EDU Fall Course Outline

Transcription

1 EDU Fall 2008 Teaching Language Arts in the Secondary School a 6-credit course Instructor: Wendy E. King Phone: [email protected] or [email protected] Availability: Please don t hesitate to contact me for help or clarification, etc. I don t have regular office hours at Bishop s, however I will make arrangements to meet with you either before or after class, or at another time. The best way to contact me is by leaving a message at my home phone number or by (but I don t check it every day). Leaving a message on voice mail at my office at New Horizons is NOT a good way to reach me! Course Objectives Course Outline 1. To develop an historical knowledge base of methodology in the teaching of Language Arts and to act as an interpreter of knowledge or culture. (MELS competency #1) 2. To create varied teaching and learning situations to enable secondary and adult students to develop cross-curricular competencies as well as the specific Secondary English Language Arts competencies. (MELS competency #3) 3. To design and use tools to evaluate student progress and mastery of competencies in the Secondary Language Arts curriculum. (MELS competency #5) 4. To adapt teaching and learning situations to the needs and characteristics of students of varying abilities, learning styles, and learning difficulties. (MELS competency #7) 5. To integrate information and communications technologies in the preparation and delivery of teaching/learning activities. (MELS competency #8) 6. To communicate clearly in the English language, both in oral and written form, using correct grammar. (MELS competency #1)

2 My expectations are that you attend class, be on time, and stay for the duration. If you must be absent, please inform me in advance if at all possible. You must make arrangements with me to make up the work you have missed. Students must submit all assignments typed and on the required date. Late submissions will not be accepted without prior arrangements, and will be deducted 10% per day late. Students who submit work after the due date without permission will receive a mark of 0 for that assignment. Texts 1) Rief, Linda. (1992). Seeking Diversity: Language Arts with Adolescents 2) Wilhelm, Jeffrey (200). Engaging Readers & Writers with Inquiry: Promoting Deep Understandings in Language Arts and the Content Areas with Guiding Questions 3) Coursepack to be purchased at BU bookstore 4) Selected articles from journals and texts in the field of Language Arts available on the BU database 5) one young adult novel from: The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night by Haddon, The Forbidden City by Bell, and Ironman by Crutcher. Assignments Readings Assignments due each class 15% Group Novel Study due Oct.15 15% Poetry Anthology due Oct.27 10% Individual Writing due Nov. 3 10% Annotated Bibliography due Nov. 5 10% Final LES due Nov % Grammar Test written in class 10% 100%

3 1. The Readings Assignments will consist of various summaries, comments, personal reflections and connections stemming from the readings. You will be given dates for each of the assigned readings and will have to hand in the readings assignment at the beginning of each class. 2. The Group Novel Study provides an opportunity for you to become engaged in a novel that is part of the secondary curriculum in Quebec schools. There are two parts to this assignment, one requiring individual work, the second, group work, the latter based on the performance of tasks during the reading of the novel, and the construction of a brief LES plan associated with the novel and its theme. The individual work will consist of a written response to the novel and the actual teaching of a writing mini-lesson assessed by your peers and the professor. 3. The Poetry Anthology. First, you are to include a varied collection of at least ten poems in an introductory unit that you would choose to study with secondary students, justifying the reasons for your choice. Two original lesson plans relating to these poems must be included, and delivered as a mini-lesson to the class. 4. The Individual Writing Collection encourages you to explore the writer within you. It will consist of a collection of unfinished texts (seeds) in a variety of genres that you have written during class. Two poems and one other construction must be presented in final draft form. 5. The annotated bibliography gives you the opportunity to read a variety of young adult fiction (this should be fun!), and to contemplate how you might use each in class. You are to read a minimum of 5 young adult novels/nonfiction books and write a 2 to 3 sentence summary of the book. Following that should be a word discussion of how you might use this book in the context of the high school LA class. Each student will read different texts, and the results will be compiled into a class file to share among the members of the class. 6. The Final LES requires you to choose a theme that you would cover in a sixweek period with a secondary class, and to submit a plan linking several different

4 genres of reading and writing to a guiding/essential question based on this theme. A grammar component must be included. 7. Grammar Test: During one class you will be tested on the grammar material presented at regular intervals during the course. 8. Professionalism: As a prospective teacher, you will be expected to participate in classroom activities, to attend class each time, to be punctual, and to maintain a professional attitude. Dates for Reading Reflection Logs due Sept Langer, Judith.(1994). A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature Language Arts, 71, Fagan, William.( 2000 ). Reassessing, Reacting, Reflecting. Advocating Change: Contemporary Issues In Subject English..** 3. Romano, Tom.(2004). Educational Leadership, October, Seeking Diversity, Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5 due Sept Burke, Jim,(2003 ). How We Read, A Brief Explanation. The English Teacher s Companion. ** 2. Litterman, Joan and Winters,Lynn.(1994). Educational Leadership. Portfolio Research: A Slim Collection. October, Seeking Diversity, Chapters 7 and 8 4. Literature Circles, Chapters 1-5, 7** due Oct King, Wendy.( 1997) Stealing a Piece of the World and Hiding It. Voices from the Middle,Vol. 4, No. 1, Gurian, Michael and Stevens, Kathy.(2004). With Boys and Girls in Mind. Educational Leadership, Nov. 2004, Howard, April.(1998). Failing, But Not Failures: Assisting At-Risk Students in the English Classroom. English Quarterly, Vol. 35, No.1, 25-28** 4. Arends, R.I.( 1998). Cooperative Learning. Learning to teach.** due Oct Berger, Joan.( 2001). A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction.

5 Voices From The Middle. Vol.8, No.3, Blachowicz, Camille L.Z.and Fisher, Peter.(2004). Vocabulary Lessons. Educational Leadership. March, Burke, Jim.(2003 ). Media Literacy.The English Teacher s Companion, ** 4. Freedman, Aviva and Jennie St.Martin.(2000). The Computer in the Writing Classroom. Advocating Change: Contemporary Issues in Subject English.** ** reproduced with permission in Coursepack Please note: There will be no provision of supplementary assignments for students to augment their final grade. Late assignments will not be accepted (unless student has through previous communication reached an agreement with the teacher). Style (grammar, spelling, etc.) is important and marks will be detected if errors are frequent, glaring, or an impediment to understanding the writing.