ETLO Document Template

Understanding and Implementing the ELA-Literacy Standards

With a focus on Writing, Presentation, and Publication

Course Syllabus

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Understanding and Implementing the ELA-Literacy Standards with a focus on Writing, Presentation, and Publication: Syllabus / 1

Course Overview

This course is designed to look closely at the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts (ELA)-Literacy in writing, presentation and publication. The course engages the learner in readings about the key design considerations and the major shifts behind the standards. In this course, participants will explore the standards for writing, research and presentation and practice strategies to implement these standards into their own instruction. In addition, participants will learn about how students will demonstrate mastery of the writing, research and presentation standards, and how technology and media support teaching and learning of the CCSS. By the end of the course, participants will have developed a plan for adopting the CCSS into the classroom and have more details about how they will work with one standard in particular.

Goals and Objectives

During this course, participants will learn skills and strategies to:

1. Understand the Common Core’s emphasis on writing to inform and make arguments;

2. Create consistent opportunities for students to practice the writing process in class;

3. Understand how to support the writing process with the standards;

4. Understand the Common Core’s emphasis on using digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning;

5. Aid students in the creation of dynamic and well organized presentations;

6. Create a lesson around one or more ELA-Literacy standard in writing or speaking.

Standards

This course provides professional development aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts--Literacy through readings, activities and classroom applications of teaching strategies. The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy establish what students should know but not how teachers should teach. This course is designed to help teachers learn instructional strategies that guide students to reach these new challenging content standards.

This course, Understanding and Implementing the ELA-Literacy Standards with a focus on Writing, Presentation, and Publication, will help participants learn and apply the relevant Common Core English Language Arts Standards in their teaching. © 2012. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

This course meets the standards for Content, Instructional Design, and Technology as defined in the National Standards of Quality for Online Courses, published by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL).

This course provides teachers with an opportunity to meet the Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership standard as defined in the National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers, published by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

Audience

This is an introductory course for English language arts teachers, technology specialists, curriculum specialists, professional development specialists, or other school personnel. Participants are expected to have regular access to computers and the Internet, and proficiency with email and current web-browsers.

Course Outline

Session One: The Reading-Writing Connection

This session focuses on the complementary relationship between reading and writing. Participants will explore how writing exercises can strengthen reading comprehension skills and how reading different selections of text can provide excellent models for student writing. In the activities section, participants will practice a grade-level appropriate activity and reflect on how this could help you improve their students’ reading-writing connection.

Session Two: Writing Narratives with Digital Storytelling

Narrative writing offers opportunities for students to hone their writing skills and learn about writing structures. After reading about the Common Core State Standards that address narrative writing, participants will learn about digital storytelling and review free Web 2.0 tools. The benefits of using digital storytelling will be explored in the discussion forum.

Session Three: Writing to Inform and Make Arguments

One of the key features of the CCSS for ELA-Literacy is the change of focus in student writing. The CCSS Initiative states: “The ability to write logical arguments based on substantive claims, sound reasoning, and relevant evidence is a cornerstone of the writing standards, with opinion writing--a basic form of argument--extending down into the earliest grades.” While narrative writing is still featured in the new standards, teachers are asked to pay closer attention to informative and argumentative writing, with the understanding of the reciprocal relationship writing has with reading. In this session, participants will read about the different kinds of writing according to grade level and how to build writing skills for these purposes in students.

Session Four: Research with the Common Core State Standards

In this session, participants will practice with an inquiry-based framework to help students engage in research and explore how technology can help with this process with finding relevant resources on the Internet and evaluating Web-based information. Participants will develop their own mini-research plans with guidelines from the Common Core State Standards for research.

Session Five: Presentation and Publication in the Digital Era

Every day more Web 2.0 tools are opening up possibilities for students to present their work in creative and innovative ways and for students to share their ideas with a community beyond their own classroom. In this session, participants will read about teaching presentation skills through a format called Ignite, as well as about using Creative Commons and the connection between writing and oral presentations. Participants will also review the CCSS Speaking and Listening standards for their grade level before exploring several free tools to help students present their work and choosing one to try out. Finally, Participants will share the link to their presentation in the discussion board.

Session Six: Setting up a Writer’s Workshop Classroom

In the last session of this course participants will learn about how to set up a Writer’s Workshop routine to ensure that writing becomes an integral part of their everyday classroom. Collaborative editing and conferencing will be the major topics explored in this session as participants finalize their classroom writing plans using the Common Core State Standards for ELA-Literacy.

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Understanding and Implementing the ELA-Literacy Standards with a focus on Writing, Presentation, and Publication: Syllabus / 1