• A good college dictionary such as Webster's or American Heritage with 59,000 words or more
• Roget's Thesaurus (or an electronic English speller/dictionary/thesaurus)
• Scantron Forms 882 (8) and large Blue or Green Books (5-10)
• Notebook paper, #2 pencils, blue or black erasable pens, or blue or black pens and Wite-Out® tape

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Class meetings will include discussions of each grammar and sentence skill, chapter, and reading selection. You will also receive instruction in comprehending contextual vocabulary, reading for literal and inferential comprehension, learning sentence skills, doing in-class writings, and participating in group activities. To get a passing grade in this class, students must show proficiency in reading comprehension, which includes vocabulary, literal, and inferential comprehension, and proficiency in writing skills, which includes paragraph and essay structure, grammar and sentence skills. Students must average 70% to achieve a passing grade. Students should be ready for a reading selection comprehension/vocabulary quiz covering the reading selection's vocabulary, literal, and inferential comprehension. Each student will also write five text-based essays, including formal outlines, rough drafts and final drafts. These five text-based essays will be graded on spelling, grammar, sentence structure and critical thinking. In addition, each student will write two reading selection outline/summaries which will be graded on spelling, grammar, sentence structure and accuracy of content. Finally, each student must complete a library research essay, with two sources, a formal outline, notecards, rough draft, and final draft. Except for the argument/library research essay and summaries, ALL writing will be done in class on assigned dates. The five essays, two summaries, library assignment/essay, midterm and final must ALL be completed for you to receive a passing grade.

Course Guidelines

1. ATTENDANCE is expected at ALL class meetings. FIVE non-college authorized absences will result in being dropped from class--no exceptions. A quiz or in-class writing is required each class meeting, so regular attendance increases your chance of success. If you miss ONE class meeting in the first two weeks, I will assume you do not wish to take the class, drop you, and give your place to another eligible person. Call my extension 4329 if you have a valid excuse for missing a class the first two weeks. If you miss the sixth class meeting after the last day to drop, you will receive an "F" for the class.
2. Class begins promptly at 7:30 am. Habitual tardiness will count as an absence for every two tardies. Tardy students cannot take a quiz once it has started.
3. Please turn off all cellphones, pagers, or beepers before entering the classroom. If yours goes off, you will be asked to leave for the day and marked absent.
4. All work is due on the day listed on the schedule. If you are absent when an assignment is due, it is due the next class meeting, but it will count as the one late assignment allowed each student. However, if the assignment is an in-class writing, and it is a college authorized absence (Mt. SAC athletics player participation, field trips, student government, and speech, art, drama, or music program participation), it must be madeup within a week of the due date during my office hours. After November 25th, I will not allow anyone to makeup work. The five essays, two summaries, library assignment/essay, midterm and final must ALL be completed for you to receive a passing grade.
5. The assignments for the days listed on the Course Assignment Schedule must be completed before coming to class. Always bring your book (must be purchased by 9/4), a pen, a #2 pencil, paper, scantrons, dictionary and thesaurus (or electronic speller/dictionary/thesaurus) to class.
6. All in-class writings for this class are to be done in a large blank Blue Book which you will provide. Use black or blue ink only, skipping every other line. Place your name, English 68, my name, the date, and mode of development in the upper lefthand corner. All essays will be written or printed in a large Blue Book, on one side of the paper only, leaving a 1" top, bottom, left and right margin. Bring a large blank Blue Book on the dates indicated on the Course Assignment Schedule. The summaries and argument/library research essay steps will be typed using the same format above for the Blue Books.
7. All Paragraphs and Essays homework exercises should be done in the book, and you should be able to give and discuss answers in class. Be prepared with a blue or black ink pen to take a quiz. Answers for the exercise questions in the chapters should be answered in the book in complete sentences. Be prepared to discuss the readings in class and to take a quiz.
8. Reading comprehension, chapter, or grammar quizzes are given each class meeting. There will be no make-up for quizzes or in-lab writings. If you are absent, you will receive a zero unless it is a college authorized absence (see #4). Example: 80, 90, 85, 80 = an 84% average but 80, 0 (absent), 85, 90 = a 64% average
9. Grammar quizzes are to be written in blue or black ink--no papers in pencil will be accepted. Quizzes should be neatly written because if I cannot read a question I will give it a zero.
10. All chapter and reading comprehension quizzes will be objective; answers will be recorded on scantron forms 882 must be answered with a #2 pencil.
11. Student Misconduct Guidelines
12. Presenting "someone else's ideas or words as one's own" (published or unpublished) is plagiarism. Cheating "includes, but is not limited to plagiarism, receiving or knowingly supplying unauthorized information, using unauthorized material or sources, changing an answer after work has been graded and presenting it as improperly graded, illegally accessing confidential information through a computer, taking an examination for another student or having another student take an examination for you, and forging or altering registration or grade documents ” (Mt. San Antonio College Catalog 2009-2010 248-249 ). If I determine that a student has plagiarized or cheated, he or she will receive a "0" for the paper, be dropped from the course, or receive an "F" for the course.
13. I am available for individual help during my office hours or by appointment, so don't be afraid to ask for help.

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SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS - ENGLISH 68