Introduction to Literature:

“College Reading and Writing”

“The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living”

-Socrates

Instructor: John Powers (Mr. Powers. Mr. P, John, JP)

Email: johncpowers3@mac.com
Office Hours: Mon. – Thurs. 8:30 – 9:00 or by Appointment

Welcome: Please keep this Course Syllabus handy throughout the semester.

Course Description: Students will receive comprehensive instruction in

intermediate/college preparatory reading and writing skills, including essay
construction and development, comprehension, summary and analytical reading
skills, critical reading, and more.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will understand the tone and the purposes of different types of written
material.
2. Students will make and support inferences and conclusions by locating contextual
hints and clues, and develop interpretative skills when reading selected poems, short
stories, essays and newspapers.
3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the basic elements of written texts,
including topic sentence, point of view, thesis, and supporting details, and be able to
identify them.
4. Students will recognize common literary terms and devices (plot, character,
theme, setting, simile, metaphor,) and understand why a writer would use them.
5. Students will draw connections and identify relationships between what is read and
other experiences, texts, and issues in personal life, the community at large, and the
world.
6. Students will understand their personal metacognitive function enough to be able
to vary their reading strategies according to the material being read.
7. Students will write a well-developed five paragraph essay emphasizing the
importance of the thesis and topic sentences, point of view, supporting detail and
paragraph structure.
8. Students will express ideas critically in various rhetorical styles (e.g., persuasion,
process analysis, comparison/contrast, etc.).
9. Students will be introduced to the research process, including the completion of an
I-Search paper. Students will understand the appropriate use of material taken from
source materials. Students will distinguish between original writing and plagiarism.
10. Students will use standard grammar and will have a basic understanding of the
writing process.
11. Students will be able to use computers to word process documents, run spell
check, and find and navigate websites.
My Assumptions about and Expectations of Students
1 • All of my students have great potential.
2 • All of my students are worthy of respect, from me and from each other.
3 • Students take responsibility for their own learning
4 • All written work is proof-read before it is turned in.

Absences and Latenesses: In order for you to pass this class you must be here.
You take responsibility for your own learning. Realize, however, that if you miss a
class it is your responsibility to find out what you missed from another classmate or
visit my blog site at wordmosaics.blogspot.

All major assignments/homework must be typed. Here is the

format:

Drafts and final versions of papers should be typed on a computer.

Paper should be white, 8 1/2 X 11”.

Type only on one side of each sheet.

Margins should be standard (1 inch top & bottom, 1 inch or 1.25 inch left/right). Your
writing should fill the entire page. Do not make margins wider or hit return to create
page breaks at the bottom of a page.

Text should be aligned or justified to the left margin, so that the right side of the text
is ragged. Do not justify the right margin. (Justifying the right margin makes the
document look nice, but it creates irregular spacing between words, which can be
distracting to a reader.)

Paragraphs should be indented five spaces (or one tab). Do not create extra spaces
between paragraphs.

Use standard font. (In most word processing programs, the default font will be
standard: Times or Times New Roman, 12 pt.)

Double space all text.

Format for the First Page

The heading should appear in the upper left, consisting of the following four lines of
information. These four lines should be double spaced.

your name and date

course
instructor’s name
name of assignment

The title appears next, double spaced from the heading, centered. If the title takes
more than one line, it should be single spaced. The title should not be in a larger font,
and extra spaces should not appear above or below it. Do not underline your title or
enclose it in quotes.

The text of your essay should start double spaced after the title.
Submitting Your Paper

Papers should be stapled or paper clipped.

• An A (DP Competency 5 / Advanced) paper is so well written

that the reader feels an assurance that the writer knows what
she/he is writing about. The paper’s information is clearly
explained, organized, analyzed, synthesized, evaluated, and
compared. The various drafts of the writing process reveal a
development of thought, logic, and organization. Its sentences
are varied and read aloud smoothly without hesitation or
awkward pauses and are without clutter and repetition. The
writer is in control of the grammar, punctuation, spelling, and
mechanics in writing.

• The B (DP Competency 4 / Proficient) paper has the same

essentials of an A paper except that some of the paper’s
information may not be clearly explained, organized, analyzed,
synthesized, evaluated, and compared. The various drafts of the
writing process reveal a development of thought, logic, and
organization, but the reader may not know how the writer
achieved her/his conclusions. Sentences tend to be of the same
length and do not always read aloud smoothly, without hesitation
or awkward pauses and may contain clutter and repetition. The
writer sometimes lacks control of the grammar, punctuation,
spelling, and mechanics in the writing.

• The C (DP Competency 3 and 2 / Bridging / Competent)

paper is adequate. While the information is adequate, it is not
clearly explained, organized, analyzed, synthesized, evaluated,
and compared. The writing reflects a writer in a hurry to finish a
paper rather than a writer attempting to develop thought, logic,
and organization. Its sentences tend to lack variety and are
often awkward. The writing does not read aloud smoothly and
contains clutter and repetition. The writer tends to exercise very
poor control of the grammar, punctuation, spelling, and
mechanics in the writing.
 • The D (DP Competency 1 / Emerging) paper is a hasty,
careless affair which is not clearly explained, organized,
analyzed, synthesized, evaluated, and compared. The
information is scattered and lacks organization, analysis,
synthesis, evaluation, and comparison. The writing reveals a
hasty attempt to satisfy the requirements of the assignment.
The writer has difficulty drafting sentences of any complexity,
and the writing read aloud very roughly with many hesitations
and awkward pauses and contains clutter and repetition. The
writer generally has very little control of the material, grammar,
spelling, or mechanics in the writing.

• An F paper has been plagiarized, simply has not been done well,
is incomplete, or reveals the flaws of a D paper to a greater
extent.

Supplies:
-One marble notebook that will be used as a writers’ journal (you must carry
this with you to school every day…(I WILL NOT STORE IT FOR YOU)
-One folder to hold handouts (you must carry this with you to school every
day…(I WILL NOT STORE IT FOR YOU)
-One pen and pencil
DO NOT USE YOUR NOTEBOOK FOR OTHER
CLASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Classroom Rules
1. Please be in your seat and working within three minutes of the bell ringing.
2. Do not use profanity or any other language intended to tease, badger, or
belittle another.
3. The use of cell phones and other electronic devices (IPODs, MP3 players,
digital cameras, etc.) are prohibited. Also, do not have make-up, combs
and/or brushes, or books and magazines irrelevant to course discussion out in
class.
Do not throw objects or leave objects behind. Clean your areas when you
leave.
4. No food or drink allowed in class.
Be prepared each day with the appropriate attitude, books, and
supplies.
Basic Weekly Schedule
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

-Vocabulary -Reading -Reading -Reading -Writing

Literature Literature Literature Assignment
-Writing Critically Critically Critically Collected
Mini-
Lessons -Sometimes -Sometimes -Sometimes -Reflections
we will set we will set we will set and Sharing
-Writing aside time aside time aside time Aloud our
Assignment to work on to work on to work on Writing
Handed Out writing writing writing