College Preparatory Reading and Composition Skills for Students of English as a Second Language

Reading Skills

1. To follow the ideas and information in readings
   • Follow written instructions
   • Use pre-reading skills to prepare for a reading task
   • Identify overall purpose and/or issue, key idea, main ideas, and key details
   • Follow the organization of a reading
   • Identify, summarize and evaluate an author’s position, supporting argument, and evidence; compare/contrast two positions on the same topic in opinion readings
   • Identify components (background, method, results, discussion, conclusions) and evaluate how well reports/studies meet specified criteria  in experiment/research reports/studies
   • Analyze characters, setting,  theme and  use of literary devices (symbolism, imagery) in literature
2. To determine meanings of unfamiliar words, especially academic and/or professional topic-related language and/or jargon using English-English dictionaries, indexes, glossaries, and context clues
3. To find materials in the library
   • Use a variety of library resource materials to research a topic
   • Use World Wide Web: create search strategies, use subject directories & search engines, evaluate web sites
   • Use on-line databases to access source materials for research projects.
4. To use study skills
   • Apply and evaluate graphs, charts and statistical data to provide logical support for a thesis
   • Prepare for objective tests and essay tests
   • Prepare study notes and predict exam questions
   • Learn content from text/class materials                    

Writing Skills

1. To write informally
   • Write reflectively about course readings
   • Take research notes, including summary, paraphrase, and quotations from source readings
2. To write formal multi-paragraph  summaries, summary-analyses and comparative analyses
   • Take accurate summary notes from assigned articles/cases
   • Prepare paragraph frameworks for summaries
   • Compose well-structured, paraphrased, accurate summaries using notes and paragraph frameworks
   • Write analyses of summarized articles following guidelines
   • Revise based on peer and teacher feedback
   • Follow format instructions
   • Edit and proofread
3. To write research essays
   • Generate ideas from readings
   • Select and narrow topics
   • Write focused thesis statements and parallel blueprint points
   • Create essay frameworks with interrelated body paragraph topic sentences
   • Write well-structured introductions
   • Incorporate source material and document (APA style)
   • Create coherence within and between paragraph
   • Write well-structured concluding paragraphs
   • Revise based on peer and teacher feedback
   • Follow format instructions
   • Edit and proofread

Accuracy

1. To self-monitor for accuracy
   • Apply knowledge of parts of speech, sentence elements, specified sentence types, and mechanics
   • Apply sentence structure rules
     • to correctly embed appositives and introductory phrases, including reduction of adverb and adjective clauses to participial phrases
     • to correctly insert evidence (direct/indirect quotes, and author intro phrases)
   • Identify and correct errors as specified for this and previous levels in
     • tense  rules in reported speech (especially for paraphrase)
     • verb tense shifts in mixed tense environments
     • passive voice
     • word order in questions (for questionnaires and interview questions)
     • word choice and word form
     • articles and other determiners, especially for abstract nouns which have both countable and uncountable uses
     • format and punctuation for documenting and inserting evidence from sources

Classroom Skills

1. Take responsibility for the following:
   • attendance and punctuality
   • class work and assignments
   • participation and teamwork