English 101 Overview and Assessments
English Composition I (ENGL 101), Vincennes University
Mrs. Turner, English 12 Academic, Austin High School
COURSE TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Nadell, Judith, John Langan, and Eliza A. Comodromos. The Longman Reader.8thed.
New York : Pearson, 2007.
Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. The Concise Wadsworth Handbook.2nded.
Boston : Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008.
Beers, Kylene, and Lee Odell, eds.Holt Elements of Literature, Sixth Course. Austin : Holt, Rinehart,
and Winston, 2008.
Irvin, Judith, et.al.Holt Elements of Language, Sixth Course. Austin : Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2009.
English I Vocabulary CardsAcademic Study Card Set.Visual Education. Springfield , Ohio .
OVERVIEW
Knowing how to write is a necessary skill that each student must master in order to prepare for any academic or occupational field. This course is designed to prepare seniors for their future writing experiences in college and in life.
This course is an academic one-semester course offered for dual credit for qualifying students. In this course, all students will focus upon basic composition, including a review of basic skills, a variety of short writings, a study of research techniques and MLA style, and a total of six evaluated essays. Students will also study selected readings from literature, prepare and deliver speeches, study vocabulary, and read independently.
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
A. Prerequisites: SAT Critical Reading score of 420 (PSAT – 42) or higher and SAT writing score of 380 (PSAT – 38) or higher or qualifying score on the Accuplacer exam through Vincennes University .
B. English Comp I is a course designed to help students develop their ability to think, to organize, and to express their ideas clearly and effectively. Emphasis is placed on the various forms of expository writing such as process, description, narration, comparison, analysis, persuasion, and argumentation. Numerous in-class writing assignments are required in addition to extended essays written both inside and outside of class.
C. Credit for this course will transfer to state colleges and universities in Indiana and to most other institutions of higher learning. Successful completion of this course requires a grade of “C” or higher and is indicative of a student’s ability to write at the college level.
D. This course includes the following general education skills:
1. Reading
2. Writing
3. Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
4. Computer Skills
5. Library and Research Skills
6. Speaking
E. Competencies
Upon completion of ENGL 101, students should have the competencies to effectively do the following:
1. Write a well-organized essay with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
2. Establish a firm thesis in the introduction.
3. Understand the importance of pre-writing activities, including narrowing a topic, generating ideas, determining the audience and the relationship between audience and content, and determining an appropriate tone.
4. Develop an order and logic in the presentation of the essay appropriate to different rhetorical modes, including argumentation, analysis, and an essay test mode.
5. Support the thesis statement with specific examples and details.
6. Use effective sentence structure and avoid fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.
7. Follow the standards of written English especially in regard to punctuation, agreement, and spelling.
8. Understand the value of the revision process for the development of ideas and for achieving the quality expected of the completed writing assignment.
9. Find and select appropriate outside sources, identify information relevant to a thesis, use sources to support a thesis, and document the outside sources correctly.
METHODOLOGIES
With each writing assignment, students will practice the concept of writing as a process of prewriting, organizing, drafting, and revising. The instructor will guide students through the writing process and provide feedback on student writing through a variety of methods, including checking outlines and drafts, conducting conferences, and organizing peer editing sessions. Much class time will be spent writing under the guidance of the instructor. Students are expected to complete all reading assignments and to come to class each day prepared to listen, write, and participate in discussions.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
Students must meet previously defined SAT, PSAT, or Accuplacer scores in order to qualify to take the course for college credit. All students in Academic English will complete the same work for the class and will receive two separate final grades – one grade for high school credit, and one grade for Vincennes college credit. The AHS grade will be determined according to the following weights and may be subject to variation:
Composition (VU) – 40%
Classwork (some VU) - 25%
Vocabulary - 25%
Speech - 10%
The Vincennes University credit will be determined for the semester according to the following grading units:
Quizzes / Basic Skills Review – 10%
Short Writings – 10%
Essay Test – 10%
Analysis Essay – 15%
Argumentation Essay - 15%
Expository Essay – 10%
Expository Essay – 10%
Expository Essay – 10%
Library/Documentation Activities – 5%
Assessment Essay – 5%
The grading scale for Vincennes FINAL COURSE GRADE is as follows:
A = 93-100
A- = 90 – 92
B+ = 87 – 89
B = 83 – 86
B- = 80 – 82
C+ = 77 – 79
C = 70 – 76
D = 60 – 69
F = 59 and below.
GRADING CRITERIA FOR ESSAYS
An “A” Essay:
*Explores the subject in depth
*Provides a clear thesis that is well supported by specific examples and concrete details
*Has an effective pattern of organization
*Has fully developed paragraphs and well constructed sentences
*Contains no fragments or major errors in grammar and contains few if any minor errors in grammar
*Meets the Minimum Writing Standards and all of the requirements of the assignment
A “B” Essay:
*Examines the subject in some depth but not in as much complexity as the “A” essay
*Supports a clear thesis with examples and details but may need additional support
*Has a clear, effective organization
*Employs generally well constructed paragraphs and sentences
*Contains no major errors in grammar but may contain a few minor errors
*Meets the Minimum Writing Standards and all requirements of the assignment.
A “C” Essay:
*Examines the subject acceptably but lacks depth
*Has a thesis but does not support the thesis with sufficient examples and details, depending heavily on unsupported generalization
*Shows a skeletal overall organization
*Contains inadequately developed paragraphs and occasionally awkward sentences and may lack necessary transitions
*May contain one major error in grammar and several minor errors
*Meets the Minimum Writing Standards and all requirements of the assignment
A “D” Essay:
*Does not examine the subject in any depth
*Lacks a clear thesis
*Demonstrates major problems in organization
*Contains poorly developed paragraphs and awkward sentence structure that create problems for the reader
*Contains major and minor errors in grammar
*Does not meet the Minimum Writing Standards or the requirements of the assignment
An “F” Essay:
*Fails to examine the subject in any depth
*Lacks thesis, supporting details, or examples
*Lacks any coherent organization
*Contains undeveloped paragraphs and faulty sentence structure that make the essay incoherent
*Contains major errors in grammar and repeated minor errors
*Does not meet the Minimum Writing Standards or the requirements of the assignment.
Minimum Writing Standards:
Failure of the paper will result from failure to meet the following standards:
*The essay must be the original work of the student whose name appears on the paper. Additionally, all uses of outside sources must be documented or the paper will not be recognized as the work of the student.
*The essay must complete the assignment as defined by the instructor.
*The essay must have a clearly stated thesis and a definite organization.
A below average grade will result from failure to meet the following standards:
*The thesis must be supported by examples and illustrations.
*The essay must not have more than one incomplete sentence.
*The essay must not have more than three comma splices and/or fused sentences.
*The essay must not have more than three misspelled words.
*The essay must not contain more than three errors in agreement.
*The essay must not include errors in documentation.
*The essay must not include repeated errors in grammar.
*The essay must be legible and neat. Word processed papers must be properly formatted.
FINAL GRADES
The final grades will be determined by the average of the grades received on the following units:
STUDENT RECORD
FALL SEMESTER 2008
Austin High School
English 101 Grading Sheet
Mrs. Turner
Name _________________________________________________
ASSIGNMENTS % GRADE POINTS
ASSESSMENT/ SHORT WRITINGS/
LIBRARY/DOCUMENTATION 15 _______ _______
BASIC SKILLS 10 _______ _______
DEFINITION 10 _______ _______
CAUSAL ANALYSIS 15 _______ _______
ARGUMENTATION / PERSUASION 15 _______ _______
PERSONAL NARRATIVE 10 _______ _______
COMPARISON / CONTRAST 10 _______ _______
ESSAY TEST / ASSESSMENT 15 _______
COURSE GRADE _______
COURSE POLICIES
*Attendance
Attendance is required. Students are expected to be in class and on time. Students with excessive absences will be withdrawn from the course and may receive the grade of “WF” if they are not passing when withdrawn from the course.
*Make-up work
It is the students’ responsibility to hand in work on time and to be sure that every assignment meets requirements set forth. If any essay is not completed, the final grade for the course will be dropped by one letter grade. Late paperswill receive a lower grade.A paper that is late will be lowered one letter grade for each day that it is late. No late papers will be accepted one week after the due date. And no paper will be accepted after the last day of class.
*Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism is the act of using another person’s words or ideas as if they were one’s own. Students will be required to sign a statement of academic honesty with each paper turned in. Any student who is found to plagiarize on a paper or who permits his or her work to be copied by another student will automatically receive zero points for that paper. The student may also receive a failing grade for the course.
*Conduct
Students must exhibit appropriate behavior for college work. Students not showing appropriate behavior will be warned and then ordered from the class to ensure a positive learning environment for other English Composition I students.
*Disabilities Statement
“ Vincennes University complies with the requirements set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to assure the rights of individuals with disabilities to air non-discriminatory treatment. Students with psychological, physical, sensory,, communicative, and/or learning disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services s soon as possible after admission to VU. The student will be required to provide copies of medical or psychometric evaluations that document the presence of a disability on the student’s level of functioning in order to determine the types of accommodations which will be needed., It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor immediately once (s)he hs been approved for academic accommodations because of a disability, have emergency medical information, or if (s)he needs special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated.” (This statement was developed and approved by the University Office of Disability Services.)
*Revision
Individual instructors will determine whether essays may be revised for grade improvement. However, students should not expect improvement of their grade without completing a true revision, one that reflects improvement in content and style as well as corrections in grammar and spelling errors. No revisions will be permitted for papers that are late, plagiarized, or written on unapproved topics.
*Preparation of Manuscripts
*All papers written outside the classroom must be written on a word processor.
*12-point size Times Roman font must be used.
*Variations must be approved by the instructor.