Advising Notes
Montgomery College, Germantown Campus
Date reviewed: April, 2005

Discipline:  Reading [RD102]
Reading Advisor
Return to Reading

Rd102, Breakthroughs: Personal, Technological, and Scientific Paired Courses: RD 102 and EL 102
Sample syllabus submitted by Dr. Eitington and Professor Fisher, Spring 2005

Sections:        RD 102, section 31139; EL 102, section 32411

 

Required Texts:                   Interactions 2 Reading, 4th Edition, by Kern and Hartmann

Interactions 2 Grammar, 4th Edition, by Werner, Nelson, Hyzer, Church

 

Required Materials:              1. An MC English Composition folder. Available in the MC bookstore

2. Looseleaf notebook paper, 8*/2 x 11

 

Recommended Materials:     1. A good English-English dictionary (for example, Longman's or the American Heritage Dictionary)

2.  A bilingual dictionary (student's native language and English)

3. A looseleaf notebook

4. A computer disk if the student wishes to use the Writing Center computers

 

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

 

The following schedule and assignments may be changed to reflect the needs of the students.

 

Week of                               Topics/Assignments

 

Jan. 24           Introduction to the Paired Courses (Professors, Classmates, Course

Content, Objectives and Texts) Diagnostic Pretests


 

RD 102: Chapter 1, "Education and Student Life" in Interactions 2

Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Education - A Key to Personal Breakthroughs in Life

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Effective previewing, skimming and scanning; using context clues

 

EL 102: Chapter 1, "Education and Student Life" in Interactions 2 Grammar and Appendix 2 and Appendix 3

 

Grammar Topics:

Simple present tense and present continuous tense; simple past tense and

past continuous tense; irregular verb forms; spelling rules

 

 

Jan. 31          RD 102: Chapter 2, "City Life" in Interactions 2 Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Breakthroughs in Protecting the Environment for Healthier Living in Our Communities

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Use of punctuation, examples, opposites and connecting words to understand new vocabulary; practice finding main ideas and making inferences

 

EL 102: Continue Chapter 1 in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Continue simple present and past tenses and continuous tenses Quiz on Parts 1, 2, 3, in Chapter 1

 

Writing Skills:

Introduction to paragraphs

                       

 

Feb. 7            RD 102: Chapter 4, "Jobs and Professions" in Interactions 2 Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Breakthroughs in Seeking and Finding Jobs

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Finding the topic and topic sentence; recognizing and understanding

supporting details (major & minor)

 

 

EL 102: Chapter 1, Part 4, in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Simple future and future continuous tenses

Quiz on Chapter 1, Part 4

 

 

Feb. 14          RD 102: Chapter 3, "Business and Money" in Interactions 2 Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Starting a Small Business in the U.S.

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Using specific clues and logic to determine meaning; understanding

pronoun references; using adjective and noun phrases to build vocabulary

knowledge and usage; increasing reading speed through improved eye

movement

 

EL 102: Chapter 2, "City Life" in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Count and noncount nouns; articles

 

Writing Skills:

Process paragraphs

 

 

Feb. 21           RD 102: Chapter 5, "Lifestyles Around the World" in Interactions 2

Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Breaking Through Stereotypes

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Recognizing the relationship of comparison and contrast; effective

underlining and sidelining; summarizing what you read

 

EL 102: Quiz on Chapter 2

Begin Chapter 3, "Business and Money" in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Modal auxiliaries of request, permission, ability, expectation, preference, advice, need, possibility, impossibility, probability

 

Additional Grammar Work:

Past tense modal auxiliaries (handouts)

(Refer back to readings of fact and opinion)


 

Feb. 28          RD 102: Chapter 6, "Global Connections" in Interactions 2 Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Global Trade: What Will It Mean for Me and My Family?

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Effective previewing to formulate questions to answer by thorough reading; recognizing figurative meaning whose literal meaning you already know; practicing outlining to better understand the relationship of ideas and to retain information read

 

EL 102: In-class paragraph using modal auxiliaries

Begin Chapter 4, "Jobs and Professions" in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Present perfect tense, present perfect continuous tense, past perfect tense,

past perfect continuous tense

 

 

March 7         RD 102: Chapter 7, "Language and Communication" in Interactions 2

Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Use of English as an International Language

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Making inferences; distinguishing facts from theories; recognizing

prefixes, suffixes and roots to aid understanding of new words

 

EL 102:Continue Chapter 4 in Interactions 2 Grammar Quiz on Chapter 4

Writing Skills: Narrative paragraphs

 

 

March 14       RD 102: Review of all skills covered in Chapters 1 - 7 in classroom

activities and exercises as well as those in assignments completed outside

of class

Midterm Examination March 15 or 17

 

EL 102: Review verb tenses, nouns, and modal auxiliaries Midterm Examination March 15 or 17

 

 

March 21        Spring Recess (No Classes) Happy Vacation!

 

 

 

 

 

March 28       RD 102: Chapter 9, "New Frontiers" in Interactions 2 Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Breakthroughs in Understanding the Human Brain

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Use of categories to understand and remember concepts presented in

textbooks

 

EL 102: Chapter 5, "Lifestyles Around the World" in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Emphasis on Part 4, Participles and Adjectives Followed by Prepositions

 

Chapter 6, "Global Connections" in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Clauses of time and condition in the present and in the future; second

conditional

 

Writing Skills:

Compound sentences and complex sentences (review)

 

 

April 4           RD 102: Chapter 10, "Medicine, Myths, and Magic" \n Interactions 2

Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Breakthroughs in Medicine

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Using a writer's analogies to understand and remember the ideas presented; effective scanning for specific information; summarizing of material read

 

EL 102: Chapter 7, "Language and Communication" in Interactions 2

Grammar, Part 4

 

Grammar Topics:

Time clauses

 

Chapter 8, "Tastes and Preferences" in Interactions 2 Grammar, Part 1

 

Grammar Topics:

Positive adjectives and participles

 

Chapter 9, "New Frontiers" in Interactions 2 Grammar


 

Grammar Topics:

Brief introduction to passive voice

 

 

April 11         RD 102: Chapter 11, "The Media" in Interactions 2 Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Positive and Negative Effects of the Media on Individual and Societal Breakthroughs

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Understanding figurative language; identifying main ideas; recognizing fact and opinion; inferring meaning

 

EL 102:

Grammar Topics:

Noun clauses and reported speech (handouts)

 

 

April 18         RD 102: Chapter 12, "With Liberty and Justice for All" in Interactions 2

Reading

 

Reading & Discussion Topic: Exploring Breakthroughs in Liberty and Justice for AH in the U.S.

 

Reading Skills Developed:

Locating major and minor details; using outlines as an aid to understanding concepts and their relationships; and recognizing the relationships of definition/example, cause/effect and comparison/contrast

 

EL 102: Chapter 11, "The Media" in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Gerunds and infinitives

 

Writing Skills:

Descriptive paragraphs

 

 

April 25         RD 102: Presentations of biographies and autobiographies on the lives of

people who have experienced or contributed to outstanding breakthroughs

 

EL 102: Chapter 10, "Medicine, Myths, and Magic" in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Adjective clauses

May 2            RD 102: Review of all reading skills covered in RD 102

 

EL 102: Chapter 12, "With Liberty and Justice for All" in Interactions 2 Grammar

 

Grammar Topics:

Quiz on Reported Speech and Adjective Clauses

Conditional sentences and review

 

 

May 9            Final Exams

 

RD 102, Tuesday, May 10th, 8 - 10am (as per printed schedule)

 

EL 102, Thursday, May 12th, 10:15am- 12:15pm (as per printed schedule)

 

GRADING

 

RD 102 and EL 102:

 

A    90-100               D     60-69      (not passing)

B     80-89                F     below 60 (not passing)

C     70-79

 

Final grade in RD 102 will be based on the following:

 

20% Daily Reading Comprehension Assignments and Graded In-Class Activities

 

20% Chapter Mastery Tests

 

30% Midterm Examination

 

30% Final Examination

 

At the completion of the course you will receive a grade of A, B, C, D, or F based on an average of the above four components.

 

Final grade in EL 102 will be based on the following:

 

50% Class Average, which includes quizzes, graded paragraphs, the midterm examination, and class participation, homework, and labwork.

 

50% Final Examination (70% grammar and 30% paragraph)


 

At the completion of the course you will receive a grade of A, B, C, D, or F based on an average of the above two components.

 

 

COURSE REQUERMENTS

 

1.   Attend all class sessions. If you miss more than two classes in each section

      (five class hours), you may be dropped from the course. If you have an      

      emergency or health problem, please call us so we can make arrangements for

      you to keep up with the class. It is also a good idea to exchange telephone

      numbers with a classmate, in case you miss an assignment.

 

2.   Be on time. Repeated latenesses may affect your grade.

 

3.   Complete all assignments and labwork on time.

 

4.   Take all tests plus the Midterm and Final Examinations on the dates

      scheduled.

 

CLASSROOM POLICIES

 

Academic Honesty:

The following are strictly prohibited: cheating on exams, copying another's work, and presenting the work of another as your own (plagiarism). An instance of academic dishonesty may result in an F for the assignment and possibly for the course.

 

Classroom Conduct:

It is expected that all students will behave politely and respectfully in class. There should be no use of cell phones, no foul language, no yelling at others or interrupting others. If a student behaves disruptively in class, he may be asked to leave the room for the remainder of the class session. Please turn off cell phones before the class begins.

 

Support Services:

A student who may need an accommodation due to a disability should make an appointment to see me during my office hours. A letter from Disability Support Services (DSS) authorizing your accommodations will be needed. The DSS office is located in Room 175 SA and may be called at 240 567-7767.

 

Cancellation of Classes:

In the event of severe weather, students should listen to a TV or radio news station for information about college closures. Make sure you hear or read that Montgomery College will be closed (not Montgomery County Public Schools). If classes are cancelled, continue with the assigned homework.


 

GOOD ADVICE

 

1.  Read in English (every day, and as much as possible). Newspapers, magazines, and books are all effective. This helps to increase your vocabulary and reinforce the grammar you are studying.

2.  Ask questions when you don't understand something. (We are here to help you!)

3.  If you are confused about a topic, make an appointment to work with us outside of class.

3.  Learn as many new words as you can. This will help your reading and writing. You might want to keep a vocabulary notebook or cards.


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