ESL Reading III is an advanced level ESL course. Emphasis is placed on reading development and research. Students may re-register for this course in subsequent semesters as necessary until they complete the course objectives. If a student must repeat this course for a third time, he/she will have to obtain the signature of the Dean on his/her campus before registering.

This course requires competency in reading as indicated by the placement test or by teacher recommendation from a previous level.

Using entry-level college reading materials, you will improve your comprehension skills, develop your vocabulary, and analyze reading selections.

Upon completing this course, you will:

1. Acquire the reading skills necessary to succeed in the reading related requirements of entry-level college credit courses. Using entry-level college reading materials, you will be able to:
   • Relate new information to prior knowledge.
   • Make predictions about the content of materials they are given to read.
   • Skim and scan for specific reading purposes.
   • Differentiate main ideas from major and minor supporting details in written materials.
   • Recognize text patterns.
   • Draw valid conclusions from a variety of graphic aids such as maps, charts, graphs, and diagrams.
   • Demonstrate increased word power on a continuous basis by successfully using context clues, the dictionary, and their knowledge of word parts.
   • Make inferences
2. Integrate your reading and writing skills to promote thinking and learning. Using entry-level college reading materials, you will be able to:
   • Define the reading processes.
   • Comprehend the literal meaning in different types of readings for different purposes.
   • Paraphrase and summarize text without plagiarizing or changing the substantive meanings.
3. Be active, independent learners able to apply integrated learning strategies appropriate to the reading-related task. Using entry-level college reading materials, you will be able to:
   • Differentiate among most facts, opinions, assumptions.
   • Understand inferences in reading and writing.
   • Identify the kind of information you need, locate the resources that have it, and retrieve it from them so that you can share it with others in an organized way when given a particular topic.
   • Demonstrate the ability to draw valid conclusions from a variety of reading tasks.
4. Increase your self-confidence in your ability to be effective readers. Using entry level college reading materials, you will be able to:
   • Contribute successfully as members of an academic learning-study group.
   • Develop goal-setting strategies for academic success.
   • Identify individual strengths in reading.
5. Understand the role of reading in your academic, professional, and personal lives.

The required textbooks for this course are:

1. Visions Across the Americas, 6th Edition (Harcourt Publishers)

2. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

3. A Writer's Reference, 5th Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's)

For information on how to order your textbooks, go to http://eli.nvcc.edu/books/

Call before going to a campus bookstore to make sure the materials are in stock. If you don't see what you need, ask for assistance. Each bookstore has a separate section for ELI courses. Print this page and take it with you to avoid confusion.

Academic Evaluation is based on the following criterion:

A. Participation - 5%
B. Discussion Board Forums and Other Homework - 15%
C. Proctored Test and Non-proctored Test - 20%
D. Final Exam - 25%
E. Research Paper - 30%
F. Rough Draft of Research Paper - 5%

Your final grade will either be "S" for "Satisfactory" or "R" for "Retake."

Clarification of Grading Procedures
1. 90-100, A; 80-89, B; 70-79, C; 60-69, D; 59 and below, F.

2. You may be asking yourself how you can earn a participation grade in a totally on-line course. Well, this is how it works. Every time that you meet with me during my office hours and/or communicate with me via e-mail and/or telephone conversations to discuss the readings, you earn your participation grade. The more contact that you make with me, the more successful you will be. Simply because this class meets totally on-line does not mean that you have no access to me.

3. Students will respond to questions based on the readings of the essays and of the novel on a weekly basis.

4. Students will work on Discussion Board Forums on a weekly basis. Students will be graded on Discussion Forums # 1-12. If a student fails to do one, he/she will receive a grade of zero (0) for that forum. Copies of the work posted on Blackboard must be e-mailed to me. Students are only required to do the forums, not respond to the other students' forums. I do, however, recommend that students read the forums of others to expose themselves to other modes of thought and to other styles of writing.

5. Students will create a test based on the readings in Chapters 1-5 in Visions Across the Americas (VAA) and will also take a test on Chapters 6-8 in VAA. If a student misses the test, it will be the responsibility of the student to contact me before the test. Failure to do so will result in an automatic zero (0). It will be at my discretion to allow the student to take the missed test. This policy also applies to the final exam. The final exam will only cover The Joy Luck Club.

6. Students will have to submit a research paper at the end of the course. The topic of the research paper must be approved by me. It must be 3-4 pages long and follow MLA guidelines. There must be a separate page for the bibliography/sources cited. A sample of a research paper can be found in Diana Hacker's text, A Writer's Reference, on pp. 370-377. In the same text, students can find the MLA guidelines on pp. 329-370.

ALL STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT A ROUGH DRAFT OF THEIR RESEARCH PAPERS BY THE 10TH WEEK OF THE COURSE. IF NOT, THE RESEARCH PAPER WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. If a student is in both ESL 13 and ESL 17 with me, he/she will only have to write one paper, but it must be 4-5 pages long, with a separate page for the bibliography.

7. To pass this class and move on to the next level, the student must have a 78% average overall.

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : kschneiderd@nvcc.edu
Telephone : (703) 878-5706
You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or my campus office in Woodbridge. 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.