Heartland Community College
Master Course Syllabus
Division Name: HFA
Course Prefix and Number: READ 090
Course Name: Reading Improvement I
DATE PREPARED: September 2012
DATE REVISED: January 2013
PCS/CIP/ID NO: 14-320113
IAI NO. (if available): -EFFECTIVE DATE OF FIRST CLASS: June 2013
For all Lecture/Lab Sections:
CREDIT HOURS: 3.0
CONTACT HOURS: 4.0
LECTURE HOURS: 2.0
LABORATORY HOURS: 2.0
For HALO Program-Specific Lab-Only Sections:
CREDIT HOURS: 1.0
CONTACT HOURS: 2.0
LECTURE HOURS: 0.0
LABORATORY HOURS: 2.0
CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Include specific prerequisites):
Prerequisite: Placement by assessment, completion of READ 070 with a grade of C or better, or
equivalent. Reading Improvement I is an intermediate course in reading and vocabulary
development that addresses academic and pleasure reading tasks. Students are provided with
instruction and practice that will enable them to become members of a reading community and
successfully complete briefer types of readings often utilized in entry-level college courses.
TEXTBOOKS:
Agnes, M. (Ed.). (2003). Webster's new world dictionary (4th ed.). New York: Pocket Books.
Approved novels for READ 090 and magazine, journal, and newspaper articles, as
appropriate. Consult “Approved Novels for READ 070 and 090” in the Reading Program
Curriculum Summary (accessible at http://employee.heartland.edu/lcole/) for a current
listing. Titles included were recommended by faculty and then readability estimates were
calculated to determine appropriateness for READ 090 students.
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND
TRANSFERABILITY:
READ 070, 090, and 091 are designed to enhance students' academic performance for other
college courses for which they are currently under prepared, as indicated by their performance
on HCC's reading placement exam or the review of approved documents. Credit earned from
successful completion of this course (or other developmental courses) is not calculated into
students' HCC GPA, will not apply toward degree or certificate requirements, nor will it transfer
to other colleges or universities. However, some institutions calculate admissions GPA using
grades from all courses, including developmental courses.
COURSE OBJECTIVES (Learning Outcomes)
Students successfully completing READ 090 will be able to:
Outcome
Use a strategic, flexible
approach to reading that
supports comprehension of
narrative and expository texts
for academic and pleasure
reading tasks
Demonstrate the ability to
comprehend narrative and
expository texts by remembering
and understanding
Demonstrate a strategy for
understanding vocabulary not
immediately recognized during
reading using structure,
sounding out, and asking
someone, as well as the
dictionary, the thesaurus, and
context
Increase the number of words
known in their reading, writing,
speaking, and listening
vocabularies
Gen Ed
Outcomes
Range of Assessment Methods
In-class activities, journals and other written
responses, discussion, demonstrations and
presentations, instructor conferences, checklists,
assignments and projects, quizzes and tests, formal
papers (Reading Autobiography)
In-class activities, journals and other written
responses, discussion, demonstrations and
presentations, instructor conferences, checklists,
assignments and projects, quizzes and tests, preand post-tests (at program level [DRP Reading
Comprehension Test])
Instructor conferences, checklists, assignments and
projects, quizzes and tests, pre- and post-tests
Journals and other written responses, instructor
conferences, checklists, assignments and projects,
quizzes and tests, pre- and post-tests
Improve their attitude toward
reading and confidence in their
reading ability in academic,
career, and personal contexts
Use self-assessment to develop
knowledge of self as a reader
and learner and use that
knowledge to read and learn
more effectively
Use various information and
technological resources (e.g.,
classmates, experts, reference
books, Internet) as an aid to
understand new vocabulary and
concepts
Connect learning experiences
between and among individual
courses
In-class activities, journals and other written
responses, discussion, instructor conferences,
checklists, assignments and projects, pre- and posttests (at program level [Rhody Attitude
Inventory]), formal papers (Reading
Autobiography), focus groups
In-class activities, journals and other written
responses, discussion, demonstrations and
presentations, instructor conferences, assignments
and projects, formal papers (Reading
Autobiography), focus groups
In-class activities, journals and other written
responses, discussion, demonstrations and
presentations, instructor conferences, checklists,
assignments and projects, formal papers (Reading
Autobiography), focus groups
In-class activities, journals and other written
responses, discussion, demonstrations and
presentations, instructor conferences, assignments
and projects, formal papers (Reading
Autobiography), focus groups
COURSE/LAB OUTLINE:
I.
The Reader: Behavior, Skills, and Strategies
II.
Approaches to Reading
III.
Comprehension
A.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
B.
Significant Impacts on Comprehension
1.
The reader
2.
Approaches to reading
C.
Demonstrating Comprehension
IV.
Vocabulary Development
A.
Tools for Word Recognition
1.
Dictionary and thesaurus
2.
Context
a.
general context
b.
specific context clues
3.
Word structure
4.
Sounding the word out
5.
Asking someone
B.
Strategies for Vocabulary Development
C.
Building Personal Vocabularies
V.
Self-Assessment
VI.
Resources
METHOD OF EVALUATION (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
The final grade in READ 090 will be determined by students’ weighted performance in both the
lecture and the lab portions of the course as outlined below.
Lecture
75%-85%
Lab
15%-25%
In the lecture portion of this course, learning will be assessed through a variety of activities, each
of which will count toward one of five major course components. The weight of each
component for the lecture portion of the final grade will be assigned as follows:
Lecture
Comprehension Assignments
Tests and Quizzes
Self-Assessment Assignments
Vocabulary Assignments
Participation
Weight
20%-30%
20%-30%
20%-30%
10%-20%
10%
The lab portion of the final grade will be determined as outlined below.
Lab
Participation
Self-Assessment
Independent Reading
Weight
50-70%
20-30%
10-20%
Letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
Percentage
90 – 100%
80 - 89%
70 - 79%
0 – 69%
Grade
A
B
C
F
Students should note that “D” grades will not be awarded in READ 090. Students must receive
the equivalent of an “A,” a “B,” or a “C” letter grade to pass an assignment: anything less is
considered failing. In addition, students must earn an “A,” a “B,” or a “C” in READ 090 to be
eligible for enrollment in READ 091.
REQUIRED WRITING AND READING:
Shared Readings. Shared out-of-class readings will provide the basis for most class activities
and discussion in the lecture portion of READ 090, and students will be expected to read from
50-75 pages each week. Preferred texts are novels that students have selected from an approved
list, as well as additional materials that have been selected by the instructor.
Independent Reading. Independent Reading, an individualized reading assignment for the lab
portion of this course, is completed in addition to the shared readings assigned for the lecture
component. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 20 minutes per day five days a week
(approximately 1.5 hours weekly) throughout the semester to fulfill the Independent Reading
requirement.
Writings. Brief writing assignments, including short papers and self-assessment activities, will be
completed often during class time. Outside-of-class writings will be assigned less
frequently. These will include, but are not limited to, notes and summaries of reading
assignments, as well as the completion of the appropriate sections of the Reading
Autobiography.