ESL 21A: English Fundamentals I

Fall 2008 | Section #2211 | Room ESL 104 | MW 11:15-12:35 pm | course schedule by week

Professor Kathy Sucher | sucher_kathryn@smc.edu | 310-434-4752
Course webpage: http://homepage.smc.edu/sucher_kathryn
Office Hours: MW: 10-11 am, Library Village – LV 124

Course Description: ESL 21A is a 3 unit, 3 hour per week high intermediate communicative writing course for non-native speakers of English. ESL 21A is the first part of the ESL 21A/B sequence.   Upon completion of this course students will be able to do the following:

Writing:
1. write and revise a variety of sentence types
2. plan, compose, and revise multi-paragraph essays
3. write extended responses to questions under time constraints
4. Paraphrase, cite, quote, and summarize
5. use appropriate academic vocabulary drawn from a variety of disciplines
6. write short and extended definitions

Reading:
1. use skimming and scanning to locate main ideas and specific details in academic texts
2. Read actively by annotating and writing margin comments
3. evaluate the use of cohesive markers
4. distinguish word forms and their functions in a sentence

Grammar:
Use the following in speaking/writing
1. verb tense and aspect
2. noun, adjective, adverb clauses and reported speech
3. modals in passive and reported speech
4. real and unreal conditionals
5. the article system in first and second mention

Listening and Speaking:
1. participate in class discussions and small groups to generate ideas for writing
2. express and support ideas orally to the class (individually and/or with classmates)

 

Methods of Presentation
Lecture                                                                         25%
Group/pair speaking/listening and writing activities      35%
Audio/video listening/writing activities                         15%
Writing exercises                                                         25%

Required Text & Materials: 
Quest 3: Reading and Writing, Pamela Hartmann and Laurie Blass
Quest 3: Listening and Speaking,  Pamela Hartmann and Laurie Blass
An English-English dictionary
4 Blue Books
3 Scantrons  (give to teacher by the end of the 2^nd week of class)
highlighters, pens, paper, pencil
folder or binder
lined paper
a small stapler

Recommended Additional Texts:
The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook by Ann Hogue, published by Longman
Oxford Collocations, published by Oxford University Press

-The following additional texts are on 2-hour reserve in the SMC Library:
Quest 3: Reading and Writing,  Pamela Hartmann and Laurie Blass
Quest 3: Listening and Speaking,  Pamela Hartmann and Laurie Blass
Mastering American English #PE111.H4724
Eye on Editing 1 #PE1128.C25 2001
Eye on Editing 2 #PE1128.C254 2002
The Advanced Grammar Book and Workbook, 2nd edition #PE1112.S73 19998

Class Conduct  
-Please turn off pagers, cell phones and other electronic devices during class.
-You may use an electronic dictionary during class except during exams.
-Aim to use your English-English dictionary in class instead of a translation dictionary
-Aim to speak English in class.
-Bring your books and dictionary, paper and pens to every class.
-Attend every class.!  Come to class on time!   Regular attendance is crucial in this 3-unit course!  If you know in advance that you will be absent, please contact me by email . In addition, it is your responsibility to contact a classmate to find out what you missed in class. Also, you should check the course website and eCompanion for more information.  If you need to drop the course for some reason, you can do this yourself through the SMC Student Self-Service System Students who miss more than 6 hours of class can be dropped by the instructor. .Finally, please be courteous to your fellow students and instructor. Arrive on time
-Maintain a respectful and courteous demeanor in class and online towards your classmates and instructor.  Feel free to respectfully disagree.
-Late Work – Late work will be accepted but penalized.  In particular, late essays will lose 5 points per class session.  Work more than 10 days late will not be accepted.
-Communication - The best way to communicate with me is via email. I will generally reply within 24 hours.  Using the email function inside of eCompanion will assure that I receive your email. Additionally, it is strongly recommended that you get the phone number and email of at least two classmates to communicate about course assignments.

Writing  You will write four essays in class. You will revise essays at home. Final drafts should be word-processed.

Computer Use: Course Homepage - Online Discussion  You will need access to a computer with internet in order to consult the course homepage, complete some out-of-class homework assignments, and occasionally download an article.  Course information, announcements, grades, and the online discussion are all accessed through the course homepage; you should plan to access it 2 or more times each week.  Additionally, the discussion that takes place online through eCompanion is a required and graded portion of the course.

Exams  All essays, the Common Essay and the Final Exam are required in order to complete the course.

Quizzes – Quizzes may include the following:
- grammar, editing, revision , comprehension
-turning in completed homework
-graded oral participation and oral presentations

Group Work  You are expected to collaborate in groups both in and out of class.  Working with classmates is encouraged and expected; talking helps you generate and clarify ideas.  Of course for quizzes and exams, you are expected to work independently!

Honor Policy  SMC students are expected to abide by the SMC Honor Code

Support Courses – strongly recommended for current ESL 21A students
ESL 20A or 20B Advanced Grammar Workshop, 3 units. 
ESL 23 ,Advanced Reading, 3 units. 
ESL 28 , Academic Vocabulary, 3 units. 

Support Courses – recommended as needed
ESL 14A Pronunciation and Spelling
ESL 14B Accent Correction
ESL 15 Oral Communication
ESL 16A Articles
ESL 16B Verbs
ESL 16C Sentence Grammar
ESL 17 Reading
OIS 1A, B, C, 1 unit each.  Assists students to increase their typing speed.
LIBR 3, Electronic Information Resources, 3 units.  Recommended for students who wish to increase their knowledge of online sources and their use.
See ESL courses, for a complete list of the classes the ESL Dept.  offers. 

Note: some of these courses are also offered online or in hybrid form.  You may still enroll in support courses until the 4th week of the semester!

Tutoring 
Free tutoring is available in the ESL Center. Please sign up online. Bring with you to your appointment ESL 21A assignments about which you have questions. Tutors will not proofread, correct errors, or rewrite sentences. However, they will work with you on your individual English language problems!

Counseling
An academic counselor is available in ESL 121 at the following times:
Monday 2:00-2:30  Tovar
Tuesday 12:15-1:45 Semere
Weds 10:30-12:00  Maiorano
Thurs 11:45 – 1:15  Ebrami
Additionally, a counselor is available in the Counseling complete 124 G:
Tues/Thurs 11:00-1:00 Maiorano

Medical Problems
If you have a medical problem that might occur during the class, please notify your professor and the campus Health Services (310-434-4262).  The Health Services office will provide a card for you to fill out.  You can then provide your professor with a copy of the card.  All medical information given to Health Services is confidential.  In the event of an emergency, the usual procedure followed by SMC staff is to contract SMC Campus Police.  If Campus Police need to call paramendics, you, the student, may be held financially responsible for the cost incurred.

Please Note: Additional supplementary readings may be assigned.
Syllabus may be changed at any time during the semester at the discretion of the instructor.