Graduate Core (ELI 057-001) – Spring 2012

TEXTBOOKS:

NorthStar Building Skills for the TOEFL iBT (Advanced). By Linda Robinson Fellag.

A Writer’s Reference with Resources for Multilingual Writers and ESL, 7^th ed. By Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers. 

Developmental Exercises to Accompany A Writer’s Reference, 7^th ed. By Wanda Van Goor and Diana Hacker.

Working with Sources: Exercises for a Writer’s Reference, 7^th ed. By Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers.

DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to help students develop the skills they need to be successful in graduate academic courses.  Students will focus on three major areas.

1.    Reading.  Students will improve their critical reading skills so that they can comprehend and analyze academic materials at close to native reader speed. In addition to textbook readings, students will read news articles, a pleasure-reading book, and materials related to their fields.

We will practice the following skills:  previewing and predicting, understanding new vocabulary, finding main ideas, skimming and scanning, highlighting, mapping and note-taking, distinguishing fact from opinion, understanding an author's purpose, drawing inferences, analyzing and critically appraising what they have read.

2.    Writing.  In the first half of the semester, students will practice techniques for note taking, paraphrasing, summarizing, synthesizing, and writing short compositions. They will learn to write in a style that is appropriate to a U.S. academic setting and will use correct grammar, punctuation, paragraph form, good organization and development. In the second half of the semester, students will write an 8-10 page research paper related to their future fields of study.

3.  Speaking and Listening.  Students will practice sharing their opinions and ideas in a variety of formal and informal situations, including TOEFL practice. They will also make oral presentations of their book review and research paper.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

1.    Reading:

o   Identify main ideas, supporting details, fact vs. opinion, guess vocabulary in context, draw conclusions and inferences, and identify organization, purpose, and tone of a reading.

o   Read, summarize, and respond to a native-speaker book (min. 250 pages).

2.    Writing:

o   Research and write, using APA style, a short but well-organized and well-developed academic paper with correctly formatted citations and references.

o   Consistently obtain at least an iBT level 4 on TOEFL writings, which include a clear thesis, cohesive, well-organized and well-developed body paragraphs, and complex sentences with correct mechanics.

3.    Listening:

o   Take notes with 70% accuracy from an authentic oral source.

o   Distinguish fact vs. opinion, draw conclusions and inferences, including vocabulary in context, identify purpose and tone, and distinguish between main ideas and support.

4.    Speaking:

o   Make well-developed, organized, cohesive arguments during class discussions / oral presentations.

o   Speak clearly with well-paced flow, mostly automatic grammar / vocabulary and connected ideas.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS and GRADING:

  5%    Resume
10%    Goals Statement (college application essay / statement of purpose)

10%    Pleasure Book Project:  written book report + oral presentation (see schedule)

10%    Developmental writing practice:  paraphrasing, summarizing, synthesizing, newspaper assignments, integrated TOEFL, online responses, reaction papers

10%    TOEFL and GRE Writing:  successful students should score a 4 on the TOEFL grading rubric

5%    TOEFL Reading:  successful students should score 70% accuracy and 200 wpm speed or higher

10%    Listening / Speaking: listening comprehension & speaking practice

40%    Research Paper:  8-10 pages on topic related to your field of study; at least five sources, with in-text citations and references. Written drafts + oral presentation with PowerPoint (see schedule)

-Reading Fluency exercises: twice a week to improve reading speed & comprehension.

-Newspaper articles: read selected articles and answer and discuss study questions.
-Daily homework.

Final Grades:  A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, NG=0-69, more than 10 absences, failure to complete required assignments (such as research paper drafts or final version by due date) or a plagiarized paper.

NOTE:  I’m happy to offer extra help outside of class, so feel free to stop by my office, email, text, or call. Also, if you feel your learning goals are not being met, I will do my best to help you achieve them.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

·         Attendance.  Arrive on time and be prepared. If you are more than 10 minutes late or leave early, it is a half-absence. No more than 10 absences are allowed. You are responsible for anything that was due or covered in your absence. Attendance is counted the last week of classes too

·         Completion of Assignments:  Students are expected to make up any class work or assignments that are missed   Final draft of research paper must be handed in by the deadline in order to receive a passing grade.

·         Cell phones must be turned OFF during class, unless we are using them for a purpose. Students are not allowed to make or receive calls during class.

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY HONOR CODE:

“Student members of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to academic work.”  http://academicintegrity.gmu.edu/honorcode/

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Jane’s advice: Get organized, be prepared, be on time, ask questions, feel free to make mistakes, speak up in class, use English daily, get to know teachers and classmates, take time for yourself. J  

Classmates I can contact:

Name: ____________________      Email or phone: ___________________________

Name: ____________________      Email or phone: ___________________________

GRADUATE CORE BOOK REPORT ASSIGNMENT

WEEK ONE
Choose a book you think you would enjoy reading. It can be fiction or non-fiction but not a textbook. Bring the book to class with you on Tuesday, Jan. 31 and be prepared to discuss what you think the book is about and why you chose it.

WEEK TWO - FIVE
Be prepared to discuss as much of the book as you have read in class on each and every Friday. You should summarize the main points of the plot so far and what you think will happen next. Also be ready to give your opinion of the book so far. Has your opinion changed since you started the book? 

WEEK SIX
Write a book report due Monday, Feb. 27. This should be a one or two page multi-paragraph report.

The first paragraph should introduce the book and your opinion about it. Give the title, author and kind of book (e.g. mystery, biography). Give a brief idea of what you think about the book in one or two sentences. Then give a general summary of the book in a couple of sentences.

The body paragraphs should explain what you learned from the story. Which parts of the book did you like best/least? Why? What life’s lessons did you glean? What did it teach you about your own life or experiences? Relate what you learned to explanations and examples from the story. And/or relate your own life experiences to what you read in the book.

The last paragraph should give a brief conclusion about why you would or would not recommend this book to other students in the class.

WEEK SEVEN
You will give a brief 3-5 minute oral book report in class the week of March 5-9.

Sign-up for which day you will present your report will be on Friday, on March 2. First in class gets first choice of presentation date. 

You can refer to brief notes on a note card, but you may NOT read from a script!

The intro will include a brief summary of the book, and the body will be what you learned from the story, and a few closing thoughts for the conclusion. You should be prepared to ask other presenters questions about their books and also to answer questions about your own book.

GRAD CORE RESEARCH PAPER REQUIREMENTS

You need to write a short page research paper on the academic topic of your choice. It is due at the end of Week 13. It should be 8-10 double spaced typed pages. There should be a cover page at the front and a references page at the end (in addition to the 8-10 pages). You should use at least 5 sources which will be cited in the text and referenced in the references. You should use a variety of kinds of sources (books, journals and internet). You can use any of the standard systems for citing and bibliography, but I strongly prefer and suggest APA. You need to complete all the stages mentioned below and hand them in by 12:30 pm (after class) on the due date mentioned. Points will be deducted from your grade for each assignment that is handed in late. You may submit a paper that is also required by a credit course you are currently taking, but you may not submit a paper that you have previously submitted for an ELI class.

WEEK NINE (Friday, March 23)

Find a topic and narrow it down to one on which you will be able to write a paper of the appropriate length. You may want to use a variety of brainstorming techniques (free-writing, mapping, listing to help you choose an appropriate topic). Do some initial research to ensure that your topic is feasible. Hand in a paragraph proposal informing me what you think you will be writing about in your paper. 

WEEK TEN (Friday, March 30)

Do extensive research, and take notes on note cards or in a computer file. Each card, or page on the computer, should have the title of the article, the journal or book, the author, the date, and the page number. On the other side of the card, or on the same page of your computer file, write a paraphrase of the point you are interested in. Write a different card, or page, for each point even if they are from the same article. Hand in an outline of what you plan to write and the sources you plan to use so far. 

WEEK ELEVEN (Friday, April 6)

Continue to do more research and note-taking, and refine your outline. Write a rough first draft (it doesn't have to be complete or typed) and hand it in.

WEEK TWELVE (Friday, April 13)
Write your second draft (typed) and hand it in. 

WEEK THIRTEEN (Monday, April 23)
Write your third and final draft. Do the cover page and bibliography. Hand in the finished product the following Monday. 

WEEK FOURTEEN  (Friday, April 27)
Create a Power Point Presentation (about ten minutes long) of your research paper to present to the class. Hand in print copy of Power Point presentation.

WEEK FIFTEEN  (April 30 – May 2)

Make the Power Point Presentation to the class.