SUBSTANTIALLY
REVISED!!!! SEE BELOW!!!!
Literature
and Writing for the Middle and Secondary Schools
MSED
5333, Spring 2007
Department of Teaching &
Learning,
STATESBORO section: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00 - 1:50 pm in COE #3150
Instructor: Dr. Scott A.L. Beck
Office: Room
#4113,
Office hours: by appointment
Contacts: (912) 681-0354 or sab44@cornell.edu
Catalog Description:
An
intensive study of instructional strategies appropriate for integrating
literature and writing instruction. Special attention will be given to
identifying and accommodating reading and writing needs of diverse adolescent
learners as well as evaluating the effectiveness of instruction. Students will
learn to interpret and analyze literature, develop cross-curricular
instruction, comprehend the diagnosis of reading problems, provide
individualized feedback to students, as well as employ appropriate intervention
and assessment methods.
Course Learning Outcomes:
Each
candidate will:
1.
Candidates
will demonstrate an understanding of writing and literature with sufficient depth
and versatility that allows for the planning and implementation of lesson plans
that academically challenge and engage the adolescent learner. (MGPO 1, 4, 6,
8, 11)
2.
Candidates
will recognize and understand the unique inclusion of diversity (e.g. culture, race,
age, gender) in texts, and be able to plan and develop lesson plans that are
based on the individual needs and achievement levels of adolescents today. (MGPO
6, 9, 10, 13)
3.
Candidates
will utilize a variety of strategies within their lesson plans and while microteaching
that relate and engage the adolescent learner in meaningful activities that
make connections between reading, literature and writing. (MGPO 1, 6, 8, 11,
15)
4.
Candidates
will learn how to create a classroom environment that provides opportunities to
focus on engaged learning and literacy. (MGPO 12, 16)
5.
Candidates
will demonstrate how to integrate technology and multimedia resources in units,
projects, lesson plans, and microteaching in order to focus on engaged learning
and to maximize student learning opportunities and literacy. (MGPO 14, 41)
6.
Candidates
will practice reflection through oral and written dialogue among peers and with
the instructor to seek improvement of instruction and understand the nature and
pedagogy of literacy, language, reading, and writing. (MGPO 1, 8, 10, 11, 12, 35,
36, 38, 39)
7.
Candidates
will demonstrate competence in the use of language to communicate effectively in
both oral and written form. Students will read, write, and respond to literature
for the adolescent learner. (MGPO 12, 39)
8.
Candidates
will relate, both orally and in journal responses, the teaching of literature and
writing to adolescent development. (MGPO 27, 28, 32, 33)
9.
Candidates
will investigate the merits of teaching grammar and vocabulary in the context of
reading and writing. (MGPO 1, 2, 8)
10. Candidates will
understand the complexities of assessment and intervention methods and be able
to identify appropriate methods for use in various contexts. (MGPO 4, 21, 20,
23, 25)
11. Candidates will
demonstrate an understanding of the dimensions of reading ability and be able
to comprehend the diagnosis of reading levels and related reading difficulties
as well as identify appropriate strategies to include in daily instruction.
(MGPO 2, 6, 8, 10, 15, 22)
How
This Course Supports the College’s Conceptual Framework:
The
Required Texts:
Daniels, H. & Steineke, N. (2004). Mini-lessons
for literature circles.
Pasquarelli, S. (2006). Teaching writing generes across curriculum.
Sheppard, R. L., Ruebel, K., Sheppard, K.,
Stratton, B., & Zigo, D. (2004). Using
literature
to connect young adolescent concerns throughout the curriculum.
Supplemental
O'Conner, P. (1996). Woe is
i: The grammarphobe's guide to better English in plain English.
Ray, K. & Laminack, L. (2001). Writing workshop: Working through the hard
parts.
Young Adolescent /Early
Adolescent Literature:
As listed below in the
course schedule
Course Performance
Outcomes (Assignments & Assessments):
Attendance, Participation
in Writers’ Workshops, Quizzes on
There will be some form of assessment during
most classes. Many of these assessments
will be short quizzes or reflective writings that simply check your
comprehension of the readings due for class that day. If you don’t do the readings, your daily class
grades will suffer. If you read sloppily
or without consulting a dictionary or the glossaries, your grades will also
suffer. If you fail to participate in
class discussions and activities, your grade will suffer.
You will draft a multiple genre papers for this
course and will revise those papers based on feedback provided by your
classmates during the in-class writing workshops. During the workshops, you will be expected to provide
and accept critical feedback on content, conventions (grammar, mechanics, and
spelling), and genre features.
Your participation in the WebCT aspect of this
course will be measured according to a variety of statistics generated by the
WebCT software including amount of active time on WebCT, number of discussion
and chat postings, number of pages read, and my assessment of the quality of
your postings.
Daniels Mini-Lesson Micro-Teaching
Presentations
Each of you will be responsible for MODELING for
the class ONE of the mini-lessons described in the Daniels text. You will present your mini-lesson in about 15 minutes
during class time on the day that your chapter in the book is due for class. You will be expected to lead an interesting
and engaging presentation that gets all your classmates involved in the method
and helps them understand its value. The mini-lesson must connect to the books being read by the
class at the time of the presentation and should be the candidate’s own work
(not taken from the text, a website, or other resource).
Pasquarelli Lesson Presentations
(GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY)
In addition, each graduate student will present ONE
model lesson based upon one of the chapters in the Pasquarelli text. Follow the format
presented in the Pasqarelli text and use the graphic organizers presented for
the selected genre making connections to one of the current novels being read. Engage the class in the drafting stage of the
writing process.
Genre
Papers:
You will
develop four genre papers:
Narrative Account,
Feature Newspaper Article,
Persuasive Essay, and
Reflective Essay.
As part of
the writing process for these papers you will participate in writing workshops
both in class and on-line. You will
submit all preliminary drafts and planning organizers with each final paper.
Group
Literature / Advisory Unit regarding War & Terrorism:
You will work in small groups and use the
Sheppard text as a guide to develop a literature / advisory unit regarding War &
Terrorism. In each
of these unit projects, you will include mini-lessons from Daniels, genre
writing from Pasquarelli, other instructional activities, and content from
across the curriculum.
Each student will receive a group grade and an
individual grade. At the end of the
group project, each member will confidentially assess the contribution made by
his or her individual teammates. These
assessments will take into account your professionalism, courtesy, promptness,
reliability, work ethic, contributions, and cooperation. Based upon these assessments and my own observations,
I will assign an individual grade to each group member. Please inform me early in the group work if an
individual member is not contributing adequately. I reserve the right to sharply lower an individual’s
group grade if that individual does not follow through with his/her
responsibilities to the group.
Final
Exam
The final exam will be comprehensive. A study guide will be provided.
Assessment Chart:
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Course Components |
Undergraduate % of Grade |
Graduate % of Grade |
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