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ESL A099COMPOSITION & READING 2 (3 units)

Instructor:
Meetings:
Office:
Office Hours:

FALL 2015

CRN 24421

Greg Conner; gconner@occ.cccd.edu

12:45-3:55pm; Mondays in C & L 116 and Wednesdays in Lit&Lang 222
Lit&Lang 133; phone 714 432-5717
Mondays:
4-5pm
Tuesdays: 3-5pm
Thursdays: 4-5pm or by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
ESL A099 is an advanced reading and writing course that will help you improve your college-level
reading, writing, and critical thinking skills to prepare for success in English 100 and other collegelevel work. You will write paragraphs and essays and improve your use of grammar to express your
ideas more clearly. In the reading component of the course you will learn to find the main idea and
supporting ideas of the reading selections, recognize signal words, make correct inferences, learn
words in context, use affixes to understand the meaning of words, and use a college dictionary. We
will spend two hours of class time per week in the computer lab, where you will write and rewrite your
essays and complete reading, vocabulary, and grammar assignments.
ESL A099 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Respond to college-level readings such as those found in newspapers, magazines, and
college-level textbooks by writing paragraphs and essays that show the ability to summarize,
analyze, and synthesize information.
2. Using college-level vocabulary, construct sentences, paragraphs, and essays integrating
grammatical forms and sentences structures learned in this and previous writing classes.
TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS:
1. America Now: Short Readings from Recent Periodicals, 11th edition, by Robert Atwan, ISBN
978-1-319-01552-7
2. The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook by Ann Hogue, ISBN 0-13-150090-2
3. 8 1/2" x 11" lined notebook paper with straight left edge (no spiral notebooks)
4. a three-ring binder and tabbed dividers
5. course website, located in your MyOCC account
Note: Loans are available in Financial Aid and EOPS for the purchase of textbooks and course
materials. Please write your name in your textbooks!
recommended but not required:
Longman Dictionary of American English, ISBN 0132449773 (or other English-English
dictionary)
Exercises to Accompany The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook by Lida Baker,
ISBN 0-13-183037-6 (A copy of this text is available in the Student Success Center.)

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, by Paul Tough,
ISBN 978-0-544-10440-2 (This and other books are available in the OCC Library for your
extensive reading.)

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
In order to succeed in this class and prepare yourself for future success in English 100-Freshman
Composition, you should:
1. Purchase the textbooks and materials and bring them to class each day.
2. Check the course website in MyOCC on a regular basis for announcements, handouts, and
assignments. To access the course website, open the following: Google, OCC, Continuing
Students (at top margin of OCC webpage), Bb Blackboard. Then enter your user name and
password and open the course website.
3. Do your homework for this class. You will need a quiet, well-lighted study area to complete
your assignments, either at home or in the Library.
4. Manage your time effectively, using the Weekly Planner and Time Sheet posted in the Syllabus
Files in the course website.
5. Turn in each assignment on the day it is due. Late work will receive a 20% grade deduction for
being one week late. I will not accept work that is more than one week late.
6. Actively participate in all classroom activities, including class discussions, individual recitation,
pair work, and group work.
7. Maintain a well organized binder with all course handouts, class work, homework, quizzes and
exams.
8. Be polite and respectful to your classmates and teacher at all times.
9. Please cover your mouth with a tissue, cloth handkerchief, or the sleeve of your clothing (not
just your hands!) if you cough or sneeze in class.
10. If you are sick with a fever, you must stay home. Call me at 714 432-5717 or email me at
gconner@occ.cccd.edu and leave a message, explaining that you are sick. You may return to
class when you feel better and have not had a fever for 24 hours.
11. Observe the posted rules regarding food and drink. (You may bring bottled water to class,
however.)
12. Keep the area around your desk free of litter.
13. Use your cell phone or any other personal electronic device outside of the classroom, before or
after class or during breaknot during class. Except for personal emergency, if I see you
using your cell phone during class even one time, I will give you a warning. If you use your cell
phone again in class, I will report you to the Dean of Students for disruptive behavior.

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14. During or after class, make sure to ask me to explain whatever is not clear to you.
15. Study in the Student Success Center:
a. Directed Learning Activity (DLA)
b. One-on-one tutoring (drop-in or by appointment)
c. Exercises to Accompany The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook
d. Understanding and Using English Grammar: Workbook
e. SRA Reading Laboratory
See the Student Success Center link at:
http://www.orangecoastcollege.edu/student_services/student_success_center/
16. See me in the lab and during my office hours, as necessary for your success in this class. I
will circulate a sign-in sheet for you to schedule to meet me during the lab and office hours.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Obtain tutorial (not editorial) help with your writing. An explanation of these matters is given in the
handout "Tutorial vs. Editorial Help; Plagiarism," which is posted in the Syllabus files in the course
website.
Do your own work. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are not allowed and will, if discovered,
result in a grade of zero for the assignment and a report to the Dean of Students, who will put a note
in the students records.
Students who cheat can be suspended from the College.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:
five grammar notebook assignments @ 10 points each *
five book reports @ 10 points each (see syllabus files)
reading and writing exercises
two grammar quizzes @ 50 points each
four essays **
midterm exam (better of two scores)
final exam

50
50
100
100
400
100
100
900 points

NOTE: To pass the course you must turn in each of the four essays, earn at least 70% of total points,
and earn a passing grade (reading, writing, and grammar) on the final exam.
Extra Credit: You may earn 18 points (2%) extra credit by completing four extra credit assignments,
directions for which will be announced in class.
Pass / No-Pass Grade: If you choose the "Pass / No-Pass" option for this class, you need to fill out
the appropriate form in the Records Office by Friday, September 11--end of week 3 (grade option
request deadline).

* Directions for the Grammar Notebook: Each of the five Grammar Notebook assignments is worth
ten points (see the Class Schedule for due dates). You should do each of the following to receive full
credit:
1) Read each section in The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook.
2) Write each exercise in complete sentences. Label the page and exercise.
3) Check your answers, using the answer key at the back of the book.
4) For each twenty-point assignment you must include a paragraph analysis of your grammar
work, including your answer to all of the following questions (5 points of each assignment):
a) How many hours did you spend working on this 20-point section of your Grammar
Notebook?
b) What new grammar points did you learn?
c) What grammar points do you apply correctly in your writing?
d) What grammar points do you need to continue working on?
e) What specifically do you plan to do to achieve mastery of the grammar points that are
currently giving you difficulty in your writing?
** Essay Due Dates: You will complete at least two drafts of each of the four essays. The first draft
and final (after correction / "ac") draft of each essay is due on the date announced in the Class
Schedule.

WELCOME TO THIS CLASS!

You will enjoy yourself and improve your composition and reading skills significantly if you participate
actively in class and do your homework. Please visit me in my office and use the Student Success
Center to obtain additional help. Well help you get there! (OCC motto).