Reading 4 [ Class Information ] [ Materials ] [ Introduction to the Course ] [ Class Objectives ] [ Grades ] Summer 2002 Class Information Class: 10:30-11:35 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Location:  FAB 60-06 Instructor:  Gregry M. Davis Office:  333 East Hall Office hours: Tuesday: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Phone: 503 725-9196 E-mail:  davisg@pdx.edu You can lead a horse to water, WebCT: www.webct.pdx.edu but you can't make him drink!

Power Play: Individuals in Conflict, by Brenda Dyer; Prentice Hall Regents, 1996 Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts, Warner Books, 1995 English-English dictionary (e.g., Longman Advanced, Cambridge ESL dictionaries) An ODIN e-mail account (http://www.account.pdx.edu/setup/). All phones/pagers/etc. should be turned off or set to vibrate during class time.

This course is designed to help you read better and faster. You will practice the reading skills you have been developing thus far in your education. At this level, longer, more academic readings will be required. You will need to work efficiently in order to be able to finish all the required reading and complete the associated assignments. Your grasp of the reading will be demonstrated by your participation in class and small group discussions. In addition, you will need to communicate your understanding of the readings by answering essay questions about them. If you understand the material but can't communicate that in writing, you will not pass the class. The best way to demonstrate your comprehension is to organize your writing carefully and give examples from the reading to support your ideas. In other words, you have to think on your own, but you need to support your views with concrete examples from your readings.

In addition to the reading skills you will develop in working with the textbook, you will have a chance to have some fun this term as well. You get to have fun reading a novel. One of my favorite things in life is enjoying a good book. We will analyze the book and discuss main and sub-points about it, but the main purpose is to enjoy reading a medium-length novel in English.

By the end of the term, students should be able to do the following:

	Improve your reading rate (to approximately 150-175 words per minute);
	Demonstrate previewing, skimming, and scanning techniques to locate information & build schemata;
	Read authentic selections from academic texts;
	Summarize main points of a passage in a coherent, cohesive essay;
	Identify the author's point of view in a passage;
	Identify the audience and purpose in a passage;
	Paraphrase key ideas from a passage;
	Make inferences about information in a passage;
	Answer essay questions about a reading under time constraints;
	Predict possible exam questions about academic readings;
	Understand character, plot, setting, conflict, climax and resolution, and analyze these components of a novel.

Grades

Grades will be based on participation/performance in the following areas:

Text Assignments Homework assignments (out of class reading) Reading Journal entries & responses Out of class essays	30%
Reading Exams Midterm & final exams	30%
Vocabulary/Reading Skills Homework assignments/Vocabulary Journal Quizzes Timed readings	25%
Novel Assignments Novel discussion preparation and participation Novel discussion leading & facilitating Quizzes Compare/Contrast paper	15%

 

	HOMEWORK: You will have reading assignments due for almost every class. Sometimes you will have written assignments about what you read. As a group, you will be assigned one or more times to be a discussion leader and will be graded on your performance. You will also have writing assignments in your online journal at least once a week.
	LATE OR MISSED ASSIGNMENTS: I do not accept late homework. If you miss a quiz or a test, you cannot make it up. If you miss a discussion, it is your responsibility to ask a classmate about the work you missed; you will still be responsible for the information you missed if it appears on an exam or a later assignment.
	Attendance

	If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will be marked absent. However, please come to class even if you are late.
	There are no excused absences.
	Missing 3 classes will result in your final grade being lowered 10 percentage points.
	Missing 6 classes may result in your failing the course.
	If you miss class, you are responsible for all the information covered in class. Please get the telephone number or e-mail address of a classmate who is dependable. You will have to rely on him/her to give you information if you are absent. If, however, you know beforehand that you will not be able to attend, let me know as soon as possible. Maybe you will miss less if we plan together.

This class is graded A - F.

Percent	Letter Grade
97-100%	A +	PASSING
93-96%	A
90-92%	A -
87-89%	B +
83-86%	B
80-82%	B -
77-79%	C +
73-76%	C
70-72%	C -
67-69%	D+	NOT PASSING
63-66%	D
60-62%	D -
0-59%	F

 

Send mail to davisg@pdx.edu with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2003 Gregry M. Davis Last modified: June 26, 2002