EDU410/510 – 01X: Content Area Reading and Writing

Eastern Connecticut State University

Spring 2013, 3 Credits

Webb Hall 216

Thursdays 7:00 – 9:45 pm

Dr. Sue Ringler Pet Office Hours: By appointment

145 Webb Hall

Email:

Phone: (cell/text) 203-770-3684 (home) 860-350-2417

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to help middle and high school teachersand teacher candidates integrate literacy and content area instruction, so that their students can comprehend, recall, deeply consider, write, and represent content area material. To meet this goal, we will define literacy, broadly, as “the ability to think and act in ways that fit a given domain (e.g., math, science, history, physical education, art, etc.).”Also incorporating a broadened definition of “text,” we will explore informed literacy pedagogy that helps students learn to think, act, speak, read, and write like mathematicians, scientists, historians,athletes, artists, etc. According to this definition, then, we are all literacy teachers.

Throughyour own “disciplinary lenses” you willexplore literacy practices that best mesh with your content area goals, and you will come to understand perspectives from other disciplines.Creating an environment that models various instructional approaches and exposes them for questioning, we willread and discussprofessional texts and scholarly articles,attend to the national spotlight on Adolescent Literacy and the Common Core State Standards, and acknowledge the differentiated literacy abilities of diverse student populations.Class activities will include: various discussion modes;literacy strategy practice; team, small group, and solo teaching projects; reading YA fiction or nonfiction, exploring writing from developmental and disciplinary perspectives;opportunities to gather and create practical classroom materials; and important field experiences.

Required Texts (Available in the bookstore)

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2012). Improving adolescent literacy: Content area strategies at work.

(3rded.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Notebook/Scrapbook: This alternative to typical notebooks will be discussed on the first class and used throughout the semester.

Recommended Texts

We will read and work with selected sections from some of these professional sources—

all provided for students thorough Dropbox or in hard copy.

Allen, J. (2004). Tools for teaching content literacy. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Allen, J. (2008). More tools for teaching content literacy. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Beers, K., Probst, R., & Rief, L. (Eds.). (2007). Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice (pp. 61-79). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Christensen, L. (2000). Reading, writing, and rising up: Teaching about social justice and the power of the written word. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.

Christenbury, L., Bomer, R., & Smagorinsky, P. (Eds.). (2009). Handbook of Adolescent literacy research. New York: Guilford.

Conley, M., Friedhoff, J., Sherry, M., Tuckey, S.F. (Eds.). (2008). Meeting the challenge of adolescent literacy: Research we have, research we need. New York: Guilford.

Daniels, H. & Zemelman, S. (2004). Subjects matter: Every teacher’s guide to content-

area reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Draper, R. J. (Ed). (2010). (Re)Imagining content-area literacy instruction. New York: Teachers College Press.

Gallagher, K. (2004). Deeper reading: Comprehending challenging texts, 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Word wise and content rich: Five essential steps to teaching academic vocabulary. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Fisher, D., Brozo, W., Frey, N., & Ivey, G. (2011). 50 Instructional routines to develop content literacy, (2nded.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Indrisano, R. & Paratore, J. R. (Eds.). (2005). Learning to write writing to learn: Theory and research in practice. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Lewis, J., & Moorman, G. (Eds.). (2007). Adolescent literacy instruction: Policies and promising practices. Newark, DE: IRA.

Strickland, D. & Alvermann, D. (Eds.). (2004). Bridging the literacy achievement gap grades 4-12. New York: Teachers College Press.

Tovani, C. (2000). I read it, but I don’t get it: Comprehension strategies for adolescent readers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Tovani, C. (2000). Do I really have to teach reading?: Content comprehension grades 6-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Relevant National Reports and Standards (not required reading)

Carnegie Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy. (2010). Time to act: An agenda for advancing adolescent literacy for college and career success. New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Graham, S. & Perin, D. (2007). Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools. Commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation and published by Alliance for Excellent Education.

Greenleaf, C. & Heller, R. (2007). Literacy instruction in the content areas: Getting to the core of middle and high school improvement. Commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation and published by The Alliance for Excellent Education.

Haynes, M. (2011). Engineering solutions to the national crisis in literacy: How to make good on the promise of the common core state standards, commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation of New York Alliance for Excellent Education.

Lee, C.D. & Spratley, A. (2010). Reading in the disciplines: The challenges of adolescent literacy. New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Common Core State Standards:

Math

History

Science

ELA

Revised (2010) IRA Standards for Middle and High School Content Area Teachers

NCTE Position Statements on Literacy

Additional Professional Resources As a pre-service teacher you will need to access peer-reviewed journals pertinent to your particular field:

  • National Science Teachers Association: The Science Teacher and Science Scope
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School and Mathematics Teacher
  • National Council of Teachers of Social Studies: Middle Level Learning and Social Education

The Journal of Adolescent Adult Literacy. This is an education journal that examines literacy across content areas.

Course Objectives andProfessional Standards: Objectives reference IRA Professional Standards for Middle and High School Content Area Teachers (2010)

Adolescent Literacy and Disciplinary Literacy. (Standard 1) Teacher candidates will:

  • Know (enough) about debates surrounding the national agenda on Adolescent Literacy and Disciplinary Literacy to be able to make informed instructional decisions.
  • Understand theoretical foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction.

Instruction, Assessment, & Attention to Diversity Teacher candidates will:

  • Become familiar with and be able to use a wide range of instructional practices, materials, and assessments to address adolescent reading and writing development.

(2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3)

  • Understand, plan, and practice strategies that capitalize upon the role of motivation, text-to-reader match, and broad definitions of literacy to aid students’ comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, study skills, recall, comprehension, and engagement.

(2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3)

  • Practice choosing, using, and modifying instructional routines with an eye to differentiated instruction for struggling and proficient readers and writers, including ELLs. (4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.2)
  • Extend the notion of “text” by gathering content materials that acknowledge students’ multiliteracies— including primary sources, current articles, Internet web sites, digital images, audio, video, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, online and print newspapers, software, pop culture, etc. (2.3)
  • Extend the notion of “literacy” by understanding text demands and instructional routines that increase accessibility. (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 5.3, 5.4)
  • Become empowered (not constricted) by knowledge of literacy strategies and assessments. (1,2,3)

A Literate Environment.(Standard 5)Teacher candidates will:

  • Learn how to create a physical and social classroom environment wherein instructional materials, approaches, and content are relevant to 21st Century adolescent lives and acknowledge students’ out-of-school literacies.(4.1, 4.2, 4.3)
  • Through critical literacy pedagogy, explore relationships among language, power, culture, and diversity. (4.1, 4.2, 4.3)

Self-reflective Professional Practice.Teacher candidates will:

  • Examine and reflect upon their lives as disciplinaryliterate experts. (6.2)
  • Understand the value of ongoing commitment to self-reflective practice and professional development in literacy instruction as a career-long effort alongside the responsibility to foster self-reflection in students. (6.2)

Academic Services

Students are encouraged to use the support offered by the Academic Services Center located on the ground floor of the Library. Tutoring, Math, Writing, and supplemental Advising Services are available for students in the Venter at the following times: Sun 2-9; M-Th 9-9; Fr 9-5. (Closed Sat.) For further information, call 465-4272 or check the ASC website at

For Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability and you believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact the Office of AccessAbility Services at (860) 465-0189. To avoid delay in the receipt of accommodations, you should contact the Office of AccessAbility Services as soon as possible. Please note that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received and accommodation letter from the Office of AccessAbility Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Academic Misconduct

Students should read and understand Eastern’s Academic Misconduct Policy, which can be found in the student handbook or at

All violations will be handled under the procedures established in this policy.

Electronic Communication

Effective August 1, 2009, Eastern email became an official form of correspondence within Connecticut State University Systems (CSUS). Therefore, it is expected that communication to students sent via email will be received and read in a timely fashion. It is expected that students check their university email at least as often as their class meets in recognition that certain communications may be time-critical. Students should not assume that email sent by outside providers will be received by their professor.

Grading

Short assignments,in and out of class, will not be graded except to note effort and completion.Grading would contradict their purpose as triggers to build a productive learning community. Grades will ultimately be based on the percentage system noted below. Note that I will ask you to write a one-page self-evaluation, so you may let me know what I might not have noticed about your experience and effort during the semester.

ASSIGNMENT / % of grade
(1) Attendance & Participation / 10
(2) N.O.T.E.S. (Responses to Readings) / 10
(3) Extend the Text: Student-led Activity / 10
(4) Field Experience in Disciplinary Literacy: 4 Part-Log / 20
(5) Beyond Textbooks: Nonfiction &YA Literature the Content Areas / 10
(6) Collecting Practical Resources: Text Set & Annotated Bibliography / 20
(7) “The Unfinished Unit”: Comprehensive Team Project / 20
(8) Self-Evaluation / P/F
TOTAL / 100

Grading Scale: 94-100% A 90-93% A- 86-89% B+ 83-85% B 80-82% B-

77-79% C+ 74-76% C 70-73% C- 60-69 % D Below 60% F
Course Requirements

1) Attendance and Participation (10%)

Louise Rosenblatt wrote about the relationship among reader, text, and meaning:

No one else can read a literary work for us. The benefits of literature can emerge only from creative activity on the part of the reader himself. He responds to the little black marks on the page or to the sounds of the words in his ear and he [sic] makes something of them.

Literature as Exploration, 1938/1995, pp. 164-5.

So, too, this non-lecture course does not contain meaning that you can glean without being there, transacting with texts and other people, and thus being a part of its creation. Accordingly, I expect you to be prepared for class, participate actively and thoughtfully, and ask important questions— so you make something of it! Because this is a discussion class, a practice teaching class, and a small-group activity class, attendance is critical. You must attend all sessions unless you have an urgent need to be elsewhere. In that case, I expect you to contact me in person or via phone or email. No unexcused absences will be permitted without negative grade consequences (TBD on a personal basis).

Please note: Three important components of “participation” are your willingness to:

(a) participate thoughtfully in class: make frequent contributions and be mindful of “airtime”

(b) complete short, non-graded assignments in and out of class (e.g., quick-writes, strategy

practice, brief research, discussion models).

(c) experiment with the Scrapbook as a means to capture what happens in, around, and as a result of your taking this course. Your Scrapbook will include short, non-graded assignments(above);N.O.T.E.S.(below); unique keepsakes from class activity; and notes taken during strategy lessons, presentations, activities, discussion, etc.

(2) N.O.T.E.S Responses to Readings (10%)

This non-lecture, participation-based class involves exploring effective alternatives to traditional note-taking. Accordingly, to prepare for class discussion, you will often be asked to respond to readings using the N.O.T.E.S. “clipboard” format. N.O.T.E.S. will be practiced and discussed as a literacy strategy for your future students, while servings as a practical record of your course readings.

N.O.T.E.S. Response to Readings on “Clipboards”:

N - Name it: Your name, Date, Assignment (abbrev. title, author, source).

O - Overall reaction:What struck you as most useful? or Why wasn’t this reading useful?

T - Talking point: One thing you found interesting or problematic—worth discussing.

E –Extend the Text: Take note of your classmates’ extension activities presented in class.

S - Summary: Two to three complete sentences to remind yourself about this reading.

(3) Extend the Text: Student-led Activity (10%)Due on one specific date for eachstudent.

Once during the semester, you and a classmate or two will be assigned as the “main players” responsible for making the most of our class readings from the text by Fisher and Frey. You will “have the floor” for 30-40 minutes to extend the value of our textbook reading in four ways:

  • Lead participatory discussion on the chapter. (Classmates will have N.O.T.E.S)
  • Read, study, and share arelated articlefrom an education journal.Highlight its importance. (Some resource suggestions will be offered.)
  • Integrate the chapter’s focus with specific (new) contentfrom one discipline and present the “good-match” literacy strategy in action.
  • Provide a one-page handout for our Scrapbooks

*Note: “Extend the Text” may be conducted with the whole group or in “stations.” (TBD)

(4) Field Experience in Disciplinary Literacy: 4parts Due Feb 7, Feb 21, Mar 21, Apr 11.

To learn about and reflect on the literate practices specific to your discipline, you will work with one or more students in grades 6-12 (either in a school or outside of school) and interviewand observe a content area teacher. This project will help you build a Digital Field Experience Log, which you will submit in four separate parts (for formative assessment), and then as one 4-part WORD document (for summative assessment).

a. Supporting Adolescent Readers: Attitudes, Assessment, Matching Readers with Texts, Disciplinary Considerations(5%)Due Feb 7.

Make plans to meet one-on-one with a student in grades 6-12, preferably in your placement.

After we explore various types of reading assessments, text leveling procedures, and readability formulas, you will:

  • Design a tool to capture responses (like a chart, or other means to take notes). Conduct a interview/ attitudes surveyto find out the types of reading this student engages with during one typical day—in and outside of school (including digital literacies discussed in our class).
  • Conduct reading assessment(s) with an adolescent (preferably the same)student. Work to identify their reading level and considerations for suitable reader-text matches.
  • Using a “text” from your discipline,model reading while “thinking aloud.” Have the student read and think-aloud (i.e., telling you what goes on while he/she reads). Take notes.
  • Write a one-page synthesis/reflection about what you noticed from a disciplinary literacy perspective.

b. Interview a Content Area Teacher(5%)Due Feb 21.

Make plans to interview a middle or high school content area teacher in your area of interest.

  • Prepare a set of interview questions about the integration of literacy and content.
  • Prepare a tool to capture responses. (We will not audio-record for this project).
  • Conduct (at least) a 20-minute interview.
  • Write a one-page synthesis/reflection of what you found most interesting and pertinent.

c. Classroom Observation(5%)Due March 21.

This activity is designed to help you become aware of literacy practices embedded in lessons that may or may not engage students with learning content. Make plans to observe a middle or high school content area teacher in your area of interest as he or she carries out one full lesson.

  • Design a graphic organizer that will help your predict and document literate activity you may observe during a typical lesson.
  • As you observe the lesson:
  • Record the reading and writing activities you observe (as well as anything else you’d consider evidence of literate behavior).
  • Note your sense of the effectiveness of each activity/strategy (TBD)
  • Note how the teacher assessed reading and writing (e.g., questions, discussion, grades, tests).
  • Write a one-page synthesis/reflection of the information your graphic organizer reveals, highlightingwhat you found most interesting and pertinent to this course.

d. Supporting Adolescent Writers (5%)Due April 11.

After we explore strategies to support adolescent student writers, you will plan, implement, and report on working with an adolescent. This assignment builds on chapters in our readings. It will be developed with your input, discussed in class, and documented in writing.

5) Beyond Textbooks:Nonfiction & YA Literature the Content Areas (10%)Due Feb 21 & 28

Today’s YAauthors are experimenting with a wide range of formats including graphic, multi-perspective, poetic, alternatively-formatted, and digital texts. We will explore how these alternative works may help teachers meet the needs of reluctant readers, ELLs, struggling readers, etc. You will choose a novel or piece of nonfiction related to your discipline to read in small group, book-club format. Experiencing literature circles(Daniels, 2002), we will explore the potential for employing (or adapting) this widely implemented instructional method in content area classrooms.

(6) Collecting Practical Resources: Text Set and Annotated Bibliography (20%)Sample of each for formative assessmentdue Feb 28. Completed Projectsdue Mar 21.

Text Set:Students deserve a “healthy diet” of real readingbecause real readers gather information from a variety of sources: magazines, newspapers, websites, diaries, daily chores, interviews, letters, biographies, images, the media, literature, poetry, film, popular culture, personal communication, etc.(DanielsZemelman, 2007). We will define a “Text Set” asa collection of surrounding a particular theme that encompasses varying complexity and modalities.