HomeMy WebLinkAboutALP-044Revised Spring 2016
Bergen Community College
Division of Humanities
Department of English as Second Language
Departmental Syllabus
ALP-044 American Language I: Reading
Semester and year:
Course and Section Number: (e.g. ALP 044 - xxx)
Meeting Times and Locations:
Instructor:
Office Location:
Phone:
Departmental Secretary: (optional)
Office Hours:
E-mail Address:
Course Description
ALP-044 American Language I: Reading is a course in reading for academic purposes for high
beginner English language learners. It introduces reading strategies and thinking skills and
develops vocabulary to increase reading comprehension.
3 lec., 3 non-degree credits. Prerequisite: ALP – 006; Prerequisite or Co-requisite: ALP-041/042
Course Texts and/or Other Study Materials:
Making Connections Low Intermediate, Williams, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 978-0-
521-15216-7
Intermediate Reading Practice, Folse, University of Michigan Press, ISBN 0-472-08206-X
Student Learning Outcomes: As a result of meeting the requirements in this course, students
will:
Apply reading strategies and critical thinking to understand and respond to texts.
Demonstrate an ability to use vocabulary skills to understand texts: use word parts; infer
meaning from sentence and paragraph content; use a dictionary.
Apply basic information literacy skills to find information.
Means of Assessment: To determine the extent to which students have achieved the learning
outcomes, teachers will evaluate:
Participations in class discussions
Homework assignments
Quizzes and tests
A departmental final exam
A research project
At the end of the course, all students take a course-wide final examination. Practice final
exams are made available to acquaint the students with test format and content. The final
exam is a multiple choice test. It counts for 30% of a student’s grade.
Course Content
This course reviews and introduces students to reading strategies that students need at a beginner
level of English. Students will demonstrate a developing ability to:
1. Preview informational texts for content and organization;
2. Recognize how new information is related to prior knowledge or experience;
3. Identify signal words (finally, furthermore, in addition, or, but) that provide clues to
organizational formats such as time order, cause/effect and compare/contrast;
4. Differentiate between main idea and supporting details;
5. Draw conclusions and make inferences based on explicit and implied information;
6. Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context clues, a dictionary, a
glossary, and structural analysis (roots, prefixes, suffixes) of words;
7. Use new vocabulary to express opinions and facts;
8. Search the library catalog by title, author, and keyword;
9. Find information using an electronic encyclopedia;
10. Use information in an ethical and legal manner.
Special Features of the Course (if any) [to be designated by the instructor]
E.g. the use of learning technologies in the course (Internet, PowerPoint, Moodle, etc.)
Grading Policy (to be designated by the instructor)
A student’s final grade for the course is based primarily on his/her performance on the required
work for the course (homework, reading tests, research projects, etc…), class participation, and
on his/her overall mastery of the material covered in the course. Sample grading policy
Class participation: 10%
Homework Checks: 5%
Research projects: 20%
Quizzes / Tests: 35%
Final Exam: 30%
Grade Breakdown: A 90-100
B+ 86-89
B 80-85
C+ 76-79
C 70-75
D 65-69
F 64-below
Attendance Policy: (to be designated by the instructor) Sample:
Students are expected to attend class regularly and punctually. Attendance will be taken at each
class session. If students occasionally arrive late, they should enter quietly, and not disturb the
class. If students miss class, they should find out what they missed. It is probably a good idea
for students to exchange telephone numbers with other students as a way to find out about
missed classes
.
Poor attendance will affect a student’s grade. If a student’s absence exceeds one and a half times
the number of weekly meetings, the student’s grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. If a
student is absent excessively, the student can expect to fail the course. Lateness counts, too. Two
late arrivals will equal one absence.
Statement on Accommodations for Disabilities
Bergen Community College aims to create inclusive learning environments where all students
have maximum opportunities for success. Any student who feels he or she may need an
accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Specialized
Services at 201-612-5269 or via email at ossinfo@bergen.edu for assistance.
Student and Faculty Support Services
ELRC (English Language Resource Center) Room E-156 201- 612-5292
http://www.bergen.edu/elrc
The Sidney Silverman Library – Reference
Desk
Room L-226 201-447-7436
http://www.bergen.edu/library
Sample Course Outline & Calendar (to be designated by the instructor)
Note to Students: The following Course Outline and Calendar is tentative and subject to
change, depending upon the progress of the class
Week(s) Topic/Activity/Assignments
1
Parts of Speech.
Review sentence structure (simple and compound)
2
Predict / Preview / Scan reading strategies
Find meanings of words
3 Skim readings
Find the main ideas
Find new words
4
Word Families
Prefixes / Suffixes Synonyms
Skim readings
Find the main ideas
Find Supporting sentences / details
5
Library instruction.
How to search the library catalog and find information in the
internet.
How to find definitions/parts of speech in the dictionary and
other resources like Google.
6
Review: Find the main idea/ Supporting Sentences and
Examples.
Outlines: time order signal words
Summarizing
7
Practice & Test
8 & 9
Finding Causes and Effects
Outlines: signal words cause and effect
Summarizing
10
Making Inferences
Finding meaning from context
11 & 12
Finding Comparisons and Contrasts
Outlines: Signal words for Compare and contrast
Research Project
13 Research Project
14 Final Test
15 Conferences