Course Description

Class meeting time: TTH 11:10 - 12:25

Room 5102 A

Reading 836, designed to improve your vocabulary, reading, and study skills to prepare you for college-level courses, includes individual, small group, and full-class activities. You will be working on specific reading techniques such as understanding and remembering what you read with emphasis on critical reading skills, adjusting your reading strategies for different purposes, and reading faster. To a lesser degree, you will also work on study skills to improve vocabulary, memory, concentration, test preparation and test taking techniques, note taking, and text organization strategies. You will apply your skill development efforts to textbook chapters, short stories, essays, magazine articles, and fiction/non-fiction full-length books.

Prerequisite Preparation: Appropriate placement on the College Reading Placement Test OR completion of Reading 826 or ESOL 840 or 841/842 with a C or better. In the first week of class, you must provide your instructor with proof that you have met the course prerequisite: 1) placement test printout , or 2) transcript or grade slip with course grade from Reading 826. Alternatively, you may be asked to have your prerequisites checked in the Language Arts Division office.

Course Classification: Course credit is applicable to the Associate degree. Reading 836 is not transferable to four-year colleges or universities.

A C or better in Reading 836 meets the Reading Competency Requirement for the Associate degree and the Reading prerequisite for English 105/100, the transfer-level composition courses.

Student Learning Objectives:: Upon completion of Reading 836, students will be able to do the following:

* demonstrate a literal comprehension of developmental level readings: vocabulary, main idea, supporting details, and organizational patterns.
* critically analyze and evaluate developmental reading material: make inferences, determine purpose, tone, and bias; interpret connotative and figurative language; and reason logically.
* determine and apply appropriate text study-reading strategies: e.g., previewing/reviewing, annotation, note taking, mapping, outlining, summarizing, test-taking, and reading rate.
* perceive themselves as competent college level readers.

EXPECTATIONS: o Be on time each class period. o Be prepared for each class. Have your homework done and all your books and classroom supplies with you. Remember that homework is due at the beginning of the class hour. o Be mentally and physically ready for class-for lectures, for group work, for class discussions, for pop quizzes and other in-class writing. If you prefer to listen to a radio, sleep, or chat rather than participate in class, you will be asked to leave and marked absent; evidence of alcohol or drug use will also be cause for dismissal and a recorded absence for the day. o Turn off all cell phones and watch alarms. o Listen respectfully when the instructor or a classmate is speaking. If you are creating problems with inappropriate chatting or other distracting behavior, you will have your seat placement changed permanently. Continued problems will be referred to the Dean of Language Arts. o Do not leave the classroom once class has begun except in an emergency. When a test is in progress in the classroom, you must complete the test before leaving the room. ABSENCES: Absences seriously hinder your ability to succeed in your classes, and they will affect your final grade in Reading 836 (see below). Students with more than 2 unexplained absences will receive Academic Warning notices; students with more than 4 such absences may be asked to withdraw from the course, unless there are legitimate and documented reasons for the absences (jury duty, illness). These sorts of legitimate absences still count as absences, but informing your instructor can prevent the need for academic warnings. Attendance is taken at the beginning of the class hour each day. If you are late to class, assume you have been marked absent; it is then your responsibility to speak with the instructor after class to clear the absence. Frequent instances of tardiness add up to absences at the rate of one absence for every two tardies. LATE HOMEWORK: You are responsible for getting your homework in by the assigned due day; however, there are legitimate occasions when that is not possible. You will be given three late tickets to use during the course of the semester. Attach a late ticket to the assignment when you submit it to your instructor. Late assignments are due the next class period after the due date or the day when you return to class from an absence. ONCE YOU HAVE USED UP THE THREE LATE TICKETS, ALL LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE REDUCED IN POINTS BY 50%, no exceptions. You will sign your late tickets when you first get them and will not be allowed to use another student’s late tickets. NEWSWEEK PORTFOLIO: Each week you will be receiving a copy of the Newsweek magazine from which articles will be assigned with designated worksheets in the Reading Supplemental Materials packet. You will keep these assignments in a separate folder as a portfolio to demonstrate your reading progress. These assignments will be subject to class discussion and pop quizzes, just as other homework, but the folder itself will be collected periodically as per the assignment sheet during the semester. You will also be asked to write reflective comments about your progress with these reading tasks. The completed portfolio is worth 10% of your final grade. LAB HOURS: A required activity for Reading 836 is 16 hours of lab time during which you will work on assigned activities in The Learning Center or at home, or attend other workshops and events both on and off campus. During this time you may work on the following types of activities: Ý Get tutorial assistance with the instructional aide, Chuck Leach, on homework assignments for Reading 836 or for other Skyline classes. Chuck’s office is right outside our classroom. Make appointments by signing up on the appointment schedule on the window by Chuck’s desk. Other tutors may be available if Chuck is busy. Ý Work on the Reading Road Trip or other reading software in the Writing and Reading Lab of the Learning Center. Ý Work on text materials in The Learning Center to focus on specific skills, such as vocabulary development or main idea, or more generally to improve comprehension. Ý Attend instructor-approved campus events, such as Learning Center or Writing and Reading Center workshops, poetry readings, plays, lectures, etc. Proof of attendance is required with a signed folder or attendance slip or a written one-page summary/reaction paper of the event. Ý Read and do exercises for selections not covered in class in Developing Critical Reading Skills. Ý Do additional vocabulary cards from any reading source. Ý Do reports on reading selections from magazines or newspapers or web sites. Ý Read a book of your choice and keep a reading journal. You will purchase folders to document your lab work, which will be checked regularly by your instructor. Your lab work will count for 5% of your final grade. If you are also enrolled in English 836, you may “double dip” for 8 of the lab hours; that means that 8 of your English 836 lab hours may also be counted for Reading 836. If you are doing your lab work in The Learning Center, you may schedule the lab hours for your convenience. The Learning Center is open as follows: M - TH: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. F: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sat: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. On Tuesday of the 2nd week of class, we will have an orientation to The Learning Center and the use of the lab folder so you can get started on your lab work. Lab folders will be collected and work checked approximately once a month, as assigned on your homework assignment sheet that is published every two to three weeks. You are expected to meet the lab hour submission deadlines. Do not try to do all of your lab work at the end of the semester!! EXTRA CREDIT: No extra credit is available for Reading 836. MAKE-UP TESTS: Pop quizzes: NO MAKE-UPS--you lose the points entirely. Pop quizzes are considered homework points, not test points. Chapter tests and mid-term exam: WITH INSTRUCTOR'S PERMISSION ONLY, you may make up chapter tests and the mid-term exam if you must miss one of these. This make-up policy exists for legitimate reasons only, such as jury duty, illness, death in the family, etc. If you are unable to make the arrangements in person, call or e-mail your instructor, in advance, if possible. You must make an appointment to take the make-up test within one week of the test, during the instructor's office hours or in the Learning Center with the Instructional aid, Chuck Leach. SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS: Students with documented special needs will be accommodated through the Disabled Students Office or the Learning Disabilities Program. Inform your instructor at the beginning of the semester and provide the necessary documentation. If you do not yet have an accommodation letter, please contact the DSPS office at (650) 738-4280. You will need to have your instructor sign a form for each test during the semester in order to receive testing accommodations. PLAGIARISM, CHEATING Reading 836 is a college course and follows the college policies on plagiarism and cheating. You are expected to do your own written homework and not copy from another student or another source, such as magazines, books, or on-line resources. A first instance of plagiarism or cheating will result in an F grade on that assignment or test; a second instance will result in dismissal from the course and referral to the college disciplinarian. Refer to the Skyline Student Handbook. There are activities in Reading 836 that involve partnering or group work. Directions for these activities will make clear that working together is not only appropriate but required. Tests in this class also may include take-home sections on which it is allowable to get assistance from classmates, friends, family members, or the instructional aide.