New York University
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development
Department of Teaching and Learning
Spring 2015
LITC-UE 1178.1 Language and Reading Instruction for Childhood (13189)
25 West 4th Street Room C-2
LITC-UE 1178.2 Language and Reading Instruction for Childhood (21429)
Silver Room 404
Wednesdays-3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m.
Professor: Dr. Harriet Pitts
Office: East Building 239 Greene Street, Room 324
Phone: 212-998-5881
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: Mondays 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. or By Appointment
WELCOME TO THE CLASS!
Course Description:
This course extends the language-related processes with special focus on developmental reading and writing.
Varied approaches to teaching reading in elementary school programs are introduced. Students apply concepts
by working with children in their field placements to develop reading skills at developmentally appropriate levels.
Language use and reading are both human practices that are mediated by the interplay of mind, “texts” and social
constructs. They are practices that are often discussed but are difficult to fully frame and thus, a challenge to
teach others effectively. Reading and writing are fundamental tasks of human development in literate cultures.
Helping children become literate is a fundamental task of the elementary school teacher.
This course is an opportunity for you to more deeply understand your role as teachers of language, reading and
writing. Three principles of effective teaching are: (1) effective teachers appreciate the uniqueness of the
students they are teaching; (2) effective teachers differentiate instruction and (3) effective teachers create a
nurturing learning community in their classrooms in order to meet the learning needs of diverse learners. In order
to accomplish this, effective teachers must be aware of the academic and socio-emotional needs of their students.
English Language Learners , children with special needs and struggling readers and writers and teachers as
effective educational leaders in the teaching of Literacy in the elementary school will be the focal topics addressed
in this course. Throughout your discussions in your book clubs, and through partner reading the IRIS Center
Module activities, you will continue to develop instructional plans to more effectively meet the needs of diverse
literacy learners.
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Learning Objectives:
The activities in this course will enable you to:
Demonstrate an understanding of language and literacy development of diverse learners particularly
students with special needs, English Language Learners and struggling readers and writers;
Build on the strengths that children bring to school with them and use their strengths as instructional tools
in the curriculum planning process;
Recognize their own cultural understandings as well as biases and how these biases may affect the
expectations they have of children as readers and writers and the way in which they deliver instruction to
them;
Uncover the tensions, dilemmas and contradictions of school literacy and home literacy while developing
skills to address them;
Understand how the role of assessment affects the teaching and learning process and guides
instructional opportunities using differentiation.
Course Text:
Zwiers, Jeff, O’Hara, Susan, Pritchard, Robert. (2014). Common Core Standards in Diverse
Classrooms: Essential Practices for Developing Academic Language and Disciplinary
Literacy. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.
Required Case Studies to be Downloaded:
IRIS Center Module Activities
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Course Policies
Communication
Information and communication related to this class will be distributed via e-mail. It is important that everyone
check his/her e-mail for course related information on a regular basis. If you need additional information regarding
an assignment or you are unclear regarding an assignment, please e-mail the professor immediately for
clarification.
Weekly Reading and Related Written Assignments
Lively discussion, exchanging ideas and interacting with members of your book club group are encouraged during
class meetings of this course. We will meet every other week. For the assigned weeks you will meet in your book
club groups. Your book club group will be divided into 4-5 people. Each book club will read 2 chapters from the
book Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms by Jeff Zwiers, Susan O’Hara and Robert Pritchard.
Each group member will select one night to serve as Book Discussion Leader. There will be two facilitators
per chapter per week.
For your assigned week, you will be the facilitator of a discussion with your book club on the chapters you are
assigned for the week that we meet. You will be choosing one of the facilitation techniques described briefly in
class (the specific technique will depend upon the day you are assigned to facilitate. It will be necessary to do
further research in order to be fully prepared to facilitate the discussion. As part of your work include a summary
of the facilitation technique TO BE SHARED WITH YOUR GROUP MATES. The write-up should include a
purpose/rationale for the technique, the procedure to follow and references for learning more. Prepare your
discussion and any accompanying materials needed. Submit the summary sheet and any supporting materials
you’ve prepared on the night you facilitate the discussion.
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On the subsequent weeks that we do not meet you will work with a partner to complete the IRIS Center Module
Activities. This can be found on the link:
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
You and your partner will read and respond to the questions indicated in the modules. You will submit your
responses with both your names on the response sheet on the weeks we will meet.
Your final assignment will be a case study of your choice (you and your partner):
IRIS Case Study Choices:
Early Reading
Fluency and Word Identification Grades 3-5
Comprehension and Vocabulary Grades 3-5
Written Expression Grades 2-5
All assignments must be word processed. Each assignment is due on the designated date. Late assignments will
be penalized.
Students with Disabilities
Students with physical or learning disabilities are required to register with the Moses Center for Students with
Disabilities, 726 Broadway, 2nd Floor, (212-998-4980) and are required to present a letter from the Center to the
instructor at the beginning of the semester in order to be considered for appropriate accommodations.
Academic Integrity
Please note: All work turned in for this course must be ORIGINAL. When in doubt, cite a reference. Adherence
to the Academic Code of Integrity for ALL STUDENTS is expected.
See http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/dcc/undergraduate/Statement On Academic Integrity.php. Penalities for lack of
adherence to the code will be enforced. Formal proceedings will be filed.
Disciplinary Sanctions
When a professor suspects cheating, plagiarism, and/or other forms of academic dishonesty, appropriate
disciplinary action may be taken following the department procedure or through referral to the Committee on
Student Discipline.
Departmental Procedure
The Professor will meet with the student to discuss, and present evidence for the particular violation,
giving the student the opportunity to refute or deny the charge(s).
If the Professor confirms the violation(s), he/she, in consultation with the Program Director and
Department Chair may take any of the following actions:
~Allow the student to redo the assignment
~Lower the grade for the work in question
~Assign a grade of F for the work in question
~Assign a grade of F for the course
~Recommend dismissal
Once an action(s) is taken, the Professor will inform the Program Director and Department Chair, and inform the
student in writing, instructing the student to schedule an appointment with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs,
as a final step. Copies of the letter will be sent to the Department Chair for his/her confidential student file and the
Associate Dean for Student Affairs. The student has the right to appeal the action taken in accordance with the
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School’s Student Complaint Procedure as outlined in The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human
Development Student’s Guide.
Referral to The Steinhardt Committee on Student Discipline
In cases when dismissal is recommended, and in cases of repeated violations and/or unusual circumstances,
faculty may choose to refer to the issue to the Committee on Student Discipline for resolution, which they may do
through the Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. The Steinhardt School Statement on Academic
Integrity is consistent with the New York University Policy on Student Conduct, published in the NYU Student
Guide.
Grading Policy
The activities of this class include the following: class participation in book club discussions and module activities.
Bring a positive attitude and a spirit of cooperation and collaboration to class.
Grading Scale
A+
A
A-
X
92-99
90-91
B+
B
B-
88-89
82-87
80-81
C+
C
C
78-79
72-77
70-71
D+
D
D-
68-69
60-67
X
Assignments and Grading
Item
Expectation
Grade Points
Professionalism; Attendance;
Comprehension Conversations;
Book Club Discussion Leader;
Discussion Participation
Attend class; read all assignments
prior to attending class; Book Club
Discussion Leader; Discussion
Participation; Timely Submission of
Summary Sheet; Participation in
agreed upon meetings
Book Club Discussion Leader-15 points
Discussion Participation-5
Points per discussion=25 points
IRIS Center Module Activities
Completed with a partner
To be handed in as partners
biweekly
5 points per Module=30 points
IRIS Case Study
IRIS Case Study Choices:
Early Reading
Fluency and Word Identification
Grades 3-5
Comprehension and Vocabulary
Grades 3-5
Written Expression Grades 2-5
IRIS Case Study=30 points
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Course Schedule
Sessions-Section 1
We will meet every other week. The weeks that we will meet are bold with an asterisk.
Date*
Session*
Conversation Format*
1/28/2015*
Class Introduction
Divide class into book clubs of 4-5 people in a group. Each book club
will read two chapters of Common Core Standards in Diverse
Classrooms. Group members will select one night to serve as facilitator.
There will be 2 facilitators per chapter per week.
2/4/2015
Partner Work-Online
Literacy Instruction In Action
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades-Content Instruction –
Connecting Standards-Based curriculum to instructional planning
2/11/2015*
Comprehension Conversations
There will be 2 facilitators per chapter per week.
Chapter 1-Framing the Teaching of Academic Language and
Disciplinary Literacy-pgs. 4-21
Chapter 2-Designing Activities and Lessons-pgs. 22-34
2/18/2015
Partner Work Online-Literacy
Instruction in Action
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades: Assessment
Classroom Assessment (Part 1)-An Introduction to Monitoring Academic
Achievement in the Classroom
2/25/2015*
Comprehension Conversations
Fishbowl Conversations (Assign Roles for Next Reading)
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 3: Clarifying, Modeling, and Guiding-pgs. 35-62
Chapter 4: Using Complex Texts-pgs. 63-96
3/4/2015
Partner Work Online:
Literacy Instruction in Action
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades: Assessment
Classroom Assessment (Part 2)-Evaluating Reading Progress
3/11/2015*
Comprehension Conversations
Book Clubs with Assigned Roles
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 5: Lessons Focused on Using Complex Texts-pgs. 97-121
Chapter 6: Fortifying Complex Output-pgs. 122-155
3-18-2015
Spring Break
No Class
3/25/2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades: Diversity
Teaching English Language Learners: Effective Instructional Practices
4/1/2015*
Comprehension Conversations
Reciprocal Teaching
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 7-Lessons Focused on Fortifying Complex Output-Pgs.156-177
Chapter 8-Fostering Academic Interactions-pgs. 178-218
4/8/2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
Elementary Grades: Differentiation
Differentiated Instruction: Maximizing the Learning of All Students
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Date*
Session*
Conversation Format
4/15/2015*
Comprehension Conversations
Instructional Conversation
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 9-Lessons that Focus on Fostering Academic Interactions-pgs.
219-243
Chapter 10-Coaching, Collaboration and Capacity
Pgs. 244-268
Conclusion-pgs. 269-270
Appendix A,B,C-pgs. 271-277
4/22/2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
MODULE OF YOUR CHOICE
4/29/2015*
Comprehension Conversations
Final Review
Double Entry Journals
School-Home Relationships
5/6/2015
IRIS CASE STUDY DUE
Choice of:
Comprehension and Vocabulary-Grades 3-5
Early Reading
Fluency and Word Identification-Grades 3-5
Written Expression-Grades 2-5
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Course Schedule
Sessions-Section 2
We will meet every other week. The weeks that we will meet are in bold with an asterisk.
Date*
Session*
1-28-2015*
Course Introduction
2-4-2015*
Comprehension Conversations
2-11-2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
2-18-2015*
Comprehension Conversations
2-25-2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
3-04-2015*
Comprehension Conversations
3-11-2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
3-18-2015
3-25-2015*
Spring Break
Comprehension Conversations
4-1-2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
4-8-2015*
Comprehension Conversations
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Conversation Format*
Divide class into book clubs of 4-5 people per group. Group members
will select one night to serve as facilitator. Each book club will read two
chapters of Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms. There
will be 2 facilitators per chapter per week.
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms:
Chapter 1: Framing the Teaching of Academic Language and
Disciplinary Literacy-pgs. 4-21
Chapter 2: Developing Activities and Lessons-pgs. 22-34
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades: Content Instruction
Connecting Standards-based curriculum to instructional planning
Fishbowl Conversation (Assign Roles for Next Meeting)
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms:
Chapter 3: Clarifying Modeling and Guiding-pgs.35-62
Chapter 4: Using Complex Texts-pgs. 63-96
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades: Assessment
Classroom Assessment (Part 1): An Introduction to Monitoring
Academic Achievement in the Classroom
Book Club with Assigned Roles
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 5: Lessons Focused on Using Complex Texts-pgs.97-121
Chapter 6: Fortifying Complex Output pgs. 122-155
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades: Assessment
Classroom Assessment (Part 2): Evaluating Student Progress
No Class
Reciprocal Teaching
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 7: Lessons Focused on Fortifying Complex Output-pgs. 156177
Chapter 8: Fostering Academic Interactions-pgs. 178-218
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades: Diversity
Teaching English Language Learners: Effective Instructional Practices
Instructional Conversation-Response Journal
Common Core Standards in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 9: Lessons That Focus on Fostering Academic Interactionspgs.219-243
Chapter 10: Coaching, Collaboration and Capacity -pgs. 244-268
Conclusion -pgs.269-270
Appendix A,B,C-pgs. 271-277
Certification Exam
Relevant Content in this
Course
Relevant Assignments in this Course
4-15-2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Elementary Grades: Differentiation
Differentiated Instruction: Maximizing the Learning of All Students
4-22-2015*
Comprehension Conversations
Double Entry Journal
School-Home Relationships
4-29-2015
Literacy Instruction in Action
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
MODULE OF YOUR CHOICE
5-6-2015
IRIS CASE STUDY DUE
Comprehension and Vocabulary- Grades 3-5
Early Reading
Fluency and Word Identification-Grades 3-5
Written Expression- Grades 2-5
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APPENDIX I
Teacher Certification Exam Course Referral Guide
LITC-UE 1178.1 & LITC-UE.1778.2
Undergraduate Childhood Program
In this course, you can expect to gain knowledge and experience that will assist you in taking your certification
exam in the following ways:
Certification Exam
Relevant Content in this Course
Relevant Assignments in this Course
Academic Literacy Skills Test
(A.L.S.T.)
Discussions and Readings on how to support
the learning of the complex language that
students need for reaching the Common
Core and other standards;
Provide clear and practical ways to realize
the instructional shifts needed with
implementation of new standards in diverse
classrooms;
Provide ways to maximize students’
independence in using texts to learn
Bi-weekly discussions on essential practices
for developing academic language and
disciplinary literacy for diverse students;
Working on online modules and case studies
that are pertinent to all populations, but
specifically focusing on diverse populations;
Specific discussions on using complex texts
and developing lessons focused on using
complex texts;
Discussion and response to the main text
using various discussion formats;
Focusing on each chapter using Close
Reading of Complex Texts; after the
discussion of each chapter, the facilitators of
each chapter will submit a gist of the
chapters.
Educating All Students
Focus on Diverse Student Populations
English Language Learners; Struggling
Readers and Writers; School-Home
Relationships; Assessment of Diverse
student populations
Reading, Writing and discussing modules and
case studies that specifically focus on the
various standards, including the New York
State P-12 Common Core Standards as well
as the various Content Standards;
Assessment, English Language Learners,
Diversity, Differentiation; School-Home
Relationships; Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
Content Specialty Test (C.S.T.)Multi-Subject
Demonstrates knowledge of academic
language and disciplinary literacy
development;
Demonstrates knowledge of principles and
practices of literacy assessment particularly
focusing on diverse learners
Reading, Writing and discussing modules
and case studies that specifically focus on the
various standards including the New York
State P-12 Common Core State Standards as
well as Content Standards; Assessment;
English Language Learners; Diversity;
Differentiation; School-Home Relationships;
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
edTPA
Review of the components of the Elementary
Literacy Assessment Handbook
Focusing on the Rubrics
Discussions that correspond to the
components of the edTPA particularly
Academic Language and Disciplinary Literacy
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