Course Syllabus

ESL 4B Reading and Vocabulary

COURSE SYLLABUS

Instructor: Professor (Alex) Lane Igoudin 

Zoom Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:10 – 12:35 pm, online via Zoom.

To join, go to https://laccd.zoom.us/j/98475988907 No password required.
To join by phone, click here.

Office Hours (on Zoom): M/W 10-11 am, and M 2:45-6:45 pm.

To schedule an appointment during these times, or any other time, click Inbox in this Canvas window and send me a message.

Weekly Homework Log

Email: igoudial@laccd.edu    |   Professional Website (Links to an external site.) 

Watch a video recording explaining this syllabus.

Course Overview

Welcome to our ESL 4B class! My name is Dr. Lane Igoudin. I have been teaching ESL and Linguistics at LACC since 2005, and especially love teaching this class.

In this course, we will follow a textbook called Pathways 2, which has interesting articles on different academic subjects for the students at the intermediate level of English learning. We will read these texts and discuss them, watch videos that provide more information about their topics, and do exercises in class and at home to improve understanding of these texts. We will also learn new vocabulary in these texts and learn to recognize different word forms in various word families.

In addition, we will read several short stories by American writers. Those stories are not in the textbook. I will post them on Canvas.

This is a Canvas-based course, divided into Modules (Units). One unit = one chapter of the textbook. Each unit will have Class Notes and Homework pages, assignments, and additional material. After we finish studying a unit, we will have a quiz on that unit. After that, we will move on to the next unit.

I will communicate with you using the course Canvas page, live Zoom sessions, and your student email. I will post the class syllabus, reading assignments, materials, and your Grades on Canvas. Outside of Canvas, you can contact me by email through Inbox on this Canvas page (better), or by email to igoudial@laccd.edu. I usually return my emails in 24 hours or sooner. Click here to learn how to write emails to professors (Links to an external site.).  

To feel comfortable in class, you will need to know how to use Canvas and Zoom. Please see some resources below:

How to use Zoom (5 minutes, scroll down to the video) 
Free or low-cost Internet access for students

This course syllabus is tentative, which means that I will continue to update it during the semester. Some parts of the syllabus, for example, assignment descriptions, due dates, or Zoom hours, may change.

Now please read E.S.L. 004B College Policies from our college administration, which include LACC college policies, the course catalog description, student learning outcomes (SLOs), and other important information about this course.

Textbook

Pathways Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking Level 2, Student Book, 2nd Edition by Laurie Blass and Mari Vargo. ISBN 978-1337407779.

You can buy it from LACC Cubstore (Bookstore). To do so:
1. Go to https://www.laccbookstore.com/buy_courselisting.asp? 
2. Select Term: CITY-SPRING 2021
3. Select Department: E.S.L   Course: 004B   Section: 17551-Igoudin
4. You will see this textbook listed at the bottom of the page.
5. After you buy the book, you can pick it up from LACC Cubstore, or they can mail it to your home.

You can buy the textbook on Amazon too. Amazon has this book (ISBN 978-1337407779), and also the same book + an online workbook (ISBN  978-1337625111). That book is OK too. 

You should also get and use a monolingual (English only) dictionary, for example, Longman Dictionary of American English

Grading Policy

During the course, students take 6-8 Pathways Unit Quizzes online, and possibly a quiz on short stories provided by the instructor. All quiz grades are equal. There is no midterm, or final exam. Students earn points on each quiz, and points translate into letter grades as follows: A: 90-100% of the total; B: 80-89%; C: 70-79%; D: 60-69%; F: <60%. For example, a quiz may have 20 questions, and if a student answers 15 questions correctly, he or she earns 15/20 points, or 75%.

At the end of the course, if the student's total course average is 70% or higher, the student will Pass the class. If it is less than 70%, he/she will earn No Pass.

Additional information:

  • The number of assignments may change.
  • The instructor may assign a non-textbook reading in addition to the textbook.
  • Missing a graded assignment/quiz will result in 0 grade on that assignment/test.
  • Roll Call Attendance does not count towards your grade in this course. However, it may affect your enrollment in this class. Please see attendance policies below.

Classroom Rules

  • During Zoom sessions, students will be muted (silent) for most of the time. There is simply too much external noise coming in: street traffic, children, neighbors, TV, doors slamming, chairs moving, and so on. Unmute yourself only if you want to answer a question about the textbook exercise, ask a specific question about class material, or state your name during the attendance roll call. At all other times, stay muted, or type your question or comment into the Chat window.
  • Please see the LACC college policy on attendance in E.S.L. 004B College Policies. If you plan to be absent, let me know at least one week in advance. I will decide if your absence is excusable. I can drop a student after missing 3 or more Zoom class sessions during the course.
  • Joining a class Zoom session 15 or more minutes late, or leaving the class early, may also be considered an absence. You need to respond when I call your name during a class activity and the attendance rollcalls to be considered present. If your video screen is turned off and you do not do the work I ask you to do, for example, read a sentence from the textbook, you are not participating, and I will mark you absent.
  • Absence is not an excuse for not doing homework. If you miss a class, check the Class Notes in this week's Unit and the Homework Log for your homework assignments. You can also contact your classmates to get the notes from the class.
  • Some class sessions will be recorded and posted on Canvas to help you review class material.
  • No class assignments or quizzes may be made up after the date they are due in class. The only exception will be an absence because of catastrophic circumstances, for example, death of a parent.
  • All students must do their work themselves. Using material written by another person, submitting assignments done in previous courses (including ESL 4B), copying from another student, or even talking to or texting another student during a quiz are examples of academic dishonesty or plagiarism. Students will earn 0 points on plagiarized assignments and quizzes.
  • The online ESL Lab offers tutoring services to help you with your learning and homework.
  • Respect other students and let them speak too. Do not be rude to other students.
  • Try to use only English in class, and do not ask other students for translation. This is your opportunity to struggle and improve your English skills.

Tentative Course Schedule

Week 1 | February 8, 10

 Syllabus Overview; Start Pathways Ch. 1

Week 2 | February 15 (Presidents' Day: No class), 17

 Short Story 1

Week 3 | February 22, 24

Pathways 1 Quiz

Start Pathways Ch. 2

Week 4 | March 1, 3

Week 5 | March 8, 10

Pathways 2 Quiz

Start Pathways Ch. 3

Week 6 | March 15, 17

 Short Story 2

Week 7 | March 22, 24

Pathways 3 Quiz

Start Pathways Ch. 4

Week 8 | March 29, 31 (Cesar Chavez holiday, no class)

Pathways 4 Quiz

Start Pathways Ch. 5

Spring Break - No Class April 5 and 7

 

Week 9 | April 12, 14

Short Story 3

 

Week 10 | April 19, 21

Pathways 5 Quiz

Start Pathways Ch. 6

Week 11 | April 26, 28

 

Week 12 | May 3, 5

Pathways 6 Quiz

Start Pathways Ch. 7

Week 13 | May 20, 22

Short Story 4
Week 14 | May 17, 19

Pathways 7 Quiz

Start Pathways Ch. 8

Week 15 | May 24, 26

Finals Week | Wednesday, June 2

 Pathways 8 Quiz