I. Reading Assignments: HAVE ALL BOOKS OKAYED BY THE TEACHER FIRST!

A. Read silently in class.
1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________
4. _____________
5. _____________
B. Read aloud for ten minutes
1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________
C. Study guides for each book read:
1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________
4. _____________
5. _____________
6. _____________
7. _____________
8. _____________
D. Students will keep a word collection record.
1. The teacher can ask questions about any word, in any text the student
references, that is not in the word collection record.
2. Cards or a sheet of paper may be used for this project.

E. This is a list of words used within the context of the course to describe itself
and may be used in questions related to this course. Students should know
how to use these words in context, so they must be defined:

Induction
Deduction
Representation
Comprehend
Analyze
Context
Subtext
Refer
Imply
Infer
Compel
Induce
Conclusion
Evaluate
Synthesis
*Connotation
*Denotation
Deconstruction
Constructivist theory
Fallacy
Construct (philosophical)
Appreciate
Aesthetic
Patterns
Terminology
Etymology
Demonstrate
Thesis
Theme
Conflict
***Logic
Distinguish
Generalities
Contrast
Contrast
Comparison
Symbol
Link
Speculation
Purpose
Cause/effect
Affect
Defend
Clarify
Syntax
Negotiate
**Historical context
Setting
**Motivation
Organization
Relationships
Culture
Symbolism
Allusion
Metaphor
Allusion
Contemporary
Modern
Recent
Similes
Foreshadowing
Chronological
Resources
Ideas/ideals
*****Authentic
Triplet (see TAKS)
*****Critical thinking
Technique
Conventions
Effective
Objectives
Subjective
Equitable
Accurate
Essential
Mastery
Relevant
Statistics
Evidence
Holistic
Rhetoric
Rhetorical
Perspective
*****Culturally diverse
Aspects
Integral
Rubric
Rely
Strategy
Memoranda
Data
Exhaustive
Exclusive
Such as
Including
Assessment
Appropriate
Epistomology
Try to use these words in context in class as often as possible.

F. Students will discuss ½ of books assigned, answering questions in a
open discussion.
1. Study guides and
2. any notes the student brings will be acceptable.

G. Students will present one multimedia presentation per
1. credit or
2. half-credit course,
3. for example, power point, in order to present one of the assigned
books.

H. Student will write essays for the remaining texts: 1 of 4 or 3 of 8; all
books require study guides

I. Students will reference video and multimedia analogues
concerning each book, for example,
1. a movie version of the text showing a specific scene or
2. a similar contextual reference on the internet.

J. Study fallacies and check for fallacies
in your readings (This is harder than it looks; don’t play!) Use the Internet!

K. The teacher will ask about the
1. setting and location, that is the time and place of the story
2. as well as the historic background of the book,
3. including the life and times of the author.

L. Be advised that doing some research is necessary for each book or
topic, so fill out a study guide for each book assigned or studied.

1. Use a cultural map or graphic showing book information
(such as)
a. geopolitical,
b. ethnic,
c. religious,
d. economic, or
e. geophysical features will help.

2. Be prepared to discuss each book from different
perspectives.
a. For example, many 19th Century texts reference the role of
interdependence in a capitalist world or
b. international/gender issues.

M. All language arts students will write at least 120 words per day
as a journal for class.
1. Journals consist of
a. various forms of communication and
b. are student directed.
2. Journals may be written for the week, but must be caught up by each
Friday for a total of 600 words for the entire week.
3. Poetry, essays, letters, diaries, plays, and scripts are all acceptable
forms for journals, as long as the work is student created.


N. Computer work as assigned.

O. All of this must be kept in a notebook, turned in weekly in order to document
your progress. The notebook must contain:
1. Cover with name, course, year, and “MSOC”
2. Cover sheet page with name, course, year, and "MSOC"
3. Table of contents page
4. Dividers for journals, notes and handouts, vocabulary, and major grades.
Averages _________

A word to the wise:

"Reading improvement" means to improve on your present reading ability and selection of materials. This means that you may not use books that were previously assigned in other classes to read for this class. It means that you must choose books that you have not read before. “To improve” implies moving forward, not backwards. Some will admit that they do not like reading or writing or math or getting up in the morning. Whatever the issue, the way through the issue is to attend to the problem. Very few problems in life just go away without our working on them.
One issue that pops up quite frequently is that students will admit that they don’t like any books. This is almost always backed up by their not doing well in classes that require reading. The snowballing effect is that poor reading ability may lead to poor classroom performance over all. This may lead to test failure. The root issue is poor reading skills. Why be held back in all these other areas of life because of a few skills that are easily mastered with a little practice?
This is clearly the case of the first step's being the most important. It is one thing to cover up an inability with the excuse, “I don’t like to read.” It is quite another thing to go through life unable to work in fields that require a skill that you do not have. How free are you to make job choices if you do not have the skills required? The simple answer is that you are not. Yes, reading takes some practice.
What we all have seen is that people tend to do what they are good at, and they tend to shy away from things they are not good at. What I propose is that you take the opposite stand and secure yourself by working directly on your weaknesses. If you are most vulnerable on your weakest point and reading is your down fall, how about taking it on directly and learning to stop being insecure about your reading abilities? If you don’t like to swim, don’t, but for safety’s sake, learn how to swim. If you decide never to read again after you have gained the skills necessary to actually interpret a text, which I doubt that you will, that will be a choice you actually make. As it is, if you are a weak reader who does not read now, it is more a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Total __________ Date in __________ Date out __________ Total credit ________