Welcome to the Reading and Writing Programs at Sacramento City College. We have prepared this booklet so that students, instructors, counselors, and all other members of our college community may understand the required competencies and grading standards for the courses in these programs.
We hope that this booklet will 1) aid students in choosing courses that will most benefit them, 2) unify expectations and grading standards for reading and writing instructors, 3) assist counselors in advising students into courses that will allow them to succeed, and 4) provide useful information for the entire Sacramento City College community.
Julia Jolly,
Dean, Division of Language and Literature
Robin Ikegami
Chair, English Department
Adrienne King
Chair, Reading Department
analysis—
a division of any subject (a reading, a concept, an event, an object, or a person) or any part of a subject into recognizable elements, to think critically about these elements, and to present the results of this thinking. Analysis often includes looking at cause/effect relationships, discerning subtleties of connotation, recognizing similarities and differences, and/or drawing inferences. Analysis may be used as a strategy in part of an essay, or it may be the goal of the entire essay.
analytical writing—
writing that defines significance for a reader. Analytical writing is writing with a particular purpose and attitude. That purpose is not simply to describe an experience or to arrange information in various configurations, but to explain the significance that the experience or the information has for the writer and to propose that it should have the same significance for the reader. Analytical writing extends information into the dimension of drawing inferences, values, and applications from it. That is why the ability—and willingness—to think and to write analytically is a prerequisite for all university work.
Writing of the kind we are discussing here is sometimes called “evaluative” or “interpretive.” Though analytical writing as we are defining it often implicitly evaluates and almost always reflects the writer's interpretations and inferences, its subjects are limitless and its purposes more various than saying yea or nay (from Teaching Analytical Writing, ed. by G. Gadda, R Peitzman, & W. Welsh).
causal analysis—
a rhetorical strategy (used as part of an essay or as the focus of an entire essay) in which the writer explains why something happened or why a phenomenon exists.
controlling idea—
the main idea within a paragraph. This may be explicit or implicit.
essay subject—
the person, place, idea, or object about which the writer's entire essay is written. Instructors commonly expect a narrowed subject (one that is limited in scope so as to be treated effectively in the assignment's particular word or page requirements). This narrowed subject may be derived from an initially broad subject (one which may be useful in the preliminary stages of writing—brainstorming or freewriting—but which will most likely need narrowing in order to create an effective thesis and essay.
implication—
a hint or suggestion made by an author.
inference—
a conclusion derived from facts or premises; in reading, a conclusion a reader derives from the author's stated ideas and/or specific details.
paragraph topic—
the person, place, idea, or object about which a writer's paragraph is written. In essays the paragraph topic will often be part of the essay's overall subject. The paragraph topic should be narrowed so that the paragraph will be an effective, unified unit of its own as well as, when appropriate, an effective part of a larger piece of writing.
premise—
a statement of fact or a supposition made or implied as a basis of argument, in argumentative writing, a logical premise is necessary if the writer's conclusion is to be reasonable.
prompt—
in a writing assignment, a command such as “explain,” “discuss,” “explore,” “analyze,” and so on.
support—
description, facts, details, statistics, quotations, or dialogue which clarifies for a reader any point made by a writer.
thesis—
an assertion that the writer advances and must support. The thesis is often presented directly in the opening paragraph or near the beginning of the essay. It is often stated in one sentence. However, in some cases a thesis may be effectively implied or stated elsewhere in the essay.
"a basic understanding and control of”
phrase used to convey the degree of skill necessary for minimum competency in “Mechanics” and “Sentences” in English-Writing 40. Some errors in the listed areas may occur in a student's writing at the end of the semester although these errors should not impair the reader's ability to understand the writer's sentences.
"reasonable control of”
phrase used to convey the degree of skill necessary for minimum competency in “Mechanics” and “Sentences” in English-Writing 50. Some errors may occur occasionally, and sentences may show little sense of style, but they do communicate. Remaining errors cause occasional but not serious distraction to a reader.
"reasonably consistent control of”
phrase used to convey the degree of skill necessary for minimum competency in “Mechanics” and “Sentences” in English-Writing 100. Sentences are relatively free of errors, and errors are usually not repeated. A reader can progress easily through the writing with infrequent distraction.
"overall mastery of”
phrase used to convey the degree of skill necessary for minimum competency in “Mechanics” and “Body Paragraphs” in English-Writing 300. Errors or difficulties in these areas will be very infrequent and will not interrupt the flow of communication from writer to reader.
In Reading classes at SCC, students improve their skills in using sophisticated vocabulary, comprehending and interpreting college‑level material, and developing appropriate study techniques for college textbooks.
The English and Reading Departments believe that competent reading skills play an essential role in students' success in all writing classes. Much educational research nationwide, as well as research done on the SCC campus, indicates that reading skills (more than any other factor) are predictive of success in writing classes. Therefore, we strongly recommend that students successfully complete the appropriate level reading class before moving on to the next level writing class. For example, students who plan to enroll in English-Writing 300 should have completed the Critical Reading class, English-Reading 310, or in some other way have demonstrated that they can fully comprehend and interpret college level material.
Students earning a “C” (satisfactory) grade at the end of this course must be generating written work (paragraphs and/or simple essays) that demonstrates the following competencies.
Sentences
The student is
expected to possess the following:
The ability to vary sentence structure and
word choice
Basic understanding and control of sentence
conventions, meaning that most sentences should be relatively free of the following
kinds of flaws:
– incorrect verb forms
– fragments and run‑ons (fused sentences)
– agreement errors (subject/verb, noun/pronoun)
– unnecessary shifts in verb tense, person, & number
– pronoun errors
– coordination or subordination errors
– errors in spelling and capitalization
Paragraphs
The student may be expected to write a paragraph
which does the following:
features a clear controlling idea
includes specific examples, reasons, or other
support for the controlling idea (topic sentence)
features only sentences relating to the controlling idea
employs, where appropriate, one of the basic
methods of organization: chronological, spatial, or comparison
includes appropriate transitional devices to
connect supporting reasons, details, examples, etc.
shows evidence of revision, editing, and
proofreading
Other Forms of Writing
The student may be expected to demonstrate
competence in the following:
composing a formal letter, including proper
format
writing a summary of a brief reading passage
responding, in the form of a paragraph, to a
brief reading passage
At the beginning of the course, the writing done by students hoping to complete English-Writing 50 successfully with a grade of “C” or better must demonstrate the competencies expected of students who have completed English-Writing 40 successfully. Please see the previous page to review the English-Writing 40 competencies.
By the end of the semester, compositions written by English-Writing 50 students who have achieved success in the course (“C” level work or better) will demonstrate the following additional competencies.
Mechanics (Basic skills)
Reasonable control of the conventions of
punctuation, spelling, and capitalization (some errors, but not enough to
distract a reader seriously)
Sentences
Variety of sentence types and constructions
(simple, complex, compound, compound‑complex, etc.)
Relative freedom from these additional kinds
of errors:
– syntax errors
– inappropriate or vague word choices
– lack of parallelism
Body Paragraphs
Employ basic patterns of organization, plus
the following patterns when effective: 1) climactic, and 2) general to
particular
Demonstrate knowledge and use of subtopics
Make clear how subtopics and other information
support the controlling idea of the paragraph
Reveal an attempt at analysis or insight
Introduction and Thesis
Reveal a focus that addresses the assignment
appropriately
Communicate clearly the essay's purpose
First paragraph or first few lines of the
thesis should open up the general subject and attempt to capture the readers'
interest and attention
Clearly state the essay's unified, limited,
specific subject
Sufficiently narrowed to be manageable in the
space and time allowed
Thesis is worthy of development
Clearly states contention, assertion, etc.,
relative to the narrowed subject
Conclusion
Summarizes/restates the thesis idea
Recaps major points
Gives the paper a feeling of completeness
These courses provide individualized, self-paced instruction of writing skills including basic sentence skills, paragraph writing skills and basic essay writing skills. Students enrolled in English-Writing 40 must take English-Writing 40; students in English-Writing 50 must take English-Writing 59. These classes are corequisites for English-Writing 40 and English-Writing 50. Instructors of English-Writing 49 and English-Writing 59 assign special exercises for students to complete, focused on individual writing needs.
At the beginning of the course, the writing done by students hoping to complete English-Writing 100 successfully (with skills earning a grade of “C” or better) must manifest the competencies expected of successful English-Writing 40 and English-Writing 50 writing. (Please see the previous pages to review the “end-of-the-semester” competencies for English-Writing 40 and 50.)
By the end of the semester, compositions written by English-Writing 100 students who have achieved success in the course (writing skills earning a grade of “C” or higher) will demonstrate the following additional competencies.
Mechanics
Reasonably consistent control of the
conventions of punctuation, spelling, and capitalization
Reading Competency
The ability to read at the college level as
evidenced by performance on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (at the 10th to 12th
grade level)
Sentences
Variety of sentence types, constructions, and
lengths
Basic understanding of parallelism
Relative freedom from the following additional
kinds of errors:
passive constructions (except where logically
appropriate)
inappropriate or vague word choices
Body Paragraphs
Explicit topic sentences aren't always “first
sentence announcements"
Controlling ideas are clearly related to the
theme (coherence)
Use of more sophisticated organizational
patterns for arranging ideas logically:
cause/effect,
classification/analysis,
definition,
analogy
logical sequencing of some kind is used so
that the central idea of the essay is developed to a logical conclusion
Feature a variety of reasons, details,
examples, etc., to explain/support the controlling idea or subtopic
Make clear how subtopics and other information
support the controlling idea of the essay
Introduction and Thesis
The introduction clearly states the essay's
unified, limited, specific subject.
The thesis has been sufficiently narrowed.
The thesis clearly states assertion,
contention, etc., relative to the narrowed subject.
The introduction offers any necessary
concessions (or leads to another paragraph that does).
The point of view and direction of development
are clearly discernible by readers.
The introduction may be formulaic, but must
retain a degree of subtlety (no direct announcements)
A diffused five-paragraph format is acceptable
if it's reasonably effective.
Conclusion:
Summarizes/restates thesis
Recaps major points
Makes a thoughtful closing point
General English-Writing 100 Writers' Competencies
The ability to generate ideas about which to
write
The ability to define both purpose and
audience for various types of writing and to recognize the language and extent
of development appropriate to carry out a specific purpose or to reach a
particular audience,
The ability to support one's conclusions,
including the appropriate use of evidence derived from the ideas of others, which
includes the ability to avoid plagiarism and may include the ability to
document sources
The ability to use dictionaries and other
reference materials to check words and facts
The ability to proofread one's essay
The understanding, appreciation, and practice
of revision as a fundamental part of the writing process
The ability to correct for errors in grammar
and mechanics
The ability to produce a finished paper that
is relatively free of sentence fragments, comma splices, agreement errors, improper
pronoun references, and similar sentence errors
English-Writing 300 is a course which focuses on the writing of college-level, expository essays. Students may take this course only once for credit, so they should take care to enroll in it only after they have developed the competencies expected of students who have successfully completed English-Writing 100 (described on the previous page).
By the end of the semester, essays composed by English-Writing 300 students who have achieved success in the course (C' level writing skills or better) will demonstrate the following competencies (in addition to those described on the previous pages).
Mechanics
Overall mastery of the conventions of
punctuation, spelling, and capitalization
Sentences
Good variety of sentence types and
constructions
Relative freedom from major sentence faults:
fragments, comma splices, or run-on sentences
Avoidance of passive voice except where
logically warranted
Relative freedom from sentence constructions
using the verb “to be” in its many forms (weak verbs)
Body Paragraphs
Overall mastery of the competencies described
in the “body paragraph” section of the “English-Writing 100 Competencies”
Introduction & Thesis
Establish and convey a tone appropriate for
the assignment, the intended audience, and purpose of the essay
Demonstrate consistently the writer's focus on
the needs of the audience
Clearly establish a frame of reference for the
audience (readers)
Conclusion
States and analyzes the causal relationship(s)
drawn from the thesis and supporting information
May utilize analogy or other effective device
The Research Assignment
Demonstrates the student's ability to conduct
library research, field research or both
Shows the student's ability to quote,
summarize, and paraphrase from sources and to smoothly incorporate this
information into an essay
Is correctly documented using current MLA
(Modem Language Association) format
The Whole Essay
Demonstrates unity and coherence throughout
Features consistent and effective tone
Meets the readers' (audience's) needs and
expectations (delivers what the introduction and thesis “promise")
Features probing, substantive thought
appropriate to a college level essay
At the beginning of the course, the writing done by students hoping to complete English-Writing 301 successfully with a grade of “C” or better must demonstrate the competencies expected of students who have completed English-Writing 300 successfully. Students should also demonstrate the reading skills of students who have passed English-Reading 310 successfully. Please review the competencies for both English-Writing 300 and English-Reading 310.
By the end of the semester, essays written by English-Writing 301 students who have achieved success in the course (earning a grade of 'C' or higher) will demonstrate the following additional competencies:
probing, substantive thought about major
elements of imaginative literature, which may include character, setting,
imagery, symbolism, figurative language, point of view, persona, irony,
paradox, plot, form, structure, tone, style, voice, myth, allusion, issue, and
theme;
evidence of the student's ability to understand
and articulate the interrelatedness of the above elements of imaginative
literature;
evidence of the student's ability to use
correctly the special vocabulary of literature, including the terms listed
above;
evidence of the student's ability to argue
persuasively for a particular interpretation or evaluation of a literary work.
At the beginning of the course, the writing done by students hoping to complete English–Writing 302 successfully with a grade of “C” or better must demonstrate the competencies expected of students who have completed English-Writing 300 successfully. Students should also demonstrate the reading skills of students who have passed English-Reading 310 successfully. Please review the competencies for both English-Writing 300 and English-Reading 310.
By the end of the semester, essays written by English-Writing 302
students who have achieved success in the course (earning a grade of “C” or
higher) will demonstrate the following additional competencies:
evidence that the student can handle ambiguity
(i.e., entertaining several different points of view or bodies of evidence and
eventually picking one point of view that takes into consideration the others)
evidence that the student can recognize and
avoid logical fallacies
close textual analysis of fiction or
nonfiction (more than merely telling a story or summarizing a plot)
control overall elements of a persuasive
argument
evidence of the ability to make arguments from
abstract concepts
effective, sophisticated, and
correctly-documented use of primary and secondary resources
evidence that the student is aware of and has
control over his or her writing style and voice.
Entry Skills:
Student has the ability to comprehend, at the 80% level, material written at approximately the 4th grade level using the Fry Readability formula.
Exit Skills:
The overall reading level of students at the end of English-Reading 10 is approximately the 7th grade level on a standardized test.
1. Student can effectively use word attack skills and read orally material written at approximately the 7th grade readability level.
2. Student can use the dictionary to determine the meaning and pronunciation of unfamiliar words and demonstrates this ability through written vocabulary homework and oral class work.
3. Student can use context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words and can pass the context clues mastery test for this level with a minimum score of 80%.
4. Student has general knowledge of word parts and can demonstrate this through passing at least two word part exams with a minimum score of 70%.
5. Student has sight recognition of vocabulary at the level of Townsend Press’s Building Vocabulary Skills (7th – 9th grade reading level) and can accurately pronounce the vocabulary words in the text as demonstrated by oral class work.
6. Student can identify stated and unstated main ideas and supporting details in paragraphs written at approximately the 7th grade level and can demonstrate this by passing a mastery test at the 80% level.
7. Student has general knowledge of the relationship between ideas in a paragraph and demonstrates this by passing the main idea and supporting details mastery tests at the 80% level.
8. Student can make inferences from materials written at approximately the 7th grade level and can demonstrate this through passing the mastery test at the 80% level.
Skills 1, 2, and 5 will be demonstrated through homework assignments and class work.
Skills 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 require that students pass a Reading Department approved mastery test at the 80% level. If students do not achieve mastery the first time they take the test, they will go to the reading lab for a specified number of hours of remediation in that skill and then will retake the test. The process will be repeated if a student does not achieve mastery on the second try. As a general rule, students will be allowed only three tries to pass a mastery test.
Entry Skills:
These skills have been demonstrated in the English-Reading 10 class or are assumed by achievement of the assessment score necessary for this class.
1. Student can effectively use word attack skills.
2. Student can use the dictionary to determine the meaning and pronunciation of unfamiliar words.
3. Student can use context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words.
4. Student has general knowledge of word parts.
5. Student has sight recognition of vocabulary at the level of Townsend Press’s Building Vocabulary Skills (7th ‑ 9th grade level).
6. Student can identify stated and unstated main ideas and supporting details in paragraphs written at approximately the 7th grade level.
7. Student has general knowledge of the relationship between ideas in a paragraph.
8. Student can make inferences from material written at approximately the 7th grade level.
Exit Skills:
1. Student can effectively use word attack skills and can read orally vocabulary from the Townsend vocabulary text and passages written at approximately the 9th grade level.
2. Student can use the dictionary to determine meaning and pronunciation and can demonstrate this through written assignments.
3. Student can use context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words and demonstrates this by passing a mastery test at the 80% level.
4. Student has general knowledge of word parts and has passed at least two exams on word parts at the 70% level.
5. Student has sight recognition of vocabulary at the level of Townsend Press’s Improving Vocabulary Skills (9th to 11th grade reading level) and can accurately read these words orally.
6. Student can identify stated and unstated main ideas and supporting details in paragraphs written at approximately the 9th grade level and demonstrates this by passing a mastery test at the 80% level.
7. Student can identify the writing patterns in paragraphs written at approximately the 9th grade level and can demonstrate this by passing a mastery test at the 80% level.
8. Student can make inferences from materials written at approximately the 9th grade level and can demonstrate this by passing a mastery test at the 80% level.
9. Student can distinguish a fact from an opinion in materials written at approximately the 9th grade level and can demonstrate this by passing a mastery test at the 80% level.
10. Student can recognize the author's purpose and tone in materials written at approximately the 9th grade level and can demonstrate this by passing a mastery test at the 80% level.
11. Student can understand the definition of bias, point of view, and propaganda and demonstrates this through written assignments.
12.
