J. Roth--English 99 Syllabus

 

 

Instructor: Jim Roth

·        Office: Main Building,  211T

·        Office Phone:  533-7058

·        School e-mail: jroth@scc.spokane.edu

·        Web site: http://ol.scc.spokane.edu/jroth

 

 REQUIRED MATERIALS

§         The Course Packet sold in the SCC Book Store

§         An inexpensive USB Thumb Drive

§         A journal-style notebook

§         A portfolio folder

 

 

MANDATORY PREREQUISITES

 

  _ Please note: You must meet all three of the prerequisites below or you will be asked to drop the course.

 

  • Attendance during the first three days of the course.

 

  • An acceptable writing assessment score and/or successful completion of English 97 and or 98 (Please see the next prerequisite).

 

  • A competent diagnostic writing sample the first or second day of the course.  If in the SCC English Department’s judgment your writing sample does not meet English 99 minimum course-entry guidelines, you will be asked to drop this course regardless of any placement test scores you’ve received or earlier writing courses you’ve completed.  If this becomes the case, the Department will make an effort to find you an alternative course that better meets your present writing needs.

  

WHAT THE COURSE IS AND WHO IT IS FOR

 

Improvement of Writing 99 is a basic course designed to make you a better writer.  It is an excellent course for the following students:

 

·        Students who want to be more successful in English 101.

·        Students who plan to enroll in vocational/technical programs.

·        Students who did not get much writing practice in high school.

·        Students who have been out of school for some time and want a review.

·        Students whose native language is not English.

 

 

 

ACTIVITIES

 

·     We will write a great deal.  This will include keeping a journal as well as writing sentences, paragraphs, and essays.  Please bring your book and writing materials to every class.

·     We will work through many grammar and usage exercises.

·      We will discuss problems and progress often.

 

THE WEB SITE

 

Please visit my school web site often.  On it you can check your grade, find announcements, assignments, due dates, calendar updates, handouts, and additional resources.   Just go to http://ol.scc.spokane.edu/jroth.  If you need help getting to this site, please stop by my office for a demonstration.

 

COMPUTER LAB TIME

 

I have reserved a computer lab for our class.  We will do an introduction shortly.

 

FIRST THREE DAYS ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT

 

In order to be eligible to receive a course grade of .7 or higher, a student must have attended regularly the first three days of the quarter or have make arrangements with the instructor in advance.

 

 ATTENDANCE POLICY

I do not take attendance because I believe that at the college level, attendance is the student’s responsibility.  Unlike earlier, required school participation, enrolling in college is a choice you freely make; in addition, it is a privilege, not a requirement.  Therefore, it is up to you whether you will take advantage of it or not.  However, a student who misses too many classes may become ineligible to pass the course because excessive absence brings into question whether the student attempted the course at all.  

 

CLASSROOM CONDUCT and BEHAVIOR

 

No student has the right to interfere with another student’s opportunity to learn.  To this end, I expect all of my students to act like responsible, socially skilled adults or they will be asked to leave the class and/or drop the course. Please silence cell phones and the like.  If you wish to text message others, please do so outside of class.  Please see the S.C.C. Student Code of Conduct for more information.

 

GRADING OF YOUR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

 

As we cover each skill, I will expect you to apply the new knowledge to all new writing assignments.  In addition, I expect that each of the writing assignments you submit to me will be the product of multiple drafts, reflecting thorough editing and revision.  If I find I have to spend an excessive amount of time correcting writing errors we have already covered and/or editing and revising your work for you, the grade on the assignment will drop accordingly.

 

MAKING UP LATE ASSIGNMENTS

 

There are no make-ups unless you make arrangements in advance.  However, to allow for the unexpected, you may make up one assignment without penalty as long as you make it up within one calendar week of its due date.  These make-up guidelines do NOT apply to the Comprehensive Final, to discretionary points awards, or to pop quizzes.

 

EYou must attach your da Vinci Late Assignment Submission Form to your late assignment in order for it to be accepted.  Please remember that once you have used this one late assignment option, I will accept no more late assignments from you no matter the reason unless you made earlier, prior arrangements to submit the assignment late.  No excuses and no exceptions, so please don’t ask. 

 

PORTFOLIO FOLDER

 

Please keep all returned assignments in your portfolio folder.  Being able to produce a returned, graded assignment is the ONLY WAY to verify that you have completed the assignment if my records indicate otherwise.

 

ZERO-TOLERANCE MATERIAL

 

Zero-Tolerance Material is material over which you must get 100% correct to pass.  That’s right—zero-tolerance means zero-tolerance: even one error disqualifies the quiz, and you must take it again.  As of now, I have one Zero-Tolerance Unit: Words Commonly Confused.  A second-- Subject-Verb-Pronoun Agreement--may be added depending upon our skill level as a class. 

 

By the end of the quarter, you must have achieved 100% on a quiz over any Zero-Tolerance Unit to be eligible for a grade above 1.9.  No matter what your course average is, if you do not achieve 100%, you cannot receive a grade higher than 1.9.  The reason is simple: until you can handle Zero-Tolerance Material with confidence and ease, you are not ready to move on to English 101 or write successfully on the job. You will have lots of opportunities throughout the quarter to study for, take, and retake these tests.

 

THE COMPREHENSIVE FINAL

 

English 99 is a preparatory course: a grade of 2.0 or better certifies that you are a competent writer and are ready for English 101.  Therefore, to receive a grade of 2.0 or better in this course, your writing must meet or exceed the minimum level of competency required for English 101 entry. 

I will be evaluating your work throughout the quarter in terms of your competency to be successful in English 101.  In addition, toward the end of the quarter I will give you a comprehensive final evaluation to assess your readiness.  If, in my judgment, your writing competency does not meet this minimum level, the highest grade possible regardless of your class average a 1.9.  Again, a 1.9 is not a failing grade—it is a low ‘C’ and simply means you cannot enroll in English 101 until you raise it to a 2.0

Please remember that I am here to help you write better and meet or exceed this minimum level of competency. Please see me for additional help whenever you feel that you need it.  In addition, tutors are available in the SCC Tutoring Center.

 

YOUR FINAL GRADE

 

Each regular assignment, test, or quiz will be worth a certain number of points.  The comprehensive final given at the end of the quarter will come in two parts: an objective test and an in-class essay.  If you complete all of the assigned essays and pass both parts of the comprehensive final (70% or higher), your course grade will be determined by the percentage of the total points you've earned converted to a decimal using the percent-to-decimal scale below.  If you do not complete all assigned essays and/or fail to complete either part of the comprehensive final satisfactorily (70% or higher), the highest course grade you can receive is 1.9 REGARDLESS OF YOUR COURSE AVERAGE.   A 1.9 is not a failing grade—it is a low ‘C’ and simply means you cannot enroll in English 101 until you raise it to a 2.0. 

COURSE POINT VALUES

 

  • Paragraph Assignments            Max 5-10 per paragraph (30-45 points total)

·        Essay Assignments                  Max 100 points per essay (300-500 points total)

·        Journal Completion                 45 entries times 3 points per entry = 135 points

·        Discretionary Points                75-125 points total

·        Zero-Tolerance Material           Mandatory Pass

·        Comprehensive Final               400 points total

 

S.C.C. uses the decimal grading system.  I will first convert your grade to percentage by dividing you total points by the total points possible.  I will then convert your percentage grade to a decimal grade using the following chart.  The decimal value will appear on your grade sheet and transcript.

 

Grade Scale—J. Roth

All Courses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

% to

Decimal

 

Letter

% to

Decimal

 

Letter

% to

Decimal

 

Letter

% to

Decimal

 

Letter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100--4.0

A

89--3.4

B+

79--2.9

C+

69--1.9

D+

99--4.0

A

88--3.4

B+

78--2.8

C+

68--1.8

D+

98--4.0

A

87--3.3

B+

77--2.7

C

67--1.7

D

97--4.0

A

86--3.3

B

76--2.6

C

66--1.6

D

96--3.9

A

85--3.2

B

75--2.5

C

65--1.5

D

95--3.8

A

84--3.2

B

74--2.4

C

64--1.4

D

94--3.7

A

83--3.1

B

73--2.3

C

63--1.3

D

93--3.7

A-

82--3.1

B

72--2.2

C

62--1.2

D

92--3.6

A-

81--3.0

B-

71--2.1

C-

61--1.1

D-

91--3.6

A-

80--3.0

B-

70--2.0

C-

60--1.0

D-

90--3.5

A-

 

 

 

 

0.7--less

F