Adjunct Class Level Four
Reading/Study Skills
Winter Quarter Class Meetings
Reading Class will meet in PL 263 at 9:20-10:30 A.M. on MWF
Study Skills will meet in PL 256 at 12:40-1:50 on MW
and also in PS 207 at 12:40-1:50 on TR
Adjunct English 311 will meet in UH 241 at 2:00-3:50 P.M. on T
R
Instructor Michael
Buckhoff
Office Phone: Office: UH 301.09
Office Hours: MW 7:30-7:50 A.M.
and by appointment
Course Overview and Policy
Texts
An Introduction to Language, 5th Edition by Fromkin and Rodman.
Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers, 1993
Supplementary handouts to be given in class by Instructor
Other Materials
ºThree ring binder/notebook, 200
sheets loose leaf college ruled notebook paper, and five reinforced index
dividers
ºNote: Dictionaries whether they be
English-English or English-Translation are not allowed in this class.
Course Description and Objectives
The goal of this class is to help you succeed in the American University
setting. As I attend the English 311 class with you, I will respond to Professor
Hyon’s class by discussing reading and study skills strategies necessary to
help you keep up with lectures, readings, assignments, quizzes, midterm and
final exams. On a week to week basis we will go over the class lectures by
reviewing our notes and we will prepare for all quizzes and exams. This class
will address the special problems and challenges that you as a nonnative speaker
may face. Some of the topics that we will address in this class may include but
are not limited to the following:
U
Discover and use your learning style.
ULearning to adapt to your
instructor’s teaching style.
UDevelop a personal note-taking
system.
UUse a computer to organize your
notes.
UMatch note-taking and learning
style.
U Participate in class and group
activities.
UMaking the most of your time.
UStudying with power and confidence
(i.e. SQ3R The Basic System)
UOrganizing Information and making
study guides.
UBecoming an active reader (i.e.
textbook marking system)
ULearn to use previewing, skimming,
scanning reading techniques
UPreparation for and taking of
tests. (i.e. three step system: make a study schedule, decide what to study,
and use your study system)
I will have exercises in which you will be able to assess your strengths and
weaknesses in many of the above study skill areas. Don’t feel overwhelmed when
you discover that you have weaknesses. I will work with you and together we will
discover the ways that you, as a nonnative speaker of English who is beginning
his/her college career, learn the easiest. Try out the skills that we discuss in
our class in the English 311 class to see whether or not they work for you. You
will discover the best ways for you to study as you adapt to the ideas that we
talk about as you suit them to your own needs and personal style. In other
words, you will learn what works best for you.
Requirements
Interviews and papers
Interview #1: Make an appointment within the first two weeks of
class to meet with Professor Hyon. Prepare your questions before you go, but
also be ready for spontaneous conversation. Ask Professor Hyon the following
questions:
1). What was your first year of college life like?
2). At what point in your life did you decide to teach? Why?
3). What steps did you take to become a teacher in your field?
4). What do you like most about teaching? Least?
5). What are some things that keep you busiest outside the classroom?
6). What do you expect from your students? What should they expect from
you?
While she answers the questions be sure to take notes on her responses.
Afterwards write a short 1-2 two page paper about what you learned and what
surprised you the most about Professor Hyon. The paper is due by the end
of the third week of class.
Interview #2: Make a second appointment during the week before the
midterm exam to meet with Professor Hyon. This meeting is for you to discuss
with the professor any problems that you may have had on some of the quizzes.
Also you may want to ask the professor any questions that you may have
concerning the midterm exam. Remember that the exam is 30% of your final grade
so it is important to find out what the test is all about. While she answers the
questions be sure to take notes on her responses. Afterwards write a short 1-2
page paper about your interview. Here is a list of possible questions:
1). Are we responsible for knowing all the information from the morphology
and syntax quizzes on the midterm?
2). I don’t understand morphology and affix productivity. Could you
briefly re- explain that to me so that I will be prepared for the midterm?
3). Is it more important for me to study the textbook or to review my notes
for the midterm?
4). What is the midterm going to be like? Are essay, multiple choice,
matching, fill in the blank, true or false, and short answer questions going
to be on the test?
5). It is hard for me to take notes in class. How could I improve my note
taking abilities in your class?
6). Ask her any other questions that you feel may better prepare you for
the midterm?
7). Share with Professor Hyon things that you like about her class during
the interview. It is important to have a positive relationship with your
instructors.
8). How is my grade up to this point? Can I do any extra credit?
The second paper is due by the end of midterm week.
Interview #3: Make a third appointment during the week before the
final exam to meet with Professor Hyon. This meeting is for you to discuss with
the professor any problems that you may have had on the midterm as well as some
of the quizzes. Also you may want to ask the professor any questions that you
may have concerning the final exam. Remember that the exam is 30% of your final
grade so it is important to find out what the test is all about. While she
answers the questions be sure to take notes on her responses. Afterwards write a
short 1-2 page paper about your interview. Some of the questions my include:
1). Is the final exam cumulative (comprehensive)?
2). How much information from the first five weeks is going to be on the
final? And what about the last five weeks?
3). How would you suggest I best prepare for this last exam?
4). What is my grade up to this point? Can I do any extra credit?
During this last interview take some time to thank Professor Hyon for her
time and effort in teaching the class. Share with her some interesting things
that you have learned about second language acquisition, morphology, syntax,
phonetics, etc.
The third paper is due on the last day of class.
Time Management Exercise:
Make a quarter calendar. Follow instructions on page 74 of handout
"Making the Most of your Time."
Make a weekly schedule. Follow instructions on page 75 on handout
"Making the Most of your Time."
The Time Management is due exercise by the end of the second week of class.
Weekly note-taking reviews
Turn in your notes at the end of each week. I will review your notes
for the Adjunct Eng 311, Reading, and Study Skills classes asking the following
questions:
1). Did you date your notes and number the pages?
2). Did you write the course name or number on your notes?
3). Did your write down the topic of the lecture?
4). Did you use 8½ by 11" paper to keep notes in a loose leaf binder?
5). Did you take notes with a ball point pen?
6). Are your notes easy to read?
7). Is this set of notes in the same notebook as all your other notes for
this class?
8). Are you able to distinguish Professor’s Hyon/Buckhoff’s main ideas
from the examples that separate them?
9). As you read your notes, are you able to reconstruct in your mind what
the lecture was about?
10). Are your notes organized into an informal outline or other logical
format?
When you turn your notes in for review, write down three skills that you are
having trouble with and tell me how you are going to improve and strengthen
these skills. You may refer to the handout on "Sharpening Your Classroom
skills" for reference. See the below example for an idea:
Problem
I have trouble listening for main ideas.
Solution
I can practice listening for repeated terms or ideas. Maybe if I concentrate
on the facial expressions and gestures of the professor I can better guess which
words and ideas are going to be emphasized. I can also listen for signal words
such as most important, above all, a key idea, of primary concern etc. These
words are an intro to main ideas.
Note: You need to do this every week.
Weekly Success Journal
At the end of each week, you will have an opportunity to write in a success
journal. This is a 1 page writing assignment that requires you to think about
your learning. You should write the journal based on your experiences with the
study skill/reading strategies as you attempt to use them in the Open University
English 311 class. You must hand this in to me for evaluation each week. The
weekly journal will give you a complete record of your language and study skill
progress. It will be an important tool for reference for to use later in other
academic classes.
The weekly success journal will be graded according to the following simple
set of criteria. Grades will not be affected by the nature of your response; you
should feel completely free to say anything you wish, as long as you say
something related to the readings/study skills in each assigned chapter.
Neatness and editing are not important, as long as you and your instructor can
make out what you are saying.
Grade of A: The journal shows attentive summaries of the reading assignment
and shows real, thoughtful responses. The journal includes specific
experiences with how reading/ study skill strategies have been used in the
Adjunct Eng 311 class.
Grade of B: The journal shows skimpy readings and summaries, along with
some responses. The journal includes some personal application of the
reading/study skill strategies but it isn’t specific as to how they are
being used in the Adjunct Eng class.
Grade of C: The journal is mostly summary with little if any response to
the readings. Has little if any personal application of how the reading/study
skill strategies are being used in the Adjunct Eng 311 class.
Grade of NC: Shows no evidence of the readings.
Grading
The number letter grading scale is set as follows:
A 95-100
A- 90-94
B+ 87-89
B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 76-79
C 70-75
NC 69& below
Scoring Grade
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
Class participation 10%
Interview #1 and paper 10%
Interview #2 and paper 10%
Interview #3 and paper 10%
Weekly Success Journal 20% (2% each)
Time Management Exercise 10%
Weekly Note-taking Reviews 20% (2% each)
Quizzes 10% (1.4% each)
Total 100%
Late Work
Assignments submitted after the due date will not be accepted. In other
words, you will receive no points. I will only allow you to make up missed work
if you have a written documented excuse from someone stating the urgency of the
situation (e.g. Doctor’s note, CHP accident report, etc.).
Attendance
Your attendance is required at all class meetings. Only written
documented excuses for an absence may result in your making up an assignment or
graded daily work. Absences endanger your grade simply because you are missing
out in the learning process. Three absences will result in an overall reduction
of one full letter grade and five absences will result in a failing grade for
this class.
Quizzes
There will be 9 quizzes during the quarter in
Reading and Study Skills classes. As Indicated in the syllabus, each quiz will
cover the readings assigned for that week. For example, on Friday January 19,
there will be a quiz on Time management. The quizzes will be either multiple
choice, true/ false or matching. They will cover for the most part, the main
ideas of the reading. This is a good exercise to assess your reading
comprehension abilities. I will only allow you to make up a quiz if you have a
written excuse stating the urgency of the situation. I will drop your two lowest
quiz scores at the end of the quarter before I calculate your final grade.
Course Syllabus
Week 1:
Jan 8 Reading prep Eng Study skill strategies
9 Lecture prep for 311;
Eng 311 lecture
10
Lecture review; Reading prep for Eng 311
11 Lecture prep for Eng 311; Eng 311 lecture
12 Lecture review of Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and Eng
311 note-taking review #1
Week 2: Handout "Making the Most of your Time"
15 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday-No class
16 Lecture prep for pp. 68-71 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
17 Lecture review; Reading prep for pp. 72-79 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
18 Lecture prep for pp. 80-91 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
19 Lecture review of Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and Eng
311 note-taking review #2; Time Management Exercise; Quiz 1 on
Time Management
Week 3: Classroom Skills
22 Reading prep Eng 311; Study skill strategies pp. 46-52 of handout
23 Lecture prep for pp. 53-58 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
24 Lecture review; Reading prep for pp. 59-61 of handout
25 Lecture prep for pp. 63-67 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
26 Lecture review of Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and Eng
311 note-taking review #3; Interview #1 and paper due; Quiz
2 on Note taking
Week 4: Becoming an Active Reader
29 Reading prep; Eng Study skill strategies pp. 277-279 of handout
30
Lecture prep for pp. 280-291 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
31 Lecture review Reading prep for pp. 291-296 of handout of Eng 311
Feb 1 Lecture prep for pp. 296-299 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
2 Lecture review of Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and Eng
311 note-taking review #4; Quiz 3 on Active Reading
Week 5: Study System
5 Reading prep; Eng Study skill strategies pp. 143-145 of handout
6 Eng 311 Lecture prep; pp. 145-157 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
7 Lecture review; Reading prep for pp. 158-162 of handout Eng 311
8 Eng 311 Lecture prep for pp. 163-165 of handout; Eng 311
lecture
9 Lecture review of Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and Eng
311 note-taking review #5; Interview #2 and paper due; Quiz 4
on Study System
Week 6: Motivating to Learn
12 Reading prep; Eng Study skill strategies pp. 3-6 of handout;
13 Eng 311 Lecture prep for pp. 7-17 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
14 Eng 311 Lecture review; Reading prep for pp. 18-19 of handout
15 Eng 311 Lecture prep for pp. 21-24 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
16 Lecture review of Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and Eng
311 note-taking review #6; Quiz 5 on Motivation
Week 7: Taking of Tests
19 Reading prep; Eng Study skill strategies pp. 347 of handout
20 Eng 311
Lecture prep for pp. 348-354 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
21 Eng 311Lecture review; Reading prep for pp. 355-360 of handout
22 Eng 311 Lecture prep; pp. 361-367 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
23 Lecture review of Eng 311;Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and
Eng 311 note-taking review #7; Quiz 6 on Test Taking
Week 8: Concentration
26 Reading prep; Eng Study skill strategies pp. 207-214 of handout
27 Eng 311; Lecture prep for pp. 215-217 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
28 Lecture review of Eng 311; Reading prep for Eng 311; pp.
217-222 of handout
29 Eng 311 Lecture prep; pp. 223-226 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
March 1 Lecture review of Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and Eng
311 note-taking review #8; Quiz 7 on Concentration
Week 9: Vocabulary
4 Reading prep Eng 311; Study skill strategies pp. 184-191 of handout
5 Lecture prep for Eng 311; pp. 192-198 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
6 Lecture review of Eng 311; Reading prep for pp. 199-202 of handout
7 Eng 311; Lecture prep for pp. 203-206 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
8 Eng 311 Lecture review; Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and
note-taking review #9; Quiz 8 on Vocabulary
Week 10: Organizing Information and Making Study Guides
11 Reading prep Eng 311; Study skill strategies pp. 166-167 of handout
12 Eng 311 Lecture prep; pp. 170-176 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
13 Lecture review of Eng 311; Reading prep for Eng 311; pp. 177-181 of
handout
14 Eng 311 Lecture prep; for pp. 182-183 of handout; Eng 311 lecture
15 Eng 311 Lecture review; Study skill strategies; Weekly journal and
note-taking review #10; Quiz 9 on Study Guides
Finals Week
Homework Assignments and Readings