COURSE SYLLABUS Division: Teacher Education Program Area: Elementary Education Course: ELE 3300: Language Arts Pre-Primary-8 Prerequisite or Co-requisite: ELE 3320 Credit: 3 semester hours Term: Winter 2012 Location: Education 171 Time: Thursday, 12:50pm-3:35pm Instructor: Julie A. Ellstrom Program Coordinator: Dr. Phyllis Whitin Office #: 260 (Part Time Faculty office) Office Hours: By Appointment Office Phone: 734-377-8204 Email: julieellstrom@wayne.edu WSU Emergency Closings (inclement weather): (313) 577-5345 or www.wayne.edu Course Description: This course focuses the development of language/communication skills in the elementary and middle school classrooms: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing with implications of multiculturalism, special needs, and English language learners. This course is designed to promote reflective, knowledgeable teaching practices in all dimensions of the language arts. Special attention must be paid to strategies and practices that reflect the needs and interests of all children but especially those living in metropolitan, multiethnic settings. Course Outcomes: Note: Elementary Education Standards (MDE, 2008) that apply to the following outcomes are identified by Std. Test Objectives for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (identified as MTTC), Elementary Test relevant to this course are: 4. Understand communication through the writing process. 5. Use knowledge of English grammar and mechanics to revise writing. 6. Analyze and revise written work in relation to style, clarity, organization, and intended audience and purpose. 7. Understand communication through the listening process. 8. Understand communication through the speaking process. 1
As a result of this course, students will be able to: 1. Identify and describe instructional strategies for supporting grade ps-8 children s growth in oral and nonverbal communication for a wide range of purposes and in integrated contexts (Std. 1.1.11, 1.1.2, 1.1.10, 1.1.14, 1.1.15; MTTC 7, 8); 2. Identify and describe instructional strategies for supporting grade ps 8 children s growth in written communication for a wide range of purposes and in integrated contexts (Std. 1.1.8, 1.1.10, 1.1.12, 1.1.14, 1.1.15, 1.1.20; MTTC 4); 3. Identify and describe instructional strategies for revising and editing writing (Std. 1.1.8, 1.1.9, 1.1.11, 1.1.13, MTTC 4, 5, 6); 4. Identify and describe characteristics of language and language forms, language variety, and the dynamic, changing nature of language (Std. 1.1.1); 5. Access print and digital resources appropriate for enhancing the processes of language arts: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing; 6. Apply the MDE ELA Standards and Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) to classroom practice (all ELA Stds); 7. Design and describe effective teaching strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners (Std. 1.1.9, 1.1.15, MTTC 4, 7,8). 8. Use knowledge of developmental processes in the language arts in planning, implementation, and assessment (Std. 1.1.15, 1.1.6, 1.1.8, 1.1.9, 1.1.17, 1.1.18; MTTC 4,5,6,7,8); 9. Develop, describe, and use a wide range of assessment tools for a variety of purposes, e.g. observation, self-assessment, performance, rubrics, standardized tests. Use assessment to inform instruction (Std. 1.1.15, 1.1.16, 1.1.18; MTTC 4, 5, 6, 7, 8); 10. Identify and describe instructional strategies for grade ps 8 children for spelling and vocabulary development (Std. 1.1.5, 1.1.9, 1.1.18; MTTC 4,7,8); 11. Access technological tools for communication and embed digital technologies throughout classroom practice (Std. 1.1.14; MTTC 4,6,7,8). Required Text: Tompkins, Gail E. (2002). Language arts: Patterns of Practice. 7 th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. References: 1. Culham, R. (2003) 6 + 1 Traits of Writing Grades 3 up. Teaching Resources. 2. Culham, R. (2005). 6 + 1 Traits of Writing for the Primary Grades. Teaching Resources. 3. Fletcher, R. & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing k 8. 2 nd Ed. Portland, ME: Stenhouse. 4. Tompkins, G. E. (2008). Language Arts: Content and teaching strategies. 7 th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 5. Heard, G (1999). Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 6. Wheeler, R., & Swords, R. (2006). Codeswitching: Teaching standard English in urban classrooms. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. 2
7. Whitin, P. (1996). Sketching stories, stretching minds. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 8. Whitin, P. & Whitin, D.J. (2000). Math is language too: Talking and writing in the mathematics classroom. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, and Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 9. Calkins, L.M. (1994). The Art of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann 10. Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. (2001). Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy. Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann 11. Related professional journals: The English Journal, Language Arts, School Talk, The Reading Teacher, Voices in the Middle Professional organizations: Michigan Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of English, Michigan Reading Association, International Reading Association, Michigan Association of Speech and Communication, Journalism Education Association For writing assistance consult: WSU Library Homepage, Reference Tools: APA Style Citations and guidelines for avoiding plagiarism. http://leo.stcloudstate.edu Organization, format, composition, and grammar tips. http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html APA-Style Citations, 5 th ed., grammar and punctuation tips Course Requirements: 1. Homework 25% 2. Quizzes (3) 30% 3. Technology Lesson 25% 4. Journal Article Review 10% 5. Professionalism 10% Assignment Descriptions: 1. Homework (25%) There will be small assignments for you to practice what we ve worked on in class. Everything will be hands on and practical ideas for you to use in your teaching. We will be working as a community of learners in a reading and writing workshop environment, so a writers notebook and poetry anthology will be part of our work. 2. Quizzes (30%) There will be two short quizzes given during the first fifteen minutes of class on February 9 and March 22. You must be present at the beginning of class to take the quiz. Quizzes can be made up by making an appointment with the instructor during 3
office hours. The final quiz will be given on final exam day, April 26, 2012. All quizzes will cover the readings in Tompkins and class activities. 3. Journal Article Review (10%) Journal articles related to teaching English Language Learners in the Language Arts classroom will be presented during class. Each student will choose a journal article to read, review and present their findings to the class on February 2, 2012. Journal article reviews should be typed, 2-3 pages in length, and cited using APA citations when using material from the article. Assignment Specifics: The journal article review is due on February 2, 2012. It should be typed, 2-3 pages in length, double spaced, using 12 point font. When you take information from the article, it should be cited using APA format. The journal article review is worth 10 points. First, take some time to read the entire article. You may need to read the article more than once to get full understanding of it, since the articles all contain a lot of information. Forums are available on the discussion board if you d like to discuss your article with the others who have the same one. This will also help you make meaning of the information. Write a citation for the journal article at the top of the review. The citation should follow the American Psychological Association's style there is information posted about how to use APA citations. You will need the title of the article, the journal where the article is published, the volume and issue number, publication date, author's name and page numbers for the article. All of that information is located at the top or bottom of the journal article. The first few paragraphs (1-3) should be a summary of the article. What is the purpose for the article? What research was conducted? What were the results of the research? Include any other important ideas from the article as well. The next few paragraphs (2-3) should be your discussion of the meaning or implication of the results of the research on education. How is this going to impact your teaching? This is also where you offer your opinion on the article. Discuss any flaws with the article, how you think it could have been better and what you think it all means for education. The last couple of paragraphs (1-2) should discuss how the author could expand on the results, what the information means in the big picture for education, what future research should focus on or how future research could move the topic forward. 4
Cite any direct quotes or paraphrases from the article. Use the author's name, the year of publication and the page number (for quotes) in the in-text citation. Again, see the APA citations handout for examples. 6. Language Arts Technology Lesson (25%) You will be working on developing a language arts mini-lesson that you could use in the classroom. You can use windows movie maker or I Movie to make your lesson come alive for your students. All six of the language arts should be incorporated into the project. In addition, the lesson plan should be typed out using the Wayne State Lesson Plan format. You will present your lesson to the class on April 19, 2012. Assignment Specifics: Your movie finished movie should be approximately 3 minutes long. Please include images, music, and voice or words in your project. Your movie will be the part of your mini-lesson that you present to the class, you will also type out the rest of your lesson using the WSU lesson plan format that is posted on Blackboard. Please save your movie on a disk to turn in with your lesson plan. You will present your lesson during class on April 19, 2012. Making your Movie: What do you want to teach your class? Think about some of the ideas that we talked about in class (What is a Writer s Notebook? Choosing Just right books, poetry, book introduction, author introduction, genre study introduction, ideas for writing in the writer s notebook, reading strategies such as asking questions, making connections, etc..) Use the links on Blackboard to look at the Michigan Genre Project and GLCE s to make sure your lesson is appropriate for the intended grade level. Choose images that would go with your lesson and import them into I Movie. You ll want to play around with different backgrounds, transitions, Ken Burns effects with your images. Choose music if you d like to enhance your project. There are royalty free sites on blackboard for your use or you may choose to play around with garage band if you have a Mac. Upload your music into I Movie. Decide on whether or not you d like to use your voice to narrate your lesson or text to describe it in your movie. If you are going to record your voice, record it in small clips and import into your movie. Once you have finished making your movie exactly the way you want it. Publish the movie and save it to a disk to turn in. 5
7. Professional Commitment (10%) Your preparation, participation, and attitude should be a direct reflection of your desire to become an educator. This course has been designed on the belief that learning best occurs when we all work together as a community of learners. Active participation and discussion are vital features of a reading and writing workshop. o Active participation includes participation in small group, large group, and individual sharing and discussions in class. o Engaging in reading, writing and poetry workshop activities in class and at home. o It is respectful to the group if you arrive promptly, prepared for class, and ready to participate in the scheduled activities. o Please turn off all cell phones and laptops during class. Texting and computer use for personal use will result in a loss of points from your professional commitment grade. o Late arrivals and early departures will be recorded and will contribute to your total number of absences. More than 1 absence from class will result in loss of points, including absence from the first class, whether or not you are registered at that time. o Assignments must be typed, 12-pt. font, double-spaced, with APA citations, numbered pages, and carefully edited for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. See Reference Tools on the WSU library homepage for examples of APA citations. Written work must be turned in on the due date or points will be deducted. o Please check WSU e-mail and Blackboard regularly. o You will only receive all of the ten professionalism points if the above guidelines are followed during each class meeting. Evaluation and Grading: 95 100 points A 74-77 points C 90-94 points A- 70-73 points C- 88-89 points B+ 68-69 points D+ 84-87 points B 64-67 points D 80-83 points B- 60-63 points D- 78-79 points C+ below 60 F College of Education Grading Policy: The College of Education faculty members strive to implement assessment measures that reflect a variety of strategies in order to evaluate a student s performance in a course. For undergraduates and post-degree students, C grades will be awarded for satisfactory work that satisfies all course requirements; B grades will be awarded for very good work, and A will be reserved for outstanding performance. Please note that there is a distribution of grades from A-F within the College of Education. 6
Enrollment/ Withdrawal Policy Beginning in Fall 2011, students must add classes no later than the end of the first week of classes. This includes online classes. Students may continue to drop classes (with full tuition cancellation) through the first two weeks of the term. Students who withdraw from a course after the end of the 4th week of class will receive a grade of WP, WF, or WN. o WP will be awarded if the student is passing the course (based on work due to date) at the time the withdrawal is requested o WF will be awarded if the student is failing the course (based on work due to date) at the time the withdrawal is requested o WN will be awarded if no materials have been submitted, and so there is no basis for a grade Students must submit their withdrawal request on-line through Pipeline. The faculty member must approve the withdrawal request before it becomes final, and students should continue to attend class until they receive notification via email that the withdrawal has been approved. Beginning in Fall 2011, the last day to withdraw will be at the end of the 10 th full week of classes. The withdrawal date for courses longer or shorter than the full 15-week terms will be adjusted proportionately. Plagiarism Plagiarism includes copying material (any more than 5 consecutive words) from outside texts or presenting outside information as if it were your own by not crediting authors through citations. It can be deliberate or unintended. If you're in doubt about the use of a source, cite it. Students caught plagiarizing information from other sources will receive a failing grade in the course. University policy states that students can be subject to multiple sanctions, from reprimand to expulsion as a consequence of academic dishonesty. To enforce this policy, all outside references must be submitted with assignments. Disability Statement: If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, you will need to register with Student Disability Services (SDS) for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Student Disability Services (SDS) office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library in the Student Academic Success Services department. SDS telephone number is 313-577-1851 or 313-577-3365 (TDD only). Once you have your accommodations in place, I will be glad to meet with you privately during my office hours to discuss your special needs. Student Disability Services mission is to assist the university in creating an accessible community where students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at Wayne State University. 7
Please be aware that a delay in getting SDS accommodation letters for the current semester may hinder the availability or facilitation of those accommodations in a timely manner. Therefore, it is in your best interest to get your accommodation letters as early in the semester as possible. Religious Observance Policy: Because of the extraordinary variety of religious affiliations represented in the University student body and staff, the Wayne State University calendar makes no provision for religious holidays. It is University policy, however, to respect the faith and religious obligations of the individual. Students who find that their classes or examinations involve conflicts with their religious observances are expected to notify their instructors well in advance so that alternative arrangements as suitable as possible may be worked out. Note on Required Readings: In this course, you will participate actively in best practices language arts instruction during class sessions. In order to understand the activities, it is important that you read the research and theory behind the lessons and activities. The text is an essential part of your professional preparation as it gives you key foundational knowledge that prepares you to effectively implement best practices language arts instruction throughout your teaching career. In addition, careful reading of the text is a key factor in successful completion of the course exams as well as the MTTC. 8
Activities and Assignments Date Topic Activities Assignments 1/12/12 Creating a Community of Learners 1/19/12 Setting Up Reading and Writing Workshops -Setting Up a Reading and Writing Workshop -Classroom Management -Introduction to Poetry -Reading and Writing Personal Narrative -The 6 Language Arts -Introduction to Writer s Notebook -Purchase writer s notebook and text book. -Personalize Poetry Anthology &WNB -Read p. 1-52, 479-489 Tompkins -Bring a book that is important to you. 1/26/12 Reading Workshop -Guided Reading, independent reading, buddy reading, read aloud as forms of reading instruction -Read Tompkins Ch. 3 and p. 291-298 -Bring a book you are currently reading or would like to read for pleasure. 2/2/12 Language Arts Instruction for English Language Learners -Discussion of Journal Articles. -Reading and Writing strategies for ELL s. 2/9/12 Poetry Workshop -Reading, Writing, and sharing Poetry -Heart Maps -Bio Poems -Shape Poems 2/16/12 The Power of Talk & Listening -Techniques for teaching talk in the classroom. -Poetry Sharing -Read Aloud Strategies 2/23/12 Writing Mini-Lessons -Michigan Standards & GLCE s -Writing Mini-lessons 3/1/12 I Movie Workshop -Using I Movie as a tool in Language Arts Instruction. -Read assigned Journal article. Journal Article Review Due today. -Quiz #1 -Read Tompkins Ch. 11 -Bring in 3-4 favorite Children s Poetry books. -Publish one of your poems as a voki or glog and share it with the class today. -Read Tompkins Ch. 7 and Ch. 8 -Read Tompkins p. 467-473, 489-495 -Bring a draft of your Technology Lesson Plan in WSU Format -Bring images and materials for final project. 9
3/8/12 The Writing Process and 6 Traits of Writing -Teaching the writing process -Ideas for revision and editing mini-lessons -Read Tompkins p. 84-102 and p. 180-196 3/15/12 Spring Break NO CLASS 3/22/12 Teaching Spelling & Grammar in Writing Workshop 3/29/12 Reading and Writing Informational Text -Inventive Spelling -Spelling and grammar instruction in writing workshop -Handwriting/technology integration -Expository Text Structures & Features -KWL Charts, graphic organizers -Writing informational stories 4/5/12 Emergent Literacy -Fletcher Video -Emergent Writing -Circular stories -Literacy Centers 4/12/12 Assessment -Conferring in Workshop -Rubrics, Checklists, tables -Running Records/Reading level assessments 4/19/12 Review of Course -Present Technology Language Arts Minilessons -Quiz #2 -Read Tompkins Ch. 12 and p. 426-446 -Read Tompkins Ch. 10 -Bring in 4-5 Children s informational books. -Informational book due today. Read Tompkins Ch. 4 -Read Tompkins p. 52-65, Read Growing Beyond Grades and The Writing Rubric on Blackboard -Bring a student writing sample to class today. Language Arts Technology Minilesson Project and lesson plan due today 4/26/12 Final Exam Final Exam 10