AQUINAS COLLEGE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION EN444: METHODS OF TEACHING READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS K-12 Fall Semester 2006 Quad 1 Instructor: Jackie Sweeney Phone: Office-632-2066, Home-891-833 Class Time: Thursday, 6:30-10:30 E-Mail: [email protected] Classroom: AB 104 Office Location: BC 120 and Office Hours: Tuesday, 10-12 & 1:30-3 Reading Clinic/Resource Center: Library Thursday, 1:30-4:30 Monday, 9 - 3 (Reading Resource Center) SCHOOL OF EDUCATION MISSION: The mission of the Aquinas College School of Education is to facilitate the development of competent, compassionate, and committed educators of integrity. COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course entitled “Teaching Reading and Language Arts K-12” is a methods course that lays a foundation for further work in the areas of reading and language arts. Students will gain an understanding of the reading and writing process, acquire knowledge of the components of reading and writing instruction, explore strategies for diagnosing and teaching a diversified student population. PREREQUISITE: Teacher Education Program admission and EN 201. TEXT: Burns, P.C., Roe, B.D. Teaching Reading in Today’s Elementary Schools, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Eighth Edition Clay, Marie, Running Records For Classroom Teachers, (2000) COURSE OBJECTIVES: The emphasis will be placed on the following objectives and will be focused toward the needs and backgrounds of the class participants: 1. To build foundational knowledge and applications to facilitate further study in reading and language arts. 2. To understand reading as an interactive process of constructing meaningbetween the reader, the situation, and the text. 3. To gain an awareness of the components of the reading process with attention to research, theory, and application. 4. To differentiate among the approaches, techniques, materials, practices, and philosophies used in the teaching of reading. 5. To understand the interrelationship of the communication arts, including listening, speaking, reading and writing. 6. To gain knowledge of such diverse factors as physical, cultural, environmental, linguistic, and developmental, that affects reading and writing. 7. To identify effective strategies in developing word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension, critical and creative thinking, and life long literacy learning skills. 8. To understand the instructional role of assessment, diagnosis, and evaluation in planning instruction. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: * refers to the MI Entry Level Standard(s) for teachers addressed in this course. 1. Participation in regularly scheduled class sessions and activities is required. The quad format is intense and demanding. 100% attendance is required and class participation is expected. Course grade will reflect any absences. Class notes and any other materials must be organized in notebook (suggest 3”) or file box to be checked on 10/05/06. (10pts.) 2. Assigned readings as scheduled. The instructor will evaluate the quality of your reading comprehension based on the text support given for the essay test answers and the text ideas noted in the classroom observation write-up. (5pts.) *Assignment # 1 and 2 together cover an introductory proficiency level for 1a,c,f/2b,d,e,f/4a,b/5a.g 3. One classroom observation of an elementary (1-4) grade level reading lesson. Observations must be conducted in regular education classrooms only. Do not use your child’s classroom or that of a family member. Report on the observation in a 4-6 page, typed format. Basic writing guidelines are to be followed. (See additionalguidelines provided.) Due 10/05/06. (10pts.) * Introductory proficiency level for 1a,c,f,k/2a,d,e,f,g,h/3d,e,g/4a,b/5a,c,f 4. Completion of three exams based on the text and class discussion. These are provided in an application essay format except for a phonics/language arts test that will be in a true/false and "choosing the item that does not belong" format. See class schedule for exact dates and use the essay test rubric for the essay questions. (30pts.) *Introductory proficiency level for 1a,c,f,h,k,l/ 2a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i and 3a,b,c,f,g/5h/7a 5. Activity- The activity will include either a search of the internet for a reading activity that would address the area covered in class the previous week or an article that has been assigned. A summary of the activity or article along with your thoughts on how it might be applied in the classroom setting is due at the beginning of the class session after the reading strategy has been covered or the article has been presented. LEA activity (Sebastian and the Bee) is the activity due on 10/05/06. (10pts.) *Introductory and basic application proficiency for 1a,h/2e,f,h/3a,d,f/7a,b,c 6. Running Record - a strategy for recording miscues during a student’s oral reading. You will need to find a child in first through third grade to practice this assessment. You will also provide an analysis of the child’s reading as discussed in class. Due on 10/05/06 (10pts) *Introductory and basic application proficiency for 2e,f,g/3g/4e 7. Group Presentations – The topics will be on teaching literacy to students identified with various exceptionalities who are included in the regular education classroom. Chapter 13 discusses the IDEA law and its ramifications for instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms. EN 444/520 students will be placed in small groups or partnerships and will research the exceptionality and prepare portfolio-ready handouts on teaching literacy to students with the exceptionality assigned. Use of the Internet (organizations, etc.), scholarly journal articles and public school personnel who work with students who have disabilities~both inside and outside of the classroom~ would be appropriate investigative tools. The presentations should be as lecture-free as possible with hands-on accommodation equipment and experiences as the main ingredient of the presentation. Graduates (if available) will take the leadership role in the organizingthe production of the handouts and the presentation. The time frame for the presentation is ten minutes. You will have approximately 30 minutes during each class session to meet, share information, decide on the handout choices and make sure you are so prepared that you will stay within the time limits. The presentations are scheduled for the last day of class 10/12/06. (10pts.)