SEMESTER
COURSE TITLE
INSTRUCTOR
OFFICE
OFFICE HOURS
EMAIL
Spring 2014
ESL 91: Fundamentals of College Reading and Writing
Hyeseong Lana Strickland
Acacia 1-207 or SC-125
M-F 8:30-10:30 W 8:30-9:00
Strickland.lana@evc.edu
Course Description: ESL 91 is a reading and writing course designed to help you prepare for
English 1A. In this course, you will approach writing as a way of communication and focus on
the skills that you need in order to further develop your writing skills. You will, first, focus on
thoughtful and critical analysis of various readings selected for this course. Through reading and
class discussions, you will discover what constitutes good writing and then will focus on writing
well-organized, coherent, and effective essays. In addition to the assigned textbooks, your own
writing will be used as course materials to contribute to your learning. You will study your own
writing as well as that of your classmates’ in order to find and remedy your weaknesses
throughout the semester.
Learning Outcomes: In order to successfully complete this course, you must be able to do the
following by the end of the semester:
Reading Component:
1. Use pre-reading strategies and make predictions about the reading
2. Identify the thesis and trace its development
3. Identify topic sentences, main ideas, and supporting details in body paragraphs
4. Distinguish between facts and opinions
5. Recognize denotative/connotative meanings and deductive/inductive reasoning
6. Recognize mood, tone, and author’s purpose
7. Identify intended audience
8. Research a topic, using multiple sources including the internet
9. Make logical inferences and synthesize information from multiple sources
10. Build vocabulary for academic purposes appropriate for pre-1A level
11. Use contextual clues to guess meaning of new words
12. Analyze grammatical and lexical elements in relation to sentence function and meaning
Writing Component:
1. Gather and organize information from reading and discussion, leading to a general topic
2. Construct a clear thesis from a general topic
3. Develop clear topic sentences that effectively support the thesis
4. Use transitions between and within paragraphs to create coherence
5. Develop body paragraphs with logical, convincing support
6. Achieve unity within paragraphs and essays
7. Write effective introductions and conclusions
8. Compose essays using various rhetorical modes and demonstrating college-level critical
thinking
9. Summarize/paraphrase reading selections succinctly
10. Write grammatically correct sentences, using a variety of sentence types
11. Combine sentences effectively to show logical relationships between ideas
12. Use vocabulary appropriate to academic topics
13. Revise and edit to focus, clarify, strengthen and correct earlier drafts
14. Cite sources using MLA documentation style
Prerequisite: A qualifying score on the ESL Placement test or completion of ESL 302 with CR
or better. Concurrent enrollment in ESL 91L’s Writing Seminar (lab) for a minimum of ½ unit is
required.
Required Texts and Materials:
America Now by Atwan
College Writing Skills with Reading by John Langan
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys
Green Exam Booklets
A college level English-English dictionary
Course Content:
1. Writing: To practice the fundamentals of writing, you will participate in a variety of writing
activities. You will write seven essays during the semester, the length of which may be 2-3
typed pages. All out-of-class composition assignments must be typed and double-spaced.
There will also be a midterm essay, two practice finals and the department final all of which
will be written in class. All in-class essays must be written neatly in pen in Yellow Exam
Booklets.
2. Rewrites: Occasionally, I will require or allow you to rewrite an essay. Even if you are not
asked to do so, you may rewrite any of the out-of-class essays you write for this course.
However, keep in mind that rewrites will not automatically grant you a better grade; only
those with significant improvements will. When you do rewrite an essay, you will have no
more than one week to turn it in, and it must be accompanied by the original essay.
3. Research: You will also be introduced to library research skills in this class. During the
semester, we will have a tour of the library and consider issues such as locating source
materials on various subjects in print and on-line as well as documenting your references
accordingly.
4. Reading: You will be assigned regular reading assignments. You will read and discuss a
wide variety of texts from the course textbooks and from supplemental handouts. For each
reading assignment, you will be asked to answer reading comprehension questions and/or
summarize and respond to the main idea of the reading.
5. ESL Lab/Writing Seminar: You are required to enroll in .5 unit of ESL 91L. In order to
qualify for English 1A, you must receive CR in both ESL 91 and ESL 91L. The lab meets
once a week for three hours. Your success in ESL 91L will greatly influence your success in
this course as the lab provides weekly reading and writing practice that are essential to your
progress as a reader/writer of English.
6. Department Final Exam: On Friday, May 16th from 11:50 a.m. to 1:50 p.m., all ESL 91 and
English 104 students will write a department final essay exam, which will then be graded by
English and ESL faculty readers and count for 20% of your course grade. Please make any
special work or travel arrangements far in advance of the exam date. Remember to bring a
dictionary, a pen, and a Green Exam Booklet to the test.
Plagiarism: Please familiarize yourself with Evergreen Valley College’s policy on plagiarism.
The act of presenting another’s work as your own, copying sentences, phrases, or passages from
an uncited source while writing a paper or doing research will not only guarantee you an “F” on
an assignment but may also be grounds for your dismissal from class.
Attendance: Regular attendance is essential for the successful completion of this course. If you
do miss a class, please contact me or your classmates, get the assignments for the following day,
and come to class prepared.
Classmate #1 ____________________________ Phone: _______________________
Classmate #2 ____________________________ Phone: ______________________
If you miss more than four class meetings, you may be disqualified from the course and receive
NC. However, if you decide to withdraw from the course, it is your responsibility to officially
notify the Admissions and Records Office by submitting a written request for withdrawal.
Grading Policy:
Out-of-Class Essays
In-Class Essays
Reading Test/Assignments
Writing Seminar
Reading Final Exam
Writing Final Exam
20%
20%
20%
10%
10%
20%
Assistance: If you need assistance with any part of the course work, please feel free to contact
me. Conferences are not mandatory; however, very often, just to talk to someone about your
ideas helps ease the difficulty of writing or of just being a student. Remember; writing is hard
work for everyone. I hope that you will leave this class with confidence in yourself as a writer. I
will try to make myself available as much as I can to assist you with any problems you might
have in regard to this course. If you need to talk to me, feel free to email or stop by my office
during my office hours. Or, I can arrange to meet with you at your convenience. Also, if you
have special needs you would like me to be aware of, please do not hesitate to notify me. I look
forward to seeing you frequently.
Important Dates
January 27 (Monday)
SPRING SESSION BEGINS
February 7 (Friday)
LAST DAY TO DROP spring session classes with eligibility for a refund of
fees.
February 9 (Sunday at 11 pm) LAST DAY TO ADD via MYWEB using Add codes for spring session classes
(11:00 pm)
February 10 (Monday)
February 11 (Tuesday)
LAST DAY TO DROP spring session classes without receiving a “W” on
record
LAST DAY TO DROP spring session classes without being assessed
registration fees
FIRST DAY OF WITHDRAWAL “W” period for spring session classes.
Registration fees assessed for any class dropped between 2/11/14 – 4/24/14
February 14-17
Holiday: Presidents Day, campus closed.
February 21 (Friday)
March 14 (Friday)
LAST DAY TO APPLY for a refund of enrollment fees if classes were
dropped on or before February 10, 2014
LAST DAY TO SUBMIT Credit/No Credit forms to the Office of Admissions
and Records
Professional Development Day, no classes held
April 14-17
Spring Break, no classes held
April 18 (Friday)
Cesar Chavez Day, no classes held
April 19-20
No classes held
April 24 (Thursday)
LAST DAY TO DROP spring session classes and receive a “W” on record
May 16 (Friday)
English final exams – no regular DAY classes meet. Friday evening classes
will meet as scheduled.
May 23 (Friday)
Evergreen Valley College Commencement
May 23 (Friday)
SPRING SESSION ENDS
June 9 (Monday)
Spring 2014 grades available online at http://myweb.sjeccd.edu