Assignments

Policies

Resources

Textbooks:

• Buy them. Examine them.
• Learn to use them. Understand explanations and observe the examples carefully.
• Write in them.
• Bring them to class.

Assignments:

• Reading
       Always be sure you understand the meaning of the words in the context in which they appear. Look up unfamiliar words and write definitions in margins or over the words to help you learn the meanings.

• Journal

           The journal assignments are questions and exercises to help you learn the material of the course, to learn about correct grammar and usage, spelling, punctuation, etc.
           Always do your journal assignments before the class they are due. Date the assignment, and bring your journal to every class.

• Research

           The research assignments are to help you learn how to use the most important tools for finding answers to questions about language forms and usage. Starting out may feel a little like learning how to drive a car; your beginning efforts may feel slow and even tedious; you will make mistakes; but the more you do it, the better you get. And knowing how to drive allows you to travel to places you may have never imagined.

• Writing

           Writing assignments are important tools in your learning about how the English language works. They develop your own fluency with language and strengthen your productive skills. They offer you yet another opportunity to apply what you are learning in the class to the careful crafting of  sentences and paragraphs. Do them thoughtfully. Your sentences will serve as material for others in the class to describe and analyze.

• Class Activities

            Read the planned activities for each class while you are preparing the rest of the assignments for each class. Your active class participation is a significant part of your learning experience. Active participation includes being prepared to answer questions, listening carefully to classmates and teacher, taking notes, asking questions about material you don't understand fully, and responding to quizzes and other assessments in a timely manner.

• Quizzes and Other Assessments

           Regular quizzes and reflective assessments are ALL a means of assessing how much you are learning about your own speaking and writing.
           They are meant to provide feedback to you about what you are learning and what you don't understand sufficiently. Your confidence in what you are learning is important. Give serious thought to your performance on these assessments, and discuss with  your teacher your particular concerns about what and how much you are learning.