Queensborough Community College CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP) Course Outline: Fall 2013

Class 3A Monday-Friday 9:00-2:30 Office: (718) 281-5466 Instructor: Zach Kelly zachkelly.cuny@gmail.com Office Hours: Tues. 8:30-9:00 am Thurs. 2:30-3:30 pm

An American StoryThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Course Description and Objectives
Who is Henrietta Lacks? How can someone become immortal? What can this book teach us about American history and culture? The first part of this course will explore the fascinating story of the world famous HeLa cells and the equally important story of the woman they came from, Henrietta Lacks, as told by Rebecca Skloot. Skloots book is unconventional in its style and covers a lot of ground. It is a biography, a detective story, an example of superb scientific inquiry and a close look at difficult and important issues including race, class and medical ethics. It is a human story-- the story of a woman and her family and their struggle for justice and equality. It is a story of remarkable ambition and achievement. Ultimately, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an American story. It shows us much about where we have come from, confronts provocative and controversial issues we face today, and pushes us to look forward in anticipation of new conflicts as well as possibilities. Previously, this book was read as part of a campus-wide Common Read initiative. A number of presentations and seminars created for this initiative have been digitally archived and made available to the campus community. We will be incorporating this material into our course as an e-learning component. Approximately once every two weeks, you will be responsible for viewing online presentations and completing reflective comprehension checks based on the presentations. The great thing about this type of presentation is that you can watch it at your own pace and as many times as you need to. Many college classes are incorporating online education, hybrid instruction or moving completely online. My hope is that this e-learning component will help prepare you to confidently navigate the learning environment of the future. The latter half of this course will focus on American Studies in five sections: Government, Diversity, The Struggle for Equality, American Values, and Culture. We will relate these topics to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks as well as personal experiences and observations. We will explore English through a variety of methods such as writing in class and typing on the computer, conducting Internet research, practicing taking notes while listening to academic lectures, interviewing and giving oral presentations. Progress will be recorded in a learning portfolio.

By the end of this course, students can expect to speak, read and write more fluently with greater grammatical control, enhanced academic vocabulary and with a wider scope for their thoughts.

Texts
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Academic Encounters, American Studies by Jessica Williams You are responsible for having personal copies of each text. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is generously provided to you by QCC as part of the campus-wide Common Read initiative. You are expected to return the book unmarked and in good condition at the end of the semester. If you would like to mark the book, please purchase your own copy. You are responsible for purchasing a copy of Academic Encounters as well as a writing book to be determined based on diagnostic results. You may purchase new or used copies. They will be available at the campus bookstore and are readily available online.

Supplemental Texts
Introduction to Academic Writing by Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue Great Essays by Keith S. Folse, A. Muchmore-Vokoun, E. Vestri Solomon Nitty Gritty Grammar, Sentence Essentials for Writers by A.Robert Young and Ann O. Strauch Understanding and Using English Grammar by Betty Schrampfer Azar Learn to Listen, Listen to Learn 1 and 2 by Roni S. Lebauer Assorted short pieces of fiction as well as assorted newspaper and magazine articles

Class Activities Speaking and Listening

We will be using only English in this class. This is the fastest way for everyone to develop effective English communication skills. Participating in partner, small group and class discussions Reading aloud in small groups Dictation Individual and group presentations Classmate interviews Listening to lectures and taking notes Recording oral presentations

Reading
Reading is one of the essential skills that will help you prepare for college. It will also help you expand your vocabulary and reinforce your grammar. You will read a variety of fiction and non-fiction material. At home and in-class reading Group discussions on comprehension questions

Completing reading logs and journals Follow up quizzes

Writing
Essays will be assigned for homework and in class. Students will write each essay in three drafts, incorporating feedback and corrections in each draft. Draft one will be hand written and will be peer reviewed and revised. Draft two will be typed on the computer and will be commented on and corrected by your teacher. Draft three will also be typed. It will receive final feedback from your teacher and will be printed out and kept in your student portfolio. On a weekly basis, you will review the essays in your portfolio to get a sense of your progress and to correct any recurring errors. In addition to writing essays, you will participate in weekly reflection writing to increase your self-awareness as a learner. The following activities will be explored in order to improve your writing skills: Prewriting strategies (brainstorming, free writing, clustering, using graphic organizers, outlining) Paragraph development (topic sentences, providing support, moving from general to specific) Essay development (introduction, body, conclusion) Editing (grammar, word choice, cohesion)

Vocabulary
A number of useful techniques will be learned and practiced in order to assist students in broadening their passive and active vocabulary including: Maintaining a vocabulary notebook Developing the ability to learn meaning from context Quizzing classmates on new vocabulary Completing weekly vocabulary exercises Spelling quizzes

Grammar and Mechanics

For more accuracy in speaking and writing, the following topics will be taught and reinforced continuously in class: Basic sentence structure and word order Simple present tense, present perfect, present progressive, simple past, past progressive, past perfect and future with will and be going to Modals Question forms (Yes/No and Wh- questions) Four major parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) Pronouns Prepositions The passive voice Gerunds and infinitives

Simple and compound sentences Punctuation (recognizing word boundaries, avoiding fragments and run on sentences)

Website Design
All students will create and maintain individual websites to record their work.

Computer Lab
We are fortunate to have daily access to a state-of-the-art computer lab. The class will have access to this facility for approximately one hour per day. Here you can: Improve typing speed Word process and revise your compositions Use the Internet to conduct research on class assignments Develop your website Please do not use the computer lab during class time for non-academic purposes such as checking email, listening to music or shopping.

College Knowledge
Throughout the semester you will have the chance to visit special classes and lectures on campus to learn more about the college experience. We will also devote approximately one hour per week of class time to college knowledge. This will give you the opportunity to be integrated into campus life at QCC and better prepare you for your college career.

Field Trips
In order to have a richer educational experience, we will take one or more field trips this semester. The field trips will be off campus and related to our theme. Attendance is mandatory.

Student Responsibilities
Attend class regularly and punctually. Absences will disconnect you from class and slow down your progress, so you should make your best effort to always be present. If you are absent, you are still required to do the homework you missed, so you should have the telephone numbers and email addresses of at least two of your classmates whom you can contact to get missed assignments. Lateness will not be marked this semester. 9:00 to 9:15 is free question time. This is your opportunity to ask any questions related to our class work as well as any questions related to college knowledge or American culture. Promptly at 9:15, the prepared lesson will begin. You will not be allowed to enter after 9:15 and will be marked absent. If you have extenuating circumstances (ex. appointment with the immigration office), arrangements must be make beforehand. Excused absences will not be marked this semester. After three absences, you will receive a reminder/warning letter from the CLIP office. You may be asked to have an

appointment with the office. After four absences, you will receive your final warning and will have a mandatory appointment with the office. After five absences, you will be dismissed from the program. Please use your absences wisely for when they are truly necessary. You cannot be absent more than five times during the semester. Classmate Phone number Email address

Actively participate in all class activities. Complete all homework and in-class activities. Maintain your portfolio and website on a weekly basis. Avoid class disruptions by turning off your cell phone and putting it away during class time, staying on task, and using our common language of discourseEnglish. Disruptions will be handled with a friendly warning, a formal warning and then a dismissal from class for the day. Chronic disruptions will be handled by the office and may result in dismissal from the program. Please see the complete list of Class Rules and Rules for Group Work that you created attached.

Course Materials
Please bring the following materials to class every day: Required texts A paper dictionary 3 notebooks-- One notebook is for taking in-class notes. One notebook is for new vocabulary. One notebook is for your writing journal. 1 pocket folder-- This folder is for your portfolio. 1 three-ring binder-- This binder is for in-class handouts. It is your responsibility to keep these organized and bring them to class. Loose-leaf paper-- First drafts of essays should be written on loose-leaf paper. School supplies-- Pens (including one red pen), pencils, erasers, highlighters, paper clips, white out, etc. Due date for bringing the above materials to class ______________________________

Class Conduct
Effort: Both the teacher and students must make a serious effort to achieve the objective of improving the level of English of the class. Respect: Our objective is to work respectfully as individuals and as a class. Welcome to CLIP at Queensborough Community College. I look forward to a wonderful semester together! Zach Kelly

Important Dates
Sept 9: Classes begin Sept. 13: No classes: Yom Kippur October 14: No classes: Columbus Day Nov. 28,29: No classes: Thanksgiving Dec. 13: CLIP testing Dec. 19: CUNY testing Dec. 20: Closing ceremony Schedule subject to change. During inclement weather, check the QCC website to get the most up to date information about cancelled classes (if QCC is closed, CLIP is closed).

Notes

Class Rules as written by Class 3A, Fall 2013 Rules for the classroom Be on time - 9:00-9:15 free questions - 9:15 lesson begins; no lateness; no entry Dont be absent Use English only Cell phones should be off and put away Complete your assigned readings and homework Dont copy other peoples homework Be active and participate in class assignments Speak loudly enough so everyone can hear you Don't talk when your classmate is talking Listen; listen to your classmates; listen to your teacher Respect each other Help each other Ask questions if you dont understand No head on the desk Keep your classroom clean Make the most positive use of your time here!

Rules for group work Its important to cooperate with others Each person should share his/her opinion; share your ideas with the group Dont be too shy; discuss openly with your group members Speak loudly and clearly Pay attention to your group members Dont talk when your group member is talking Take notes Be friendly and control your emotions Maintain good communication Work together as a team Sometimes, its a good idea to choose a group leader Be responsible for finishing your own work

Finish your work on time Be respectful Speak only English Respect each other, admire each other and inspire each other!