http://www.dmacc.edu

Des Moines Urban Campus

Syllabus

           

          Academic Standards Commission

 

Instructor Information

Name

Vera Aginsky

E-mail address

vaginsky@dmacc.edu

Phone number

(515) 248-7521

Fax number

(515) 248-7253

Office location

Building 1, Room 233

Office hours

M.,W. 9-11 am

T., R. 3-4 pm

And by appointment

             Course Information

Semester

Spring

Year

2011

Course title

Advanced Academic ESL Grammar

Course number

ESL 104

Credits

4

Section number

UAA

CRN number

25305

Days & Time

T., R. 9:05 – 11:05 am

Location

Building 1, Room 215

Course description

http://www.dmacc.edu/courses/crsrod.asp

Prerequisites

 

Course competencies

http://www.dmacc.edu/competencies/ 

              

             Important Dates

January 15th, noon

Last day to add classes

Holiday/no classes

January 17th

College closed

February 18th

Midterm

March 7th

Spring break

March 14-20th

Last day to drop classes

March 29th

Final

Tuesday, May 3rd , 9:00 – 11:00 am

Textbooks & Materials

Required textbooks

Focus on Grammar. An Integrated Skills Approach Part 5 by Jay Maurer

Required materials

 

Software applications

 

Software notice

“All the software used in this class is copyrighted; therefore, it is not for distribution, copying, or personal use.  This software is the property of Des Moines Area Community College.”

Course Policies

Methods

All the teaching will be done in a friendly and supportive environment. The most important person in the classroom is each individual student. There are several keys to your success in English: a good command of English grammar, an extensive vocabulary, and a lot of practice in reading and writing English. The knowledge of grammar is the most essential!

Cell phone policy

Cell phones must be off during the class time. The use of cell phones in class is very disrespectful.

Attendance

It is crucial to be in class every class meeting. The students are expected to miss not more than two classes per semester

 

Grading criteria

-          Homework – 15%

-          Active participation in the classroom discussions – 10%

-          Achievement tests = 50%

-          Final Exam – 25%

 

90% - 100%  = A          86% - 88% = B+      76% - 78% = C+

88% - 90% = A-        80% - 86% = B         70% - 76% = C

             78% - 80% = B-        68% - 70% = C-

66% - 68% = D+      

60% - 66% = D

58% - 60% = D-

Classroom conduct

Refer to the DMACC Student Handbook:

http://www.dmacc.edu/handbook/welcome.asp

Missed exams

Can be taken in the ESL Lab upon the arrangement made with the instructor. You’ll get 75 % of the grade

Late assignments

Will be graded 10% lower

Extra credit

Will be regularly provided by the instructor

Study expectations

At least six hours of weekly studying outside of the classroom

Weather policy

“Individual circumstances such as health, childcare, rural roads, distance from the College, etc. can vary greatly among students and staff.  It is always DMACC’s goal to provide safe learning conditions, as well as provide the opportunity for students to attend classes when the vast majority is able to safely attend.  The final decision to come to College can only be made by the individual student based on their specific extenuating circumstances that may make it unsafe for them to travel.  During adverse weather, DMACC faculty is considerate of students who are unable to attend classes due to unique extenuating circumstances.  It is the responsibility of each faculty member to notify their students (in addition to their dean or provost) through some predetermined means if they are must postpone or cancel a specific class due to weather or illness.”

 

 

Academic dishonesty

Refer to the DMACC Student Handbook:

http://www.dmacc.edu/handbook/welcome.asp

Plagiarism may result in the failure of the course.

DMACC Information Web Sites

DMACC home page

http://www.dmacc.edu/

Instructor home pages

http://www.dmacc.edu/instructors/welcome.asp

Admissions & registration

http://www.dmacc.edu/potienti.asp

WebCT

http://webct.dmacc.edu/webct/public/home.pl

Student handbook

http://www.dmacc.edu/handbook/welcome.asp

Add/drop dates

http://www.dmacc.edu/registration/add_drop.asp

Refund policy

http://www.dmacc.edu/refund.asp

Support Services

             Accommodations

“It is the policy of DMACC to accommodate students with disabilities.  Any student with a documented disability who requires reasonable accommodation should contact the special needs coordinator at 515-964-6850 voice or 515-964-6810 TTY.”

Services for students with disabilities

http://www.dmacc.edu/student_services/disabilities.asp

 

Contact the special needs coordinator at 515-964-6850 voice or 515-964-6810 TTY or contact the counselor on the Urban campus at 515-697-7727 for an Application for Accommodation.

Academic & educational advising

http://www.dmacc.edu/advising/

Career counseling

http://www.dmacc.edu/counseling/

Library

http://www.dmacc.edu/urban/library.asp

 

Room 122

·         Monday-Thursday: 7:30am to 9:00pm

·         Friday: 7:30am to 5:00pm

·         Saturday: 7:30am to 1:00pm

Academic Achievement Center

http://www.dmacc.edu/urban/tutoring.asp

 

Services include academic help, tutoring, GED, testing (Compass), pre-admission courses, high school diploma courses, and several credit classes.

 

515-248-7204 or 1-800-362-2127

 

Room 204/206/208

·         Monday – Thursday 8:30 am to 7:00 pm

·         Friday 8:30 am to 2:30 pm

·         Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (fall & spring semesters only)

Computer labs

http://www.dmacc.edu/helpdesk/pc_labs.htm 

 

Room 202

·         Monday-Thursday 2:30pm-9:30pm

·         Friday 8:30am-2:30pm

·         Saturday 8:00am-1pm

Room 218

·         Monday-Thursday 8am-9:30pm

·         Friday 8am-4:40pm

·         Saturday 8am-Noon

 

ESL lab, Building 1, Room 202

·         Monday-Friday 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

 

Library Research Lab, Urban Library, Building 1**

·         Monday – Thursday 7:30am to 9:30pm

·         Friday 7:30am to 5:00pm

·         Saturday 7:30am to 1:00pm

 

**Please see the Urban Library for special guidelines on the use of this lab

             Disclaimer

“This syllabus is representative of materials that will be covered in this class; it is not a contract between the student and the institution.  It is subject to change without notice.  Any potential exceptions to stated policies and requirements will be addressed on an individual basis, and only for reasons that meet specific requirements.  If you have any problems related to this class, please feel free to discuss them with me.”

             Nondiscrimination Policy

Des Moines Area Community College shall not engage in or allow discrimination covered by law.  This includes harassment based on race, color, national origin, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability.  Veteran status in educational programs, activities, employment practices, or admission procedures is also included to the extent covered by law.  Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against may file a complaint through the College Discrimination Complaint Procedures.  Complaint forms may be obtained from the DMACC Web site, the Ombudsperson, Judicial Officer, Human Resources Department, the campus Provost's Offices, and Academic Deans’ Offices.

 

Students who wish additional information or assistance may contact the Executive Dean, Student Services, Laurie Wolf, Building 1, 515-964-6437 or the EEO/AA Officer, Dr. Sandy Tryon, Human Resources, Bldg. 1, 515-964-6301 or they may refer to Student Services procedure 4645 located on the DMACC Intranet at http://my.dmacc.edu/procs.aspx.  Go to Policies & Procedures and choose Student Services Procedures. Employees and applicants who wish additional information or assistance may contact the EEO/AA Officer, Dr. Sandy Tryon, Human Resources, Bldg. 1, 515-964-6301 or refer to HR Procedures 3000, 3005, 3010, 3015, and 3020 at http://www.dmacc.edu/hr/hrpp.asp .

 

For requests for accommodations, the Accommodation/Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Sharon Bittner, can be contacted at 515-964-6857.  Students with requests for accommodations should refer to the Student Services procedure 4610 located on the DMACC Intranet at http://my.dmacc.edu/default.aspx .  Go to Policies & Procedures and choose Student Services Procedures.

Course Schedule

Week or Date

Assignment

Due Date

Week #1

Part 1 Unit 1-2 Past, Present and Future.

01/18/11

Week #2

Unit 3 Action and Non-Action Verbs. From Grammar to Writing. Test #1, 01/20/11

01/25/11

Week #3

Part II Units 4-6 Modals and other Auxiliaries. From Grammar to Writing. Ex. 10, p. 102.

02/01/11

Week #4

Test #2, 02/01/11

Part III Units 7-8 Count and Non-Count Nouns. Definite and Indefinite Articles.

02/08/11

Week #5

Part III Units 9-10 Quantifiers. Modification of Nouns. From Grammar to Writing. The Best Meal Experience.

02/15/11

Week #6

Test #3, 02/15/11.

Part IV Unit 11 Adjective Clauses.  

02/22/11

Week #7

Part IV Unit 12 Adjective Clauses. From Grammar to Writing. One of the best Movies I saw    Test #4, 02/24/11

03/01/11

Week #8

Part V Units 13-14 Passive Voice. From Grammar to Writing. Unsolved Mysteries.

03/08/11

Week #9

Test #5, 03/08/11

Part VI Units 15-16 Gerunds and Infinitives.

03/22/11

Week #10

Test #6, 03/22/11

Part VII Unit 17 Adverbs.

03/29/11

Week #11

Part VII Units 18-20 Adverb Clauses. Adverbial Phrases. Connectors From Grammar to Writing. A paragraph on a controversial topic.

04/05/11

Week #12

Test #7, 04/07/11.

Part VIII Units 21-22. Noun Clauses. Direct & Indirect Speech.

04/12/11

Week #13

Units 21-22 From Grammar to Writing. A Humorous Situation.

Test #8, 04/14/11.

04/19/11

Week #14

Part IX Units 23-24 Conditionals. The Subjunctive. From Grammar to Writing. I wish I were…. Test #9, 04/21/11.

04/26/11

Week #15

Revision

 

Final Exam

Tuesday, May 3rd , 9:00 – 11:00 am