Advanced Reading Comprehension, Critical Analysis of Text, & Basic
Composition
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Glenda Albin
By appt. only
Email: galbin@rangercollege.edu
Office #: 325-641-5726
Office Location: NA
Holistic Placement : Student has been holistically placed in DIRW 0323 using prior coursework, high school GPA, and TSI scores.
Course Description as defined by Ranger College:
This course includes strategies for advancing reading comprehension and facilitating critical analysis of text. Further, this course will include instruction on active reading strategies using text structure to improve comprehension, interpreting, and evaluating reading materials. This course will integrate critical analysis of text into writing instruction focused on the composition of essays, including pre-writing, drafting, organization, focus, unity, and revising and editing.
This course involves a required lab.
Course Goal:
The goal of this course is to develop students as critical readers, thinkers, and purposeful writers prepared for college success in introductory courses across disciplines.
Student Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives:
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will:
1.
Locate explicit textual information, draw complex inferences, and describe, analyze, and evaluate the information within and across multiple texts of varying lengths.
2.
Comprehend and use vocabulary effectively in oral communication, reading, and writing.
3.
Identify and analyze the audience, purpose, and message across a variety of texts.
4.
Describe and apply insights gained from reading a variety of texts.
5.
Compose a variety of texts that demonstrate reading comprehension, clear focus, logical development of ideas, and use of appropriate language that advance the writer’s purpose.
6.
Determine and use effective approaches and rhetorical strategies for given reading and writing situations.
7.
Generate ideas and gather information relevant to the topic and purpose, incorporating the ideas and words of other writers in students writing using established strategies.

8.
Evaluate relevance and quality of ideas and information in recognizing, formulating, and developing a claim.
9.
Develop and use effective reading and revision strategies to strengthen the writer’s ability to compose college-level writing assignments.
10.
Recognize and apply the conventions of standard English in reading and writing.
8-25
Required Textbook(s):

Roth, V. (2012). Divergent . New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books.

Green, K., & Lawlor, A. (2014). Read, write, connect . Boston, MA: Bedford/St.
Martin with SkillsClass access code.
Calendar of DIRW 0323 + Homework
All class meetings are subject to change dependent upon the instructor’s assessment of student needs. Furthermore, EACH class will include a variety of collaborative group assignments, lecture, computer literacy skills, brief presentation of ideas [by student/group(s)], and ACTIVE
READING AND WRITING TO EXPAND VOCABULARY, COMPREHENSION, AND
WRITING SKILLS for academic success on the TSI Assessment.
Dates to 8-29
9-2 to 9-5
9-8 to 9-12
Content Units
Why is College Important?
Reading Strategies for Students
Reading Strategies for Students
POP Quiz – chapters 1-5
Homework

Read chapters 1 & 2 w/graphic organizer + vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

Read chapters 3, 4, & 5 w/graphic organizer + vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

Read chapters 6, 7, & 8 w/graphic organizer + vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions
9-15 to 9-19
9-22 to 9-26
9-29 to 10-3
Putting Ideas into Writing
Revising & Editing, &
Proofreading
POP Quiz
– chapters 6-11
Audience, Purpose, & Tone

Read chapters 9, 10, & 11 w/graphic organizer
+ vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

SkillsClass : LearningCurve/Fragments

Read chapters 12, 13, & 14 w/graphic organizer
+ vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

SkillsClass : Peer Factor Episode I: Giving
Feedback & Peer Episode II: Getting Feedback

Read chapters 15, 16, & 17 w/graphic organizer
+ vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

SkillsClass : Run-on sentences

10-6 to 10-10
10-13 to 10-24
10-27 to 10-31
Researching with a Purpose
POP Quiz
– chapters 12-17
Identifying Main Ideas, Supporting
Details, & Transitional Words when Reading
(wk 10-20) POP Quiz
– chapters 18-
23
Essay Structure / Writing an
Effective Thesis

Read chapters 18, 19, & 20 w/graphic organizer
+ vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

SkillsClass : Verb Tenses and Parallelism

(wk 10-13) Read chapters 21, 22, & 23

(wk 10-20) Read chapters 24, 25, & 26 w/graphic organizer + vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

SkillsClass : Direct Quotations & Paraphrasing
(3 PDF print outs to be given/returned for grade )

Read chapters 27, 28, & 29 w/graphic organizer
+ vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

SkillsClass : Module – Prewriting w/Plan Your
Paper’s Organization + Write an Informal
Outline, include PDF exercise 52-1 (Thesis
Statements in MLA Papers)

Read chapters 30, 31, & 32 w/graphic organizer
+ vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

SkillsClass : LearningCurve/Commas 11-3 to 11-7
Writing Effective Introductions &
Conclusions / Topic Sentences and
Paragraphs
POP Quiz – chapters 24-29
11-10 to 11-14
MLA Formatting / Revising,
Editing, & Proofreading
11-17 to 11-21
11-17 to 11-21 and
12-1 to 12-5
TSI Testing Week
Maintaining Wellness*
(wk 11-17) POP Quiz – chapters 30-
35
Study Guide + Final Exam 12-8 to 12-11
*Major Project Idea: (week of 11-17 to 12-5)

Read chapters 33, 34, & 35 w/graphic organizer
+ vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions

SkillsClass : LearningCurve/Pronouns

(wk 11-17)
Read chapters 36, 37, & 38

(wk 12-1)
Read chapter 39 w/graphic organizer + vocabulary + 1-2 comprehension questions
A.
Students will evaluate varied instructor-provided articles, which pre-reading and duringreading strategies will be performed. Furthermore, students will create informational brochures about maintaining wellness during Ranger College final exams.

During the week of 12-1, students groups will go to different campus wide classrooms and briefly instruct other students about maintaining wellness during final exam time
(visuals, brochures, hand-outs).

Course / Classroom Policies:
1.
Attendance is mandatory – a student having the equivalent of 1 week of unexcused absences (class and lab) per developmental course will be reported to the Retention
Director for counseling. Students who miss the equivalent of 2 weeks of unexcused absences per developmental course will be dropped from the class by the instructor. i.
Should this be the only developmental course that the student is taking, the student will also be required to drop from school.
2.
“5 minute” tardy policy – roll will be taken/if you are not in class, you will receive an automatic absence.
3.
Adult behavior is expected from all students.
4.
Missed exams and class assignments are not encouraged and make-up work is only allowed for excused absences, which the student will have 1 week [from missed class date] to turn in.
5.
Cheating [including plagiarism] is not tolerated and will result in a zero.
6.
Class participation is expected. The more the student participates, the more the class will assist the student in passing the TSI Assessment.
7.
Support Services are in the Library where computers are available to students.
8.
Students are expected to bring appropriate supplies to each class.
Final Exam and Grading Policy:

Class / Lab Assignments – 35% (e.g., graphic organizers, practice exercises, group discussions, reflections)

Pop quizzes – 15%

Essays (cumulative) – 25%

Final Exam – 25%
The objective of this course is to EXPAND CRITICAL READING APPLICATION and
WRITING SKILLS. Students are required to achieve an academic performance of no less than a 70% in the course OR pass the TSI Writing and Reading Assessments
[otherwise student will repeat DIRW 0323].
I.
II.
Students will take the Ranger College DIRW 0323 final exam, which accounts for 25% of the overall course grade .
Students cannot be exempt from the final exam.
NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
Admissions, employment, and program policies of Ranger College are nondiscriminatory in regard to race, creed, color, sex, age, disability, and national origin.
ADA STATEMENT

III.
Ranger College provides a variety of services for students with learning and/or physical disabilities. The student is responsible for making the initial contact with the Ranger
College Counselor. It is advisable to make this contact before or immediately after the semester begins.
RECEIPT OF SYLLABUS
Student must sign the attached ‘receipt of syllabus’ for accountability of the terms of this course.
____________________________________
Signature
___________________
Date