University of Rhode Island
School of Education
EDC 424
Teaching Literacy in the Elementary School
Section 01 Dr. Julie Coiro
Fall, 2012 Phone: 874-4872
Tues 4:00-6:45PM Office: Chafee 615
Class: Chafee 244 Hours: Tues 2-3:30 (or appointment) Email:
Prerequisites: EDC 312 or EDC512 and EDC423, or graduate standing
Course Description:
This course is a major professional course that prepares you to teach literacy in grades K-2. Through class discussions, activities, observations, and assignments, you will examine effective methods for teaching the many facets of literacy, including phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency comprehension, and vocabulary to diverse students.
Course readings, activities, and requirements are designed to help you gain knowledge and skills necessary to achieve Rhode Island Professional Teacher Standards 2 and 3 (for literacy content and development) at the Introduction and Development levels, and components of Standards 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 at the Introduction and/or Development level. They are also designed to meet the cumulative achievement of Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 of the International Reading Association’s Standards for Reading Professionals (2010) at the elementary school teacher level, and the School of Education’s Graduate Themes 1 (Content), 3 (Diverse Learning), 5 (Professional Development), and 6 (Professional Practice) for graduate students enrolled in this course.
Course Goals:
· To build an understanding of literacy development as a cognitive, linguistic, and social process, and as the interrelationship of reading, writing, speaking, and listening (RIPTS 2.1, 3.1 – Development; IRA 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1); Graduate Theme 6)
· To begin learning about the English language as a linguistic and alphabetic system (RIPTS 2.1, 3.1 - Introduction and Development; IRA 1.1; Graduate Theme 6)
· To begin learning instructional strategies for teaching children about language and print (RIPTS 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3 – Introduction, Development; IRA 2.2, 2.3; Graduate Theme 6)
· To begin learning ways to assess students’ understanding and use of literacy and provide instruction related to what they need to learn (RIBTS 2.2, 2.7, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 9.1, 9.2, 9.5 – Introduction, Development; IRA 3.1, 3.2, 3.3; Graduate Themes 3 and 6)
· To begin to develop teaching, assessment, and organizational plans for literacy lessons (RIPTS 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 8.4, 9.1, 9.2, 9.5 - Introduction and Development; IRA 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 4.1, 4.2; 5.4; Graduate Themes 3 and 6)
· To promote recognition and application of principles of effective literacy teaching in elementary classrooms (RIPTS 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 - Introduction and Development; IRA 2; Graduate Themes 3 and 6)
· To foster collaboration in a community of learners, professionalism and ethical standards in literacy teaching and learning, and awareness of professional resources and organizations that support and inspire reading teachers (RIPTS 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 11.1, 11.4 – Introduction; IRA 6.2; Graduate Theme 5)
· To build understanding of the content and goals of the Rhode Island Reading Policy and the Tri-State New England Grade Level Expectations and how those influence teaching and testing in this state (RIBTS 7.4 – Development; IRA 3.1; Graduate Themes 5 and 6)
Required Texts:
Course Website: http://edc424uri.wikispaces.com/
Tompkins, G. (2006). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach 5th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. **See online support at http://www.prenhall.com/tompkins
Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2008). Words Their Way: Word
study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Beck, I. (2006). Making Sense of Phonics: The Hows and Whys. New York, NY: Guilford.
Armbruster, B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2003). Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Reading. Jessup, MD: National Institute for Literacy.
Beck, I., & McKeown, M. (2001). Text talk: Capturing the benefits of read-aloud
experiences for young children. The Reading Teacher, 55, 10-20.
Flood, J., Lapp, D., Flood, S., & Nagel, G. (1992). Am I allowed to group? Using flexible grouping patterns for effective instruction. The Reading Teacher, 45(8), 608-616.
Ford, M., & Opitz, M. (2002). Using centers to engage children during guided reading time: Intensifying learning experiences away from the teacher. The Reading Teacher, 55(8), pp. 710-717.
Griffith, K. & Rasinski, T. (2004). A focus on fluency: How one teacher incorporated fluency with her reading curriculum. The Reading Teacher, 58(2), 126-137.
McGee, L. M. & Schickedanz, J. (2007). Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds in Preschool and Kindergarten. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/16287/
Tri-State New England Compact (2004). Grade Level Expectations for Reading and Writing Grades K-5 (Two separate documents). Providence, RI: Rhode Island Department of Education. http://www.ride.ri.gov/Instruction/gle.aspx
Rhode Island Reading Panel (2004). Rhode Island PreK-12 Literacy Policy. RI: Rhode Island Department of Education. http://www.ride.ri.gov/instruction/readingpolicy.aspx
Yopp, H. K. & Yopp, R. H. (2000). Supporting phonemic awareness development in the classroom. The Reading Teacher, 54, 130-144.
Zucker, T.A., & Invernizzi, M. (2008, May). My eSorts and digital extensions of word study. The Reading Teacher, 61(8), 654–658.
Course Requirements and Grading:
This course is an opportunity for you, as a prospective teacher, to become part of a community of learners who are committed to learning through reading, writing, discussing, and collaborating. To be a part of that community, you need to attend every class meeting and participate thoughtfully in all activities. Points will be deducted for missed classes (10 points), tardiness (5 points), and late assignments (points equivalent to one letter grade per assignment). You may request a make up assignment for ONE missed class period. The make-up is eligible for up to 1/2 of the class points (5 points maximum). In order to earn the maximum number of points for each activity listed below, please arrive at all class sessions on time and complete all assignments in a timely manner.
Academic honesty and integrity are expected of all students. Any work that you submit must be your own work. Any ideas, information, approaches, or formats that you use based on the work of others must be acknowledged by citing the appropriate sources. Citations must follow the format of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. (Quick reference sheets can usually be found on the web.)
All course assignments (listed below) are designed to help you meet the Rhode Island Beginning Teacher Standards, and to help you demonstrate your understanding of literacy instruction recommended in the Rhode Island Reading Policy. Each assignment is worth a number of points. The points earned for each assignment divided by the total number of possible points will yield a percentage. Grades will be assigned to percentages as follows:
94-100% = A 90-93% = A- 87-89% = B+
84-86% = B 80-83% = B- 77-79% = C+
Course evaluation is based on the following:
1. Participation: Your dispositions toward learning demonstrated through your prompt attendance at all class periods, active participation in all class activities, demonstrated understanding of course readings and discussions through class assignments, and professional interactions with colleagues and instructors (RIPTS 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 11.1, 11.4 – Introduction; IRA 6.2; SOE 5) 50 points
2. Quizzes (3): Comprehensive understanding of key concepts related to the teaching of reading demonstrated through your satisfactory performance on class assessments (RIPTS 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 7.4, 8.4, 9.1, 9.2, 9.5 – Development; IRA 1 and 2; SOE 1) 25-35 points each
3. Reading Guides/Activities (4): Your understanding of key concepts covered in the readings demonstrated through your completion of an advanced organizer or small group activity. (RIPTS 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 7.4, 8.4, 9.1, 9.2, 9.5 – Development; IRA 1 and 2; SOE 1) 10 points each
4. Word Study Demonstration: Your understanding of developmentally appropriate word study instruction demonstrated by you describing and demonstrating one word study activity related to the stage of reading development in your lesson plan (RIPTS 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3 - Introduction and Development; IRA 2.2; SOE 1, 6) 25 points
5. Literacy Photo Journal: Your observations and explanations of first-grade literacy instruction demonstrated through you photographing and annotating a first-grade classroom (the Photo Journal and Literacy Center tasks jointly apply to RIPTS 1.2; 2.2, 2.3; 3.1, 3.2, 3.3; 4.1, 4.4; 5.5; 6.1, 6.3, 6.6, 6.7; 7.1; 9.1 – Introduction and Development; IRA 2, 3, 5; SOE Themes 3 & 6) 75 points
6. Literacy Center: Your ability to design appropriate instructional opportunities demonstrated by you working with colleagues to design and engage your colleagues in a literacy center for first-grade students (the Photo Journal and Literacy Center tasks jointly apply to RIPTS 1.2; 2.2, 2.3; 3.1, 3.2, 3.3; 4.1, 4.4; 5.5; 6.1, 6.3, 6.6, 6.7; 7.1; 9.1 – Introduction and Development; IRA 2, 3, 5; SOE Themes 3 & 6) 30 points
7. Final Exam: Comprehensive understanding of key concepts related to the teaching of reading demonstrated through your satisfactory performance on a cumulative final exam – if you have not achieved an average of 86 or higher for the semester (RIPTS 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 7.4, 8.4, 9.1, 9.2, 9.5 – Development; IRA 1; SOE 1) 100 points
Please note: If you have a documented disability which may require individual accommodations, please make an appointment with me prior to the third class meeting. We will discuss how to meet your needs to ensure your full participation and fair assessment procedures. You should also contact Disability Services for Students, Office of Student Life, 330 Memorial Union, 874-2098.
This is a challenging course. Success requires that you keep pace with the work, understand course concepts, and study effectively. The Academic Enhancement Center (www.uri.edu/aec) is a great place to do this. At the AEC you can work alone or in groups, and tutors and professional learning specialists are available to help you to learn, manage your time and work, and study well. They're open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays until 1 p.m. All services are free (the coffee is free as well!), and no appointment is needed. You can call them for complete information at 874-2367, or just stop by the center on the fourth floor of Roosevelt Hall.
EDC 424 Course Schedule – Section 1 (Tuesday 4:00-6:45PM)
Sept. 11: ORAL LANGUAGE
A. Course Introduction
B. Oral Language and Reading Development
Sept. 18: EMERGENT LITERACY
A. Core Areas of Reading, RI Reading Policy, and RI GLEs
B. Emergent Literacy and Concepts of Print / Wednesday-Thursday
· Tompkins Ch. 1: Effective Teaching Principles
Friday-Monday: w/Reading Guide #1
· RI PreK-12 Literacy Policy
· Tompkins, Ch. 4 (Early Readers) and pp. 443-445 (lang. experience) / Reading Guide #1 Due: Early Literacy
Sept. 25: PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
A. The Sounds of Language: Levels of Phonological Awareness
B. Phonemic Awareness Assessment and Instruction / Wednesday-Thursday
· Tompkins Ch. 5 pp. 142-155 (Phonemic Awareness)
· Yopp & Yopp (2000): Supporting Phonemic Awareness Development
· Beck (Intro p. 1-18) with keyword handout
Friday-Monday
· Words Their Way (WTW) Ch. 1 (Word Knowledge) and Ch. 4: Emergent Stage (with optional reading guide) / Keyword Handout for Beck Chapter
PA Chart for Group Activity (due by end of class)
October 2: PHONICS
QUIZ #1: Emergent Literacy
Teaching Phonics I & II:
· Letter-Sound Relations & Short Vowels
· Long Vowels and Blending / Wednesday-Thursday
· Study for Quiz on Emergent Literacy and Oral Language
Friday-Sunday
· Beck (pp. 19-54)
· WTW, Ch. 5 (Letter Name-Alphabet Stage)
Monday > Review for Quiz #1 / Cut Out Letter Cards
Study for Quiz #1
October 9: WORD STUDY
A. Teaching Phonics III: Vowel Digraphs
B. Word Study: Word Sorts, Making Words, and Word Walls for sight word recognition, decoding, and fluency / Wednesday-Thursday
· Beck (pp. 55-75)
· Tompkins, Ch. 5, Phonics (pp. 155-181)
(Friday-Monday)
· WTW Ch. 3: Word Study
· Tompkins Ch. 6, pp. 447-448 (making words); pp. 476-479 (word sorts & word walls); with Reading Guide #2 / Reading Guide #2 Due: Word recognition
October 16: PLANNING LITERACY INSTRUCTION
A. Planning and Grouping for Instruction
B. Developing literacy lesson plans / Wednesday-Thursday
· Tompkins, Ch. 4 (pp. 128-141) and p. 437 (guided reading), p. 465-466 (shared reading), p. 471-472 (SSR);
Friday-Monday
· Tompkins, Ch. 2 (p. 38-52 Reading)
· Work on Photo Journal
October 23: COMPREHENSION AND FLUENCY
A. Storybook Reading and Text Talk Queries
B. Reading Fluency / Wednesday-Thursday
· Beck & McKeown Text Talk Article
Friday-Monday
· Griffith and Rasinski (2004): Fluency Article (What do they do and why does it work?)
· WTW, Ch. 6 (Within Words)
· Tompkins pp. 469-470 choral reading; p. 457-59 (reader’s theatre) / Photo Journal Due
Date/Topic / Readings Due / Assignments due
October 30: SPELLING
QUIZ #2
A. Stages of Spelling Development
B. Spelling Assessment & Instructional Grouping / Wednesday-Thursday
· Study for Quiz #2 (Phonics, Word Study, and Comprehension)
Friday-Sunday
· WTW, Ch. 2 (Spelling Assessment)
· Tompkins Ch 3: Assessing Literacy Development
Monday > quick review for quiz #2
Bring 3 copies of completed spelling inventory to class FIRST name only!) / Completed Elementary spelling inventory (p. 270 WTW)
November 7: ** WEDNESDAY LEVELED READING SYSTEMS
A. Word Study Presentations
B. Choosing Books and Leveled Text Systems
C. Planning and Managing Literacy Centers / Wednesday-Thursday
· Leveled Reading Systems Handout
Friday-Tuesday
· Work on Word Study Assignments / Word Study Demonstrations
November 13: VOCABULARY
Choosing and Using Words to Expand Children’s Vocabulary / Wednesday-Thursday
· Reading Guide: Beck & McKeown (Direct & Rich Vocabulary Instruction);
· Tompkins, Ch. 7 and pp. 464-465 (semantic feature analysis)
Friday-Monday
· Vocabulary Article (TBD) / Reading Guide #3 Due: Vocabulary
November 20: RUNNING RECORDS
Assessing Oral Reading with Running Records / Wednesday-Thursday
· Tompkins Ch. 3 (pp. 86-88, 463-464) & Running Records Website
Friday-Monday
·
November 27: LITERACY CENTERS
Quiz #3
Organizing for Literacy Instruction
Semester Review / Wednesday-Thursday
· Study for Quiz #3
Friday-Sunday
· Flood & Lapp Article: Flexible Grouping
· Ford & Optiz Article: Literacy Centers
· Lit. Centers Websites (see wiki)
Monday > Quick Review for Quiz #3 / Outline for Literacy Center – Complete in Class
December 4: LITERACY CENTERS / · Work on Literacy Center Activities
· Make any necessary revisions to lesson plan assignments / Literacy Centers Due
FINAL EXAM DATE TBD 4PM / FINAL EXAM (Dependent on grade in class > must be 86 or higher)
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