SYLLABUS FOR STRATEGIES FOR COLLEGE READING

Term: Fall 2003 (012) (September. 2 - December 12)

Course Number: 43-096

Instructor: Ms. Linda Richards

E-mail: alundyne@comcast.net

Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday 12:45 - 1:45

Other times by appointment

Instructor Background: M.A., English, Indiana University

M.A. T., English, Smith College

B.A. English, Smith College

Course Time: Tuesdays and Fridays: 1:50-3:30

Course Description: National measures of literacy focus on three competency areas re: reading: reading narrative, reading documents, and reading quantitative information. This course is designed to equip students with basic reading skills that will improve their performance in all three areas of reading literacy.

Prerequisites: None

Learning Outcomes/ Competencies: This course develops skills that are cumulative. This means that course seeks to develop a basic level of competence. Mastery is achieved through repeated application. These skills are the foundation for all learning.

Upon completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate minimum level competency in decoding conventions:

Correctly recognize 80% of words in a text;

Correctly explain the meaning of 80% of the words in a text

Demonstrate correct use of a dictionary to determine the meaning and correct spelling of words

2. Demonstrate minimum level competency in organization of printed material:

Identify the title, author and components of a text (table of contents, and chapter heading)

3. Demonstrate comprehension of reading material:

State the thesis or main idea

Name major and minor examples of the thesis or main idea;

Identify turning points with facts and examples; and

Connect turning points to the main thesis or idea of the text.

4. Demonstrate the ability to realize the content:

Use example from a text to discuss the author's intentions and explicit and implicit inferred meanings

5. Develop interpretation of a text:

Identify problems in texts and resolve them using clues and evidence from the text, itself.

Integrate for synthesis: compare a text with other texts, subjects and experiences.

Critique for evaluation: with insight into and evidence from the text students will critique ideas and perspectives found in text material including an awareness of how the student's own values and beliefs influence his/her interpretation of and response to written material.

Textbooks: Richmond Garrigus, The Inquiring Reader. Boston: Allyn and Bacon (2001)

Learning Strategies: A variety of teaching- learning strategies will be used in the course, including pre and post-testing, In-Class Group Discussions/Work Projects, Lecturing, Library Work and Independent Initiatives

Summative Assessments

Six unit Exams

Class attendance, participation and timely completion of assignments: Formative assessment exercises will be a regular part of each class session and cannot be made up. Therefore attendance is deemed a requirement for successful attainment of outcomes.

Final Exam (a minimum score of 75% is necessary to get a grade of C or better in this course. If you cannot read at the college level you cannot learn at the college level.) This test is cumulative in that it will test all of the competencies developed in this course: decoding, organization, comprehension, interpretation, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of selections from college level textbooks.

Class Policy for Assignments and Exams:

1. ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE ON THE SPECIFIED DATE. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNLESS PRIOR ARRANGMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE WITH THE INSTRUCTOR.

2. NO MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN UNLESS A STUDENT HAS NOTIFIED THE INSTRUCTOR PRIOR TO THE MISSED EXAM THAT HE/SHE CANNOT ATTEND IS DUE TO DEMONSTRATBLE LAST MINUTE DIFFICULTIES SUCH AS HEALTH, FAMILY PROBLEMS, ETC.

Grading Scale:

A: 92-100 A-: 90-91 B+: 88-89

B: 82-87 B-: 80-81 C+: 78-79

C: 72-77 C-: 70-71 D+: 68-69

D: 62-67 D-: 60-61 F: 59 & below

Class Policy on Attendance:

1. Attendance at all classes is required.

2. Students may not make-up any assessment given in any class unless they have notified the Instructor prior to the missed class.

3. Students are expected to display behavior appropriate to a college classroom. Students who disrupt the class will be asked to leave. Students who persist in disruptive behavior will not be allowed to complete the course.

4. No student who is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs will be permitted to attend class.

Class Policy on Electronic Devices: All electronic devices are to be turned off during class time unless there is a medical or family emergency.

Center for Academic Excellence:

Tutoring assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph. Call the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), to make an appointment at 473-4287. The Center has experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who are struggling in a course or who are doing well and would like to do better. Regular weekly tutoring sessions are likely to improve your grade.

Statement of Plagiarism:

If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances. (Academic Planner 2001/2002 p.27)

Citation Guidelines:

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.). All of these guidelines are available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore. These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media.

Withdrawal from Classes Policy:

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written requests for withdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the final examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree Completion Division (DCD) students should consult the DCD Student Handbook for information on DCD withdrawals.

An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript. Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an "F" grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).

Note/Questions

Course Outline

Class Dates: Topics/Assignments:

Tuesday, September 2: Orientation/ Initial Assessment

1. Establish the student's base line reading competence

2. Student self assessment of reading strengths and weaknesses

3. Using a Dictionary: Assessment Exercise

4. Using a dictionary to build vocabulary

5. Compare students reading rate to the minimum competency rate of 250 words per minute @ 70% comprehension rate. (Use Smith & Headley Text)

Class Project: Students will write a 100-word essay. The essay should be typed using Microsoft Word and brought to class on Friday. Using spellcheck students will identify the reading level reflected in the written essay and bring that information with them to class on Friday.

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter One, Part One: Reading for Information

Friday, September 5: Ch. 1, Becoming an Active Reader

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Two

Tuesday, September 9: Ch. 2, Finding Topics and Subtopics

Friday, September 12: Unit I Test

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Three

Tuesday, September 16: Ch. 3, Recognizing Ideas

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Four

Friday, September 19: Ch. 4, Main Ideas and Supporting Details

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Five

Tuesday, September 23: Unit II: Test

Part Two: Reading for Understanding

Friday, September 26: Ch. 5, Making Inferences and Explaining Ideas

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Six

Tuesday, September 30: Ch. 6, Using Context and Word Parts

Friday, October 3: Unit III Test

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Seven

Tuesday, October 7: Ch. 7, Stating Implied Main Ideas

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Eight

Friday, October 10: Independent reading day

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Nine

Tuesday, October 14: Ch. 8, Using Outlines and Maps to Summarize

Part Three Reading for Patterns

Friday, October 17: Unit IV Test

Tuesday, October 21: Ch. 9, Describing People, Places, and Things

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Ten

Friday, October 24: Ch. 10, Comparing and Grouping

Tuesday, November 4: Ch. 10, cont'd

Friday, November 7: Unit V Test

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Eleven

Tuesday, November 11: Ch. 11, Time Sequence and Process

Friday, November 14: Independent reading day

Assignment: Read and Complete Exercises in Chapter Twelve

Tuesday, November 18: Ch. 12 Explaining Events and Finding Solutions

Friday, November 21: Unit VI Test

Part IV Application Across the Disciplines

The goal of this section is to transfer the foundational skills developed in the first part of the course to reading across the disciplines in which students will be taking courses.

Tentative Schedule

Week of November 24: Reading in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Management

Week of December 2, 5: Reading in the Life and Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Week of December 9, 12: Final Exam

Assessment Report for 096 strategies of College Reading Fall 2003

Student's Name:________________________________________________

Date:________________

If Grades were being given today you would receive the grade of:_________________

Strengths in Effort as indicated by:

____Attendance _____Participation

Strengths in Performance as indicated by test scores and exercises done in class

Unit I: Reading for Information

_____Using a dictionary (Ch. 1)

_____Finding Topics and Subtopics (Ch. 2)

_____Recognizing Ideas (Ch. 3)

_____Identifying Main Ideas and Supporting Details (Ch. 4)

Unit II: Reading for Understanding

_____Making Inferences and Explaining Ideas (Ch. 5)

_____Using Context and Word Parts (Ch. 6)

Stating Implied Ideas (Ch. 7)

Using Outlines and Maps to Summarize (Ch. 8)

Unit III: Reading for Patterns

_____Describing People, Places and Things (Ch. 9)

_____Comparing and Grouping (Ch. 10)

_____Time Sequence and Process (Ch. 11)

_____Explaining Events and Finding Solutions (Ch. 12)

Recommendations:

_____If your performance continues as this level it will not be necessary for you to complete a comprehensive exam to raise your grade.

_____It will be necessary for you to complete a comprehensive exam to demonstrate mastery of the competencies developed in this course.

Record of Student Conferences

Date

Outcome

43-096 Strategies of College Reading

Text: The Inquiring Reader

The Competencies

Reading for Information: Knowing what it says

1. Engaging: Being an active reader:

Asking questions

Discussing with others

2. Finding Topics and Subtopics

Know how to say the words and know what the words mean

Be able to identify the topic

Be able to identify the ideas about the topic

Be able to distinguish the main ideas from supporting ideas

Reading For Understanding: Knowing what it means

1. Making Inferences and Explaining Ideas

Inference: making reasonable guesses and drawing conclusions based on available evidence

Making Inference is essential to knowing what a text means

2. Using Context and Word Parts

3. Stating implied main ideas

4. Knowing how to summarize: using maps and outlines

Reading For Patterns

1. Reading to be able to describe people, places and things

2. Reading to be able to compare and contrast

3. Reading for time sequencing and identifying a process

4. Reading to explain events and find solutions

5. Interpreting data presented in charts, graphs, etc.

Assessment

Formative:

In-class demonstration of skills by students

Summative:

Unit Exams (Each exam covers two chapters.)

Application to selections from college level textbooks. This will comprise most of the final exam.

Re-take Reading Section of COMPASS