Syllabus
Master of Science in Education
EDU 747: Literacy for English Language Learners – Fall B 2015
Credits - 3
Description
This course will focus specifically on meeting the needs of students whose native language is not English. Topics will include sociocultural factors, second language acquisition and development, emergent and experienced reading and writing development for English learners, multiple test sources, text analysis, process writing, conversational, academic, and content language considerations, assessment types and techniques, language arts resources, and effective instructional strategies and models. This course will help to prepare future Reading Specialists to work with this growing population and to support teachers who have students from different linguistic backgrounds.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
For each course in this program there are overall program goals. Below is a chart of how the overall program goals match the key assessments for this course. In addition, in each module there are smaller learning objectives. These will be specified at the beginning of each week’s introduction along with how these match the broader program goals. This chart will detail the following:
- Course Objectives: These are what we hope you will learn through this course.
- Connection to Department Mission (this will be provided)
- Connection to Program Objective (this will be provided)
- Student Learning Outcomes: This is what you will do to demonstrate that you have met this course objective.
- INTASC Standards: The state of Maine has adopted these standards for all practicing teachers. These standards have been developed through a consortium of states and specify what all teachers should be able to do. There is an extra standard for Technology as well (National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) that also is required in Maine.
- IRA Standards for Reading Professionals 2010: These standards sets forth the criteria for developing and evaluating preparation programs for reading professionals.
- Praxis Topics: The state of Maine requires Reading Specialists to take the Reading Specialist (5301) exam in order to get licensed. Some of this content is covered in this class.
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Course Objectives |
Student Learning Outcomes |
Key Assignments |
IRA Standards for Reading Professionals |
Praxis Topic Addressed |
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Students will work within a learning community to understand how issues related to English language learners affect teaching and learning |
Students will demonstrate their ability to summarize, synthesize, and apply information regarding issues specific to ELLs by engaging in discussion with group members and will extend new learning through a choice synthesis paper |
Threaded Discussion Synthesis Paper |
Standard 1 & 4 |
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Teachers will demonstrate an ability to support instruction in the 4 language domains for English language learners |
Teachers will use their knowledge of research-based approaches to language development for English learners to create and rationalize a lesson plan at their chosen grade level |
Threaded Discussion Choice Lesson Plan |
Standard 1 & 2 |
Teachers will be able to articulate evidence-based approaches to support instruction for English language learners |
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Teachers will be able to choose appropriate assessments to inform instruction for English language learners |
Teachers will create a summary of a literacy assessment that is applicable to ELLs and work with colleagues to become familiar with a range of assessments |
ELL Assessment Summary Threaded Discussion |
Standard 3 |
Teachers will be able to identify assessments applicable to the needs of English language learners |
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Teachers will demonstrate an ability to review, synthesize, evaluate, and consider application of literacy for English language learners |
Teachers will create a professional learning tool in the form of a journal as a foundation for current and future scholarly work regarding aspects of teaching ELLs |
Professional Learning Journal |
Standard 1, 2, 3, and 4 |
Assignments
Course Introductions (2 points)
You will be asked to post a brief introduction of yourself on Blackboard using whichever medium you choose and should include your prior teaching experience and your current role, where you live, something you like to do, and any experience you have with working with English Language Learners. Please take time to read each other’s introductions at the end of the week and comment on at least one by Sunday.
Threaded Discussion (each discussion is worth 4 points for a total of 16 points)
Regular participation in Threaded Discussions is very important. Quality dialogue allows for discussion/debate of each topic and the sharing of professional reading and experience with the learning community. In this course there will be 4 group discussions for you to participate in. Each Threaded Discussion will be worth 4 points, and graded using a rubric. An initial post must be submitted by Wednesday. You will be expected to dialogue with classmates throughout the week (not all in one day) concluding on Sunday.
Synthesis Paper (20 points)
For this assignment you will be asked to choose a topic of interest that relates to literacy for English Language Learners. It should be narrow enough for the brief scope of this paper. Please select 3 recent peer-reviewed articles from professional journals about your topic and construct a 5 page paper sharing a summary, reaction to, and consideration of how you could apply what you learned from each of the articles.
Choice Lesson Plan and Lesson Plan Reviews (24 points)
You will be asked to develop a lesson plan, relating to one of the 4 language domains, that will demonstrate your investment in the process of learning about teaching ELLs. You will share your lesson plan through Blackboard and provide feedback reviews for two of your colleagues.
ELL Assessment Summary (18 points)
In this assignment you will complete a template providing a summary of a literacy assessment that could be used for ELL students. In Part 1, you will each share your summary on the ELL Assessment Wiki. In Part 2 of this assignment, you will be asked to read all of the entries and choose one that you don’t currently use and personally critique its potential value to you as an ELL assessment.
Professional Learning Journal (20 points)
The journal is a professional learning tool that will serve as a foundation for current and future scholarly work. Please take notes in your journal as you read and discuss with your colleagues and complete assignments. The format of the journal will vary depending upon your learning style but should aim to serve as a teaching and learning tool where you have the opportunity to explore readings and discussions and document your insights and ideas. Please aim to record your thoughts in your journal once or twice a week. Your journal could include: thoughts and concerns, ideas for application to your teaching practice, information from different sources, summaries, quotations, questions, side notes, vocabulary, pictures, graphs, charts, and anything else related to your work/research.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Assignment | Point Value (Total=100) |
|---|---|
| Course Introduction | 2 Points |
| Threaded Discussions | 16 Points (4 @ 4 pts each) |
| Synthesis Paper | 20 Points |
| Choice Lesson Plan and Reviews | 24 Points |
| ELL Assessment Summary | 18 Points |
| Learning Journal | 20 Points |
Grade Scale
| 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 |
Schedule
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Week |
Topic |
Activities & Assignments |
Dates |
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1 |
Course Overview and Introduction. |
Watch Instructor Introduction Introduce self and make a comment Read Chapter 1 Peregoy & Boyle Read the Course Syllabus Post any questions about the syllabus on the General Questions thread (optional) Add to the Technology Toolkit folder throughout the class (optional) |
Post Course Introduction by Friday (Oct 30th) and comment on at least one classmate’s introduction by Sunday, November 1 at 11:55 pm. EST |
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2 |
How do cultural differences affect teaching and learning? What are some of the issues around ELLs and how can a greater self-awareness positively impact instructional decisions? What are some effective practices for English Learner instruction? |
Read Chapter 3 Peregoy & Boyle Read an online excerpt from: Kaiser, B. & Rasminsky, J.S. (2009). Challenging behavior in elementary and middle school. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. This excerpt can be found on the webpage: “The culture of school” at http://www.education.com/reference/article/culture-school/ Watch Mindy Lewis-Hitch (high school teacher in IN): New Arrival High School Students: Encouraging Communication in a New Language: |
Threaded Discussion Post Wednesday (Nov 4th) and 2 responses to colleagues’ posts by Sunday, November 8 at 11:55 pm. EST |
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3 |
What does the research tell us about language acquisition? What are my own beliefs around language acquisition and what implications may this have for instructional decisions? What classroom activities/strategies can you use to provide a firm foundation for English learners’ early literacy development? (p.171) |
Read Chapter 2 Peregoy & Boyle Read Chapter 5 Peregoy & Boyle Watch the Youtube video and Prezi as directed in my Week 3 initial post |
Threaded Discussion Post Wednesday (Nov 11th) and 2 responses to colleagues’ posts by Sunday, November 15 at 11:55 pm. EST Synthesis Paper due by Sunday, November 15 at 11:55 pm. EST |
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4 |
How do ELL students develop oral language and vocabulary? Which classroom activities may best promote oral language development? What are some considerations for differentiating vocabulary instruction to meet the needs of English learners? |
Read Chapter 4 Peregoy & Boyle Read Chapter 6 Peregoy & Boyle Watch Andy Wizell (5th-8th grade teacher in TN): Academic Vocabulary Development https://vimeo.com/130650405 |
Threaded Discussion Post Wednesday (Nov 18th) and 2 responses to colleagues’ posts by Sunday, November 22 at 11:55 pm. EST |
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5 |
What is process writing? What research-based strategies can I use to support writing development for ELLs? What sociocultural and linguistic experiences could be considered when developing writing instruction for English learners? |
Read Chapter 7 Peregoy & Boyle Read Geghard, M., Demers, J., & Castillo-Rosenthal, Z. (2008). Teachers as critical text analysts: L2 literacies and teachers’ work in the context of high-stakes school reform. Journal of Second Language Writing 17, 274–29. |
Threaded Discussion Post Wednesday (Nov 25th) and 2 responses to colleagues’ posts by Sunday, November 29 at 11:55 pm. EST |
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6 |
What does the research tell us about L2 reading development? What best-practice instructional strategies could I use to support English learners with reading development? |
Read Chapter 8 Peregoy & Boyle Watch Shadia Salem (elementary school teacher in IL): Fostering Active Comprehension: Asking and Answering Questions |
Lesson Plan due Wednesday (Dec 2nd) and Lesson Plan Reviews for colleagues due Sunday, December 6 at 11:55 pm. EST |
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7 |
What tools can I use to assess my ELL students? |
Read Chapter 11 Peregoy & Boyle Reread ch 3: pages 119-126, ch 4: pages 254-160 ch 5: pages 212-214 ch 6: pages 247-248 ch 7: pages 295-303 ch 8: pages 348-360 Read ch 9: pages 424-427 |
ELL Assessment Summary Part 1 due Wednesday (Dec 9th) and Part 2 due by Sunday, December 13 at 11:55 pm. EST |
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8 |
Why is it important to focus on academic and content language development for ELLs? What strategies can I use to promote content language development? How can I apply my new learning? |
Read Chapter 9 Peregoy & Boyle Read Chapter 10 Peregoy & Boyle Read if your focus is younger students: Baker, S., Lesaux, N., Jayanthi, M., Dimino, J., Proctor, C. P., & Morris, J. (2014). Teaching academic content and literacy to English learners in elementary and middle school (NCEE 2014-4012). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education. (find it at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications_reviews. aspx.) Read if your focus is older students: Klingner, J. K., Boardman, A. G., Eppolito, A. M., & Schonewise, E. (2012). Supporting Adolescent English Language Learners’ Reading in the Content Areas. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 10(1), 35-64. Final course reflection and feedback |
Professional Learning Journal due FRIDAY, December 18 at 11:55 pm. EST Course Feedback due December 19th |
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
- Education Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/education/
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
UNE Student Academic Success Center
The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:
Information Technology Services (ITS)
- ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Online Peer Support
Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.
ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.
Career Ready Program
The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!
The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.
Policies
Assignments/Evaluation
The assessments in this course are designed to meet a number of objectives. First, some of the assignments are created to gauge your active participation in the course. Unlike face-to-face courses where we can visibly monitor your engagement- in this course we use Threaded Discussions to make sure that you are actively engaged with the content. There are also some assignments that are created to give you an opportunity to synthesize what you are learning and create a new product to demonstrate this learning (Synthesis Paper, Choice Lesson Plan, and ELL Assessment Summary and Review). Each assignment allows for a large degree of choice with the hopes that each individual will tailor them to his or her professional circumstances. In addition you will be asked to create an ongoing professional learning journal to allow you to consolidate your thinking and consider application to your own life with your students. The assignments in the class have been carefully constructed to match the content in the course and to grow your learning as a literacy professional.
Late Assignments and Re-submitting assignments
For each day an assignment is late, five points (5) will be deducted from the final score. There are times, however, when a late assignment may be accepted by a professor without a deduction but only if this has been cleared with the instructor before the assignment is due. Also, instructors reserve the authority to make this decision about accepting late assignments on a case by case basis. In addition, every assignment must be completed. If an assignment is not turned in it will lose points until it is submitted.
Also under some circumstances a student may be able to redo an assignment given the instructor’s discretion. However, when an assignment is redone it cannot receive full points and must be completed within one week of receipt of initial grade.
Grading Expectations A= Exemplary Work!
Maintaining a high quality graduate program is a commitment of UNE. In doing so the university believes that the grade of an A should be reserved for exceptionally strong academic performance. Students who provide exactly what a rubric requires are different from those who do the same but go beyond the basic requirements in writing, expression of ideas, and integrated information; the exemplary students. In this course an A will be only given to students who exhibit exemplary work. Each assignment will have a rubric that establishes what an exemplary performance would look like for each task. Instructors will be looking for this exemplary work and will not be handing out A’s for those who just merely meet the expectation.
Teaching Methodology to Be Used
This is an online course and therefore will be using technology to deliver instruction. Each week there will be a guiding question that will drive the readings, the response, and the activities. There will be a number of ways that you will participate through this course as well as a number of ways that you will be assessed. When new technology is introduced there will be a tutorial provided to help you understand how to access this tool. We do have the expectation that you will have access to high speed internet that will allow you to download and view audios, videos, and web tools.
Instructors’ Responsibilities
There is a team of fantastic professional educators who are teaching this course. Each course has a lead instructor and a concentration leader. As a team we are committed to your learning and providing quick and thoughtful feedback. While we are all committed to returning emails within a twenty four hour time frame and also providing speedy feedback and grading of assignments we each have different styles of communication and availability. We will establish this in our introductions specific to each class.
Also to learn more about our team visit our Literacy Concentration Website- there you will find more information and welcome videos from regular members of our teaching team. https://sites.google.com/a/une.edu/mseliteracy/
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What students can expect of me:
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Students’ Responsibilities
Learning is a two way street and while the instructors have responsibilities in this class to deliver quality instruction, grade your assignments in a timely fashion, answer questions and support when needed; you as a student also has responsibilities. First, this is your learning experience and you need to be a proactive learner, however, there will be times when you have questions.
There are a few ways for you to receive assistance when you need help.
- First, you can use the Course Mail function to email the instructor. This is an email between you and the instructor.
- Each instructor also has used the discussion board as a virtual office if there is a question that you think others might find useful.
- And finally, there is a Help menu for questions of a technical nature that will inevitably come up in the course.
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What I expect of you:
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AI Use
The Graduate Programs in Education holds the position that Grammarly and other AI writing and generative technology should not be used when completing course assignments, unless explicitly permitted by course faculty and assignment instructions. These tools do not support a student’s personal and direct capacity to develop and hone skills in creativity, logic, critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, theorization, and writing, which are central to graduate-level rigor, assessment, and research. Use of these tools when not explicitly permitted may result in an academic integrity infraction.
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
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.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office. 16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office. The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook. Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course. The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following: Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.Attendance Policy
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
UNE Course Withdrawal
Academic Integrity