Academic Catalog

NCEL 403B: BRIDGE TO COLLEGE ESL READING & WRITING

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2023
Units: 0
Hours: 3 lecture per week (36 total per quarter)
Degree & Credit Status: Non-Degree-Applicable Non-Credit Course
Basic Skills, 4 Levels Below Transfer
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: None
Grade Type: Non-Credit Course (Receives no Grade)
Repeatability: Unlimited Repeatability

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to identify and apply different reading strategies to increase speed and comprehension.
  • Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to define and practice critical thinking skills
  • Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to use a dictionary.
  • Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to differentiate between part of a word to "de-code" new vocabulary.
  • Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to identify and practice writing different types of papers.

Description

Prepares the adult English-learner for successful transition to college-level coursework. Primary focus will be on reading and writing skills needed for academic success in the ESL classroom.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Identify and apply different reading strategies to increase speed and comprehension
  2. Define and develop critical thinking skills
  3. Develop skills and knowledge to support vocabulary development
  4. Identify and create different types of (short) academic writing

Course Content

  1. Identify and apply different reading strategies to increase speed and comprehension
    1. Skimming
    2. Scanning
    3. Identifying the main idea, purpose, and audience
    4. Annotating
      1. Highlighting, underlining, or circling key information
      2. Summarizing sections of readings in short phrases
      3. Using timelines to understand sequence and dates
      4. Writing synonyms or definitions of difficult vocabulary in margins
  2. Define and develop critical thinking skills
    1. Identify different types of support, e.g., examples, facts, anecdote, etc.
    2. Analyze and/or evaluate evidence presented in readings
    3. Ask questions about the origins of an opinion or theory
    4. Recognize bias
  3. Develop skills and knowledge to support vocabulary development
    1. Use online dictionaries and tools to increase vocabulary knowledge
      1. Identify word denotations that match a given context and meaning
      2. Analyze roots, prefixes, and suffixes to decode new vocabulary
      3. Recognize word forms and families, e.g., analyze/analysis/analytical
  4. Identify and create different types of (short) academic writing
    1. Note-taking
    2. Basic summarizing
      1. Paraphrasing
    3. Different types of writings
      1. Descriptive
      2. Narrative
      3. Opinion/argumentative
    4. Edit writing
      1. Edit for correctness
      2. Subject-verb agreement
      3. Tense
      4. Word form
      5. Word choice
      6. Punctuation

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

Internet access.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Group and class discussions
Writing tasks
Comprehension activities

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture
Discussion
Cooperative learning experiences
Oral presentations
In-class work

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

No text will be required. Open educational resources (OER) and websites such as the following will be used:
Academic reading skills:
1. https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques
2. http://www.uefap.com/reading/readfram.htm
3. Writing an Essay: https://lklivingston.tripod.com/essay/links.html
4. Essay structure: http://www.custom-essays.org/Essay_Structure.html
5. Citation styles:
a. MLA FAQs: https://style.mla.org/sections/ask-the-mla/
b. APA FAQs: https://apastyle.apa.org/learn/faqs/index
6. YouTube videos should also be utilized—search for study skills, note-taking, time management, etc.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Example reading assignment: "Unfinished Knowledge: The Story of Barbara" by Ryuko Kubota (published in College ESL, Vol. 10)

Discipline(s)

English as a Second Language (ESL)