Course

Reading – Fundamental Level

Important Notice

This course is not active. Please contact Department Chair for more information.

Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Department
English Upgrading
Course Code
ENGU 0260
Credits
3.00
Semester Length
15 weeks
Max Class Size
18
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
This course is for students who need to develop their basic reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. The course focuses on reading as a process for gathering and reacting to information and ideas. Students receive assistance with specific skills such as identifying main ideas and details, drawing inferences and recognizing an author's tone and intent. Assignments and exercises focus on current events and issues that are relevant to the students' lives.
Course Content

Literal

  • identification of subject/topic, main ideas, supporting details, and sequence.

Interpretive

  • reconstruction of the meaning intended by the writer
  • categorization and classification
  • summarization

Inferential

  • Synthesis - integration of experience and knowledge to gain new understanding and to predict.

Critical

  • recognition of comparison and contrast, cause/effect, outcome or sequence
  • distinction between fact and opinion, logical and illogical
  • identification of writer's point of view, tone, attitude and underlying assumptions
  • development of critical thinking skills, i.e.: appreciation, judgment, character analysis.

Strategies

  • purpose for reading
  • previewing/surveying--initial overview of large sections of text (chapters, etc.)
  • prereading--overview of shorter sections of text
  • monitoring--evaluation of current level of understanding
  • reflecting--evaluation of comprehension in retrospect.

Discussion Topics

Students will acquire background information and vocabulary from selected readings on current topics.  These weekly topics for discussion will vary in order to meet students' needs and interests.

Learning Activities

A combination of instructional methods will be used in order to balance instructional efficiency with individual student needs.  Small group instruction, individual assistance in lab tutorial or scheduled appointments) and student directed learning will be selected where appropriate and possible. Collaborative learning will be encouraged.

Means of Assessment

A mastery model of on-going evaluation will be used.  A student will have completed the course when he/she has demonstrated through satisfactory completion of exercises and assignments that the course objectives have been achieved.

Progress will be monitored on a regular basis by the instructor in consultation with each student.

The student will be expected to maintain regular attendance and progress and to undertake independent learning as directed.  Regular feedback and informal progress reports will be available from the instructor.

Learning Outcomes

The aims of the course are for students to:

  1. develop specific strategies to improve reading comprehension;
  2. enlarge vocabulary to fulfill reading needs;
  3. increase background knowledge by developing awareness of current topics and concerns;
  4. acquire an ability to orally present information obtained from reading
Textbook Materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

Students are required to supply a three-ring binder, paper, pen and pencil.

Students may be required to purchase textbooks.

Requisites

Prerequisites

ENGU 0156 or permission of instructor

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see

Institution Transfer Details for ENGU 0260
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

Winter 2025