Napa Valley College
English 90
Fall 2013
Instructor: Anthony Gonzales
Email: agonzales@napavalley.edu
Office Location: 1030A
Voicemail: (707) 253-3112
Office Hours: MW 12:30-1:30, and by appointment (note that I am only on campus on
Mondays and Wednesdays)
Required Texts:
Models for Writers, 11th edition, by Alfred Rosa
Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss
Elements of Style, 4th edition, by William Strunk & E.B. White
Course Description:
This is a class designed to build your skill level and confidence as a reader and writer. This
includes instruction in writing, discussion and critical analysis of reading material, and review of
grammar and mechanics in academic English. Students will write in class in addition to
completing a number of reading and writing assignments based on reading assignments with
various themes. Success in this class will depend mainly on participation, cooperation, and
regular attendance by all students in order to understand and master effective writing, reading
and thinking skills. Throughout this semester you will write a minimum of 5,000 words.
Emphasis will be placed on generating essays, structuring essays, mechanics, and revision
strategies. While the primary objective of this course is to improve your writing, keep in mind
that there is a meaningful connection between reading well and writing well.
English 90 is preparation for English 120, College Level English.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will be able to generate ideas for writing assignments;
students will write essays with unity, substance, and clarity. Students will be able to formulate a
thesis statement that clearly expresses the central idea of the essay, organize essays in a logical
manner so that the central idea of the essay is arrives at a reasonable conclusion, develop
effective sentence structure and variety, identify and correct errors in grammar and spelling,
identify common rhetorical modes, and apply critical thinking skills needed to compare, contrast,
analyze, evaluate and argue writing. In addition, students will be able to write clearly with a
distinct voice, style and with coherence.
English 90 - Preparing for College Reading & Writing 1 - Course Information
Course Prerequisite: English 85 or placement testing
Course Description: English 90 (4 units) will help prepare you for success in English
120 and other courses that require college-level reading and writing skills. To improve
your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, this course will cover the following
topics:
o Grammar and sentence structure
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Critical reading strategies
The writing process
Essay structure and development
Research skills and MLA documentation
Writing under time pressure
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
o Think, read, and write critically
o Write a unified, coherent, well supported, and grammatically correct
document reasonably free from errors.
o Demonstrate a clear and thoughtful thesis as well as the ability to move
from general statement to specific support.
Assignments/Evaluation:

Essays: You will write five essays and a revision project. Two essays will be
written during class, and three essays will be completed outside of class. On the
days we write essays in class, you must be present. You must complete all five
essays and the revision project to be eligible to pass the course. Completing the
essays, however, does not mean that you will automatically pass the course.
o English 90 Assessment Essay: Essay #5 will be an in-class essay exam
taken by all English 90 students to help determine if they are prepared to
move on to English 120.

Reading/Writing Log: Your reading for this class will be extensive. For each
assigned reading, you will complete a corresponding reading log entry, in which
you summarize and analyze the text. You will be also asked to write responses
reflecting on topics discussed in class. Reading/Writing log entries must be
typed. More details to come.

Participation: Participation grades will be based on completion of assigned
exercises, outlines, grammar quizzes, participation in peer workshops, attendance
and effort.
Grades:
Essay 1
Essay 2
Essay 3 (in class)
Revision Project
Assessment Essay (Essay #4)
2
10%
10%
10%
15%
15%
Essay 5
Reading/Writing Log
Various assignments/homework
Participation
10%
10%
5%
15%
You must receive a 70% to pass this course. Final semester grades will be broken down
as follows:
A = 100-90% B= 89-80%
C= 79-70%
D = 69-60%
F =59%-
Policies:
Attendance: NVC's policy on attendance is clear: Regular attendance in all classes is
important for satisfactory academic progress. The Napa Valley College attendance
regulations make provisions for a limited number of unavoidable absences. However, a
student who is absent for as many times as a class meets each week (two, in this case)
will have exhausted this provision. An instructor may request verification of those
absences. Further absences may cause the instructor to drop the student from the class.
The Students dropped from a class must submit a petition to the Vice President, Student
Services in order to be reinstated. If a student is absent because of illness, a signed
statement from a physician must be attached to the petition. It is important that the
student contact the instructor as soon as possible after an absence has occurred. The
Office of Student Services is located in Room 1330, 1300 Student Services 1 Building,
256-7360.
Late Assignments: Except in the cases of emergencies or serious illness, I will not
accept late assignments. If you know you will be unable to turn in an assignment on time,
please contact me as soon as you can
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is taking all or part of someone else's words or ideas and using
them as your own. This is unacceptable and the consequences are severe. To avoid
plagiarism, be sure to cite all of your sources (in MLA format); this includes summarized
and paraphrased text. If you plagiarize, you will receive a zero for the assignment and
you will not be allowed to revise the assignment. Recently the NVC Board of Trustees
adopted an academic honesty policy designed to aggressively detect and punish violators.
(See the NVC Catalog to read this policy). Please be advised that faculty also have access
to a comprehensive plagiarism site, Turnitin.com, that requires only a word or phrase to
detect plagiarism. You will be required to submit all of your essays to this database.
Students in need of accommodations in the college learning environment: Any
student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a learning
disability should contact Learning Services in the Library and Learning Resource Center
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(LLRC), room 1766, phone (707) 256-7442. A Learning Disability Specialist will review
your needs and determine appropriate accommodations. If you need accommodations for
physical or other types of disabilities, schedule an appointment with DSPS Counselor,
Sheryl Fernandez, in the Counseling Department (1300 building), phone (707) 256-7220
for appointment. All information and documentation is confidential. Please feel
encouraged to make an appointment with me privately to discuss your specific learning
needs in my class.
Student Conduct: Students are expected to treat each other and the instructor with
respect. Classroom disruptions will not be tolerated. If a student disrupts the class, he/she
will be given a warning, asked to leave the room, and/or reported to the Vice President of
Student Services, depending on the nature of the offense. If the instructor deems the
disruption to be severe, campus police will be notified. Language or behavior that offends
others on the basis of race, ethnicity, language group, spiritual belief, disability, gender,
or sexuality disrupts the learning environment. This type of behavior will not be
tolerated, and will be reported to Student Services.
Technological devices: Cellular phones and other electronic devices are distracting and
harmful in the classroom. Exceptions will be made only when the technological device is
used to provide academic support (as when a student has an IEP--more on this later). In
general, please turn off your cell phones and do not check them during class.
Class Schedule (This schedule, as with all things, is subject to change. Please check
the interactive schedule frequently to be up-to-date on all assignments.)
Weekly Agenda
Week 1
Monday
8/19
Introduction; in-class
diagnostic.
Wednesday
8/21
Read: "Thinking Well" (handout)
Week 2
8/26
8/28
Rachel Carson, “Fable for
Tomorrow”
"Prewriting"
Week 3
9/2
LABOR DAY – No class
Week 4
9/9
Due: Essay #1 (draft)
Week 5
9/16
Langston Hughes, “Salvation”
Jake Jamieson, “The EnglishOnly Movement: Can
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9/4
Natalie Goldberg, Be Specific
Sandra Cisneros, “My Name”
9/11
Richard Lederer, “The Case for
Short Words”
Tobias Wolff, “The Last Shot”
9/18
David Sedaris, “Me Talk Pretty
One Day”
Robert Ramirez, “The Barrio”
America Proscribe Language
with a Clear Conscience?”
9/23
Steven Pinker, “In Defense of
Dangerous Ideas”
Maya Angelou, “Momma, the
Dentist, and Me Kate Chopin,
The Story of an Hour
Robert Ramirez, “The Barrio”
9/30
Salman Rushdie, “The Taj
Majal”
Diane Ackerman, “Why
Leaves Turn Color”
10/7
Due: Essay #2
10/2
Peer Workshop: Bring 3 typed
copies of essay draft
Week 9
10/14
ES&L: Introduction - the 7th
Sense
10/16
ES&L: The tractable apostrophe
Week 10
10/21
Due: Essay 3
Week 11
10/28
Conferences
10/23
Mary Sherry, “In Praise of the F
Word”
10/30
Discuss Assessment Essay
Week 12
11/4
ES&L: That'll do, comma
11/6
ES&L:
Airs and graces
Week 13
11/11
Veterans Day – No Class
11/13
Write Assessment Essay in Class
(Essay #4)
Week 14
11/18
ES&L: Cutting a dash
11/20
Due: Revision Project
Week 15
11/25
11/27
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
5
9/25
Grammar Quiz #2 (Compound
Sentences)
Due: Essay #2 Thesis/Outline
10/9
Mark Twain, “Two Ways of
Seeing a River”
Myriam Marquez, “Why and When
We Speak Spanish in Public”
ES&L: A little used
punctuation mark
ES&L: Merely conventional signs
Week 16
12/2
12/4
Week 17
12/9
Peer Workshop: Bring 3
typed copies of Essay #5
draft
12/11
Due: Essay #5
Note: In addition to the reading assignments listed above, we will spend ample time on
MLA formatting, mechanics and grammar, structuring paragraphs, and other essentials in
writing.
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English 90 Fall 2013, section 56000
I have read and understood the contents of this syllabus, and I understand the consequences of
not following the assignments and rules. It is my responsibility to complete the assignments of
this course, to study the course material, and to attend each class meeting on time. I also
understand that it is my right to ask the instructor, at any time, for clarification of any
assignment, rule or my responsibilities for this course.
Signature_________________________
Print name___________________________________
Date_______________________
Phone/cell___________________________________
Email address (print very neatly)__________________________________________
Anything I should know?
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