Extensive Reading

There are 3 foci (focusses) to this course:

its main focus is reading and developing reading skills. It broadens your English vocabulary by reading articles about a wide variety of interesting topics It will seek to develop critical thinking skills and moral reasoning skills

Focus 1: Reading skills

Review skills from last semester Skimming Scanning Drawing inferences New skills New Vocabulary New Idioms & slang Analogies

Focus 2: Broadening English vocabulary by reading a variety of articles

Hour 1: textbook reading & exercises
Led by Presentation Groups

Hour 2: additional readings for discussion Fables and parables

Fables and parables are short stories with a life lesson. Fables usually have animal characters.

Moral dilemmas
a dilemma is a story with a choice which might go either way.

Focus 3: Thinking Skills

Analogies
Studies of logical relationships between ideas by means of comparison and contrast: Heaters are to winter as _______ are to summer.

Critical Thinking skills:

Discussions of both sides of challenging questions
Reverse debating

Focus 3: Thinking Skills

Moral Reasoning skills:
Moral Dilemmas
a dilemma is a story with a choice which might go either way

Kohlbergs theory of moral development

Grading
Attendance & Participation
Homework Presentation Group Journal 3 Quizzes

10%
5% 20% 10% 15%

Final Exam

40%

Attendance (10%)
1. Each student starts with 10 points for attendance and
participation. You may lose points as follows: Unexcused absences: minus 2 points Excused absences (with the paper signed by the class master): minus 1 point. Leaving at break: minus 1 points. Being late, being disruptive, not participating, sleeping in class: minus point. 2. Being absent from 1/3 of all classes will result in failing the course with no option to take the final exam or a makeup exam.

Attendance Policy
3. With approval a student may attend a different class to avoid an absence.

This should be used for unavoidable absences like sickness or family emergencies. The class you attend must be doing the lesson you missed. This cannot be done on quiz days or your group presentation.

4. If you are late or have an excused absence or are attending a different class section, you must come and sign the attendance adjustment page. You may do this during break or after class.

Homework (5%)
For each textbook unit we cover in class, do the Word Pretest, idiom, and analogy sections.
I will select a few of these to eliminate each week.

Write your answers in your Extensive Reading notebook. (You do not have to copy the whole questions, just list the letter answers.) I will collect the notebooks in class on some weeks to check your homework. You will not know which weeks I ask for the books.

Moral Development Journaling (10%)

During the middle third of the semester we will study moral development. This will include two special lessons regarding morality and moral reasoning. Each student will write a 3-4 page journal entry in your homework notebook. This will apply the theory of moral development we will discuss in class to a movie: either Amazing Grace or Freedom Writers
What are the levels of moral development for the different characters in the story? What do you think of your own progress toward moral development?

Final Exam (40%)

Your favorite part of the course!

This will cover vocabulary, idioms, and reading skills.

There will be new readings with comprehension questions as part of the exam.

Course Schedule -- first half

Feb 24-26 Course introduction, Unit 2: Exploration Mar 3-7 Unit 3: Refugees Mar 10-14 Unit 5: Globalization (Group 1 presentation) Mar 17-21 Unit 6: Immigrants (Group 2 presentation)

Mar 24-28 Unit 7: Ecology (Group 3 presentation)

Mar 31- Apr 2: QUIZ 1 Apr 8-11 Unit 8: Holocaust (Group 4 presentation) Apr 15-18 Unit X: Morality (Group 5) Apr 15-18 MOVIE NIGHTS

Cheating Policy
Cheating is not tolerated in this course. Cheating might seem like a good way to reach your goals, but you are hurting yourself, any people you cheat from, and your relationship with your teacher. Cheating includes
copying your answers from another students notebook, doing an assignment or an exam for someone else, bringing written notes to a quiz or exam, looking at another students quiz or exam paper, talking about quiz content with students from other classes.

My Contact Information
Office hours: Wednesday night 7-9PM, or by appointment.
Peter Hall Room A507

Cell Phone: 15037175813 (texting only) Email: gregandjean@gmail.com

When you email me, please include your English name and class number.

HOMEWORK NEXT WEEK

In your notebooks, do the Word Pretest (pages 31-32),
Do Idioms (page 35-36) Bring your notebook to class.

Class monitor: please get me a copy of your classs weekly schedule

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. - T.S. Eliot Who would have thought that the first person you meet when you travel abroad is yourself?
Elizabeth Kendall

Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit. Frank Borman if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

A Great Explorer
Marco Polo (1254-1324) is probably the most famous Westerner who traveled on the Silk Road. He exceeded all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years. He reached further than any of his predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China. He became a confidant of Kublai Khan (1214-1294). He traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became perhaps the greatest travelogue ever written.

Vocabulary
exploration: traveling in an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it
travelogue: a book, lecture, or movie about the experiences of a traveler exceeded: did more than determination: commitment, desire to succeed in spite of difficulties

Vocabulary
influence: to bring change in the thinking orbehaviors of others
predecessors: those who were before him

confidant: trusted friend, one who shares personal knowledge and advice
tale: an entertaining story

Vocabulary
What is the effect of the words probably and perhaps on the meaning of the two sentences below: Marco Polo (1254-1324) is probably the most famous Westerner who traveled on the Silk Road.

which became perhaps the greatest travelogue ever written.

Idioms
Definition:
A form of expression unique to a language or group of people. A group of words which has a special meaning not obvious from the words themselves

Example: Its a tall order. Meaning: Its difficult to accomplish.

Idioms: Ease of Effort (p. 20)

1) has a green thumb
2) is a breeze 3) has two left feet 4) has a golden touch 5) has a nose for

6) is easy as pie

Word Pretest (p. 15)

1. The camera panned from her face to the man.
a) turned off b) fixed c) moved

2. The candle flickered in the breeze.

a) Shined brightly b) Shined steadily c) Shined unsteadily

Word Pretest (p. 15)

3. The message extinguished her hopes of Richards return.
a) raised b) destroyed c) questioned

4. The explosion sent the aircraft plummeting towards the sea.

a) falling headlong b) heading away from c) flying quickly

Word Pretest (p. 15)

5. The gang tried to 6. The authors intimidate the latest book eclipses merchant. all of his earlier ones. a) encourage
b) frighten c) catch a) displays b) casts a shadow upon c) surpasses

Word Pretest (p. 15)

7. It is 250 years since the wolf became extinct in Britain.
a) still living b) no longer in existence c) difficult to find

8. The stern old faiths were all pulverised.

a) strengthened b) scattered c) crushed

Word Pretest (p. 15)

9. By some fluke the judges passed over the obvious choices and selected her.
a) success b) accident c) breeze

10. The blizzard brought 60 milean-hour winds and two feet of snow.
a) wind b) earthquake c) snowstorm

Word Pretest (p. 15)

11. The widow gave a plaintive wail at the gravesite.
a) sad b) hysteric c) lonely