Mary Baldwin College ADP ED350L: Content Area Reading Online Spring 2014-3 Semester Hours Instructor Monica Cabarcas, M.Ed. Secondary Instructional Coach Albemarle County Public Schools Email: mcabarcas@mbc.edu Phone: 434.825.0204 Weekly Hours: Available through Blackboard Chat, Google Chat, or Skype by appointment. Course Catalog Description This course requires students to examine research and instructional subjects concentrating on high school students and adults. Students design experiences that examine uses of content area texts capitalizing on critical reading and writing. Course participants will field test all activities described and studied in the course. (MBC Catalog, 2012-2013) Course Objectives Students will learn how to locate, select, and evaluate appropriate texts for their content classrooms in context of the reading ranges of the students they teach. Students will learn how to stage reading activities in before, during, and after reading components that activate background knowledge and scaffold learning for maximum content retention. Students will learn to apply academic vocabulary strategies that aid comprehension of content reading passages and content curriculum. Students will develop a toolkit of effective reading strategies that promote student interaction with expository texts. Students will recognize external and internal text structures and use them to help their students unpack a content reading selection. Students will gain a greater awareness of how to engage struggling readers, reluctant readers, and English Language Learners (ELL) with content reading selections. Students will learn strategies to help students record and synthesize information gained. Essential Questions Why should content area teachers consider reading in their classrooms? How does the shift from learning to read to reading to learn impact student learning at the secondary level? How can interactive before, during, and after reading strategies positively affect the way students tackle text in the secondary classroom? What strategies can I use to make content reading an engaging and interactive experience for students? How can academic vocabulary strategies impact a student s ability to engage with content text and gain a deeper understanding of content material? How does reading content material enrich and deepen content understanding?
Required Texts Subjects Matter: Every Teacher s Guide to Content-Area Reading. 2004. Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman. Heinemann. ISBN-10: 0325005958 ISBN-13: 978-0325005959. Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning. 2014. Dough Buehl. International Reading Association. ISBN: 978-0-87207-002-8 **NEW 4 th Edition. Course Dates January 6, 2014 First Blackboard log-in and introduction. March 1, 2014 Spring Break May 13, 2014 End of Course Technology Considerations/Expectations 1. Easy access to the internet. 2. Log into Blackboard and check Mary Baldwin College email regularly. 3. Navigate the web with one of the following browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari. 4. Ability to upload and download saved files. 5. Willingness to learn how to navigate and engage with various functions within the Blackboard e- learning environment (discussion posts, discussion replies, journals, etc). 6. Use office applications such as Microsoft Office and other basic web 2.0 tools. Mary Baldwin College Honor Pledge I pledge myself to uphold the ideals and regulations of the Mary Baldwin College community. I recognize the principles of honor and cooperation as the basis of our life together. I shall endeavor faithfully to order my life accordingly. I will not lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize or violate their pledge of confidentiality. I will not fail to report others who lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize or violate their pledge of confidentiality. I will encourage others to fulfill the ideals of the Honor System. Extended Time Timeline must be kept for all assignments. If there are extenuating circumstances and reasons that the timeline cannot be kept, students must discuss this with the instructor. Any student wishing to apply for extended time must complete at least 50% of the course and must inform the instructor at least three weeks before the semester ends. The guidelines of Mary Baldwin College for giving extended time will be followed. Failure to keep the timelines may diminish the grade. Course Requirements There are six essential questions covered in this course. By the end of the course, each student should be able to respond to the essential questions, share ideas with other content teachers, and apply strategies to their teaching practice. Relevant information (websites, videos, short readings, and examples) for weekly assignments and tasks will be posted by Monday at 10 A.M. Students are expected to read all material by assigned dates. Students are expected to fully participate in online class discussions and adhere to the timeline. Discussion Tasks Discussion posts and journals (25%) Weekly post. Students will interpret information from the reading, make specific references to the texts, and use quotes to support ideas as needed. The initial post will be followed by
additional responses. In order to enrich the learning experience beyond the individual perspective, it is essential to interact with peers. Timeliness is crucial to meaningful dialogue in an e-learning environment. Students are expected to turn in all written tasks on assigned due dates. Other Assigned Tasks Text Leveling Task (5%) Students will select a content passage that they could assign to a class. Students will sample three parts of the text to determine the reading level. Exploring Content Resources (5%) Students will examine websites, periodicals, trad ebooks, and other reading resources that complement their content and grade level assignment. These will be cataloged in a chart that is provided. Unpacking a Text Task - (5%) Students will use assigned readings to unpack a nonfiction text and assess the internal text structure or text frame that is used. Text Set Task (10%) Students will create a text set around a specific topic in their content area for a specific grade level. A text set is a collection of reading materials on a single topic covering a wide range of reading levels. Materials can include picture books, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, magazines, websites, ebooks, etc. Texts will be presented as a bibliography, labeled with a reading level (i.e. intermediate, advanced), and grouped by appropriate subheadings. Midterm Brief Case Scenario (10%) Students will be given a brief case scenario and will be asked how they might address the issue. Students may use notes or assigned readings to reference specific strategies, but the prompt will be timed and will limited to a specific word count. My Personal Toolkit (5%) There are three major reading assignments that cover before, during, after reading activities. These reading assignments are spread over three weeks and are discussed in the Classroom Strategies text. Students will share 4 go to strategies that they see themselves using in discussion posts following each major reading assignment. By third week, students should have a toolkit of 12 go to reading strategies. These will be formally compiled and submitted on the template provided. The idea is that this take-away can be used for first year teachers as an at-a-glance menu when they lesson plan. The final product should be a variety of BDA strategies. Lesson Plan Vocabulary Focus (10%) - Revisit the text set you leveled, select a new text, or feel free to use one from your text set you created. Identify academic/content vocabulary and create a lesson that addresses this vocabulary before, during, and after reading. Your lesson should help students gain a deeper understanding of these terms in context of the reading passage selected. See Lesson Planning format. Lesson Plan (15%) Students will prepare a before, during, and after lesson. The lesson must include all instructional handouts and resources and should cover a half block or whole block (45-90 minutes). Final Reflection - (10%) Students will respond to a specific prompt that asks them to reflect on how their view of reading in the content areas has changed over the course. Students will be asked to share specific strategies and understandings that resonated with them and explain how it will shape their practice when they enter the classroom. Grading Scale A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79% D 60-69% Course Outline Week 1 January 6 th 12 th Introductions; Navigating BB; managing the assignment timeline Reading Chapter 1 Subjects Matter
Essential Question Discussion: Why do content area teachers need to think about reading? By 10 P.M. January 7th Post introduction *Possible formats: video, blog, written response with visual images, etc. Responses/questions to others not required in the intro forum. By 10 P.M. January 9 th Reading completed; Blackboard post on Ch. 1 By 10 P.M. January 12th Respond to at least one classmate posting from the Ch. 1 discussion Week 2 - January 13 th 19 th Reading Chapter 2 Subjects Matter Sample Content Area Article: Students select a content passage to read from the selections provided. Essential Question Discussion: How does the shift from learning to read to reading to learn impact student learning at the secondary level? By 10 P.M. January 16 th Reading completed; Respond to Chapter 2 Journal and post an initial response to the Content Article Board By 10 P.M. January 19 th Reply to peers in Content Article Discussion Board Week 3 January 20 th 26 th Reading Chapters 3 and 4 Subjects Matter Text Leveling Task Select a content area article, book, web page, or other reading resource, and determine the reading level of that passage. Reflect on your findings. Essential Question Discussion: How does the shift from learning to read to reading to learn impact student learning at the secondary level? By 10 P.M. January 23 rd - Reading completed; Post to Text Leveling Discussion Board By 10 P.M. January 26 th - Text Leveling Task due By 10 P.M. January 26 th Reply to peers in Text Leveling Board Week 4 January 27 th February 2 nd Readings - Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 Classroom Strategies, Exploring Resources Task: web, periodical, e-book/textbook/tradebook and other resources. Reflect on your findings. Essential Question Discussion: How can interactive before, during, and after reading strategies positively affect the way students tackle text in the secondary classroom? By 10 P.M. January 30 th Reading completed; Post to Content Resources board By 10 P.M. January 30 th Exploring Content Resources Task due By 10 P.M. February 2 nd Reply to peers on Content Resources board Week 5 February 3 rd 9 th Readings Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 Classroom Strategies Review Text Set requirements, due Feb. 28 th Unpacking A Text Activity: Revisit the text you leveled or select a new passage and identify the text frame or internal text structure of the passage. Explain your identification.
Essential Question Discussion: How can interactive before, during, and after reading strategies positively affect the way students tackle text in the secondary classroom? By 10 P.M. February 6 th Reading completed; Post to Unpacking a Text discussion board By 10 P.M. February 6 th - Unpacking a Text Task due By 10 P.M. February 9 th Reply to peers on Unpacking a Text board Week 6 February 10 th 16 th Readings - Classroom Strategies p. 49-93 Personal Toolkit table template) By 10 P.M February 13 th Reading completed; Blackboard Journal on pages 39-99. By 10 P.M. February 16 th Respond to a peer and record 3 go to strategies and add them to the Personal Toolkit template. *You will not turn in the Personal Toolkit until you ve completed the Buehl text. However, this date is provided as a suggestion to keep the work manageable. Week 7 February 17 th 23 rd Readings - Classroom Strategies p. 93-139 Personal Toolkit table template) By 10 P.M February 20 th Reading completed; Blackboard Journal on pages 39-99. By 10 P.M. February 23 rd Respond to a peer and record 3 go to strategies and add them to the Personal Toolkit template. *You will not turn in the Personal Toolkit until you ve completed the Buehl text. However, this date is provided as a suggestion to keep the work manageable. Week 8 February 24 th February 28th *Please note the shortened due dates. Spring Break begins Saturday, March 1 st Reading - Classroom Strategies p. 140-181 Personal Toolkit table template) By 10 P.M. February 27 th - Reading Completed; Blackboard Journal By 10 P.M. February 28 th Respond to a peer and record 3 more go to strategies and add them to the My Personal Toolkit template. *Not turned in until the text is completed suggested due date to keep work manageable. By 10 P.M. February 28 th - Leveled Text Set Due
Week 9 March 1st 8 th **Spring Break Week** Week 10 March 10 th 16 th Reading - Classroom Strategies p. 182 227 Personal Toolkit template) By 10 P.M. March 13 th - Reading completed; Blackboard Journal Buehl Strategies 3 By 10 P.M. March 16 th Submit Personal Toolkit Template with 12 go to BDA reading strategies Week 11 March 17 th 23 rd Reading - Article: Yates, P. H., Cuthrell, K., & Rose, M. (2011). Out of the Room and into the Hall: Making Content Word Walls Work. Clearing House, 84(1), 31-36 Reading Read Struggling Readers chart on page 236 of Chapter 11 Subjects Matter Essential Question Discusson: How can academic vocabulary strategies impact a student s ability to engage with content text and gain a deeper understanding of content material? By 10 P.M. March 20 th Reading completed; post to Word Wall Article board BY 10 P.M. March 23 rd Respond to at least one classmate posting from the discussion Week 12 March 24 th 30 th Reading Article: Welsh, Lori, Karen Newman. (2010). Becoming a Content-ESL Teacher: A Dialogic Journey of a Science Teacher and Teacher Educator. Theory Into Practice 49 (2), 137-44. Reading -Idaho State Department of Education - ESL Strategies: Hyperlinked on BB Begin thinking about the vocabulary mini-lesson you will turn in next week. Essential Question Discusson: How can academic vocabulary strategies impact a student s ability to engage with content text and gain a deeper understanding of content material? By 10 P.M. March 27 th Reading completed; post to ELL Vocab discussion board; begin working on Vocabulary Task By 10 P.M. March 30 th - Respond to peers on ELL board Week 13 March 31 st April 6 th Creating a Vocabulary Mini-lesson: Select a new content reading passage. Identify academic vocabulary words used in the passage and create a 45 minute mini-lesson that addresses content vocabulary before, during, and after reading. Lesson should be scaffolded for struggling readers or ELL readers that struggle the most with vocabulary. See Lesson Planning format. Essential Question Discusson: How can academic vocabulary strategies impact a student s ability to engage with content text and gain a deeper understanding of content material? By 10 P.M. April 3 rd Submit vocabulary task and upload to Vocabulary Task Discussion Board as well
By 10 P.M. April 6 th Respond to peers lessons and share additional ideas, feedback, and other related constructive criticism. Consider how your own lesson might change based on what you ve learned from looking at others. Week 14 April 7 th 13 th Reading Subjects Matter Chapter 12 (Summarizing the research) Essential Question Discussion: How does reading content material enrich and deepen content understanding? By 10 P.M. April 10 th Post to private Journal entry. **Personal charter on reading in your content area.** Week 15 April 14 th 20 th Planning for Your Future/Resource Building: How do I build my own classroom library? How do I acquire technology resources that connect me to digital reading materials? Continue working on lesson plan and post any questions you have about the assignment to the Lesson Planning forum. Essential Question Discussion: How does reading content material enrich and deepen content understanding? By 10 P.M. April 17 th - Post ideas/information you learned about local resources available to schools in your area. Professional organizations that provide mini-grants, etc. Also, post any questions you have about the assignment to the Lesson Planning forum. **A reply to a peer is not required in this week s discussion board. However, feel free to leave comments/feedback for others By 10 P.M. April 20 th Complete 90 minute lesson plan due. Week 16 April 21 st 27 th 90 minute Lesson Planning with BDA reading strategies Design a complete 90 minute content area lesson plan that incorporates before, during, and after strategies. It may focus on vocabulary again, or branch off from reading into areas of research, writing, etc. See 90 Minute Lesson Planning format. Be sure to include the reading passage, and all handouts, notes, graphic organizers, etc. Essential Question Discussion: How does reading content material enrich and deepen content understanding? By 10 P.M. April 27 th Complete 90 minute lesson plan due. SENIOR GRADES DUE APRIL 28 th! Week 17 April 28 th May 4 th Review for next week s midterm. Turn in any late assignments. Week 18 May 5 th May 9th Final Exam due by May 9th, 10 P.M.