Course Description
This is a reading, writing and student skills course designed to assist those needing preparation for 200 level course work. Skills introduced/reviewed will include basic reading strategies appropriate to success and guided writing experiences designed to develop greater volume, clarity and precision of expression. Attention will be given to developing attitudes and behaviours appropriate to academic success. Reading materials will include newspaper and periodical articles and published essays as well as student essays.
Course Content
Reading
Students will be provided with guided experiences in:
- Reading critically and carefully materials from a variety of sources at varied levels of difficulty
- Identifying the main idea/thesis
- Identifying topic sentences
- Distinguishing main ideas from supporting details
- Recognizing biased, emotionally loaded language
- Using context to deal with unfamiliar terms in reading
- Text-marking techniques
Writing
Students will be provided with guided experiences in:
- Using free writing and webbing as prewriting techniques
- Writing personal narratives and opinion pieces
- Revising for clarity and vividness
- Editing for those areas of mechanics and usage where there are demonstrated problems
- Using audience response to inform the personal development of writing style and structure
Student Skills
Experience and modeling will be provided in:
- Being punctual
- Arriving for classes prepared
- Meeting deadlines
- Using appropriate participation skills and developing cooperative learning skills
Learning Activities
Classroom instruction will include small and large group discussion, individual in-class and outside assignments. Students will keep a portfolio of course work, particularly writing, which will be regularly examined by the instructor. Feedback to students will be provided in class, in individual conference times and within the portfolio.
Means of Assessment
A mastery model of ongoing evaulation will be used. Ongoing progress will be monitored by the instructor and frequent feedback provided to each student. Portfolio contents will form the basis for a more thorough assessment and development of strategies for success. Course credit will be granted to students who consistently work toward course objectives and improve their readiness. The following is one example of assessment components and weighting:
- Weekly Reading Assignments in-class 15%
- 4 Punctuation or Grammar Quizzes 15%
- In-Class Assignments (vocabulary etc.,) 10%
- Weekly Writing Assignments in-class 15%
- Out of class writing 15%
- Midterm 10%
- Final 10%
- Class participation and Attendance 10%
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, successful students will demonstrate skills in the following areas:
Student Skills
- further develop appropriate attitudes necessary for academic success
- acquire an initial familiarity with, and some confidence in, the discussion of ideas in an academic context
- develop the values and skills of collaborative learning
Reading
- further develop an awareness of varied kinds of texts and employ strategies appropriate to aiding comprehension
- use title, subheads, illustrations and topic sentences to forecast meaning and scope
- use context cues as well as the dictionary/thesaurus to extend receptive vocabulary
- identify the author's main idea/thesis
Writing
- begin to use webbing and free writing as prewriting strategies
- begin to identify and self-correct sentence fragments and run-ons
- move toward multi-paragraph compositions
- improve depth and specificity in the writing of well-formed paragraphs
- begin to make use of a thesaurus as a writing aid and as a means of moving receptive vocabulary into active use
- begin to distinguish oral forms from the Standard English required for academic writing
- actively consider audience in every writing assignment
Textbook Materials
Texts/books available in Literacy library. Any other resources required to be purchased by students (e.g. Students are required to supply a three-ring binder, paper, eraser, pen and pencil.)