New York University
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human
Development
Department of Teaching and Learning
LITC-UG.1776-003
Language and Literacy in the Early Grades
Instructor: Angela Pack
Email [email protected]
Semester: Fall 2014
Meeting: Tuesdays 5:20-7:00pm
Course Overview
This course examines the basic theories, issues, methods, and materials for a developmental
K-3 language arts program. It emphasizes language arts (including reading, as well as
writing, speaking and listening) as tools for learning. It addresses cultural diversity in
language arts instruction, with emphasis on linguistic diversity. This is the first in a twopart course series. This course will focus on theories of reading instruction, language and
literacy development before school, emergent literacy, and the development of phonological
awareness, phonics, and fluency in children from birth through grade 3. Part two of this
series will address vocabulary development, comprehension instruction and content area
literacy and focus on instruction for students in grades 3 - 5.
The learning objectives for the course are drawn from the International Reading
Association’s standards (2010) for teacher education programs and the preparation of
elementary education teacher candidates (www.reading.org). These standards are based on
the premise that, “knowledgeable, strategy, adaptive, and reflective teachers make a
difference in student learning” (p. 1). The organization of the course uses selected standards
as a guiding framework for teacher candidate learning and thus addresses the following
key elements:
Foundations in literacy research and theory
Instructional approaches and curriculum materials
Assessment, diagnosis, and evaluation
Understanding diversity in teaching and learning
Creating a literate environment
Ongoing professional growth
Course Objectives
The activities in this course will enable you to:
Develop and articulate a theoretical-based philosophy of literacy development and
instruction.
Develop an understanding of the influence of linguistic and cultural diversity on the
development of language and literacy.
Use a variety of assessments to inform instruction of phonological awareness,
phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
Develop teaching goals that provide for a balanced language arts program and
include attention to the Common Core Learning Standards.
Acquire knowledge of and practice in a wide range of methods for teaching ALL
students reading, writing, listening, and speaking for a variety of purposes.
Develop reflective practice.
Use research to continuously grow and evolve as a professional.
Course Texts
(YES-YOU MUST HAVE THE MOST RECENT EDITION!)
Required Texts:
Gunning, T. G. (2013). Creating Literacy Instruction for All Children (8th Ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., Johnston, F. (2011). Words their way: Word
study for phonics, vocabulary and spelling instruction (5th Ed). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Education.
McKenna M. C. and Stahl. K. A. D. (2009). Assessment for Reading Instruction, 2nd ed.
NY: Guilford.
Required Texts to be downloaded
New York State Education P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for the English
Language Arts & Literacy. http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards/
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, NIH, DHHS. (2001). Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for
Teaching Children to Read (N/A). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/prf_k3/documents/PRFbooklet.pdf
WEBSITE
Comprehensive Reading Solutions (CRS)
http://www.comprehensivereadingsolutions.com
ADDITIONAL READINGS
Professional Standards
http://www.reading.org/general/CurrentResearch/Standards.aspx
Please see NYUClasses for additional readings
Optional Texts for Choice Outside Reading:
Beck, I., McKeown, M. & Kucan. L. (2008). Creating Robust Vocabulary: Frequently
Asked Questions and Extended Examples. Guilford.
Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. S., (1996). Guided Reading: Good first teaching for all
children, Portsmouth, NH: Heinneman.
Hart & Risley: Meaningful differences
Course Policies
Communication
Information and communication related to this class will be distributed via e-mail and the
NYUClasses site. It is important that everyone check their e-mail and the NYUClasses site
for course related information on a regular basis.
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. Penalties for
lack of adherence to the code will be enforced. Formal proceedings will be filed.
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory in order to succeed in the class.
Accommodations
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 start of the semester in order to be considered for
appropriate accommodation.
Assignments and Grading
The amount you learn is directly related to the amount of work you invest in the course.
This is an intense course designed to give you the theory and strategies needed for teaching
literacy to a diverse group of students in grades K-3.
The following table provides a brief overview of the assignments and the grading policy.
More complete project descriptions and evaluation scoring rubrics can be found at the end
of this syllabus.
All assignments must be done using a word processing program. General writing
standards, in addition to standards for specific assignments, will be considered in each
evaluation. Assignment dates are found on the class schedule.
Assignment
1
2
3
4
5
6
Classroom Observation – A 1-2 page
written reflection addressing literacy
instruction in your assigned classroom.
Application Lesson – Read-Aloud using
Text Talk
Lesson plan and brief reflection of literacy
teaching practices applied with a single
student or small group of students. You
must choose from techniques addressed in
class, text, or other approved sources.
Application Lesson – Word Study
Lesson plan and brief reflection of literacy
teaching practices applied with a single
student or small group of students. You
must choose from techniques addressed in
class, text, or other approved sources.
2 Small Group Reading Lessons
2 sequential reading lessons conducted
with approximately 3 children at same
instructional text level (one of these
students should be the focus of your case
study assignment below)
Student Profile - An in-depth observation,
assessment, and analysis of one child
Phonics Quiz
Points
IRA Standards
15
1, 6
20
2, 5
20
2, 5
20
2, 4
20
3, 4
5
2, 5
Total Points Possible =100
Grading Scale
A+
X
B+ 88-89
A 92-100
B
82-87
A- 90-91
B- 80-81
C+ 78-79
C
72-77
C- 70-71
D+ 68-69
D 60-67
DX
Course Schedule
Date
Topic
Readings
Assignments due
9/2
Course Overview
Gunning Ch. 1
Possess all books.
Bring Gunning today.
Have hard copies of
the syllabus and ELA
CCS pp. 3-33 with you
in class today.
Defining Literacy
9/9
Theories of
Development
Differentiation to
meet ALL student
needs
Assessment
Gunning Ch. 2, 13
Gunning Ch. 3
M&S Ch. 1 & 2
Class Observation
Due
Emergent/Early
literacy
(Read-aloudscomprehension &
voc.; Shared
Reading- print
concepts)
Guided Reading
Instruction
(small group
differentiated)
Gunning Ch. 4
*Text Talk Article
Classroom Schedule
for Assignments Due
Articles: Clay
Introducing a New
Book
GR Video Sheet
10/7
Phonological
Awareness
Text Talk Lesson Due
Break
10/14
10/21
Independent
Learning
Phonics/Word
Study (Theory &
Assessment)
Spelling/ Word
Study
M&S Ch. 4
*Put Rdg First (PA)
WTW Ch 4
*Self-Paced Phonics for
Teachers
Gunning Ch. 5
M&S - Ch 5
WTW Ch. 1, 2, 5
Emergent & PA
assessments for
student profile due
PA/PHONICS QUIZ
WTW assessment for
student profile due
9/16
9/23
9/30
10/28
11/4
Draft Introduction to
Student Due (Student
Profile)
Phonics/ Word
WTW Ch. 3, 4
Study (Routines &
*Clymer Article
Teaching Activities)
*Self-Paced Phonics for
Teachers
11/11
Running Records
M&S Ch 3
11/18
Fluency (Theory
and Assessment)
M&S Ch. 6
WTW Ch. 6
11/25
WS Lesson Due
RR for student profile
due
*Kuhn & Schwanenflugel Guided Reading
Lesson Plans Due
Fluency
(Instruction, inc.
Shared Reading of
Complex Texts)
12/2
Reading Disability
and RTI
12/9
Supporting English
Learners
*Readings posted on NYU Classes
-
Student Profile Due
Field Placement:
You will need to be placed in a Pre-K, K, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade class in a NYC public school or
early childhood setting so that you have an opportunity to focus particular attention on the
learning of one child in the class, participate in the teaching class literacy activities and
observe and make notes on the teaching and learning interactions in the classroom.
Cooperating Teachers are aware that you will need to practice instructional techniques and
assessments in their classrooms. They have also been made aware of EdTPA requirements.
Therefore, if you encounter conflicts in meeting class requirements, please speak to your
NYU Student Teaching Supervisor and me well in advance of the date that the
assignment is due. By Class Meeting 4, you should have had a formal discussion with your
CT regarding the assignments required for this class and jointly constructed a draft
schedule for completing the assignments.
Assignment #1: Classroom Observation
Observe literacy instruction over the course of a few days in your field placement. Be sure
to watch for and include the following information In your write up
Identify the belief system you observe
Discuss cognitive, language and social considerations you observe
Be specific about instructional approach you observe
Discuss how the classroom teacher meets the needs of struggling students, ELL
students and other students needing accommodation
* There is no such thing as a perfect classroom. Your field experiences will present you with
a range of approaches and levels of expertise. Your role for this assignment is not to be
judgmental as much as conduct an HONEST appraisal of the literacy instruction being
conducted in your classroom. This observation will set the stage for determining what
teaching strategies you can learn from your cooperating teacher and what teaching
strategies you will need to learn from books, videos and other experts. (For example, your
teacher may be an expert with classroom management, but may have limited knowledge
about how to teach literacy or how to diagnose reading difficulties. That’s okay. With
modern technology, we can work around it.)
Assignment #1: Classroom Observation Rubric
Name__________________________
Element
Observations are explicitly related to and use the
terminology identifying the belief systems described in
Gunning. Observations address the prevalence of
cognitive, language, and social considerations.
Observations include specific references to type(s) of
instructional approach (
Observations include specific references to the classroom
conditions for enhancing literacy development.
Additionally, look at the range of scaffolding provided
and the gradual release of responsibility model.
Observations include references to the classroom teacher
meeting the needs of struggling readers, ELL students,
and any other students requiring accommodations to be
successful in community literacy activities.
The paper demonstrates evidence of proofreading and
appropriate use of the mechanics of writing.
Total Score ____ /100
Possible
Points
20
25
25
25
5
Actual
Points
Comments
Assignment #2: Text Talk Lesson
Technique Description
Text Talk (Beck & McKeown, 2001) is a structured teacher read-aloud that was designed to
promote comprehension and language development for students in kindergarten and first
grade. It is used with texts that are rich in language and content.
Purposes: Enhance comprehension, develop vocabulary, language development, provide a
bridge to decontextualized language
Procedure:
1. Select an intellectually challenging text.
2. Provide a targeted prereading discussion to activate prior knowledge.
3. Ask open-ended questions during text reading. Provide follow-up questions to the
children’s responses to achieve deeper processing and higher levels of thinking. Ask
a few open-ended general questions at the conclusion of the book.
4. Pictures- In general, pictures are presented after the children have heard and
responded to the particular page of text. Children need to be prepared for this
change in procedure.
5. Vocabulary is explicitly taught after reading. Three to eight tier two vocabulary
words are selected from the text. Children repeat the word. The teacher rereads or
discusses the word’s use in the book. The word is defined for the children. The
teacher provides a few examples of word use in other contexts. The children are
invited to use the word in a sentence. The vocabulary is put on an incentive chart
that records the use of the words by the children in speaking or writing during the
next week (Word Wizard).
6. This type of read-aloud would be likely to be used once or twice a week.
Adaptations can be made to accommodate other grade levels by adjusting text selection and
the number of vocabulary words.
Assignment #2: Text Talk Lesson
Lesson Plan Format
Name______________________Date of Lesson_____________Gr._______
Text Talk Read-Aloud
Text___________________________________
CCSS (Listening and Language):
Student Learning Objectives: (What should the students be able to DO at the end of the
lesson? Please adhere to the ABCD format.)
Materials:
Set/Lesson Purpose:
(Describe what you will say to establish a purpose for learning and to activate prior
knowledge/experience. You should tell the students what they will be learning, why it is
important and how it connects to previous learning or personal knowledge. I expect to see
the exact words you will say to the students. There may also be an opening “hook.” But the
set should always be stated.)
Implementation Procedures:
(Give a thorough, explicit explanation of what you will be saying and doing. For example, if
reading a story to or with a group of students you need to include the vocabulary you want
to develop and questions you plan to ask for each section of text. Give a brief explanation of
what the child will do. Attach a copy of any activity sheets you will be using in the lesson.)
Accommodations (EL, Gifted, 504, IEP)
Assessment of Student Learning:
(How do you know the child has achieved the learning objectives? What evidence do you
have that the child knows more than s/he did before your lesson?)
Reflection and Response: (Write 1-2 paragraphs for each response below. Address: your
personal thoughts and feelings, student response to the lesson, appropriateness of materials
and activity, issues of logistics and management.)
What went wellWhat I might do differentlyThe student teacher conducted this lesson with:
(please circle) an individual/ a small group/ the whole class
Teacher Signature______________________________________________________
Assignment #2: Text Talk Lesson Rubric
Name__________________________
Text Talk Read-Aloud
(Please attach this form as the last page of your lesson plan.)
Element
Student Learning Objectives and state standards: (What should
the students be able to DO at the end of the lesson? Please adhere
to the ABCD format.)
Set/Lesson Purpose:
(Describe what you will say to establish a purpose for learning and to
activate prior knowledge/experience. You should tell the students
what they will be learning, why it is important and how it connects to
previous learning or personal knowledge. I expect to see the exact
words you will say to the students. There may also be an opening
“hook.” But the set should always be stated.)
Implementation Procedures:
(Give a thorough, explicit explanation of what you will be saying
and doing. For example, if reading a story to or with a group of
students you need to include the vocabulary you want to develop
and questions you plan to ask for each section of text. Give a
brief explanation of what the child will do. Attach a copy of any
activity sheets you will be using in the lesson.)
Assessment of Student Learning:
(How do you know the child has achieved the learning objectives?
What evidence do you have that the child knows more than s/he
did before your lesson?)
Reflection and Response:
(Write 1-2 paragraphs for each response below. Address: your personal
thoughts and feelings, student response to the lesson, appropriateness
of materials and activity, issues of logistics and management.)
What went wellWhat I might do differently-
Total Score ____ /100
Text___________________________________
Possible
Points
10
20
30
20
20
Actual
Points
Comments
Assignment #3: Word Study Lesson
Lesson Plan Format
Name___________________Date of Lesson_____________Gr._______
Lesson 2 Word Study
Dev. Stage_____________ Activity_____________________
Student Learning Objectives and state standards: (What should the students be able to DO
at the end of the lesson? Please adhere to the ABCD format.)
Materials:
Set/Lesson Purpose:
(Describe what you will say to establish a purpose for learning and to activate prior
knowledge/experience. You should tell the students what they will be learning, why it is
important and how it connects to previous learning or personal knowledge. I expect to see
the exact words you will say to the students. There may also be an opening “hook.” But the
set should always be stated.)
Implementation Procedures:
(Give a thorough, explicit explanation of what you will be saying and doing. For example, if
reading a story to or with a group of students you need to include the vocabulary you want
to develop and questions you plan to ask for each section of text. Give a brief explanation of
what the child will do. Attach a copy of any activity sheets you will be using in the lesson.)
Accommodations (EL, Gifted, 504, IEP)
Assessment of Student Learning:
(How do you know the child has achieved the learning objectives? What evidence do you
have that the child knows more than s/he did before your lesson?)
Reflection and Response: (Write 1-2 paragraphs for each response below. Address: your
personal thoughts and feelings, student response to the lesson, appropriateness of materials
and activity, issues of logistics and management.)
What went wellWhat I might do differentlyThe student teacher conducted this lesson with:
(please circle) an individual/ a small group/ the whole class
Teacher Signature______________________________________________________
Assignment #3: Word Study Lesson Rubric
Name__________________________
Word Study Lesson
Total Score ____ /100
Activity____________________________
(Please attach this form as the last page of your lesson plan.)
Element
Possible
Points
Student Learning Objectives and state standards: (What should
20
the students be able to DO at the end of the lesson? Please
adhere to the ABCD format.)
Set:
20
(Describe what you will say to establish a purpose for learning and to
activate prior knowledge/experience. You should tell the students
what they will be learning, why it is important and how it connects to
previous learning or personal knowledge. I expect to see the exact
words you will say to the students. There may also be an opening
“hook.” But the set should always be stated.)
Implementation Procedures:
(Give a thorough, explicit explanation of what you will be saying and
doing. For example, if reading a story to or with a group of students
you need to include the vocabulary you want to develop and
questions you plan to ask for each section of text. Give a brief
explanation of what the child will do. Attach a copy of any activity
sheets you will be using in the lesson.)
Assessment of Student Learning:
(How do you know the child has achieved the learning
objectives? What evidence do you have that the child knows more
than s/he did before your lesson?)
Reflection and Response:
(Write 1-2 paragraphs for each response below. Address: your
personal thoughts and feelings, student response to the lesson,
appropriateness of materials and activity, issues of logistics and
management.)
What went wellWhat I might do differently-
20
20
20
Actual
Points
Comments
Assignment #4: Guided Reading Lessons
Description
Guided Reading is an instructional practice that allows a teacher to work with a small
group of students – usually no more than 4-6 – to provided targeted instruction using
appropriately leveled texts. Based upon our class discussions and using the videos as a
guide your lesson should include the following components:
1. Reread Known Texts
2. High Frequency Writing (Dolch High Frequency Words)
3. Appropriate New Book Introduction
Frontloaded vocabulary introduction, developmentally appropriate and textmatched preview, scripted text overview
4. Guided Reading Technique Specified
Mumble, Silent, Repeated for fluency, DRTA-specify text sections and script
questioning
5. Skills in Context
Developmentally appropriate, informed by guided reading errors, informed by
assessments, text appropriate, teaching to process and transfer-not item
6. Interactive Writing (and cut-up sentence, if appropriate)
Be very specific when you write out your lesson. As you teach, make note of the student
reading behaviors you observe and how you respond. Be sure to include a lesson reflection
that addresses what went well, what didn’t go well and things you’d adjust for tomorrow’s
lesson.
In lieu of the lesson plan format we have used all semester, structure your lesson plan
around the above components. Include an objective for your lesson.
Assignment #4: Guided Reading Rubric
Overall Score _____/100
Lesson #1
Name__________________________
Total Score ____ /50
Guided Reading Lesson
Texts ____________________________
(Please attach this form as the last page of your lesson plan.)
Element
Reread Known Texts
Possible
Points
5
High Frequency Writing
4
New Book Introduction
4
Guided Reading Technique
10
Skills In Context
10
Lesson is specific enough to be replicated
precisely by me or a substitute teacher
Student behaviors noted and responded
to in lesson
Evidence of cohesiveness in the lesson
4
Lesson Reflections….What went well,
what didn’t go well, and things I’ll adjust
tomorrow
5
4
4
Actual
Points
Comments
Assignment #4: Guided Reading Rubric
Lesson #2
Due November 19, 2013
Name_____________________________________
Total Score ____ /50
Guided Reading Lesson
Texts ____________________________
(Please attach this form as the last page of your lesson plan.)
Element
Reread Known Texts
Possible
Points
5
High Frequency Writing
4
New Book Introduction
4
Guided Reading Technique
10
Skills In Context
10
Lesson is specific enough to be replicated
precisely by me or a substitute teacher
Student behaviors noted and responded
to in lesson
Evidence of cohesiveness across the two
lessons
Lesson Reflections….What went well,
what didn’t go well, and things I’ll adjust
tomorrow
4
4
4
5
Actual
Points
Comments
Assignment #5: Student Profile
Description
The student profile is an in-depth study of one student in your placement. You will observe
the student in class, assess the student’s reading and writing capabilities and then present
instructional recommendations to support this student’s literacy learning.
Please be reminded that the case study is a formal product. Please use a fairly formal
objective tone. EDIT carefully. Be honest, but choose language to describe the child that is
professional.
Information to be included In your student profile:
1-2 page introduction to your student
o Who is s/he? Tell a little about the selection of the child. If s/he was
recommended by teacher, share those comments. Tell about your informal
observations of the child during literacy instruction and during the
assessment tasks. What about the child’s response in other subject areas that
you have been able to observe? Are his interactions during those times the
same or different to the response to literacy activities? How does he view
himself as a reader and writer?
Assessments selected and justifiedo List each assessment, describe the purpose of each assessment and what it
contributes to the literacy portrait.
Scored assessments with analysis of each
o attach each assessment, the scoring of the assessment, and a brief analysis of
what you learned about the child from that task. Do this for each assessment.
Be sure to include references to the developmental stages and tendencies.
General Analysis (2-3 pages)- What patterns did you observe across all the
measures? Assemble the evidence to paint a literacy portrait of your child.
o What are his/her literacy strengths? What useful strategies are in place at the
word level and the passage level? (Be sure to reference the child’s use of
cueing systems.)
o What are his/her literacy weaknesses? What was difficult or confusing for the
child at the word level and text level?
o What are your recommendations for instruction? What does the evidence
indicate should be the instructional focus for the child?
Assignment #5: Student Profile Rubric
Name__________________________
Total Score ____ /100
Student Profile
(Please attach this form as the last page of your lesson plan.)
Element
1-2 page introduction to the student
Who is s/he? Tell a little about the selection of the child. If s/he was
recommended by teacher, share those comments. Tell about your informal
observations of the child during literacy instruction and during the
assessment tasks. What about the child’s response in other subject areas that
you have been able to observe? Are his interactions during those times the
same or different to the response to literacy activities? How does he view
himself as a reader and writer?
Assessments Selected and Justified
List each assessment, describe the purpose of each assessment and
what it contributes to the literacy portrait.
Scored Assessments with Analysis
Attach each assessment, the scoring of the assessment, and a brief
analysis of what you learned about the child from that task. Do this for
each assessment. Be sure to include references to the developmental
stages and tendencies.
General Analysis
What patterns did you observe across all the measures? Assemble the
evidence to paint a literacy portrait of your child.
What are his/her literacy strengths? What useful strategies are in
place at the word level and the passage level? (Be sure to reference the
child’s use of cueing systems.)
What are his/her literacy weaknesses? What was difficult or confusing
for the child at the word level and text level?
What are your recommendations for instruction? What does the
evidence indicate should be the instructional focus for the child?
Possible
Points
15
15
20
50
Actual
Points
Comments