Syllabus

Course Goals:
By the end of the course, students of ESL 111-101 should be able to:

• read various reading genres in English
• practice and use their newly acquired reading vocabulary
• apply their newly acquired reading strategies in and outside the classroom environment
• read at a higher proficiency level than upon the level upon entering the course
• apply critical thinking skills to reading texts in and outside the classroom
• evaluate their own reading ability
• write a paragraph with topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence
• write a reaction to a descriptive paper
• collaborate with classmates for editing papers
• write sentences with transitions to compare and contrast
• compose paragraphs to compare and contrast Western and Chinese astrology
• write a personal reflection about one's personality
• write an opinion response
• write an opinion essay about personality psychology
• analyze use of a thesis statement, supporting details, and concluding statement in an essay
• support opinions with facts and data

Attendance and Participation Policy

• Students must attend classes on time (10:45 Monday through Friday)
• Students are allowed only 2 absences
• 1% of your final grade will be deducted for each absence after the first 2.
• If a student is more than 5 minutes late to any class, he or she will be marked 1/2 day absent. If a student is more than 15 minutes late to class, he or she will be marked absent for that class.

Assignment Policy

• Students must turn in their assignments at the beginning of class on the due date.
• If a student is absent on the day an assignment is due, it may be sent with another student or it may be emailed to me.
• If an assignment is received after the day it is due, it will be scored as a 0%.
• If an assignment is received after class is over on the due date, the grade will be reduced by 10%.

Grading
ESL 111-101 final grades will be determined on the basis of the following:

1. 5% for discussion group
2. 10% for vocabulary assignments
3. 20% for assignments from North Star
4. 20% for reading assignments
5. 20% for in-class discussions
6. 25% for final essays

Additional Language Development

• Discussion Group with Leah on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.
• Writing Emphasis with Laura on Wednesdays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.