INTERMEDIATE ACADEMIC READING AND COMPOSITION
ELIC 30 - MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE - sec. 9711
Sara Berger
Hello and Welcome!
I'm Sara Berger, and I will be your instructor for this language course on reading, composition, and vocabulary that begins on August 23. This semester our course will be hybrid, and later in the syllabus, I will explain more about what that means. I want to reassure you that my goal in this class is not only to help you learn the material, but I am also here to help you succeed. Let's work together this semester! Please watch this short video to learn a little more about me.
Class Meetings and Instruction
This class will meet face-to-face for 50% of the instructional time, and online for the other 50%. Because of remote learning, we will not meet on the MJC campus this semester.
Face-to-Face:
Monday and Wednesday from 9:35 - 11:10 am in Zoom
This portion of the class will be our face-to-face meetings through Zoom. Think of these meetings as our 'class' meetings. You are required to attend the Zoom sessions.
** Holidays - no Zoom class on these dates:
Monday, September 6, Labor DAy
Online:
on your own time
The online portion of the class will happen in Canvas. I will open a weekly folder (called a module) at the beginning of each week, and you will complete lessons, assignments, and quizzes by a specific due date.
Course Theme and Course Learning Outcomes
This course aims to help non-native English speakers further development skills in active reading and composition by incorporating analysis, interpretation, use of academic vocabulary, cited sources, and self-editing.
We will focus on summary/response reading compositions of 300-350 words and compositions of increasing development, from 600 to 800 words.
In order to achieve these goals, we will study the theme of disability as it relates to two of our longer texts, one fiction novel (based on true events) and one non-fiction memoir. Through these readings, we will learn about two famous American disability activists.
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
Apply active reading strategies to comprehend, annotate, summarize, interpret, and analyze academic text and extensive reading sources at a high intermediate level.
Write organized, developed, and coherent reflective reading responses and personal and text-based topic-sentence driven expository paragraphs that incorporate basic rules of source citation, academic vocabulary, and accurate use of the English language at a high intermediate level.
What You'll Need
Our textbook is called Q Skills for Success Reading and Writing Level 4. Please be sure to order the exact ISBN - 9780194903950 . It is available in the MJC Bookstore or on Amazon.
The textbook comes with an online access code that you will use to complete the online workbook exercises.
The novel Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller is about Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller, two real people who lived during the late 1800s and 1900s. Anne Sullivan is famous in American history for becoming the first woman who was both deaf and blind to receive a college degree.
This book is available in the MJC Bookstore or on Amazon.
In the memoir Being Heumann by Judith Heumann, she describes her life as a young girl with polio. Confined to a wheelchair, Judith was not allowed to attend elementary school until 4th grade. Later in life she achieved a college degree and became a well-known disability rights activist who played a role in changing some of the federal regulations for disabled people today.
This book is available in the MJC Bookstore or on Amazon.
Our course is taught through Canvas, an online learning management system. Canvas can be accessed on a computer, as well as a smart device.
If you do not have the Canvas Student app, please download it here:
Our course is a hybrid class. (Hybrid means that something is formed by combining two things.)
This means that the class will be taught using a face-to-face method (through Zoom) and online.
A smartphone or tablet will not work for this class.
Students are expected to have a computer, and MJC offers a free laptop loan program for students who need one. Please contact Rebecca Heinrich in Campus Security, EAST campus at (209) 575-6615 or email her at heinrichr@yosemite.edu . More information is available by clicking here.
Important Dates
- First Day of Class: 08/23/2021
- Refund Date: 09/05/2021
- Drop without 'W' Date: 09/05/2021
- Pass No Pass Date: 09/21/2021
- Last Day to Drop Date: 11/10/2021
- Final Exam: open online 12/06-07
Weekly Schedule
Each Monday, you can expect me to open the weekly Module in Canvas.
When I open a new module, I will send out an announcement or announce it in our Zoom class on Monday afternoon.
Assignments will generally be due on Wednesday and Sunday.
Quiz/Test dates will be on the next week after you study a grammar lesson.
Quizzes will be open for a 24 hour period from 12 am - 11:59 pm. This will allow you to take the quiz/test at a time that meets your schedule. Tests will usually be open for 48 hours.
Please see my advice in the section below 'Sara's Advice for Success' about planning your weekly time to study.
* Also please note that the semester calendar with more specific units is in the 'Course Introduction' Module in our Canvas page.
Turning in Assignments
Assignments must be submitted through Canvas. I do not accept assignments by email.
In addition, you must submit an assigned in the correct assignment area. Assignments that are submitted in the wrong area will not be graded.
Late Work
I understand that you cannot always turn in an assignment on time due to family, work, or personal issues, so you will receive three late coupons in Canvas.
To turn in an assignment late, please contact me (by email) before the assignment due date to let me know that you would like to turn in the assignment late.
Then you will have maximum one week (depending on the assignment and what we agree) to turn in the late work.
Regular and Effective Contact
Week 1 Participation
Be sure to attend our Monday Zoom class and log into to Canvas on the first day of class. Students who do not attend the class on Monday may be dropped.
We will all meet in Zoom, but you can also expect me to contact and interact with you in this class in the following ways:
Posting announcements in our Canvas class page;
Sending emails (set up your Canvas notifications so that you automatically receive an email when I send out an announcement here);
Providing comments on your submitted assignments in Canvas;
Being available during online office hour sessions;
Responding to discussion posts, both in discussion board assignments and in our Class Question & Answer discussion board;
Asking to speak with you after our Zoom class or emailing you if you are falling behind;
During Monday-Thursday, I will try to respond to your email within 24 hours (unless otherwise announced). Please do not email me multiple times if I do not respond right away. I have other classes and other responsibilities.
On the weekend, (Friday-Sunday) I will try to respond within 48 hours.
As a student, you are also expected to participate regularly in the online part of the class and in our Zoom sessions. If I notice that you have missed a Zoom class or not turned in an assignment or quiz, I may email you. After two missing assignments, I will always send an email.
If there is a reason that you are unable to attend a face-to-face meeting in Zoom or in the online class, please let me know. If you miss 3 Zoom class sessions in a row or stop submitting assignments, I may drop you.
The ZOOM Classroom - Dos and Don'ts
Find a quiet space
I know that attending class from home is not easy! (I also work from home and have small children, and I've sometimes looked like the woman in the picture above during a class!)
BUT - please try to find a quiet space in your home where you can listen and participate in the class. Our Zoom sessions will be a time for you to get into groups with your classmates and discuss the lessons. In addition, some weeks will be for student presentations, so you will need to present in front of the camera.
Pretend that you are in a classroom
In a classroom on campus, you wouldn't brush your hair, eat lunch, come to school in your pajamas, would you? ;)
I have heard stories of naked family members using the bathroom in full view of the camera during a Zoom class. You don't want that to happen to you!
Watch the dos and don'ts video
This funny video has suggestions for lighting and settings in a Zoom video call.
I realize that you may not be able to do all of the suggestions in the video because of your home situation (and that's OK!), but it might be useful information to have. :)
Contacting Me
My preferred method of receiving messages is through the Canvas Inbox, on the left side of your screen in Canvas. If you have downloaded the Canvas app for your mobile device (see info above), this is also an easy way to contact me.
Canvas uses your school email address, so any emails received through Canvas also go to your school email.
My email address is bergers@mjc.edu . However, please send all emails to me using the Canvas Inbox.
The number to my office line is 209-575-6160.
Due to the campus closure, I will not be working in my office this semester, but I am able to check phone messages and return your call.
I will hold weekly office hours through Zoom (link available in Canvas). For office hours that occur directly after class, we will likely stay in our same Zoom class.
For office hours outside of that time, please email me to make an appointment and I will send you a separate Zoom link.
Office hours for Spring 2021 by appointment:
Monday and Wednesday after class - 11:10 -11:30 am
Tuesday - 11:00 am-1:00 pm
Thursday - 10:00 am-12:05 pm
When you email or call me, please be sure to include information to identify yourself.
In an email in the Canvas Inbox:
include a greeting
sign your name at the bottom
include a short message in the 'Subject' line of the email
Sara's Advice for Success in our Hybrid Class
All of us in this class - you, me, and your classmates - have a responsibility to contribute to this online learning environment. I appreciate your questions, and I expect you to participate in our Zoom class and turn in assignments and quizzes/tests.
I hope that you also contact me through email, the Canvas inbox, and/or my office hour sessions so that I can answer any questions that you may have.
Hybrid learning is different from a in-person class, and it requires more responsibility from you.
Our course is 7 units.
Please plan your time to have between 18-20 hours each week so that you can complete the work. This includes our class time in Zoom and all studying/assignments.
Sometimes I may not be able to answer your question/concern, but I can try to lead you to services/people who can! MJC has many support services, from tutoring, counselors, disability services, and food banks.
Please see the bottom of the syllabus for links to various MJC resources.
Academic Honesty
Some of you may have been in the US for a long time, and others are new to the American academic system and expectations. As a student in my class, I trust you to act honestly and to complete your own assignments/quizzes. This includes the following:
Completing your own work; not asking another person to complete it
Turning in a different assignment from another classmate, even if you work together
Working honestly on Canvas assessments (quizzes and tests) -
Giving credit to another author for information that you may use in your own writing
Not doing this is called plagiarism, and it is a serious offense at any college
Remember to act with honesty! If this does not occur, the following can result:
a 0% on the assignment/quiz
completion of a student conduct form (sent to my dean)
Grading
About Grade Categories:
Assignments, Online Work, Participation = 15%
This includes vocabulary and reading packet assignments, discussion board assignments, the online workbook, in-class activities, and required class participation in our Zoom sessions.
Reading Responses and Essays = 40%
There will be three-four longer reading responses (300-350 words each) related to the two novels that we will read in class.
In addition, there will be four multi-draft essays of increasing length (550-800 words)
All of the writing assignments will need to be typed following MLA formatting and citation rules and submitted in Canvas.
Quizzes and Midterm = 25%
There will shorter timed quizzes on readings, vocabulary, and sentence-level grammar and editing. These quizzes will often be fill-in-the-blank, matching, or multiple choice responses to help you assess your understanding of the material studied.
There will also be an in-class writing midterm where you have to write a composition in response to something that you have read.
Final Exam = 20%
The timed final exam will be a timed, in-class essay in which you response to a writing prompt. The essay topic will be related to the novels that we read in class.
support for you: MJC Student Resources
Click on one of buttons below for more information:
Mary Calderon in the ELLWC is a great assistance to our students! She and her staff are always willing to help EL students.
Elida Miranda is the English Language Department Student Success Specialist. She is a great resource if you need to talk about your studies or have other questions!
Getting Started in Canvas
Now that you've learned about the class, let's get started in Canvas. Read the information below to access our class page for ELIC 30.
Click on the 'Canvas' icon to the left to access Canvas at MJC. You can also find Canvas from the www.mjc.edu home page.
The login information for Canvas is the same as your student email at MJC.
After you log into Canvas, click on our class page and begin work in the Course Introduction module. This will help you become familiar with our class and with Canvas
After you complete the Course Introduction module, you can move on to the Week 1 Module.
I look forward to a great semester! ~ Sara
