Course Syllabus: English 0346 CRN# 77764/ T/Th 5:30-8:45
Instructor: La’Kisha Hawkins
Classroom :_Alief Center, Room B132
E-mail: ln_hawkins@yahoo.com
Phone: (713) 305-5621
Texts and Materials
Text:
Focus On Grammar 4, 3 edition, by Fuchs and Bonner
Focus On Grammar 4 Student Workbook, 3 edition, by Fuchs and Bonner
rd
rd
Materials: (9)
1. loose-leaf notebook paper 2. a stapler 3. red and black/blue pens
4. 1 one-inch ring binder
5. four divider sheets with tabs 6. 1 highlighter
7. one Scantron (for the final exam) 8. a Composition tablet or spiral (just for journal
writing)
9. English-only dictionary (recommended: the Collins Cobuild Dictionary)
Course Goals
English 0346 helps English as a Second Language (ESL) students prepare for the reading
and writing assignments in college classes. Students learn basic grammar, simple sentence
and some basic compound/complex structures, vocabulary, and paragraph writing skills.
English 0346 is part of a sequence of classes (English 0340, 0341, 0346, 0347, and 0349).
After students pass these courses, they should be ready for English 1301 and other college
credit courses.
Specific course objectives are to:
identify parts of speech & understand word families
write simple sentences: S + V + O
write compound sentences with coordinating conjunctions
use common complex sentences (when, while, before, after, because, if )
write a well-developed paragraph
understand the role of: topic, title, topic sentence, supporting details
use present and past tenses accurately
use verbals accurately: gerunds, infinitives, base forms
use auxiliary and modal verbs accurately
use the present real, present unreal, and past unreal conditional
use direct and indirect speech
expand vocabulary, including phrasal verbs
write short (3-paragraph) essays about 300 words long
Quizzes
There are 4 grammar quizzes based on the textbooks. If there is time, the class will have a
review session and a short practice quiz during the class period before the actual test day.
It's important that students come prepared to ask questions about the grammar that they
don't understand well. In addition, the instructor will give vocabulary quizzes as needed.
All quizzes are independent assignments, cheating will result in a 0!
Compositions
Students will write a total of 4 compositions (comps.) and the Final Comp. The first four
comps. are written twice; the first draft is written in class, and the second draft is written for
homework. The grade for a comp is recorded after the second draft is written and
evaluated. Therefore, students must write draft 2. **No late second drafts of comps. will
be accepted. All comps must be written in blue or black ink, double-spaced, and the front
side of the paper.
Homework
Homework is a very important part of ENGL 0346. Students must have a binder in which
they keep their work for this course. Some homework will be collected, and some of it will
be checked in class. Students must complete the homework before coming to class and be
prepared to turn in some exercises during class. Because these assignments do not receive
a letter grade, the homework grade is based on the total number of complete assignments.
The teacher will pick up and check the binder at random, so students should always bring
it to class and keep it up to date. The binder may not be turned in late.
Journal
Students will practice expressing ideas in English regularly, usually once per week. Students
should write freely, without fear of penalty. The journal is not graded like a composition. It
is part of homework. The grade at the end of the semester is based on the total number of
entries when the journal is collected. Sometimes the teacher will give the journal topic, and
sometimes the students will choose a topic. The journal may not be handed in late. The
journal will be collected at random, so you must keep your journal writing notebook with
your class materials and bring it to class everyday.
Final Examinations
The Final Exam has two parts: a comprehensive, multiple-choice grammar test and a Final
Comp. The finals will be given on two different days at the end of the semester. See the
Final Exam dates on the Course Calendar.
Classroom Policies
Students are expected to arrive in class on time. If students are absent from class, they must
ask the teacher for the assignments that they missed. When students are absent on the day
of a composition, they must make up the work on the day they return to class. A make-up
composition will not be on the same topic as the original comp that was missed. There are
no make-up tests or quizzes; however, the lowest quiz grade will be dropped for each
student.
As a courtesy to your instructor and the other students in the class, please turn off any cell
phones and other electronic devices before you enter the classroom. If one of these devices
goes off and interrupts the class, the instructor may confiscate it until the end of the class
period. *No Ipods, Ipads, or laptops are permitted in the class.
Attendance Policy
Houston Community College requires students to attend classes regularly. Any student
who misses more than 12.5% of the class in a semester may be dropped from the class. In
0346, this amounts to 8 hours (total) of absence. If students are late 10 minutes or more,
they will be marked tardy; if students leave the classroom during class, return from a break
late, or leave before class is finished, they will be marked tardy.
2 times tardy = 1 absence.
College Grading System
Students in English 0346 class may receive a letter grade of A, B, C, IP or F.
IP means "In Progress." This is not a failing grade, but it is for students who complete the
course but who are not yet ready for the next level. Anyone who receives an IP must take
English 0346 again. However, if a student has already received an IP in this course during a
previous semester, that student will receive a letter grade: A, B, C, or F this semester.
Students who have a 70% or higher class average before the Final Exams but who fail both
parts of the Final will have a team of teachers review their work and determine their
readiness to pass into English 0347.
English 0346 Grading Formula
The final grade for the course is calculated as follows:
Homework:
Quizzes :
Comp. 1:
Comp. 2:
Comp. 3:
10%
15%
10%
10%
10%
Comp. 4:
15%
Final Comp:
Final Exam:
20%
10%
Academic Dishonesty
If a student copies sentences from another person's work without giving credit to the writer
by naming the writer as the source of the ideas and words, it is called "plagiarism." This is a
serious offense in American colleges, and it is unacceptable. Academic honesty is expected
of all college students. Any homework, journal entry, or composition that is not a student's
own work will be given a grade of “0.” The student may receive an F for the course when
plagiarism occurs repeatedly.
ENGLISH 0346 10-Week Course Calendar
Summer 2011
Important Dates:
June 6
First day of summer semester classes
June 7
Last day to add/drop/swap a class
June 14
Official Date of Record
July 4
Independence Day Holiday
July 26
Last day (by 4:30 p.m.) to drop with a “W”
Aug. 7
Instruction ends
Aug. 8-14
Final Exam Period (See calendar, below)
(See the Table of Contents in Focus On Grammar (FOG): High-Intermediate for Unit
page numbers. The teacher will assign daily homework as needed from the FOG
Workbook. In addition, some short “pop” quizzes that are not listed on this calendar may
be given.)
Week 1
Introduction to AESL program; course syllabus; diagnostic assessment.
Review of Yes-No and Information Questions and auxiliary verbs: be, do
have + modals
Unit 3: Simple Past, Present Perfect, and Present Perfect Progressive
Week 2
Unit 4: Past Perfect and Past Perfect Progressive, including pp. 43-45
Write C1D1 (Composition #1, Draft #1): Description Paragraph
Week 3
Review for Quiz 1—see Workbook Test: Units 1-4, pp. T-1—T-2
QUIZ # 1 on Units 3 + 4
Begin Unit 12 : Phrasal Verbs (separable and inseparable)
Week 4
Continue Unit 12
Unit 9: Gerunds and Infinitives, including Appendix 2—6
Unit 10: Causative verbs: let, have, make, help
Week 5
Write C2D1: Short Opinion Essay
Unit 16: Modal Verbs—past advisability
Week 6
Review for Quiz 2—see Workbook Test: Units 9-10, pp. T-8—T-9 &
Units 11-12, pp. T-10—T-11
QUIZ # 2 on Units 9, 10, 12
Introduction to FANBOYS Conjunctions and Subordinate Conjunctions
Week 7
Write C3D1: Short Narrative Essay
Unit 23: Present Unreal Conditional
Unit 24: Past Unreal Conditional
Week 8
Unit 28: Indirect Questions
Unit 29: Embedded Questions
Week 9
Write C4D1: Short Example Essay
Review for Quiz 3—see Workbook Test: Units 21-24, pp. T-20—T-21 &
Units 25-29, pp. T-22—T-24
QUIZ # 3 on Units 23, 24, 28, 29
Review for the Final Exam
Week 10
FINAL COMPOSITION
FINAL GRAMMAR EXAM
Thursday, August 9
Thursday, August 11