Academic Catalog

NCEL 427: HIGH-INTERMEDIATE READING SKILLS

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2022
Units: 0
Hours: 5 lecture per week (60 total per quarter)
Advisory: Appropriate placement through Foothill College's placement model (i.e., guided self-placement) and concurrent enrollment in ESLL 226 or NCEL 426 recommended; intended for students whose native language is not English; completion of noncredit ESL sequence or previous ESL coursework at Adult School is recommended.
Degree & Credit Status: Non-Degree-Applicable Non-Credit Course
Basic Skills, 3 Levels Below Transfer
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: None
Grade Type: Pass/No Pass Only
Repeatability: Unlimited Repeatability

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Identify the main idea of an appropriate text of approximately 500 words.
  • Apply words learned in their given form by using them to write original sentences which demonstrate the student’s comprehension of the target word.

Description

An upper intermediate-level reading course focusing on developing comprehension skills and strategies for processing pre-college-level readings. In addition to developing vocabulary, students will demonstrate understanding of main ideas of texts by composing single- and multi-sentence writings in response to questions about the given texts.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Apply reading skills appropriate for comprehending structure and meaning
  2. Apply active pre- and during-reading strategies to reinforce reading skills
  3. Compose single- and multi-sentence writings in response to readings discussed in class
  4. Demonstrate both active and passive vocabulary development

Course Content

  1. Apply reading skills appropriate for comprehending structure and meaning
    1. Locate main ideas
      1. Thesis statements
      2. Topic sentences
    2. Determine organizational patterns
      1. Cause/effect
      2. Compare/contrast
      3. Narration
      4. Description
      5. Process (how to)
    3. Identify types of evidence
      1. Anecdote
      2. Personal experience/observation
      3. Facts/statistics
      4. Expert testimony/opinion
    4. Identify types of introductions
      1. Background information
        1. Definitions
        2. Common beliefs
        3. Questions to engage readers
      2. Anecdote
      3. Description of problem/issue
    5. Identify types of conclusions
      1. Summary of main ideas/restatement of thesis
      2. Recommendation
      3. Prediction
    6. Distinguish fact from opinion
    7. Make inferences
  2. Apply active pre- and during-reading strategies to reinforce reading skills
    1. To locate main ideas:
      1. Examine titles
      2. Skim sub-headings
      3. Examine photos and other visuals
      4. Identify terms that signal generalities/opinions in thesis statements and topic sentences
    2. To determine organizational patterns:
      1. Analyze thesis statements and topic sentences for linguistic cues that signal patterns
      2. Identify words and phrases that serve as transitions between and among ideas
    3. To identify types of evidence:
      1. Look for vocabulary that signals chronology in narratives (anecdotes)
      2. Look for vocabulary that signals steps in process (how to) writings
      3. Look for use of pronouns that suggest first person experience or third person observation
      4. Skim for numeric items and citations that suggest statistical evidence
    4. To identify types of introductions:
      1. Search for descriptive and defining information that provides background
      2. Look for vocabulary that signal chronology in narratives (anecdotes)
      3. Look for vocabulary that signal steps in process (how to) writings
      4. Identify descriptive detail that explains a problem
    5. To identify types of conclusions:
      1. Identify restated items that summarize the main ideas of a piece
      2. Look for linguistic signals that suggest recommendation
      3. Look for linguistic signals indicating prediction
    6. To distinguish fact from opinion:
      1. Identify terms that signal recognized facts or real states of being
      2. Search for linguistic items that suggest a writer's beliefs and attitude, for example:
        1. Modal verbs
        2. Descriptive adjectives that show personal preferences
    7. To make inferences:
      1. Access prior knowledge (schema) to interpret information
      2. Gather details to formulate generalities (induction)
  3. Compose single- and multi-sentence writings in response to readings discussed in class
    1. Make connections to personal experiences
    2. Express personal opinions on main topics from readings
  4. Demonstrate both active and passive vocabulary development
    1. Active: write original sentences using newly learned vocabulary accurately
      1. Grammatically
      2. Denotatively
    2. Passive: demonstrate ability to correctly identify meanings of new words in context
      1. Use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar word
    3. Use an English-English dictionary to support vocabulary development
      1. Identify parts of speech
      2. Choose the appropriate definition of a word based on the context from readings

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

When taught online, ongoing access to internet connection, email software and hardware, and a working email address are required.

Method(s) of Evaluation

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

Class performance
Completion of required outside readings
1. charts, diagrams and graphs
2. short newspaper and magazine articles
3. excepts from textbooks
4. short fictional works
Exercises
Quizzes
Exams that demonstrate students' ability to apply the newly acquired reading skills to new reading selections comparable to those studied in class

Method(s) of Instruction

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

Lecture
Discussion
Demonstration

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Baker-Gonzalez, Joan, and Eileen K. Blau. World of Reading: A Thematic Approach to Reading Comprehension 2. 2009.

Barton, Laurie, and Carolyn Dupaquier Sardinas. NorthStar: Reading and Writing Level 3. 2019.

Gramer, Margo, and Colin Ward. Q: Skills for Success Reading and Writing 3. 2015.

Addison Wesley Longman. Longman Dictionary of American English. 2014.

Although at least one of the representative texts for this course is older than the suggested "5 years or newer" standard, they remain seminal texts in this area of study.

Instructors must choose a textbook from the textbook list. If, however, a faculty member would prefer to use a textbook not on the list, they must contact a full-time faculty member who regularly teaches the course to explain how the adoption would serve to achieve the learning outcomes specified in the course outline of record.

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

  1. Readings from the text and outside readings
  2. Writing of journal entries, sentence and multi-sentence responses to readings

Discipline(s)

English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Second Language (ESL): Noncredit