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ESOL 30: Writing for Non-Native Speakers of English II

Professor Grace Pousson
Fall 2014

Course Information
Section Number: 12345
Classroom: W-100
Meeting Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:30PM

Instructor Information
Instructor: Professor Grace Pousson
E-mail: gkpousson@sdccd.edu
Office Hours:
- Tuesdays from 4:30 to 5:30PM in the Basic Skills Lab* (I-122)
- Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:15PM in the Basic Skills Lab*
- Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:00PM in the PLACe (L-101)*

Instructional Assistant (IA) Information
IA: Mary Jones
E- mail:mjones@sandiego.edu
Office Hours:
- Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:30PM in the Basic Skills Lab*

Required Texts
- Developing Composition Skills by Mary K. Ruetten (3rd Edition. Heinle ELT
Publishing. ISBN: 978-1111220556)

- Understanding and Using English Grammar (with Answer Key) by Betty S. Azar and
Stacy A. Hagen (4th Edition. Pearson/Longman Publishing. ISBN: 0-13-233331-7)


Required Materials
- 2 large blue books 1 for journals and 1 for grammar log
- Mini stapler
- Paper
- Pencils and Pens (blue or black pens and a colored pen in any color except red)
- A way to keep yourself organized (i.e. a binder with dividers)
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Course Description
ESOL 030 is a writing and grammar course that prepares students to write at a high-intermediate
level. Students learn to write compositions with given essay-writing patterns to demonstrate their
academic thought and reasoning. In the writing process, students will practice drafting and
producing solid thesis statements with supporting paragraphs. In addition, the course includes the
study of editing for grammar in writing, mechanics, and word usage in sentence structure toward
the goal of acceptable academic writing.

Course Objectives
Over the course of the semester, students will do the following with the aim to support further
academic studies:
1. Critically read and integrate vocabulary in academic writing;
2. Generate ideas and practice focused editing in timed writings and draft writing;
3. Develop topic sentences and supporting sentences demonstrating sentence structure
variety within given writing patterns;
4. Summarize information and paraphrase sentences in writing assignments;
5. Apply grammatical rules in writing, edit and revise essays toward the goal of
acceptable academic writing.

Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
1. Write a topic sentence that contains a topic and a controlling idea related to the
writing prompt.
2. Write at least two supporting sentences developed with specific details and/or
examples that are directly related to the topic sentence.
3. Show control over verb tenses and forms beyond the simple tenses.

Class Expectations
Each student is expected to:
- Complete all assignments on time.
- Show a solid, sincere, and notable effort on every assignment.
- Participate and be engaged during class.
- Be open-minded.
- Display classroom maturity and respect of peers, instructor, and ideas.

Attendance, Punctuality, and Participation
It is very difficult to learn when you are not here! When you miss a class, you miss valuable
classroom time that cannot be made up. Please make every effort to attend each class meeting.




There are, however, times when we cannot attend class
due to emergencies, but in cases such as these, the
student must e-mail me before class. If a student is
absent, he or she should e-mail me as a courtesy to
tell me what is going on. The student is responsible
for any activities or assignments missed in class and
will need to see what was covered in class. Please
exchange information with a classmate so that you can get
class notes. A student who is absent will also receive a
0 for all in-class work and participation that day.
Missed quizzes cannot be made up.

Please be on time for class and stay the whole class meeting. Students will be marked Absent
if they are more than 15 minutes late OR if they leave early (regardless of how early).

Excessive absences and tardies of any amount will be noted and will affect your
final participation grade. If you miss two or more consecutive class meetings,
without communicating to the professor, you may be dropped from this course.
Missing four or more meetings for any reason, with or without communicating to
the professor, you will be dropped from this course.

It is important to understand that missing classeven one classwill negatively
affect your learning in this class. I have also observed that a student who misses
one or more classes earns lower grades than a student who attends every class.
This is because when you miss class you miss out on important information to
help you improve your skills. Students often get behind after missing just one
class; think of it like a puzzle. If you lose a piece of the puzzle here and there,
you will not be full able to get the big picture. In other words, just because you
may not get dropped because of poor attendance, you may risk getting a lower
grade or not passing a course.

Dont just disappear! If something happens to you, please let me know. It is important to
communicate with your professor even if you miss just one class. If you do have to stop coming,
it is YOUR responsibility to drop any classes you are no longer attending. You must drop
officially through the Admissions Office or through the online registration system. The system
will automatically credit you with a grade of F will can adversely affect you future college
career.










Vocabulary Notes







Quick Notes:






Finally, participation means the work you do inside the
classroom. It includes working in pairs and groups, helping each
other, volunteering to answer questions and making helpful
comments, and, in general, being a positive contributor to class
each day. It is impossible to contribute to class discussions and
activities if you are not in class! Also, participation means more
than just being physically present. It means being engaged.
Please use this class as an opportunity to help us develop a
positive classroom community by showing respect for yourself,
your classmates and your professor by avoiding distracting
behaviors and by being attentive in class.
Quick Notes:








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Other Course Guidelines and Policies
- Office Hours and Instructor Assistance: Please feel free to talk me whenever you have
questions or concerns during office hours or through e-mail. You can also always e-mail
me; I try to get back to questions as quickly as I can. I am here to help, and I want all
students to succeed.

- Classroom Courtesy: At times, you may be asked to look something up on your smart
phone, tablet, or laptop in reference to classwork. However, if you have not been
asked to utilize your electronic devices, please put them out of sight to avoid
distracting you, your classmates, or me. Other disruptive activities including sleeping,
reading for other classes, side conversations, listening to headphones or MP3 players,
playing games, and Internet surfing are not permitted during our meetings. Disruptions
such as these will result in a request for you to leave the class and a zero for
participation for the day. Any additional disruptions will be reported to the Department
Chair, Dean, and/or Student Affairs for subsequent disciplinary action.

- Languages Used: This is a class to practice English, so please make every effort to
communicate in English. If you must clarify a point in your native language feel free to
do so if necessary however please attempt your questions in English first. Practice
makes perfect!
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- Academic Honesty: In order to improve your writing abilities, a serious commitment is
required in this class, and students are expected to do their own work. Plagiarism and
cheating, whether knowingly or unknowingly, is unacceptable.
- Plagiarism can include:
- copying words and/or ideas from the Internet or other sources without
citing
- downloading a paper from the Internet
- submitting a paper you wrote in another class for a grade in this class,
- having a friend or family member do an assignment for you
- having someone fix your grammar for you
- Cheating can include
- copying another students homework
- bringing notes, using cell phones, having a cheat sheet, and/or copying
another classmates exam
- speaking (in any language) during a quiz or test
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If you cheat or plagiarize, you will receive a 0 for that assignment, and the
Department Chair and Dean will be notified about the plagiarism. If you do it again,
you will receive an F in the course.

- Computer Skills: In most college courses students need to
be familiar with computers, such as word processing, e-
mail, and online services. If you need additional help with
your computer skills, I encourage you to enroll in San
Diego Community College District Continuing Education
for an additional course. Their fees are usually very low.
Also, in this class, you will be assigned homework online
with Azar Interactive. If you do not have access to a
computer with Internet at home, make time in your
schedule so you can use the on-campus computer labs
regularly. Check your e-mail daily!

Course Assignments and Grading

45% Writing
30% In-Class Writing
15% At-Home Revisions
5% Homework (including Azar Interactive)
5% Journals and Other Assignments
15% Midterm Exam (Writing and Grammar)
20% Final Exam (Writing and Grammar)
5% Quizzes
5% Participation





Note about Assignment Weights: Like this syllabus, these assignment weights may change at any
time this semester. An announcement will be made if assignment weights change.

Important Note on Due Dates: All work is to be turned in at the start of class on the day it is due.
No late work will be accepted. If you cannot attend class on a day when an assignment
is due, it is YOUR
90-100%
80-89%
A
B
70-79% Passing
60-69%
59% and lower
D
F
Not Passing
Quick Notes:





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responsibility to contact me through e-mail prior to the class meeting to notify me that you will
not be in class. In addition, it is your responsibility to get the assignment to me before the
deadline either through e-mail attachment or having another classmate turn the assignment in on
your behalf.


Blackboard: Blackboard is an online tool to help students with understand their courses better.
You may be assigned something to do on Blackboard. If I assigned an assignment on
Blackboard, I will explain the directions in class and online. Also on Blackboard, I will post
announcements, assignments, links, and handouts.

How to login to Blackboard:
- Go to https://sdccd.blackboard.com/
- Type your Username: 7-digit College Student ID (CSID) number
- Type your Password: MMDDYYYY (your birthdate with no hyphens slashes, or spaces)

**If you are a returning student, you can logon with the same password as last semester.**

If you are new to Blackboard, I recommend that you do some online Blackboard tutorials.
http://www.sdccdonline.net/students/training/explore.htm

Format for Papers and Homework: ALL typed assignments must follow MLA guidelines. This
applies to the header, in-text citations, and the format of your papers (Times New Roman font,
size 12, double-spaced, one-inch margins all around, etc.). Paragraphs and essays that do not
follow MLA citation and format will lose points. If you are not familiar with MLA, please ask
me, check the resources online, or seek help from tutors or peers. (See page XX for a sample.)

Useful Tips and Resources
To help you succeed in this class, consider the following tips:

- Dont Wait to Start Homework: Start assignments early, whether it is reading or writing.
I want to read your best work, and the writing process takes time. Often times it is
apparent when a writer has not spent adequate time developing his or her ideas.

- Ask for Help: Whether your question is big or small, ask for help! If you have been
working hard, the quality of your writing be higher and maybe even your grade.

Here are some helpful resources for this class and the rest of your English assignments in your
college career:
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- Your Professor: E-mail Professor Pousson - gkpousson@sdccd.edu) or visit her
during office hours for extra help, or ask her questions during practice time in class.

- Your IA: E-mail your IA Mary - mjones @sandiego.edu), visit her in the lab, and ask
for her help during practice time in class!

- **The PLACe: Personal Learning Assistance Center. Located in the brand new
LRC building. (619-388-7852) http://www.sdmiramar.edu/academics/place
- The PLACe offers free drop-in tutoring, but it is recommended that you make
an appointment.

- *English/ESOL Lab (I-222): Starting the THIRD week of class, the English Lab will
be open Monday to Thursday. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m..
- Professors and Instructional Assistants (IAs) are there to help for free.
- IAs will be holding free weekly workshops, which are great for extra
tips and practice.

- Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS): If a student needs accommodation
for learning disabilities, he or she should contact the DSPS in C-304 and/or call
them at 619-388-7312 and discuss the options with me.


- YOUR Classmates! Class buddy list/classmates to contact:

Name Phone/E-mail

Name Phone/E-mail