Language Arts
Education 340
Spring 2014
Tuesday & Thursday
9:30-10:45
Instructor--Dr. Kathy R. Fox, ation
Drop in Office Hours: Tuesday 12:30-2:00 pm
Wednesday 12:00-2:00 pm
Online Wednesday & Thursday 12:30-1:30 am
Other appointment hours may be arranged
Office Phone: 910-962-3219 Room 218, Ed Building
Texts and materials:
Required texts (3):
1. Cohen & Cowen (Reader). Literacy for Children in an Information Age. 2nd edition
2. Fox, Bahlmann, Foster-Hughes & Milstead. Organic Vocabulary:The Keywords Approach to Seeing Words in Print.
3. Dow & Baer. Self paced phonics: A text for educators. Pearson, 4th edition.
Recommended:
3. Boushey & Moser.The Daily Five.
4. Put reading first: The research building blocks for teaching children to read. Available from USDE at or 1-800-228-8813. This is a free document.
-Selected handouts from Instructor
-Selected children’s texts
Required material: Facility and use of a digital camera for filming one teaching lesson (Midterm Exam)
It is recommended that you keep a notebook (or 3 ring binder) with lesson plans, notes, quickwrites, and articles from instructor. Include a front page for Table of Contents. Use dividers to separate by readings, assignments, forms, lesson plans, etc.
Attendance Policy: It stands to reason that your attendance is important to your growth in this class. Perfect attendance is also important to our learning community. The need for any absences exceeding two will result in lowering your final grade.
Academic Honesty Policy: The UNCW Student Academic Honesty Policy, as documented in the Student Handbook, will be followed.
Student Disabilities: UNCW Disability Services supplies information about disability law, documentation procedures and accommodations through their website: . In order to obtain accommodations please first contact Disability Services and present documentation to the coordinator for review and verification.
Purpose: This course is designed first and foremost to encourage students to delve into literacy and the language arts. The course is also designed to aid students in their growth as effective decision-makers and reflective practitioners, including presentation strategies.
Learning Engagements:
- Class reading assignments, activities and discussions. Your participation counts as 10% of your grade. (*Please see note below.)
- Online Journal Discussions with cohort group: Discussion entries will include prompts on classroom questions and events from our lab experiences. Discussion entry must be logged by 5 pm of the assigned date to count for credit. Your participation counts as 10% of your grade.
- In class Quickwrites on readings from texts.
- Completion of Self-Paced Phonics Workbook cumulative review in text. Implement Keywords methodology with your Ed Lab tutee and reflect on the experience in an ongoing Keywords journal.
- Present shared reading, language experience, writing mini-lesson or guided reading lesson plans to each other in a small group format. This assignment counts in your participation grade and is TBA, according to the syllabus.
- Video reflection: You will video yourself teaching [tutoring] in order to reflect upon your teaching practice. You will share one section of the video with your classroom cohort and instructors during a guided reflection session for your midterm. A written reflection will be due by the following class day.
- Write a research paper, complete with introduction, learning theory upon which program is based, and current status of program. A topics list will be introduced to choose from. A bibliography of sources, including texts and electronic media, must also be included. Paper should be between 4-6 pages. Peer editing is required and must be documented and submitted with final copy of paper submitted electronically. Findings will be presented to class on that day.
- Observation and follow up support conference with one peer from our classroom should be conducted after our midterm. A written reflection describing the tutoring session and your follow up conference is due.
- Final exam, modeled from the PRAXIS II, including definitions and essay on classroom practice. This will be distributed electronically.
*Participation:
Classroom discussions and activities are a valuable part of our learning experiences. Just as you will want your students to participate both through attentive listening and active discussion, I want the same for you. Please be conscious of how you represent yourself as a contributing member of our group and as a future educator. This includes your representation as an active and supportive peer…therefore, no use of electronic devices for phone calls, text messages, etc. during class time.
Grading:
As noted above, your grades are dependent on your assignment completion. To earn an A in this class you must meet all of the criteria on time and to the expectations we will develop and discuss in class. Please feel encouraged to bring your work to me as you progress so that you can feel confident of the process as well as the product.
Class Schedule
Class 1: Orientation to reading foundations course with Dr. Fox
No Child Left Behind, Common Core standards and current status of literacy instruction
Five components of successful literacy development
Orientation to ED Lab with Mr. Brinkley, Ms. Walker & Ms. Heglar
Read: Cohen & Cowen, Chapter 1, through page 20
Class 2: Personal philosophy of teaching
Lisa Delpit’s 10 guidelines
Organic Literacy—introducing the Keywords approach
Assignments: 1. First online discussion. Log on Discussion Board by 5 pm.
Read: Cohen & Cowen, Continue with Chapter 1
Read: Fox, et al, Chapter 1, Chapter 9
Class 3: Top-down and Bottoms up processing and instruction
Holdaway & Shared reading.
Big Book Lesson demonstration with embedded phonics
Read: Cohen & Cowen, Chapter 3
Dow & Baer, Chapter 1
Class 4: Looking at materials according to age level…where are the 5 elements?
Read: Cohen & Cowen, Chapter 4
Fox, et al, Chapter 8
Class 5: Phonics instruction…the debate and the how-to
Direct Instruction Model
Reading: Dow & Baer, Chapter 2
Begin Cohen & Cowen, Chapter 6
Class 6: Comprehension strategies
Questions for comprehension
Read: Cohen & Cowen, Chapter 7, Continue Chapter 6
Class 7:Update on tutoring—share initial experiences
Integrated Literacy Approach
Read: Cowen & Cohen, Chapter 7
Fox, et al, Chapter 2 and 3
Class 8:Language Experience Approach/Model Writing/Letter of the Week/Journals
Read: Handout on journal writing
Class 9: Diagnostic assessment
Dow & Baer, Chapter 8 (in class)
Running Records and Miscue Analysis
Read: excerpts from Clay, M. .Reading Recovery, chapters 3-4
Class 10: Continue from Monday’s class
Class 11: Award Winning Teachers: What do they say?
Due: Dow & Baer, Self-Paced Phonics Cumulative Review (see assignment 4 above)
Class 13: Guided Video Reflection Protocol—sharing your video
Due: Written reflections due by Wednesday, October 7, 11:00 am (see assignment 6 above)
Class 14: Update on Organic Literacy and Keywords approach
Introduction of formal paper assignment
The Writing Process—an overview
No discussion board this week
Break: Begin work on your paper
Class 15: Draft of Paper due to share in class. Participation in small group discussion on paper today (see assignment 7 above).
Choose partner for peer editing of research paper (draft due to Dr. Fox in 2 classes)
Choose partner for peer coaching (reflection due Nov 11)
Writers Workshop, book making and publication
Read: Handouts on Writers Workshop (To be distributed)
Reading: Cowen & Cohen, Chapter 8
Class 16: Poetry, drama and song
How to integrate into a weekly lesson plan
Class 17: Draft of Paper due to Dr. Fox; remember to schedule peer editing
Daily Schedules and Year-long Scope and Sequence
Reading: Cowen & Cohen, Chapter 13
Class 18: Lesson planning and unit planning in small group: Frog and Toad
Read
Class 19: Literature Response Journal: Begin The Hundred Dresses
Continue small group work on lesson planning
Class 20: Literature Response Journal: Continue The Hundred Dresses
Begin lesson planning and unit planning in small groups: Chapter book choice
Read: Handout on Literature Circles
Class 21: Lesson planning and unit planning in small groups: Chapter book
Class 22: Observations/Conferencing reflections –due electronically by 11AM
Reading: Ho, Fox & Gonzalez (2007). How to make your classroom parent friendly
Read: Chapter 13 Lesson planning, particular attention to pages 582=599
Class 23: Present one of the two lessons to class. Submit both to Dr. Fox
Parent Involvement
Homework and nightly reading as family literacy
Reading: Review parent scenarios from Cowen & Cohen text, end of chapters;
Ho, Fox & Gonzalez (2007). How to make your classroom parent friendly
Class 24: Observations/Conferencing reflections –due electronically by 11AM
Homework and nightly reading as family literacy
Prepare homework packets
Reading: Research homework ideas on web for comparison to our classwork
Class 25: Homework and nightly reading as family literacy
Prepare homework packets
Reading: Research homework ideas on web for comparison to our classwork
Complete and share homework packets and research
Reading: Cowen & Cohen, Chapter 2
Last day to turn in Research paper for Dr. Fox’s revision (electronically)
Last Discussion Board due Friday, November 22
Class 26: Technology Survey. Meet in Tech Lab to review and submit comments. Complete and share homework packets and research
Reading: Cowen & Cohen, Chapter 2
Class 27: Review technology findings. Share favorite websites.
Final version of research paper due.
Class 28: Field Trip to local classroom. (Hours TBA)
Last Class: Follow up to field trip
Exam due
Exam Day:10:00 AM
All materials returned