This course focuses on research-based study skills and strategies for providing literacy instruction within the classroom content area. Educators will learn to integrate literacy and study skills instruction in their classrooms while designing reading assignments that afford students access to the concepts in the text. Concepts and strategies presented are relevant to the needs of ESL students.
Course Objectives |
Key Assignments |
ILA Standards for Reading Professionals |
Students will research, evaluate, and apply content concepts and effective instructional strategies that engage students in active learning using tools of the discipline and relevant technology. |
Strategy Exploration Vocabulary Demonstration Content Area Writing Showcase Text Complexity Analysis Informational Text Connections Toolkit LiveBinder |
Standard 2 |
Students will research, evaluate, and apply learning materials to create effective content area learning experiences for diverse learners. |
Strategy Exploration Vocabulary Demonstration Content Area Writing Showcase Text Complexity Analysis Informational Text Connections Toolkit LiveBinder |
Standard 2 Standard 6 |
Students will actively engage in a learning community to increase understanding of how to teach content area literacy. |
Discussion Boards |
Standard 1 Standard 6 |
Discussions: Online discussions provide participants with opportunities to make meaning of new theory, key concepts, and applications of theory to practice. Participants contribute to the intellectual development of the class by offering insights, synthesizing understandings, and responding to the postings of others. The expectation is that students make an initial post and comment on the posts of at least two classmates each week.
Strategy Exploration: Students will explore practical teaching strategies for reading informational texts in content areas. The completed written assignment will have three major elements, a description of each of two strategies that include an explanation of its practical applications in a diverse classroom, a justification of each of the use of each of the strategies, and academic research to support both the description and the justification.
Vocabulary Demonstrations: Students will share strategies for teaching content area vocabulary. Because research should always inform educational practice, this assignment will focus on the practical applications and specific drawbacks of two vocabulary strategies while also considering how those strategies can be differentiated in a classroom of diverse learners. As with last week, your assignment will have three major elements: a description of each of two strategies that include an explanation of its practical applications in a diverse classroom, a justification of each of the use of each of the strategies, and academic research to support both the description and the justification.
Content Area Writing Showcase: For this assignment, students will create a showcase of writing strategies to support content area writing for authentic purposes. Choose two strategies which will be well suited for authentic writing in your content area. Once you have chosen your strategies, create a “showcase” of your strategies using a format of your choice. You will use research to inform a description of and justification for each strategy.
Text Complexity Analysis: Students will consider both quantitative and qualitative measures to determine text the complexity of a given text.
Informational Text Connections Toolkit: This assignment will provide you with the opportunity to collect a text set for use in conjunction with a thematic unit. The assignment will include a one-paragraph description of the topic that relates it to grade level, a discussion of the research process, and an annotated bibliography.
LiveBinder Portfolio: The LiveBinder will include each of the five assignments developed throughout the previous weeks as well as a reflection of each area. The LiveBinder provides an opportunity for students to create a portfolio of professional work that can be accessed and used even beyond the scope of this course.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignment | Points Value (total 100 points) |
---|---|
Threaded Discussions | 8 X 3 Points = 24 |
Week 2: Strategy Exploration | 12 |
Week 3: Vocabulary Demonstration | 12 |
Week 4: Content Area Writing Showcase | 12 |
Week 5: Text Description and Quantitative Analysis | 12 |
Week 6: Informational Text Connections Toolkit | 12 |
Week 7: LiveBinder Creation | 16 |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Week |
Topic |
Activities & Assignments |
Dates |
1 5/1 – 5/5 |
Introduction |
Reading:
Class Discussion (Initial Post due by Friday) |
Due: Sunday, May 5 at 11:59 PM ET |
2 5/6 – 5/12 |
Strategies for Informational Texts |
Reading:
Video:
Class Discussion (Initial Post Due by Wednesday) Strategies Exploration Assignment |
Due: Sunday, May 12 at 11:59 PM ET |
3 5/13 – 5/19 |
Strategies for Content Area Vocabulary |
Reading:
Grade Level Small Group Discussion (Initial Post Due by Wednesday) Vocabulary Demonstration Assignment |
Due: Sunday, May 19 at 11:59 PM ET |
4 5/20 – 5/26 |
Strategies for Writing in the Content Areas |
Reading:
Video:
Grade Level Small Group Discussion (Initial Post Due by Wednesday) Content Area Writing Showcase Assignment |
Due: Sunday, May 26 at 11:59 PM ET |
5 5/27 – 6/2 |
Analyzing Text Complexity |
Reading:
Grade Level Small Group Discussion (Initial Post Due by Wednesday) Text Analysis and Recommendation Assignment |
Due: Sunday, June 2 at 11:59 PM ET |
6 6/3 – 6/9 |
Selecting Materials |
Reading:
Grade Level Small Group Discussion (Initial Post Due by Wednesday) Informational Text Connections Toolkit Assignment |
Due: Sunday, June 9 at 11:59 PM ET |
7 6/10 – 6/16 |
LiveBinder Resources |
Reading:
Class Discussion (Initial Post Due by Wednesday) LiveBinder Assignment |
Due: Sunday, June 16 at 11:59 PM ET |
8 6/17 – 6/23 |
Reflection |
Reading:
Class Discussion (Initial Post Due by Wednesday) |
Due: FRIDAY, June 21 at 11:59 PM ET |
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Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
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