DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND MIDDLE LEVEL EDUCATION ELE 3350, Section 003 Language Arts in the Elementary Classroom Spring, 2007 Monday & Wednesday 8:00 A.M – 9:15 A.M. Buzzard Building 2439 Instructor: Mrs. Sonja Jones Office: Buzzard Building 1325 (in Reading Center) Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 9:15 – 10:30 A.M.; and by appointment Telephone: Office: 217/581-8586 Home: 217/923-3756 E-mail: [email protected] Theme: Educators as Creators of Effective Learning Environments: Integrating Diverse Students, Strategies, and Societies Course Description: Topics include objectives, research, teaching methods, and materials for teaching and evaluating the language arts. Forty-five clock hours of field-based activities primarily in reading and language arts will be provided in conjunction with ELE 3000. Course Prerequisites: Students must have Junior standing (60 semester hrs.) and be enrolled concurrently with ELE 3280 and ELE 3000 or have permission from the department chair. Outcomes for all ELE Classes:  Develop a desire for lifelong learning in students and personally display ones’ own desire for learning, including self-evaluation skills.  Demonstrate good communication skills.  Demonstrate/exhibit sensitivity to students’ feelings.  Design instruction to develop and utilize the cognitive processes by which students learn.  Manage the classroom to optimize academically engaged time.  Perform successfully within the social and political contexts of schools and community.  Demonstrate knowledge of facts, and understanding of fundamental principles, ideas, and relationships among various knowledge domains.  Demonstrate knowledge of past and present developments, issues, research, and social influences in the field of education. Spring 2007, page 1Outcomes Specific to this Course:  Demonstrate a mastery of basic skills in language arts.  Demonstrate a mastery of basic skills in language (i.e., phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.)  Demonstrate an understanding of the developmental philosophy in relation to language arts (listening, speaking, reading, writing, visually representing, and viewing.)  Understand language acquisition and development.  Describe the role of language in the elementary curriculum.  Review professional journals to become aware of current issues in education.  Use technology to support teaching and learning.  Examine and model appropriate professional behavior. Course Goal: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing form the basis of practically all classroom learning activities. The purpose of this course is to provide pre-service teachers with methods for developing language arts skills for all children. Course Texts: Tompkins, Gail E. (2005). Language arts: patterns of practice (6th ed.). New Jersey, Prentice Education, Inc. Textbook Website: http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_tompkins_langarts_6 Professional journals and supplemental readings, as assigned. Course Requirements and Assessment: o Attendance & active participation 20 points o Electronic quizzes (12 quizzes + 3 bonus for promptness) 15 points o Minilesson presentation 10 points o Exams (3 @ 50 pts. each) 150 points o Thematic unit 100 points o In class activities 25 points o Grammar quiz 20 points o Professional journal reviews (4 @ 10 pts. each) 40 points o Brochure 20 points Total: 400 points Grading Scale: A = 93% - 100% B = 84% - 92% C = 70% - 83% D = 60% – 69% (372-400 pts.) (336-371 pts.) (280-335 pts.) (240-279 pts.) Grading All students are expected to attend and participate in class experiences. Written assignments handed in past the due date will be assigned a 10% reduction in the total point value for each class period the assignment is late. Except for the final exam, no work will be accepted after April 25, 2007. Spring 2007, page 2Brief Descriptions of Assignments: Attendance and active participation Consistent and active participation in class is required. Students are to notify the instructor prior to an anticipated absence. Two absences will be excused. The student will be required to schedule a conference with the instructor if there are additional absences. Late arrivals to class will be considered as partial absences. Exams Three exams will be administered to assess student understanding of course content. Details and dates will be announced in advance. The final exam will be on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, from 8:00 –10:00 A.M. Electronic quizzes Students will access the companion website for the textbook and electronically submit 12 on-line quizzes to the instructor. The quizzes are due in the instructor’s EIU mailbox prior to the start of class when the chapter will be covered. The instructor’s email address is: [email protected]. The textbook website can be found on page 2 of this syllabus and on the handout provided in class when the assignment is introduced. Minilesson presentations Two or three students will work together and present a minilesson for the class, focusing on chapters 3-14 of the textbook. The minilessons will be accessed through the companion website of the textbook. A signup sheet and details will be provided when the assignment is introduced. Review of articles from professional journals A list of articles from professional publications such as “Reading Teacher”, “Education”, and “Education Digest” will be provided. Students will submit reviews of at least 4 articles for 10 points each. The journals are accessible electronically through the Booth Library Home Page at http://www.eiu.edu/~booth/. Format and details will be provided when the assignment is introduced. Projects and presentations Special projects which will be announced in advance require an oral presentation and a possibly a handout to be shared with the class. Details concerning guidelines and time frames will be given when the projects are assigned. Thematic unit Students will choose a theme appropriate for the elementary classroom and design a unit of study incorporating the language arts across the curriculum. Complete lesson plans following the EIU lesson plan model, and an oral presentation of the project will be required. Students will provide a handout for each class member and the