HU4140 Methods of Teaching English • Opie Van Pelt Library Room 243
Evie Johnson, Senior Lecturer
Office: 339 Walker • 487-2982
Ofc Hrs: 10-11 Monday, Wednesday
Page # 1
HU4140 Syllabus
Methods of Teaching English will prepare you to begin your profession with knowledge, know-how, and confidence. You’ll make products to use in the classroom; pieces to include in your student teaching and certification portfolio; and a website you design for your future students and you to use. You will meet local teachers and work with a teacher in a local classroom as an apprentice. We have a Canvas space to post substantive, thoughtful, creative, and crucial comments each week and those comments will help direct conversations when we meet on Wednesday evenings. You’ll conclude the semester by presenting a research project that evolves from a research question you design.
Course Goals: To design, deliver, and defend culturally-sensitive and student-centered instructional activities following guidelines and recommendations recognized by the field of English Education, CCSS, and state standards.
Course Objectives: Please see InTasc Standards below, and:
- Able to evaluate a range of engaging teaching techniques appropriate to the diversities of the HS and MS English classrooms.
- Compose a range of documents in various media to demonstrate knowledge of grammar, style, rhetorical principles, creativity, and critical thinking
- Design a useable website for a stated purpose
- Write a cohesive, well-authorized argument in defense of instructional designs
- Become familiar with key theories, methods, and figures in the field of English and English Education
- Apply appropriate terminology in literary discussions
- Understand the concept of motivation, how it relates to inquiry, and how to inspire and increase it in students
- Write a potentially highly motivating unit (able to state why this unit would appeal to a wide range of students), including lesson plans and assignments.
- Understand how to differentiate instruction for different learners
- Present various types of information to an audience using multiple modes and media to meet a purpose
- Propose a research project (prospectus) based on fieldwork and related to an educationally pertinent research question
- Observe and participate in local classrooms by helping individual students and teachers according to need
Key Resources
- Annenberg Foundation
- NCTE website
- IRA website
- Canvas (articles and commentary)
- ReadWriteThink
Required Texts (some will be provided by instructor):
HU4140 Methods of Teaching English • Opie Van Pelt Library Room 243
Evie Johnson, Senior Lecturer
Office: 339 Walker • 487-2982
Ofc Hrs: 10-11 Monday, Wednesday
Page # 1
- Alexie, S. Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
- Anderson, MT, Feed
- Articles uploaded to Canvas or handed out
- Beers et al, Turning Promise into Practice
- Kittle, P. Write Beside Them
- Losh and Alexander, Understanding Rhetoric
- Journal of choice (read and present summaries of articles)
- Literary selection for your unit plan (use CCSS recommended texts list)
- NCTE Guidelines for the Preparation of English Teacher
- CCSS English Language Arts
HU4140 Methods of Teaching English • Opie Van Pelt Library Room 243
Evie Johnson, Senior Lecturer
Office: 339 Walker • 487-2982
Ofc Hrs: 10-11 Monday, Wednesday
Page # 1
Assessment Plan (written assignments handouts will be provided)
"Student work products (exams, essays, projects, etc.) may be used for purposes of university, program, or course assessment. All work used for assessment purposes will not include any individual student identification."
Assignments and points
- Literature Relationship paper 150 pts
- Reading/Viewing Responses 100 pts
- Mid-term fieldwork report 100 pts.
- A two-week (or longer) unit plan that emphasizes inquiry and implements sound literacy-based instructional practices to reach higher order thinking 200 pts.
- Two journal summary presentations 50 pts. each (100 pts)
- Significant research prospectus that connects fieldwork, your educational philosophy, and outside research. 150 pts.
- Mini Lesson 50 pts.
- Website 150 pts.
Late Work. In order to receive a grade in this class, all work must be turned in by 5pm the day it is due.
Professionalism: Reputation is golden.Think of this class as a small committee or staff all focused on shared goals. Enthusiastic participation, a great ethic of collaboration, and the quality of your work go a long way toward strong evaluation in this class. Because this class includes a professional development lab—tutoring in a local school—students must be punctual and reliable, maintain high personal and professional standards, and recognize that their contributions to HU4150 have consequences to self and others. Moreover, the documents you create will reveal attention to the mechanics and design of language, be properly and amply cited, and indicate a desire to be understood by the intended (and non-target) audience.
Attendance and Collaboration:The interactive nature of this class requires your full attendance and attention—if circumstances prevent you from attending, please let me know immediately. Two absences are permitted with reasonable excuses. Just please keep me informed…A third absence will lower your grade. All assignments must be completed in order to receive a grade in this class.
Support for you:You’re encouraged to visit with me anytime that our schedules allow. I look forward to getting to know you. If you ever feel confused or discouraged, please know that I would like to help you clarify or ease what is bothering you.
Compliance with University Policies
Academic regulations and procedures are governed by University policy. Academic dishonesty cases will be handled in accordance the University's policies.
If you have a disability that could affect your performance in this class or that requires an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please see me as soon as possible so that we can make appropriate arrangements. The Affirmative Action Office has asked that you be made aware of the following:
Michigan Tech complies with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for equal access to education or services at Michigan Tech, please call the Dean of Students Office, at 487-2212. For other concerns about discrimination, you may contact your advisor, department head or the Affirmative Action Office, at 487-3310
Academic Integrity:
Affirmative Action:
Disability Services:
Equal Opportunity Statement:
This class is responsible for meeting the following InTasc standards
The following objectives will be assessed in English Instructional Methods1. / Learner Development: The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
1(d) / The teacher understands how learning occurs—how learners construct knowledge, acquire skills, and develop disciplined thinking processes—and knows how to use instructional strategies that promote student learning.
2. / Learning Differences: The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
2(g) / The teacher understands and identifies differences in approaches to learning and performance and knows how to design instruction that uses each learner’s strengths to promote growth.
4. / Content Knowledge: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
4(j) / The teacher understands major concepts, assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry, and ways of knowing that are central to the discipline(s) s/he teaches.
4(k) / The teacher understands common misconceptions in learning the discipline and,how to guide learners to accurate conceptual understanding.
4(l) / The teacher knows and uses the academic language of the discipline and,knows how to make it accessible to learners.
4(n) / The teacher has a deep knowledge of student content standards and learning progressions in the discipline(s) s/he teaches.
5. / Application of Content: The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
5(i) / The teacher understands the ways of knowing in his/her discipline, how it relates to other disciplinary approaches to inquiry, and the strengths and limitations of each approach in addressing problems, issues, and concerns.
5(j) / The teacher understands how current interdisciplinary themes (e.g., civic literacy, health literacy, global awareness) connect to the core subjects and knows how to weave those themes into meaningful learning experiences.
5(k) / The teacher understands the demands of accessing and managing information as well as how to evaluate issues of ethics and quality related to information and its use.
5(l) / The teacher understands how to use digital and interactive technologies for efficiently and effectively achieving specific learning goals.
5(m) / The teacher understands critical thinking processes and knows how to help learners develop high level questioning skills to promote their independent learning.
5(n) / The teacher understands communication modes and skills as vehicles for learning (e.g., information gathering and processing) across disciplines as well as vehicles for expressing learning.
5(o) / The teacher understands creative thinking processes and how to engage learners in producing original work.
5(p) / The teacher knows where and how to access resources to build global awareness and understanding, and how to integrate them into the curriculum.
6. / Assessment: The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
6(k) / The teacher understands the range of types and multiple purposes of assessment and how to design, adapt, or select appropriate assessments to address specific learning goals and individual differences, and to minimize sources of bias.
6(o) / The teacher knows when and how to evaluate and report learner progress against standards.
7. / Planning for Instruction: The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
7(g) / The teacher understands content and content standards and how these are organized in the curriculum.
7(k) / The teacher knows a range of evidence-based instructional strategies, resources, and technological tools and how to use them effectively to plan instruction that meets diverse learning needs.
8. /
Instructional Strategies: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
8(n) / The teacher knows how to use a wide variety of resources, including human and technological, to engage students in learning.8(o) / The teacher understands how content and skill development can be supported by media and technology and knows how to evaluate these resources for quality, accuracy, and effectiveness.
9. /