About Your Instructor: Joan Roberts, M.Ed. You may call me Joan jroberts@pierce.ctc.edu 253.303.2205 Text works great, be sure to mention your name. Office Hours: by arrangement before or after class If I am unable to attend class due to my own emergency or illness, I will do my best to send a message to the entire class via CANVAS before class as much as possible and a sign will be posted on the classroom door. Class Schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday 8:30-9:20 Classroom: C-531 Prerequisites: CASAS test to enroll in this course. Course Description: This face-to-face writing skills course is designed to teach you new writing skills as it reviews advanced grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, paragraph and essay development. You will have opportunities to practice paragraph writing with an academic voice. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about this class or the syllabus. After completing this course you will be able to: Learning Objectives: Communicate opinions and ideas through writing to support analysis, reflection and research Demonstrate critical thinking skills by organizing and analyzing information and reflecting upon its meaning Use evidence representing different points of view to support claims Use a wide range of reading and AVID strategies and routines to provide an accurate summary of the text Integrate prior knowledge with new information to deepen synthesis of information 1
Develop clear and focused sentence and paragraph structures using proper punctuation and mechanics of written English Develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting Summarize, paraphrase, and quote accurately Document and use primary and secondary sources to support main ideas Use computer skills/programs for academic purposes such as word processing, email, and learning management systems Perform research using technology Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text, including figurative and connotative meanings;; analyze the impact of specific word choices including words on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings PIERCE COLLEGE CORE Ability Outcome We prepare students to live and work in a dynamically changing world by emphasizing whole student development and five core abilities: Critical, Creative, and Reflective Thinking;; Responsibility, Information Competency;; Effective Communication;; and Multiculturalism. In this course, we will focus on: Critical, Creative, and Reflective Thinking: Students will be able to question, search for answers and meaning, and develop ideas that lead to action Effective Communication: Students will be able to exchange messages in a variety of contexts using multiple methods No textbook is required for this course. Course Texts 2
Course Schedule ***Subjected to change*** Week New Subject Review Subject One Sentence Structure Types of Clauses Simple Compound Complex Two Paragraph Structure/Cause & Effect Three Focus on Nouns that Show Causes Continued: Focus on Nouns that Show Causes Verb Tenses FANBOYS Parts of Speech Topic Sentences FANBOYS Fragments, Run-Ons, Comma Splice Four Five Supporting Sentences Relationship to Topic Sentence Kinds of Supporting Sentences Unity & Coherence Prepositional Phrases & Transitions Six Pronouns and Conditionals Seven Relative Clauses Eight Review/ catch up, in class writing/editing Nine Articles Ten Putting it all together for your course work Required Materials The tools needed to fully participate in each class session are listed below: Pierce College Student Handbook & Monthly Course Planner-Get them at Student Services Cascade Building 4th floor 2 three-ring binder with dividers to hold readings, handouts, and assignments College ruled notebook paper 3
Black or blue ink pen. 1 package of 3 x 5 cards Flash drive or USB. This course meets in a face to face classroom, however assignments, grades, and other course information is located in Learning Management System (LMS) therefore access to a computer with Internet access and Microsoft Word. Course Management and Communication This course is web-enhanced via Canvas, the college s learning management system (LMS). You are expected to use CANVAS to access assignments and view grading rubrics, to submit assignments, and to check grades. Help on the use of CANVAS will be provided as course activities or assignments require. How to access and use Canvas can be found at https://pierce.instructure.com/login/canvas USERNAME: 925###### (your Pierce College SID/EIN - Student ID/Employee ID Number). DEFAULT PASSWORD: first 6 letters/characters of last name - all lower case (until you change it). NOTE: If less than 6, repeat from the beginning until you reach 6 (see examples below). Examples: Smith = smiths, Doe = doedoe, Don-Baker = don-ba, Van Huesin = vanhue Student Email System Pierce College student e-mail is the official means of communications with students. Be sure to setup your Pierce College student email account as immediately, and check it often. Click here for directions on how to do it: https://www.pierce.ctc.edu/studentlife/email/first Your School Email Is The first letter of your first name All of your last name And the last 4-digits of your SID (925, 934, FSC #) Will include @smail.pcd.edu Checking your student e-mail account regularly is an important student responsibility. 4
***Course communication also occurs within CANVAS. Please communicate with me using e- mail messaging found in CANVAS. I will answer your e-mail usually within 24 hours during the week and 48 hours during the weekend. Printing Information As a registered student, you are allowed approximately 170 FREE copies. After that, you may replenish printing funds in the library. The username and password follow this pattern: Username: First Initial + Last Name + Last 4 digits of Student ID# (example: jsmith2222) Password: PCD! And your birth date in YYYYMMDD format (example: PCD!19920328 for March 28, 1992) Click http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/library/printing how to print when you are on campus. Attendance Policy You are ultimately responsible for your success. The core ability of Responsibility includes attendance and participation in the class. You are expected to come to class on time, stay for the whole period, and act in a manner that supports learning. Students on tuition waivers are required to attend a minimum of 80% of the class session. If you are unable to attend a class, you must contact your instructor by text, email, or telephone. Failure to attend 80% will result in being ineligible to receive a tuition waiver the following quarter. Attendance is calculated in your final grade at 5%. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to contact me AND check in CANVAS for any assignments you missed. Please complete the missed assignment, however, it will be considered late and marked less 10% each class session missed. Most in-class assignments cannot be made up because of the content they cover is based on a one-time experience that we have during the class session. Be sure to ask if you have any questions. If you have an appointment or other reason and you must miss class or deadline for an assignment, please speak with me to make special arrangements before you are absent. I am generally happy to accommodate you if you contact me in advance of an absence. Pierce College Student Code of Conduct This class adheres to PC student code of conduct. As a Pierce College student, you are expected to comply with the Pierce College Student Code of Content. This code states that students are subject to disciplinary action as result of conduct violations, including academic dishonesty. 5
Please click here: http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/about/policy/studentrr To read the WAC Code click: WAC 132K-126-190 Rules and regulations. Academic Dishonesty A student uses another person s ideas, words, music, artwork, computations, models, etc., in such a manner as to imply that the thing used was their own;; A student uses notes, texts or memory aids during tests when such use was not expressly authorized;; A student steals or knowingly uses test master copies to gain information prior to an examination date;; A student knowingly allows another person to use their work as if it were that other person s work;; A student otherwise acts in such a manner as to gain for themselves or another an unfair advantage over other students, they may face disciplinary actions as stated in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy/Code of Conduct. Class Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing material, you will be given a zero (0) on the assignment. If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing a second time, we will have a conversation to decide if you will fail the class. 6
Behavior Expectations In this class you are expected to: Be engaged o Keep your phone in your bag, on vibrate o Participate fully in class activities o Treat every day as an opportunity to learn Be respectful o Be polite to your classmates and instructor o Don t make inappropriate noises or swear in class o Don't sleep in class o Don t talk when others are talking o Raise your hand if you wish to contribute to the discussion or ask a question o Be civil and open to classmates ideas, wisdoms, and experience. Significant and/or continued disruptive or disrespectful behavior that prevents us from meeting our course outcomes will not be tolerated. You will be asked to leave the class for the day. If it is repeated, you will be directed to Pierce College Administrators for further action and possible withdrawn from class. Be responsible o Ask about what you missed if you are absent o Come to class on time, ready to participate o Bring your supplies and readings to class o Turn in all assignments when they are due Cell Phones o Texting and checking social media is considered rude, just don t do You are investing your time in class: nothing is more important than that! o If you have a situation where you urgently need to make or take a phone call do so in the hall, it happens to all of us. If you disappear for more than 20 minutes, you will be counted as absent. 7
Pierce College Grading Scale A 100-95% 4.0 A- 94-90% 3.9-3.5 B+ 89-87% 3.4-3.2 B 86-84% 3.1-2.9 B- 83-80% 2.8-2.5 C+ 79-77% 2.4-2.2 C 76%-74% 2.1-1.9 73-70% 1.8-1.5 69-67% 1.4-1.2 C- 66+65% 1.1-1.10 D+ <65% 0.0 Formatting Assignments Any typed assignments use following format: Double spaced Standard 1 margins 12-point font: Style: Arial, Cambria, or Times New Roman On the TOP RIGHT SIDE put: Professor Roberts month/ day/ year Assignment title Assignment date ELECTONIC (VIA CANVAS) submissions MUST be o Sent using WORD doc. o Or WORD docx. o Questions? Ask me. College and Department Policies CASAS Testing Pierce College policy allows students to remain at the same Basic Skills Level for three quarters and one additional summer quarter. All students are required to take Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) tests for funding purposes. A Pre-test is within the first 12 hours of class;; a Post-test is after 45 hours of class. Students who do not complete a Post-test will NOT be allowed to register for their next quarter until a Post-Test is scheduled or completed. 8
Pierce College Add/Drop Policy Student Initiated Drops: Students can drop a class without progression penalty up to and including the 10 th class day after registration. Tuition Costs ESL levels 1-6 and ABE Levels 1-4 classes have a tuition cost of $25 fee per student per quarter. Tuition waivers are available for qualified students. Failure to attend 80% will result in being ineligible to receive a tuition waiver next quarter. Access and Disability Services Pierce College adheres to compliance with Title II of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that any enrolled student at the college who has a qualified documented physical, emotional, or mental disability which "substantially limits one or more major life activities (including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working)," is eligible for services from ADS. Students are encouraged to contact the ADS Office to begin the process for receiving services. Section 504 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Washington State laws prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Your experience in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of Pierce College to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you encounter barriers based on disability, please seek a meeting with the Access and Disability Services (ADS) Susan McPhee, Manager at Fort Steilacoom, (253) 964-6526 to discuss and address them. The office is located in Welcome Center, Cascade Building 3rd floor. If you have already established accommodations with the ADS Manager, please bring your approved accommodations (green sheet) to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course. ADS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you and the ADS Manager, and I am available to help facilitate them in this class. If you have not yet established services through ADS, but have a temporary or permanent disability that requires accommodations (this can include but not be limited to: mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical, or health impacts), you are encouraged to contact ADS at (253) 964-6526 (Fort Steilacoom) or (253) 840-8335 (Puyallup). 9
Safety and Emergencies: In the event of an emergency, call 911, then Campus Safety. 253 964-6751 Fort Steilacoom Campus Safety Inclement Weather In case of snow, ice or other bad weather conditions, check with one of the following for school closure information: Announcements will be on the Pierce College homepage at www.pierce.ctc.eduhttp://www.pierce.ctc.edu/ Local TV and radio news stations will announce closures and delays Look on www.schoolreport.orghttp://www.schoolreport.org/ Receive text message or email alerts from www.schoolreport.org (Go to their site to sign up.) Go to Pierce College s Twitter site at http://twitter.com/piercecollegehttp://twitter.com/piercecollege Go to Pierce College s Facebook site Call our main lines for a recorded message at: (253) 964-6500 Call me, your instructor 10