ESL 21A: INTERMEDIATE PARAGRAPH/ESSAY COMPOSITION AND GRAMMAR

Fall 2007 | Section #3302 | Room BUS 101 | 2:15-3:35 pm

 

Professor John Evenhuis 

email:

website:  johnevenhuis.com

Course Description: ESL 21A is a 3 unit, 3 hour per week high intermediate communicative writing course for non-native speakers. 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. construct and revise a variety of sentence types within paragraphs

2. plan, compose, and revise multi-paragraph essays (built upon a thesis statement, supporting body paragraphs, transitional sentences, and a conclusion)

3. respond to questions with paragraphs or essays under time constraints

4. paraphrase and summarize information from lectures and readings

5. demonstrate use of appropriate academic vocabulary in paragraphs and essays

6. write both short and extended definitions

7. begin to document sources

Reading:

1. preview an academic text

2. use skimming and scanning to locate main ideas and specific details in academic texts

3. evaluate the use of cohesive markers; distinguish word forms and their functions in a sentence

4. identify purpose, bias, audience, tone, and register

5. access articles online

Grammar:

Use the following in speaking/writing

1. verb tense and aspect (active and passive voice); time shifts, subject/verb agreement

2. clauses (noun, adjective, adverb); reported speech

3. modals in passive and reported speech

4. comparatives, superlative

Listening and Speaking:

1. participate in class discussions to gather information from readings and audio-video tapes in small groups to collect and organize ideas for writing

2. express and support opinions

3. give individual presentations

 

Texts & Materials:

Requirements:

Protocol:

Pagers, cell phones and other electronic devices should be shut off during class.
Aim to speak English in class.

Come to class and come on time:

Regular attendance is crucial. Students who miss more than 6 hours of class can be dropped. If you know in advance that you will be absent, please contact me by email . In addition, please arrange for a classmate to pick up any material handed out during the session.  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

Please be courteous to your fellow students and instructor. Students who arrive late for class or leave early consistently disrupt the class and may be dropped. Arriving late 2 times is equivalent to one absence.

Writing:

You will write four essays in class. You will revise essays at home. At-home revisions should be word-processed. Late papers will lose points.

Online Discussion:  

An important part of the course will be the discussion that takes place online through eCompanion.  You will need access to a computer with internet in order to complete these out-of-class homework assignments.

Quizzes:

 Several quizzes will cover reading, grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics.  Some quizzes will be announced, but some will not (i.e., "pop quizzes").  There will be no make-up quizzes.

Exams: It is not possible to pass the class without taking the Common Essay (Week 12) and the final.

Group Work:

Students will be expected to participate in study groups both in and out of class.

Honor Policy:

Students must adhere to the SMC Code of Academic Conduct regarding plagiarism and cheating.

Communication:

The best way to communicate with me is via email. I will generally reply within 24 hours. 

Please get the phone number or email of at least two classmates to ask about course assignments when you miss class.  I will not respond to emails from absent students asking what we did in a particular class.

Grading:

Paragraph 5%
Essays 70%

(1st in-class essay 10% - 2nd in-class essay 15% -Common essay 15% -Final essay + exam 30%)

Online Discussion 15%

Quizzes 15%

 

SMC Grading Scale

100 – 90% A (ESL 21B or possibly higher recommended)

89 – 80% B (ESL 21B recommended)

79 – 70% C (ESL 21B recommended)

69 – 60% D (Repeat of ESL 21A recommended)

below 59% F (ESL 11A/B level recommended)

Concurrent Enrollment:

ESL 20A or 20B (Advanced Grammar Workshop), 3 units.  Highly recommended for all 21A students.
ESL 23 (Advanced Reading), 3 units.  Highly recommended for all 21A students.
ESL 28 (Academic Vocabulary), 3 units.  Highly recommended for all 21A students.
OIS 1A, B, C, 1 unit each.  Recommended for students who wish to increase their typing speed. While students are not required to produce computer-generated writing for ESL 21A, it is strongly recommended that they improve their keyboarding skills BEFORE taking ESL 21B and Eng 1.
LIBR 3(Electronic Information Resources), 3 units.  Recommended for students who wish to increase their knowledge of online sources.
See ESL courses, for a complete list of the classes the ESL Dept.  offers. 

Note that some of these courses are also offered online or in hybrid form (1/2 in class, 1/2 online).  Also, you may still enroll in support courses until the 4th week of the semester!

 

Additional Support Courses:

ESL 14A Pronunciation and Spelling

ESL 14B Accent Correction

ESL 15 Oral Communication

ESL 16A Articles

ESL 16B Verbs

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.

 

Please Note: Additional supplementary readings may be assigned.

Syllabus may be changed at any time during the semester at the discretion of the instructor.