details of your immigration status. Please note that once you formally withdraw from the English Language Institute you will not pass your classes and you will need to repeat the entire level-no exceptions. TRANSFER POLICY If you plan to transfer to another school you will need to submit a transfer form and acceptance letter in order for ELI staff to complete the transfer process. You are still expected to uphold the
4 ELI academic standards and you must attend classes and otherwise maintain status until the transfer release date. It is not advisable to transfer out in the middle of the ELI session. If your new school’s start date is during an ELI session, ELI will set your release date a maximum of two weeks before your new school’s start date. If you choose to transfer in the middle of the current ELI session, you will not be eligible for a refund of your tuition; keep this in mind prior to making a decision to transfer. If your new school’s start date is after the ELI session end date, you cannot transfer out in the middle of the current session. Please note that a student who is not maintaining status will not be eligible to transfer. FINAL GRADE If you have a question about your final grade, you need to follow the procedures listed below. 1. Within two working days after the grade is assigned, contact your instructor and schedule an appointment. When you meet with the instructor, submit a written statement as to why you are questioning the assigned grade and discuss your concerns. The instructor will inform you within two working days of their decision. 2. If after meeting with the instructor you still feel that the grade is not correct, schedule a meeting with the ELI Director (or designee) within two working days. The ELI Director will review all relevant information and, if necessary, meet with the instructor and/or student. The ELI Director will issue a decision within three working days. 3. If the decision by the ELI Director is still not acceptable, the student is to follow the outlined grade appeal procedure as stipulated in the Sacramento State University Manual. http://www.csus.edu/umanual/Acad%20Affairs/Grade_Appeal_Policy.htm COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK 1
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READING TOPICS Introductions & Syllabus Student Academic Handbook Unit 1: Exam Time Vocab Quiz (Wednesday) Quizlet Test & Speller Due (Thursday) Unit 2: Going Abroad Vocab Quiz (Wednesday) Quizlet Test & Speller Due (Thursday) Unit 3: Movie Makers Vocab Quiz (Wednesday) Quizlet Test & Speller Due (Thursday) Unit 5: The Amazing Human Body Vocab Quiz (Wednesday)
PAGES Pages 1-3
Pages 4-5
Pages 6-8
Pages 9-11
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Quizlet Test & Speller Due (Thursday) Midterm Exam (Thursday) Unit 7: A World of Music Vocab Quiz (Wednesday) Quizlet Test & Speller Due (Thursday) Unit 8: Career Paths Vocab Quiz (Wednesday) Quizlet Test & Speller Due (Thursday) Reading Comprehension Vocab Quiz (Wednesday) Reading Comprehension Vocab Quiz (Tuesday) Quizlet Test & Speller Due (Wednesday) Final Exam (Wednesday)
Pages 12-13
Pages 14-16
Pages 17-30 Pages 31-62