Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Recommended: CASAS reading score 235 or higher; Completion of ABE 0790; Reading placement of RD 90 or higher; Completion of ESOL Communication Level 6 or higher

Upon successful completion of the course students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate coherent understanding and effective use of basic reading and writing skills and strategies in career and college contexts, at an advanced level, indicated by the Oregon Adult College and Career Readiness Standards.
2. Read diverse texts to build knowledge for a variety of purposes, integrating their knowledge, skills, and strategies in the following components of the reading process.
3. Determine the purpose for reading; select and use reading strategies appropriate to the purpose.
4. Monitor comprehension and adjust reading strategies as needed to deepen understanding of the text.
5. Use textual evidence to analyze the content and reflect on the underlying meanings.
6. Write to express meaning for a variety of purposes, integrating their knowledge, skills, and strategies in the following components of the writing process.
7. Determine the purpose for writing; select and use writing strategies appropriate to the purpose.
8. Develop and organize ideas using evidence to serve the writing purpose.
9. Use self-review and feedback from others to revise text; use English language conventions and edit text to increase reader understanding and meet the writing purpose.

• Exhibit persistence, self-motivation, and self-advocacy
• Reflect upon, assess, and celebrate learning gains
• Explore, develop, and monitor academic and professional goals
• Advance knowledge and skills to make informed choices as a citizen, family member, worker, and life-long learner

• Instructor-developed rubrics/scoring guides
• Assignments and projects
• CASAS reading assessments, GED Ready practice tests, and official GED tests

Themes: 

• Informational, literary, and persuasive texts
• Social studies content: civics and government, United States history, visual literacy: charts, graphs, maps, political cartoons 
• Media literacy and propaganda 
• Social justice and cultural literacy

Concepts: 

• Goal setting and decision making 
• Confidence building 
• Collaboration, self-reflection, and metacognition 

Issues: 

• Barriers to student success
• Access to resources
• Test and school anxiety
• Learning differences

Course Content/Oregon Adult College and Career Readiness Standards (OACCRS)

For more detailed descriptions and applications see this document:  Oregon Adult College and Career Readiness Standards Detailed Descriptions and Applications

Reading Anchor 1. CLOSE READING AND EVIDENCE

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. 

Reading Anchor 2. CENTRAL IDEA AND THEME

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. 

Reading Anchor 3. INTERACTIONS

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Reading Anchor 4. VOCABULARY, WORD CHOICE, TONE

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. 

Reading Anchor 5. TEXT STRUCTURE

Analyze the structure of a text, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. 

Reading Anchor 6. PURPOSE AND POINT OF VIEW

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. 

Reading Anchor 7. MULTIMEDIA CONTENT AND VISUAL LITERACY

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Reading Anchor 8. TRACING AND EVALUATING ARGUMENTS 

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Writing Anchor 1. CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Writing Anchor 2. TEXT TYPES AND PURPOSES

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Writing Anchor 4. PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF WRITING: CLARITY, ORGANIZATION
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 

Writing Anchor 5. PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF WRITING: WRITING PROCESS 

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Writing Anchor 9. RESEARCH TO BUILD AND PRESENT KNOWLEDGE

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.