SPEED-READING
AND COLLEGE VOCABULARY
Ö
Above all, students who can work independently to keep up with the
requirements
of an on-line class;
Ö
Students who want to understand and remember more of what they read
who want to
increase
their reading rate;
Ö Students who want to know more college-level words and pronounce them correctly;
Ö
Students who want to develop their critical thinking skills
Ö
Others who may find the course of great help:
*Those returning to school after an absence who want to sharpen their reading and thinking skills or "fill in holes" in their earlier education
*Those
who usually have to read everything twice so they can understand
or remember it
*Those
preparing for a national examination requiring a considerable
amount of reading
*Students with ineffective study habits or poor concentration
*Students
who feel they read too slowly to get their assignments done in
time
Ö
Those who fit any of the above categories and who want the flexibility
an on-line course offers
PLEASE NOTE: English 48 is designed for students at the "A" level of English Placement. Students whose vocabulary and grammar skills are not yet sufficiently developed to allow them to focus on building speed, or who wish first to take a preparatory course, should consider English 23, a non-transferable course that also emphasizes vocabulary and reading comprehension.
To
take the on-line version of English
48, you will need to be able to
*use
Microsoft
Word
*send and receive e-mail from your own account [All
SMC students
get
an e-mail account
when
they register, or you may use an
account you already have.]
*send and receive (open) e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word
*express yourself in writing that is mostly error-free (In other words, you should be eligible for English1 or have already taken English 1.)
*have access to another computer and server in case yours goes
down.
On-line
English 48 is a college-level reading improvement course and mirrors the
traditional (classroom) English 48 in content, organization and requirements.
English 48 attempts to present, at least briefly, nearly all the
reading situations students face in college, careers and general adult
reading.
The
course is designed to make you a more
efficient and more effective reader. A
little less than half of the course is spent on rapid-reading techniques so
that you will double your reading speed for light material without losing significant comprehension. You will also learn analytical
thinking skills that will improve your comprehension of all reading material.
The
second portion of the course is devoted to more in-depth reading. This part
will emphasize study-reading techniques and additional ways of sharpening
concentration and memory. You
will also learn techniques to develop your critical reading skills so that you
can accurately paraphrase and summarize what an author not only states but
also implies. To do this, you will read essays, articles, and a few stories or
poems.
Throughout
all parts of the course, vocabulary will be emphasized as a tool for both
increasing speed and bettering comprehension.
In addition, you will learn to use and pronounce correctly from 200 to
250 college-level vocabulary words.
As a more efficient (faster) reader, you will
*maintain a reading rate for light, general reading of approximately 450 words per minute or higher;
*be able to preview-skim and determine
which reading approach best suits
your purpose;
*be able to overview-skim general material
for the main ideas at approximately 800
words per minute;
*improve your scanning skills.
*ideally, improve your study-reading rate.
As a more effective reader (understanding and remembering more),
you will:
*be able to identify and state the main idea of reading selections;
* distinguish and remember major supporting details;
*recognize a reading selection's framework or pattern of organization and use it to
improve your concentration and memory;
*increase your vocabulary by learning new words, their context and pronunciation;
*apply a study-formula
to improve your textbook reading skills;
*make accurate inferences about an author's
intended implications (made through tone, connotation, style);
*by means of written assignments and
on-line discussions, analyze and evaluate more
thoughtfully the materials you
read;
English
48 On-line has been condensed from a traditional
(classroom) 16-week course to an 6-week or 12-week course on-line but still covers
the same material. For this 3
unit transferable course, you should be prepared to spend about 6 or 7 hours
on-line each week (for best results, spread over at least 5 days) where you will
participate in "threaded discussions," quizzes and
on-line assignments.
In addition, as with any college class, for each hour "in
class," be prepared to spend an additional two hours per class hour (could be more,
depending on your pace) doing "homework."
This means homework could take an additional 12 hours or so each week. The homework
will consist most often of reading the assigned paperbacks as you practice
speed and comprehension techniques; studying your textbooks; practicing your
pronunciation; and composing critiques or short
summaries.
You can buy your books in the campus bookstore or
on-line. The Santa Monica College bookstore sells books online at www.smc.edu/bookstore.
However, you may want to shop around elsewhere to see if there's a
better price. The ISBN number for
each book is provided in case you need it for an order:
Required Materials
1. Textbook: Steps to Reading Proficiency, 5th ed., Sotiriou and Phillips, Wadsworth/Thomson Learning
2. Textbook: Advanced Word Power, Johnson and Gamer, Townsend Press
3. First Paperback for Building Speed: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith, c. 1998, Anchor Books
4. Second Paperback for Building Speed: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie, c. 2001, Anchor Books
5. Third Paperback for Building Speed (non-fiction) and for Study-Reading: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey, A Fireside Book, Simon and Schuster
Books 3, 4, and 5 (above) are available in most bookstores; all the books are available through the SMC bookstore.
NOTE: As a cyber-student, you are expected to have the required materials before the class begins.
12 Vocabulary Quizzes (15 pts. ea.) 180
4 Vocabulary Review Tests (30 pts. ea.) 120
3 reading quizzes (30 pts. ea.) 90
Homework: 160
(Previewing 20, Journal 100, "Steps" forms 40)
2 Comprehension Tests 120
Threaded Discussions (5 pts. each) 110
Lab Equivalent (USR / RFU) 70
Improvement shown on post-tests 150
Total 1,000 points
Note:
To receive a grade of A for this course, students must maintain an average
of
90% or higher for course work and score Grade Level 13 (post high school)
higher) on a reading comprehension test.