ESL 91 D01B - Kingsborough Community College



ESL 91 D01B Fall 2006

Textbooks:

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Understanding and Using English Grammar (3rd Ed.) by Betty S. Azar

Course Description & Objectives:

ESL 91 is the highest level ESL course which is aimed at helping students to develop fluency in reading and writing through guided instruction and intensive practice. Because this is an integrated skills course, reading and writing activities and practices are interwoven. Students read, critique, and analyze a book and short articles. Writing assignments are based on themes taken from these reading texts.

Through intensive and extensive reading in the course, students will increase vocabulary, become more proficient in comprehension and appreciation of texts, and improve critical and analytical skills. For writing, the course will focus on clarity, organization, and development of ideas.

Student Responsibility:

1. Regular attendance is required of all students by the College. Students are allowed a maximum of 6 absences from class. These absences should be used for illnesses as well as other personal and family emergencies. Those with excessive absences (7 or more) from class will receive a WU as grade and have to repeat the course. There will be no exception to this rule.

2. Each week students will be assigned to read one to two chapters of The Namesake. Please make sure to read the assigned chapter(s) before coming to class. Reading logs will be required; tests and quizzes on the reading assignments will also be given regularly. There will be class and small group discussions. Active participation in discussions is expected of all students and will be a deciding factor for the final grade.

3. Both formal and informal writing will be assigned regularly. For formal essays, a process method will be used. Students are required to do multiple revisions for each essay. To comply with the English Department's assessment requirements, students must SAVE all the drafts that they have produced during the semester and prepare a portfolio of writing samples for the final writing assessment. Students who do not have all the required drafts for all the essays will not be allowed to submit a portfolio and as a result will fail the course. All formal essays must be typed and double-spaced.

4. All writing assignments (formal or informal) must be submitted at the beginning of the class period on the due day. If a student misses a class, it is his/her responsibility to find out about homework from classmates. No student is exempt from assignments.

Assessment:

The assessments for ESL 91 will include the English Department's reading final exam and a writing portfolio. The departmental reading final exam consists of a reading passage (two to four pages long). Students will be asked to read and summarize the article and answer in writing questions about the article based on their understanding. A writing portfolio consists of a reflective essay, two revised essays with multiple drafts, and the departmental writing final exam. Students must pass both reading and writing in order to advance to Eng 92. Those who fail reading or writing as well as those who fail both components will have to take ESL 91 again the following semester.

Reading Assignments:

The grammar book, Understanding and Using English Grammar, should be used as a reference book for writing. Students are expected to browse through the titles and subtitles of each chapter and the content index as soon as possible and study carefully those chapters that cover aspects of the language that are their weaknesses. The class will go over some of the common trouble spots together. Ask the instructor or the tutors if individual attention is needed.

Chapters of The Namesake are tentatively assigned as follows:

Week 1 — Assessment, warm-up, course requirements, etc.

Read Chapter 1 of The Namesake

Week 2 — Chapter 2, The Namesake

Week 3 — Chapter 3, The Namesake

Week 4 — Chapter 4, The Namesake

Week 5 — Chapter 5, The Namesake

Week 6 — Chapter 6, The Namesake

In-class reflective writing

Week 7 — Chapter 7, The Namesake

Week 8 — Chapter 8, The Namesake

Week 9 — Chapter 9, The Namesake

Week 10 — Chapter 10, The Namesake

Week 11 — Chapters 11 & 12, The Namesake

In-class reflective writing

Week 12 — Practice Reading and Writing Exams

Important Dates:

12/4 — Portfolios due

12/5 — Writing Final Exam

12/8 — Reading Final Exam

12/13 — Graded portfolios available for students to pick up from English Dept. (C309)

ESSAY ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION

The following is one of the essay topics about The Namesake that we’ve done during the semester. It was given when the class was reading Chapter 6 or 7, after extensive discussions on cultural differences and clashes that all immigrants in this country face as well as analysis of the experiences of the characters in the earlier part of the book.

In the first few chapters of the book, The Namesake, the author describes many differences between American and Indian cultures that Ashima observes in her early years of living here as a foreigner. For her, the life of a foreigner here is like that of a “pregnant woman,” only with more difficulties and challenges. Now think about the differences you have noticed between your native culture and American culture.

In a well organized essay, first briefly summarize Ashima’s current life as a foreigner in the U.S. What are her particular difficulties here and their causes? Then discuss a few differences between your native and American cultures that have caused difficulties for you to live in this country as an immigrant. In what ways is American culture challenging for you? How have you handled those challenges?

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