Shoreline Community College
Level 4 - ESLAB 040 Section 3
Winter 2004
Instructor: Lauren Wilson Class Times: 10:30 – 12:20
Office: Foss Building, Office 5340 Class Days: Mon-Fri
Office hours: 1:00 – 1:50 M - Th and Classroom: 1725
by appointment Holidays: 1/19, 2/16
Telephone: 546-6985 Last Class: 3/15
E-mail address: lwilso@shore.ctc.edu Final Exam 3/18 10:30-12:30
Required Texts: Grammar in Context, Book 2
For Your Information, Book 2
Other materials or capabilities:
One 3-ring binder
English-English Dictionary (print, not electronic)
Internet Access
Description of Course:
The goal of this course is to help you improve your English reading, writing, listening
and speaking skills for your life, job and further education. In order to improve your
English for these various purposes, you will do many different activities in this class.
Most importantly, you will read articles and stories, think critically about ideas,
discuss your ideas in the class, study new English grammar and vocabulary and,
finally, write about your ideas and opinions.
Learning Goals:
In this course, you will:
improve your reading ability and vocabulary by studying various types of articles
and stories.
improve your writing ability by studying and practicing various types of writing
including academic paragraphs, letters, and summaries.
improve your understanding and use of English grammar.
increase your study strategies.
broaden your ability to think critically about a range of issues.
practice speaking English by participating in discussions and activities with
your classmates.
practice listening to English by listening to stories and watching video clips.
Learning Outcomes:
To pass this class at the end of this quarter, you must be able to:
understand important meaning and vocabulary in various written texts.
participate fully in group discussions and activities with your classmates related
to readings and new lessons.
use new English grammar and vocabulary correctly in speaking and writing.
show clear meaning and organization in writing assignments.
Specific Course Requirements:
Reading – You will do a lot of reading in this course. Quizzes and reading tests will
be given to measure your understanding of what you have read. Most of the writing
assignments will require you to respond to the reading, so it is very important to
keep up!
Reading Skills:
Here are many of the reading skills we will learn this quarter. Think about the importance of each of these skills
to you. Rank them as:
1 = extremely important 2 = somewhat important or 3 = not important
1 2 3 Knowing what the topic of a reading is
1 2 3 Understanding the most important points or ideas in a reading
1 2 3 Identifying the details or supporting points
1 2 3 Summarizing a reading
1 2 3 Guessing new vocabulary from context
1 2 3 Reading quickly, but still reading well
1 2 3 Responding to a reading by developing a personal opinion about it
Writing – You will write a lot this quarter! You will write letters, summaries and
paragraphs of different kinds. At certain times during the quarter, you will choose
your best writing to re-write and show to other students. In addition to out-of-
class writing assignments, you will write in-class assignments and tests to show
your improvement during the quarter.
Writing Skills:
Here are many of the writing skills you will practice this quarter. Think about your skills in writing right now.
What is easy for you? What is difficult for you? Circle your answer below.
easy so-so difficult Writing a paragraph easy so-so difficult Using correct grammar
easy so-so difficult Writing a summary easy so-so difficult Brainstorming
easy so-so difficult Writing topic sentences easy so-so difficult Outlining/Organizing
easy so-so difficult Writing on a test easy so-so difficult Editing (finding errors)
Grammar – We will cover specific grammar areas in order to help you develop and
improve your English. You will practice these skills by using them in your
speaking and writing. Another focus will be on error correction; we will often study
problems that you, the students of the class, have in your writing.
Grammar Skills:
Think about your skills for each of the grammar topics. Do you know a lot? Do you know some? Do you know
absolutely nothing!?
1 = I know a lot 2 = I’m okay 3 = I need more practice 4 = I know nothing!
Present Tenses 1 2 3 4
Simple Past Tense 1 2 3 4
Past Progressive Tense 1 2 3 4
Present Perfect 1 2 3 4
Past Perfect 1 2 3 4
Passive Voice 1 2 3 4
Conditional if clauses 1 2 3 4
Gerunds and Infinitives 1 2 3 4
Connecting sentences together with transitions 1 2 3 4
Time and Reason Clauses (when, while, because…) 1 2 3 4
Adjective Clauses 1 2 3 4
Noun Clauses 1 2 3 4
Punctuation 1 2 3 4
Personal Responsibility for Learning:
I will try my best to make class useful, interesting and challenging for you, but you
are the one that must study and learn. There are three very important ways you
need to show personal responsibility for your learning: First, you need to attend
class regularly and arrive on time. Second, if you have a question, ask! Third, if
you are having a problem, please come talk to me. If you still don’t understand and
you need more help, come talk to me again! I am available during my office hour in
my office and often after class as well. Please come talk to me!
Missed work and tests - If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out
about work you missed and catch up as soon as possible. You need to find two
class “buddies” to call in order to get this information when you are absent. It is
not necessary to call me unless you will be absent for more than two days. Make-
up tests will not be given except in very extreme situations. If you must miss a
test, call me as soon as possible to discuss your problem with me.
Find two classmates to be your class buddies:
______________________________________ _____________________________________
name phone/e-mail
______________________________________ _____________________________________
name phone/e-mail
Turning in assignments – You must turn in homework on the due date unless
you have a problem that you have discussed with me before to the due date. In
other words, if you contact me beforehand and explain to me your reasons for being
late, I may make an exception. Otherwise, late homework may not be corrected or
marked.
Participation and Discussion - Participation is key to your progress. By working
in groups and helping other students, you will deepen your own understanding of
class material. I expect you to treat other students and me with respect, and I will
do the same to you. Respectful behavior includes listening well and doing your part
in group activities and pair work.
Attendance Policy:
Your ability to learn depends on your participation; therefore, each time you miss
class your learning suffers. Being late to class disrupts the class and me, and it also
negatively affects your learning. Being late once or twice is acceptable, but try your
best to not let it become a habit. If you let it become a habit, I will mark your
attendance grade down accordingly.
Grading:
At the end of the quarter, you will receive a P or NC grade for the class. P means you
are ready to go to the next level; NC means you need to repeat the level. To achieve a
P, you need to get an average of 75% in writing, a 75% in reading, a 75% in grammar
and a 75% in participation/attendance.
Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who need special
accommodation should meet with Disabled Student Services (206-546-5832) to
discuss their needs. Also, if you have special needs, please discuss these with me as
soon as possible.
Plagiarism and Cheating: Plagiarism is copying someone else’s words and ideas and
using them as your own. Of course, plagiarism is not allowed in American schools,
colleges, and universities. Plagiarizing includes when someone else writes your
paragraph or writes a part of your paragraph for you. To avoid plagiarizing or
accidentally cheating on an assignment, you should always use your own words and
do your own work.
Cell Phones:
Please turn your cell phone off when you come to class. If you need to have your cell
phone on during class, turn it to “vibration” mode so that it doesn’t make noise.
Emergencies or weather problems: If there is a school emergency or a weather
condition that causes school to close, information will be broadcast on the main
campus telephone system and on the website. Call (206) 546-4101 or go to
www.shoreline.edu. You may also tune into KIRO or KOMO on the radio/TV for school
closure information. If there is an emergency at school, call the Campus Emergency
number at x4499 (546-4499). Also, do not hesitate to call 9-911.