Language Arts & Literature Grades 4 - 8
(EDRL 443/6431)
Monday-Thursday
10:10 – 12:10
Room: WRB 2008 & 3050
--Field Experience (TBA)
Rachel G. Salas, Ph.D., Instructor Office: College of Education, Center for Learning and Literacy email: [email protected] (Please note: I prefer that you contact me over email.) Office hours: by appointment READINGS: Required texts: Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy in the Middle Grades: Teaching Reading and Writing to Fourth Through Eighth Graders. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. (http://www.coursesmart.com/IR/5042100/9780135003220?__hdv=6.8) Tompkins, G. (20102). 50 Literacy Strategies: Step-­‐by-­‐Step. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Optional texts: Woods, M.L. & Moe, A.J. (2011). Analytical reading inventory: Comprehensive standards-­‐based assessment for all students, including gifted and remedial 9th Ed. Columbus, OH: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. Required: A historical fiction young adult trade book (we will visit the CLL seminar room/library) Required additional readings: Additional course readings are available on Webcampus. Required electronic text: The Common Core Standards have been adopted by most states (including Nevada) and school districts (including Washoe County School District) in the U.S. You should know that these standards are available and use them in your planning. (http://www.corestandards.org) You may also want to access the websites for our major literacy professional associations. These include the International Reading Association (http://www.reading.org) and the National Council of Teachers of English (http://www.ncte.org). These websites contain the national IRA/NCTE literacy standards. You can learn about the Northern Nevada Writing Project (NNWP) by visiting the NNWP website at www.nnwp.org. The Northern Nevada Writing Project is part of the National Writing Project (NWP). You can learn more about the National Writing Project by going to the NWP website: http://www.nwp.org/ I strongly encourage you to join the NNWP and/or NWP when you become a classroom teacher! Suggested additional readings: Beck, I., McKeown, M., & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: Guilford. Esquith, R. (2007). Teach like your hair is on fire: The methods and madness inside room 56. New York: Viking. Gruwell, E. (1999). The freedom writers diary: How a teacher and 150 teens used writing to change themselves and the world around them. New York: Broadway Books. You will also likely want to access journals published by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). IRA and NCTE publish many of the most important literacy-­‐related journals in education (e.g., The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, Reading Research Quarterly, The Journal of 1 If you have a disability and will be requiring assistance, please contact the Disability Resource Center (Thompson Building Suite 101) or me as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations. 2
Literacy Research, and Language Arts). If you are not a member of IRA and/or NCTE, I strongly encourage you to join these organizations. There are great rates for students! Please go to the IRA website and the NCTE website for more information (http://www.reading.org & http://www.ncte.org). COURSE DESCRIPTION: Course is designed for: Undergraduate elementary education students, and graduate students who are 1st time licensure students, studying literacy instruction and learning at the upper elementary level2. Prerequisites: Admission to teacher education; interest in literacy teaching and learning; interest in becoming a practicing teacher of literacy; a professional commitment to exploring literacy teaching and learning Brief course description from catalogue: Learning and instruction in reading, writing, oral language and literature for the 4 – 8 grades. Course objectives: The primary emphasis for this course is the exploration and implementation of current conceptions of adolescent literacy instruction with a focus on using children’s literature in your instruction. Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) Upon completion of this course, you should: •
Recognize the importance of establishing an effective context for literacy learning •
Articulate a definition of what counts as literacy and effective literacy teaching to promote student learning •
Develop, refine, and articulate a conceptual framework for making instructional decisions when teaching literacy •
Apply practical applications for using literature in literacy instruction •
Demonstrate strategies, approaches, and reasons for teaching comprehension, response to literature, writing, and vocabulary and word study skills •
Select ways to attend to the literacy learning needs of children from diverse cultural, linguistic, and academic backgrounds •
Use various methods that help children to comprehend, narrative and informational texts •
Apply authentic assessment and be able to use effectively different types of authentic assessments to inform your literacy instruction •
Develop methods and to help students, especially English Language Learners, develop academic literacy across the curriculum Purpose and relationship to the COE Model and the Domains of Professional Practice: This course relates to the major themes guiding the teacher preparation program in the College of Education and the Domains of Professional Practice in the following ways: Possesses a love of learning & develops a strong fund of knowledge – This course emphasizes that as professional educators we should view learning as a life-­‐long endeavor. Moreover, as professional literacy educators we should desire to learn continually about the subject matter we teach and through meaningful formal and informal assessments, we should strive to learn from and about the children we serve. Engages in reflective practice – Learning to become a better teacher is a life-­‐long endeavor. This course emphasizes the central role that reflection needs to play in our life-­‐long endeavor of learning to become a more effective teacher of literacy. Values democracy & multiculturalism – This course emphasizes that literacy instruction should be designed to meet the needs of all students by preparing them to live and work effectively in a democratic and pluralistic society. 2
Please note: This course is not designed for practicing teachers. This course is only designed for students who are not
teachers and have never been teachers. The UNR Literacy Studies faculty designed a separate EDRL 643 course for
practicing teachers.
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Primary methodologies and approaches used in class: We will employ a variety of methodologies and approaches in this course such as small and large group discussions and activities, lecture, individual work, teaching by all class participants in the course, use of instructional media, teaching children at a local elementary school, and so forth. This course will consist of face-­‐to-­‐face class meetings, online class assignments and a practicum/field experience at a local elementary school. Academic Success Services: Your student fees cover usage of the Math Center (784-­‐4433 or www.unr.edu/mathcenter/ <http://www.unr.edu/mathcenter/> ), Tutoring Center (784-­‐6801 or www.unr.edu/tutoring/ <http://www.unr.edu/tutoring/> ), and University Writing Center (784-­‐6030 or www.unr.edu/writing_center <http://www.unr.edu/writing_center> ). These centers support your classroom learning; it is your responsibility to take advantage of their services. Please keep in mind that seeking help outside of class is the sign of a responsible and successful student. Academic Dishonesty Policy: Academic dishonesty is against university as well as the system community standards. Academic dishonesty is defined as: cheating, plagiarism or otherwise obtaining grades under false pretenses. Plagiarism is defined as submitting the language, ideas, thoughts or work of another as one's own; or assisting in the act of plagiarism by allowing one's work to be used in this fashion. Cheating is defined as (l) obtaining or providing unauthorized information during an examination through verbal, visual or unauthorized use of books, notes, text and other materials; (2) obtaining or providing information concerning all or part of an examination prior to that examination; (3) taking an examination for another student, or arranging for another person to take an exam in one's place; (4) altering or changing test answers after submittal for grading, grades after grades have been awarded, or other academic records once these are official. Examples of obtaining grades under false pretenses include, but are not limited to, turning in someone else’s work as your own, turning in any work created for another purpose to fulfill course requirements, etc. Disciplinary procedures for incidents of academic dishonesty may involve both academic action and administrative action for behavior against the campus regulations for student conduct. The procedures involve the determination by the faculty member pursuing concerns over alleged cheating or plagiarism as to whether administrative action is warranted, in addition to making a determination as to any academic consequence. Academic action may include: (1) cancelling the student's enrollment in the class without a grade; (2) filing a final grade of "F"; (3) awarding a failing mark on the test or paper in question; (4) requiring the student to retake the test or resubmit the paper. Please note: As is true for all of the work you do for all of your classes, your instructor and others may review your work while evaluating the quality of courses and programs. However, your work cannot be used for any research projects without written approval from the UNR Office of Human Research Protection. Please note on Audio and Video Recording: “Surreptitious or covert video-­‐taping of class or unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy. This class may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor. In order to accommodate students with disabilities, some students may be given permission to record class lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may be recorded.” COURSE REQUIREMENTS3: Field Experience: Complete a successful practicum in an elementary school. 3 Adjustments will be made to course requirements, if necessary, based on my professional judgment. Any adjustments to course requirements will be discussed orally with you in class. 4
Assignments: All written assignments completed out-­‐of-­‐class must by typed. Some out-­‐of-­‐class assignments will be submitted on WebCampus; ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED BY DUE DATE AND SUBMITTED BY THE DESIGNATED DAYS/TIMES BELOW FOR CREDIT WHETHER YOU ARE SUBMITTING YOUR ASSIGNMENTS IN YOUR CLASS OR ON WEBCAMPUS. Course Requirements: Early Literacy Quiz: 1. Literacy Paper: Select one research article that focuses on any of the topics we discuss in EDRL 443 -­‐ academic English, comprehension, fluency, spelling, word study, writing or using/ integrating adolescent literature. Provide a brief overview of the article, what are the main points the author is trying to make, what did you learn from the article? (APA formatting can be found: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/) You can find some articles online at the UNR library (Journals: Reading Teacher, Language Arts, etc.) *643 students find 2 research articles that deal with literacy topics (vocabulary, academic English, comprehension, fluency, spelling, word study or adolescent literature. The articles should focus on literacy for grades 4th through 8th. 2. Visual/Writing response activity (total of 3): You will watch a total of 2 instructional video clips that deal with literacy in the classroom. These videos have commentary by renowned experts in the field (Kathryn Au and Robert Jimenez, etc.). Listen and watch each video closely, take notes as you listen to what the classroom teachers say as they discuss their students and instruction and/or assessment. You have 4 questions for each segment. After watching the video respond to each question completely and thoroughly. I expect your writing to be reflective and comprehensible. You may also include comments from your text. Please word process and spell check your response and upload to webcampus. Each video summary is worth 25 points. (Look at tentative schedule for due dates) 3. Group Trade book Presentation: You will form literature circles (rubrics will be handed out in class) using the same trade book and discuss key features of the reading process: •
Prereading, •
During reading, •
After reading strategies and activities. You will create a Powerpoint that includes: •
A prereading and a during reading literacy strategy (discussed in the course and/or text.) you would use for the tradebook and how you would use that strategy (25 points). •
Common core standards for language arts and any other content area you integrate (10 points). •
Differentiated Instruction (10 points) •
An application project (after reading) that you design and complete as a group and present to the class (25). There will be both an oral and visual component (Powerpoint) to these presentations and all group members must participate (30 Points). 4. Literature Circle Participation: You will form literature circle groups and take on roles for the discussion. Role sheets will be provided in class. 5. Book Talk Presentation: an overview of the chapter book selected for literature circles 6. 4 Quizzes (taken online) 7. Strategy Presentation: 50 Literacy Strategies – You will form a small group (2-­‐3) and Points 20 50 75 100 25 25 40 50 5
select a strategy (before, during, after reading strategy) to teach to your peers in class. I will demo this assignment in class. You have approximately 20 -­‐ 25 minutes for this presentation. 8. Practicum work/experience Reflection -­‐ This assignment includes reflective notes/conversations about your implementation of activities, your work with and 180 assessments of the child/children. You will have 8 sessions. Should your child miss a session you can work with another UNR student and their child and provide notes for that session in your final product (total 160 Points) Brief Presentation in Class: 20 9. Final Exam Reflection – This assignment ties theory to practice as you reflect upon what 50 you have read, what you have heard in class from your peers and instructor, and what you learned from teaching during the practicum. Options to write about for your exam include: 1) Using read alouds in the upper elementary classroom 2) Using literature circles in the upper elementary Classroom 3) Developing a thematic unit in the upper elementary Classroom 4) Process writing and the 6+1 Traits of writing in the upper elementary Classroom 5) Academic English in the upper elementary Classroom 10. Attendance/Participation/Professionalism/in-­‐class work. You must attend all class sessions. PLEASE NOTE: Each unexcused absence will result in a one-­‐half letter grade reduction of your final course grade. Please do not ask me if it is okay to miss class; it isn’t! Please do let me know if you have a medical or funeral related emergency, however. Total Points 600 GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR GRADING: Total points earned will be weighted by category and converted to a percentage score. The following guideline will be used to determine your final course grade: The total points for the course will be converted to a percentage grade, which will be distributed as follows: 95-­‐100% = A, 90-­‐94% = A -­‐, 87-­‐89% = B +, 84-­‐ 86 % = B, 80 – 83% = B-­‐, 77-­‐ 79% = C +, 74 – 76% = C, 70 – 73% = C – 67 – 69% = D +, 64 – 66 % = D, 60 – 63 % = D –, 59% and below: F Attendance/Participation/Professionalism Policy4: Your attendance, participation, professionalism grade will be determined as follows: You should plan to attend every class and practicum session for the entire session and for the entire summer semester. If you anticipate that you will not be able to attend all class sessions, then you should enroll in the course during a semester when you will be able to devote your full attention to it. 4Special consideration will be given for excused absences. Excused absences include: (1) illness certified [IN WRITING] by personal physician, or (2) serious illness or death in your immediate family. Documentation of an excused absence must be provided to me within 2 class sessions following the absence. I will not ask you for this documentation. If you do not want an excused absence to count against your final grade, you should provide this documentation and should also follow up with me in writing the next class session to make sure that I received this documentation and noted it in my class records. Religious Holy Days: It is the policy of NSHE (Title 4 Chapter 20 A, Section 3, paragraph 2, http://system.nevada.edu/tasks/sites/Nshe/assets/File/BoardOfRegents/Handbook/T4-­‐CH20%20-­‐
%20General%20Policies%20Regulating%20Students%20and%20Student%20Government.pdf to be sensitive to the religious obligations of its students. Any student missing classes, quizzes, examinations, or any other class or lab work because of observance of religious holy days should, whenever possible, be given an opportunity during that semester to make up the missed work. The make-­‐up will apply to the religious holy day absence only. It shall be the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor in advance in writing, if the student intends to participate in a religious holy day which does not fall on state holidays or periods of class recess. This policy shall not apply in the event that administering the assignment at an alternate time would impose an undue hardship on the instructor or the institution which could not reasonably have been avoided.
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In order to earn full attendance/participation credit for each class/practicum session, you must meet the following criteria: a. Attend entire class or practicum session from beginning to end. (Partial attendance credit will be given for partial class attendance.) b. Actively, positively, constructively, and professionally participate in the scheduled class activities during entire class or practicum session c. Cell phones must be turned off and kept in purses or backpacks during all class and practicum sessions. Avoid texting in class and practicum sessions. If you have a personal emergency that requires your attention, please excuse yourself from class and use your cell phone in the hallway. d. Avoid side conversations during all class and practicum sessions. This behavior is extremely disrespectful to those who have the conversational floor. e. Complete quality written work during class sessions when in-­‐class written work is required. f.
Assume responsibility for the commitments you make to others in the class. This includes peers, the children at the practicum site, the cooperating teacher at the practicum site, the teaching assistant, and the instructor. g. Work effectively with others (e.g., the instructor, peers, children and/or teacher at practicum site, etc.) to solve potential and/or actual problems/issues/concerns in a positive and productive manner. h. Conduct yourself in a professional, positive, and helpful manner. Treat other people with dignity and respect. Demonstrate a commitment to learning to be an excellent teacher of literacy. PLEASE NOTE: If I notice a lack of professionalism regarding items a-­‐h above, I will give one written warning with no consequences. Then, I will deduct one-­‐half letter grade from the offending student’s final course grade for each additional written warning. This is a tentative schedule and activities, due dates may change. Tentative Course Schedule – summer 2014 Date
Topic
6/9
Introductions Course Introduction & Syllabus Review Literature
Circles
6/10
Becoming an Effective Literacy Teacher – Theory
Reading & Writing Process Assessment
6/11
6/12
6/16
6/17
6/18
Comprehension
Reader Factors
and How
Assessment
Informs
Instruction
Comprehension
Text Factors
Teaching All
Readings
Tompkins CH 1
Tompkins CH 2
Tompkins CH 3
http://www.learner.org/workshops/ teachreading35/session8/sec2p2.html
Tompkins CH 7
Tompkins CH 8
Tompkins CH 4
Assignments/
Activities
In class -­‐ What do we know about early literacy Quiz? In class Strategy Instruction Simulation and Sign-­‐up Literature
Circles Group
Formation
Strategy
Instruction 1
Visual Writing
Activity 1
Lit Circles
Strategy
Instruction 2
Lit Circles
Quiz 1 (CHs 1,
2 & 3)
Literature
Circles
Strategy
Instruction 3
Literature
7
Students
6/19
Fluency
Tompkins CH 5
http://www.learner.org/workshops/teachreading35/session2/sec2p2.
html
6/23
Academic
Vocabulary
Tompkins CH 6 Word Study
6/24
Spelling
Tompkins CH 9
6/25
Writing
Tompkins CH 3 (pp. 44-55) &
Tompkins CH 9
6/26
Teaching with
Tradebooks
Tompkins CH 10
6/30
Teaching with
Textbooks
Tompkins CH 11
7/1
Literacy Across
the Content
Areas
Reflecting on
Literacy
Instruction
Tompkins CH 12
7/2
7/3
7/7
Work Day
Circles
Strategy
Instruction 4
Visual Writing
Activity 2
Quiz 2
(CHs 4, 7, 8)
Strategy
Instruction 5
Practicum Work
Practicum Work
Strategy
Instruction 6
Practicum Work
Strategy
Instruction 7
Practicum Work
Strategy
Instruction 8
Quiz 3 (CHs 5,
6, 9)
Practicum Work
Practicum Work
Literacy Article Papers – Share Information
Practicum Work
Literacy
Literacy Article Papers – Share Information
Article Papers
Due Practicum
Work
Visual Writing
Activity 3
Prepare for Book Talk and Tradebook Presentations http://www.learner.org/workshops/teachreading35/session6/index.ht
ml
7/8
Practicum Reflection/Presentation
7/9
Presentations
7/10
Presentations
Final Exam Reflection
Quiz 4 (Chs
10,11, 12)
Book Talks and
Tradebook
Presentations
Book Talks and
Tradebook
Presentations
Final Due
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Evidence Based Practices (EBP) Evidence based practices (EBP) are those instructional programs, practices or approaches for which there is a body of research that supports the effectiveness. Those EBPs vetted through the Institute of Education Sciences are classified as either having strong, moderate or low support. Strong support is determined through (1) a systematic review of a research (meta analysis), (2) several well-­‐designed randomized, controlled trials or quasi-­‐experiments, or (3) one large well-­‐designed randomized, controlled multisite trial that supports the effectiveness with no contradictory evidence of similar quality. Moderate evidence is derived from studies that support strong causal conclusions but where generalization is uncertain, or studies that support the generality of a relationship but where the causality is uncertain. Low evidence for a program, practice or approach means that the recommendation is based on expert opinion derived from strong findings or theories in related areas and/or expert opinion buttressed by direct evidence that does not rise to the moderate or strong levels. What Is Evidence-­‐Based Reading Instruction? To be described as “evidence based,” an instructional program or collection of practices should have been tested and shown to have a record of success. That is, reliable, trustworthy, and valid evidence indicates that when that program or set of practices is used, children can be expected to make adequate gains in reading achievement. “Research-­‐based instruction” is sometimes used to convey the same meaning. In general, educators agree that evidence of the effectiveness of a program or practice should be •
•
•
•
•
Objective—data would be identified and interpreted similarly by any evaluator Valid—data adequately represent the tasks that children need to accomplish to be successful readers Reliable—data would remain essentially unchanged if collected on a different day or by a different person Systematic—data were collected according to a rigorous design Refereed—data have been approved for publication by a panel of independent reviewers Of course, adoption of a program indicated as “evidence based” does not guarantee reading success. Teachers and administrators must also evaluate methods and programs through the lens of their particular school and classroom settings. They must determine if the instructional strategies and routines that are central to the materials are a good match for the children they teach (http://www.reading.org/General/AboutIRA/PositionStatements/EvidencedBasedPosition.aspx). The table below provides an overview of evidence-­‐based practices we focus on in EDRL 443.643. Please note that while we do address phonics and phonemic awareness briefly in EDRL 443.643, we do not focus on these constructs extensively since you focused heavily on them in your first literacy course where you learned to provide literacy instruction to young children just learning to read. We focus more on vocabulary, fluency, comprehension strategies, YA literature and writing in EDRL 443.643. Evidence Definitions Entry Novice Expert Based know successfully application Practices well and applied in experience can teacher in the field explain education coursework Literacy Phonemic “Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to segment and manipulate the sounds Awareness of oral language. It is not the same as phonics, which involves knowing how written letters relate to spoken sounds. Activities that develop phonemic X awareness in children provide practice with rhyme and with beginning sounds and syllables.” (IRA) Phonics “Teaching phonics is an important aspect of beginning reading instruction. However, effective phonics instruction is embedded in the context of a complete reading and language arts program. Classroom teachers value and teach phonics as part of their reading programs. Rather than debate whether phonics should be taught, effective teachers of reading and writing ask when, how, how much, and X under what circumstances phonics should be taught.” (IRA) Vocabulary “Explicit instruction (definitions instruction including pre-­‐teaching and analysis of root words), implicit instruction (exposure to words during reading), multimedia X methods (pictures, hypertext, American Sign Language), practicing to increase capacity, association (connecting what one knows to the new word).” (NRP) Fluency “Reading with speed, accuracy, and proper expression without conscious attention; performing multiple reading tasks (e.g., word recognition and comprehension) at X the same time.” (NRP) Comprehension “Text comprehension assists in recall of information by encompassing a variety of techniques and systematic strategies such as question generation, question X answering, and summarizing information.” (NRP) Writing Writing, especially at the present moment, is complex and difficult to define. It is used for multiple purposes and is addressed to many different audiences. Yet we 9
do know some important things about writing: it is not created by a singular, linear process; it cannot be taught, like bike riding, as a single skill; it changes with shifting technologies—like today’s new media; it can enable and enhance learning; it takes many forms; and it cannot be assessed effectively in a single sitting. All this means that writing can be seen as holistic, authentic, and varied.” (NCTE) X