EWRT 100B: Preparatory Reading and Writing Skills
Spring 2003
Instructor: M. Reber
Office: L-41 (L-4 building)
Hrs: T 10-12, 4:30-5:30/W 4:30-5:30/by appointment
Phone: (408) 864-5565
Email: rebermarrietta@fhda.edu
Website: http://faculty.deanza.fhda.edu/reberm/
Course Texts
 Visions Across the Americas, Warner and Hilliard, 4th Edition.
 The Confident Writer by Carol Kanar, 3rd Edition.
 A College level dictionary such as Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Co., 1990.
Course Introduction
This course will help you to develop necessary skills to succeed at college-level reading and essay writing.
Emphasis in the course will be on learning how to write effective responses to questions about assigned
readings and issues in our world. You should be enrolled in the English 160 Writing Lab concurrently with this
course (unless you have already passed English 160). You will not be allowed to take the mandatory Writing
Assessment Test (WAT) at the end of the quarter unless you have completed both Eng 160 and EWRT 100B.
Course Objectives
In the course of taking this class, you will:
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Practice skills to approach each study and learning task confidently and analytically.
Read, analyze, understand, and write at the college level.
Identify purpose and coherence in expository writing.
Employ basic analytical skills such as questioning assumptions and assertions, doing cause and effect
analysis, testing and selecting evidence, and drawing conclusions.
Generate material and ideas through class discussion, free-writing, journal writing, brainstorming, and
clustering and use these exercises to create a thesis and topic sentences.
Present information, perceptions, and ideas in organized essays comprised of focused, well-developed
paragraphs that avoid a pattern of sentence errors.
Course Evaluation
The point break down for grading in the course is shown in the table below:
Assignment
Points
Journal
100
Quizzes (10 x 5 pts each)
50
Brainstorm/Thesis Statements (5 x 5 pts each)
25
Essays (5 x 100 pts each)
500
Midterm
25
Total
700
You will be evaluated by your percentage of the total points earned on a 100% scale. A final percentage of 70 or
higher will result in a Pass for the class. Below 70% will result in a No Pass. I encourage you to do more than
just the minimum so you will be well prepared for English 1A, other courses, and life in general.
Course Assignments
Journal. You will keep a course journal in which you write responses to particular questions or ideas discussed in
class or in specified readings. Some journal activities may take place in the classroom, but most will be given as
homework. Journal activities must be typed unless otherwise specified by me and will be stamped at the
beginning of class the day they are due. Unstamped journal entries can still be submitted for final grading, but will
be eligible for only half credit. The entire journal is due at the end of class for grading and will receive one grade
overall. Do not lose entries! You can miss 5 entries out of 15 to total 10, but J1 is required and cannot be missed.
Quizzes. You can plan on a pop quiz once a week. These quizzes measure your preparation for class and your
understanding of class lecture and concepts covered. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class period
so do not be late. I will drop your two lowest quiz scores.
M. Reber
6/27/2016
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Brainstorm/Thesis Statements. You are required to submit a thesis statement for each essay you write (except
for the narrative essay for which you will submit a brainstorm/cluster/free-write). These assignments are crucial
because you must receive approval from me on the topic you choose for each paper before the paper is written.
If you do not turn in a thesis statement, your topic will be unapproved and your paper may receive an F.
Essays. You will be required to write five essays during the course. For each essay, you will bring a draft to
share with a peer reviewer. Your draft must be turned in with the final. Your final score will be affected by the
quality of your draft. Each essay should be organized and written clearly. Pay close attention to style and
mechanics and implement the writing skills we discuss in class. Careful proofreading and correct application of
grammar and punctuation are crucial. Three to five pages long is appropriate. Each essay is explained below:
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Narrative Essay. This essay is based on your personal experience and may incorporate aspects of other
narratives we have studied in class.
Compare/Contrast Essay. This essay demonstrates your ability to write an effective essay in which
you compare and contrast two or more ideas, works, objects, approaches, theories, etc.
Classification/Division Essay. In this essay you will demonstrate your ability to classify and present
information in an organized manner.
Cause and Effect Essay. This essay requires that you explore the effects of a particular fact, issue, idea,
theory, possibility, or event and present those effects in an organized and effective manner.
Persuasive Argument Essay. In this essay, you will chose a point of view on a topic, issue, idea,
theory, event, etc. and try to persuasively convince your reader to adopt your viewpoint.
Midterm and Final Exam. Your midterm and final exam will test your ability to demonstrate critical reading
and writing skills you have mastered in class. Details to be given prior to exams. If you pass the WAT, you will
not have to take a final exam, but you will still need to attend the final to turn in your final paper.
Course Policies and Procedures
Assignment Format. All of your assignments must be typed (12 pt. Font), double-spaced, stapled, include a
title, and have the heading in the upper left hand corner (line 1: your name; line 2: course title and my last name;
line 3: assignment name; line 4: the date). When turning in essays, staple the draft and final together-final on top.
Plagiarism and Cheating. Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas in direct quote, paraphrase, or
summary form and submitting them as your own. Plagiarism may result in automatic failure for the quarter.
Cheating of any kind is not tolerated and could result in you being failed or dropped from the course at any time.
Class Disruption Policy. Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated in class and could result in you being
dropped from the class. Cell phones, pagers, CD players, etc. must be turned off during class. Should your cell
phone ring during class, you will be responsible for bringing treats for the entire class the following day.
Late Papers and Assignments. Papers/assignments are due at the beginning of class. If you come late and turn
in your assignment before the period ends, your grade for that assignment will be dropped one letter grade.
Assignments/papers will not be accepted after the period has ended on the date due (except journals). I reserve the
right to make exceptions to this policy at my discretion. Please talk to me if you have extenuating circumstances. I
am much more likely to work with you if you have notified me in advance rather than after the fact.
Attendance and Tardiness. Quizzes and assignments are due at the beginning of class. If you are late, you will
not be allowed to make up the quiz. Excessive unexcused absences (more than 2) could result in you being
dropped from the class at any time as could more than 1 unexcused absence during the first week of class. Two
unexcused tardies = one unexcused absence. I reserve the right to make exceptions to this policy at my discretion.
Please talk to me if you have an emergency. I am more likely to excuse you if you have notified me in advance.
Paper Rewrites. I will allow you to rewrite two of your essays after they have been graded to improve your
score. Your original grade will be averaged with the revised paper grade. Rewrites are due one week from the date
the essay was returned. I reserve the right to allow for extra rewrites or to change the rewrite grading policy.
Extra Credit. I allow some extra credit. I will give you details in advance on extra credit opportunities.
Last Day to Drop with a “W.” The last day to drop with a “W” is Friday May 30th.
Assistance. For academic counseling, contact Renee McGinley at x. 5865 in S33B at mcginleyrenee@deanza.edu.
For personal counseling, contact Natasha Joplin at x. 5405 in ADM8RLDG at joplinnatasha@deanaza.edu.
Grammar Help. See the Tutorial Center in L-47 or visit: http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm.
M. Reber
6/27/2016
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EWRT 100B Schedule
Date
Topic
Reading Due
Assignments Due
4/8
Course Introduction/ Your Identity/
Tips on Becoming an Active Reader
“A Tapestry of Hope” – Houston
VAA p. 2-3
4/10
Personal Narratives
VAA p. 48-50, 61-66 – Walker
J1: Identity Assignment
4/15
Personal Narratives/
Prewriting Strategies
CW 39-46, 215-234
VAA p. 80-86– Ngan
J2: CW p. 234
Song extra credit
4/17
Using Description
CW p. 235-254
VAA p. 95-98, 104-108 – Angelou
Narrative Brainstorm
J3: CW p. 254
4/22
Personal Narrative Workshop
4/24
Understanding the Essay
CW p. 1-31
Narrative Paper Final
4/29
Prewriting and Planning/
Summary
CW p. 32-39, 46-59
VAA p. 28-30
J4: CW p. 30-31
J5: CW p. 59
5/1
Comparison and Contrast
CW p. 292-309
VAA p. 224-227, 232-236 – Britt
J6: Summary of Britt
J7: CW p. 309
5/6
Improving Your Paragraph Skills:
Main Idea, Support, Organization
CW p. 60-91
VAA p. 10-12
J8: CW p. 90-91
5/8
Stating Your Thesis
CW p. 92-118
VAA p. 138-140
J9: CW p. 118
5/13
Supporting Your Thesis
CW p. 119-140
VAA p. 17-27
J10: CW p. 139-140
Compare/Contrast Thesis
5/15
Revising Your Essay
Midterm Review
CW p. 141-158
VAA p. 21-27v
J11: CW p. 158
Compare/Contrast Draft
5/20
Editing Your Essay/
Midterm/
CW p. 159-178
Compare/Contrast Final
5/22
Classification and Division
VAA p. 263-270– King
J12: CW p. 178
5/27
Classification and Division
CW p. 271-291
J13: CW p. 291
Classification/Div Thesis
5/29
Classification and Division
Workshop/
6/3
Cause and Effect
CW p. 310-328
J14: CW p. 328
Classification/Division
Final
6/5
Cause and Effect Workshop
VAA p. 295-297, 312-315– Bulosan
Cause and Effect Thesis
J15: CW p. 370
6/10
Persuasive Argument Essay
CW p. 347-370
Assigned Readings: Capitol Punishment
Cause and Effect Draft
6/12
Persuasive Argument Essay
VA p. 361-366, 405-407, 412-6–McGinle
Assigned Readings: Religion in Schools
Cause and Effect Final
6/17
Persuasive Argument Essay/
WAT Preparation
Persuasive Argument
Thesis
Journal Due
6/19
WAT Preparation/
Review for Final Exam
Persuasive Argument
Draft
6/24
7:00-9:00 a.m. Tuesday
Narrative Paper Draft
Classification/Division
Draft
FINAL EXAM
Persuasive Argum Final
**This schedule is a working outline and is subject to change at any point during the quarter. I reserve the right to add or delete
reading or assignments, and to change topics at my discretion at any time.
M. Reber
6/27/2016
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