EDUC_262

Department of Education

EDUC 262 (3 units)

Elementary Language Arts Methods (HYBRID)

Winter 2017

1. Mission and Goals of the Department of Education

The mission of the Department of Education is to prepare professionals of competences, conscience, and compassion who will promote the common good as they transform lives, schools, and communities. Rooted in the Jesuit tradition at Santa Clara University, core values of reflective practice, scholarship, diversity, ethical conduct, social justice, and collaboration guide both theory and practice.

Faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Education strive to

1. Make student learning our central focus

2. Engage continuously in reflective and scholarly practice

3. Value diversity

4. Become leaders who model ethical conduct and a commitment to social justice

5. Seek collaboration with others in reaching these goals

MS/SS Teaching Credential Program Learning Goals (PLGs)

Beginning teachers leave SCU’s MATTC program ready to:

1. Maximize learning for every student

2. Teach for student understanding

3. Make evidence-based instructional decisions informed by student assessment data

4. Improve their practice through critical reflection and collaboration

5. Create productive learning environments

6. Apply ethical principles to their professional practice

Course Description

A study of language arts teaching strategies, with a focus on teaching writing to students in grades K-8, including English learners and students with special needs. Focused attention is given to techniques for integrating literature and language arts instruction with science and social studies content. This course is required of all multiple subject teaching credential candidates. (3 units)

Course Objectives

1. Class Attendance & Participation.

Regular attendance at all class meetings is a requirement in this program. Ten points will be deducted from your final grade for the course for each class session you missed. Each of you will be granted one Emergency Release (ER) per course. Your ER excuses you from one class session with half the grade penalty (loss of 5 points instead of 10). To use your ER you must notify me by email or phone BEFORE class. Save your ER for medical issues, family demands, car trouble, etc.

Students will not be penalized for absences due to the observance of religious holidays that fall on our scheduled class day; please give me advance notice of these absences so I can make the necessary accommodations. All other absences are unexcused and will affect your grade.

Punctuality. Coming to class (and returning from breaks) on time is another course requirement. Your first lateness will be excused; your second lateness will cause 1 point to be deducted from your final course grade; your third lateness will cause an additional 4 points to be deducted. More than three late arrivals indicate a serious problem; this situation will be dealt with at the instructor’s discretion. Attendance and punctuality are the only policies with the immediate potential to impact your course grades. Your instructor through ongoing observation and documentation gathers data documenting your adherence to the remaining policies listed here. These data are a primary factor in the assessment of your mastery of TPE 12- “Professional, ethical, and legal obligations.”

If an instructor has reason to feel you are not meeting all the expectations spelled out below, s/he will contact you privately to discuss the issue, to clarify the expectations as needed, and to offer his/her support in helping you reach those expectations. If your instructor does not contact you with a concern, you can assume you are satisfying these requirements. However, if you would like specific feedback on your professional conduct during the quarter, you are welcome to contact your instructor at any time and s/he will be glad to share his/her assessment with you.

As we will read about and study in this course, everyone’s learning is enhanced by the quantity and quality of the interactions in the learning environment. Hence, your participation in whole class discussions, group work and pair group is essential for the success of this course.

While a class is in session, you should not engage in any activity not directly related to what is taking place in the classroom. Instructors reserve the right to ask you to close your laptop or put away some other form of technology at their discretion; when/if this occurs, please respond quickly and without protest to avoid further disruption of the class’s learning. Instructors also reserve the right to ignore your inappropriate use of technology in class and simply deduct points from your final grade. If you would like more detailed clarification about the expectations regarding appropriate and inappropriate in-class technology use, please feel free to contact your instructor for further information.

Note: Points lost due to poor attendance and/or lack of punctuality will be deducted from your final grade. A student with excellent grades on assignments and other aspects of professional conduct can earn a poor course grade as a result of excessive absence or chronic lateness.

2. Literature Circles (LC).

A common book discussion routine used in reading programs is the Literature Circle-an instructional approach where students come together in small temporary groups formed by book choice that meet on a regular and predictable schedule to (re) read and discuss readings. Students use notes to guide both their reading and discussion and this discussion is generated by students. The teacher’s role in literature circles is that of facilitator.

Each student will be responsible to lead 1 Literature Circle on the readings. Your handout should outline the assigned readings with the asterisked headings listed below under the Handout Components heading. You may pair up with a classmate to collaborate on the LC handout, but you will each be responsible for facilitating an LC and for uploading the handout under Assignments in Camino (to receive credit). The Literature Circle Discussion Format outlines how the literature circle would unfold.

3a. Administer & analyze argumentative writing. Administer an argumentation focused writing prompt and analyze student responses for 4-6 students. This is the first part of a three-part assignment. In part two, you will develop a lesson plan focused on an argumentation skill you identify in this first part of the assignment. In part three, you will teach the lesson, reflect on the lesson taught and analyze students’ argumentative writing produced in the lesson.

Writing Prompt: You will select a prompt from a series of prompts for different grade levels available in Camino. Analysis: You will analyze student responses using the Argumentation Analysis Tool (AAT). Make sure at least 1 English learner is included in the writing prompts you analyze.

Submission: In 1-2 pages, please provide (1) the prompt you used and grade level (2) your overall impressions of the results of the AAT (overall, what are students’ strengths & areas of need when it comes to writing for argumentation?), (3) what argumentation skill will on focus on for part two of this assignment? Why focus on this skill?

3b. Argumentative writing lesson plan. This is the second part of the three-part assignment. You will develop an argumentative writing focused lesson plan to be taught in Science, Social Studies or Math to the same students you focused on in part one of this assignment. In other words, you will integrate argumentative writing in a core subject area. You will exchange lesson plans with a peer in class and provide/receive feedback. See Camino for the lesson plan template. Submit via Camino.

3c. Teach, reflect and analyze argumentative writing. This is the third part of the three-part assignment. First, you will teach the lesson plan you developed (part two) to the same group of students you worked with in part one. Second, you will reflect on the lesson taught and analyze the argumentative writing produced by the 4-6 student. Use the Argumentation Lesson Reflection & Analysis document in Camino to guide your reflections. Use the reflection template and submit via Camino.

Note: You may teach this lesson to an entire class if you wish. For purposes of this assignment, you only need to analyze the writing of the same 4-6 students you focused on in part one of this assignment.

4. Multicultural Literature (Group) Presentation. This assignment is modified from the activities recommended in the Smith et al chapter. In groups of 3, select one of the following activities to present. Presentations should be approximately 10-15 minutes.

1. Make an “author set” by choosing 4 or more titles written by the same author and focused on the same underrepresented community. For example, the titles could all have a Latino theme, Vietnamese theme, African-American theme, etc. Evaluate each of the books using the guidelines in “Exploring the Traditions of Latino Children’s Literature: Beyond Tokenism to Transformation” chapter by Smith et al. Create a presentation that shows whether the author has an insider’s or outsider’s perspective in their stories.

2. Make an “illustrator set” by choosing 4 or more titles illustrated by the same artist with a focus on an underrepresented community. Review and analyze the illustrations to gauge how the illustrations support an appreciate of the culture of focus.

3. Choose a children’s book predominantly written in English with some Spanish words mixed in. Review how the author uses Spanish in the text and analyze the authenticity of the Spanish used. Use the guidelines in the “Exploring the Traditions of Latino Children’s Literature: Beyond Tokenism to Transformation” chapter analyze for authenticity. You may focus on a language other than Spanish.

4. Choose a children’s story from the following list: “Cinderella”, “The Three Little Pigs”, “Little Red Riding Hood” and a similar story from a different cultural perspective. Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast the two books. Make sure you let me know which story you’re using to ensure we do not have groups focusing on the same stories.