Instructors:   Ginny Doherty, Jo-el Cox & Michelle Abrams
Class Days & Times: July 12-16
M (12 PM-4PM);
T-F (8 AM-4 PM)
Class Location:  Stonewall Middle School, Prince William County
Office Hours:  After class and by appointment

Course Description:

 This course provides an introduction to the literacy development and the reading and writing processes in first and second languages, research on   reading comprehension, and effective teaching and assessment approaches for students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Among topics addressed are as follows: recent research on reading comprehension; bi-literacy acquisition; interaction between reading and writing; current practice in literacy instruction; evaluating reading and writing growth in the classroom; and authentic, performance-based assessments of reading and writing.
 

Course Outcomes:

 Students completing this course will be able to do the following:

* Analyze recent research on the reading and writing processes for implications for teachers of students from culturally diverse and second language backgrounds.
* Apply first and second language acquisition research to teaching reading and writing to second language learners.
* Describe developmental stages of reading and writing and suggest appropriate instructional techniques for each.
* Use scaffolding approaches to teach pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading strategies.
* Model for students reading and writing strategies appropriate to various learning tasks.
* Develop assessment activities for use with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
* Incorporate process writing, including peer and self-assessment in classroom instruction.
 

Graduate School of Education (GSE) Syllabus Statements of Expectations:

* Students are expected to exhibit professional behavior and dispositions.  See gse.gmu.edu for a listing of these dispositions.
* Students must follow the guidelines of the University Honor Code. See gmu.edu/catalog/apolicies/#TOC_H12 for the full honor code.
* Students must agree to abide by the university policy for Responsible Use of Computing. See mail.gmu.edu and click on Responsible Use of Computing at the bottom of the screen.
* Students with disabilities who seek accommodations in a course must be registered with the GMU Disability Resource Center (DRC) and inform the instructor, in writing at the beginning of the course.  See gmu.edu/students/drc or call (703) 993-2474 to access the DRC.

Nature of Course Delivery:

 Students are expected to be active participants in the class and to help create a unique classroom experience for everyone involved.  Brief lectures or Powerpoint presentations help to structure the course.  Students will be actively involved through discussions, cooperative learning strategies, collaborative learning, large and small group activities and student presentations.  Students are also expected to communicate with the instructors and each other through reflective writing and Blackboard entries.

Texts:
Peregoy, Suzanne F. and Boyle, Owen F. (2001). Reading, Writing, & Learning in ESL, 3rd  ed. New York: Longman.

Routman, Regie. (2000). Conversations: Strategies for Teaching, Learning, and Evaluation.  Portmouth, N.H. Heineman.

Additional reading materials will be provided by the instructors and/or provided
 on Blackboard.  Reading list with additional sources is found on Blackboard.
 

Course Requirements, Assignments and Evaluation Criteria:

 All students are expected to turn in the completed assignments on or before the date noted in the “Course Topics” section below.  Specific assignment instructions and assessment rubrics will be found at the end of this syllabus.

Resource Guide Assignment (pre-course assignment) 5%
Needs Assessment Survey (pre-course assignment on Blackboard)  5%
Case Study Background Assignment (pre-course assignment) 20%
Journal 10%
Mini-lesson Presentation 20%
Reflective Essay 25%
Class Participation 15%
 
 

Class Participation and Attendance:

                             The class participation grade will be based on the frequency, objectivity, and relevance of contributions to class discussions, as well as attendance
and general classroom participation. Since this is an intensive, one week course, attendance is required. Unexcused absences will result in a reduction of
the grade.

Grade Scale and Rationale:

Grading
Scale  Percent
A+ = 95-100
A = 90-94
B+ = 85-89
B = 80-84
C = 75-79
F = 74- or below
 

                             A grade in the “A” range indicates that all criteria were met at an outstanding level; a grade in the “B” range shows that some but not all of the criteria
were met and the content is at an above average level; grades in the “C” range or lower indicate fair to average performance with few of the criteria met.
 

Course Topics:

Monday
7/12
(12-4) Introduction
     Housekeeping (Jack & Roberta)
     Continuum for Language Acquisition/Teaching reading- Results chart from pre-course survey and needs assessment
     Syllabus
Culture/Second language Acquisition
     Refugee Game
     Social/academic language (BICS & CALP)
Components of a Literacy Program—“The Big Picture”
     Definition of literacy
     Components and strategies
     SIOP and SDAIE for creating a balanced literacy program for ELLs
     Developing oral fluency as a vehicle for reading and writing Readings due dates
 
 
 

Routman Ch.1&2

P&B
Ch. 1-4
 Assignments
Due dates
7/2
Needs assessment

Resource Guide

Case study background
7/12
Pre-course reading:
P&B Ch. 1&2
Routman 1&2
Resource guide narrative
Tuesday
7/13
(8-4:00) Learning to Read
    Guided reading
    Reading instruction (cuing system, running records)
    Literature program
     Strategies
--DLTA/DRTA, Reader’s Theater,
--Story mapping
* Application for ELLs P&B Ch. 10 pages 402-406
Routman Ch. 3&4
P&B Ch. 7
Wed.
7/14
(8-4:00) Learning to Write
     Research on L2 writers
     Process writing, leveled writers, assessing progress in L2 writers
     Fostering good writers
Writing instruction
     Journals
     Organizing for writing
P&B Ch. 6

Routman
Ch. 6,7
and 8
Thursday
7/15
(8-4:00) Reading to Learn/Writing to Learn
Content area instruction for ELLs
     Pre-reading and during reading strategies
    Post reading strategies
     Spelling and Vocabulary
    Non-fiction reading
P&B
Ch. 8, 9

Routman Ch. 10, 11 Journal

Mini-lesson
Presentation
Friday
7/16
(8-4:00) Assessment/Synthesis
     Definition of assessment
     Theory—Language Proficiency
     The Four Domains chart for levels of readers
     Assessment of reading chart
     Reading process in English—impact on ELLs
Routman Ch. 15
P&B Ch. 10 Reflective Essay

Pre-course Assignment
Case Study Background

 This pre-assignment has the following goals:
1. To give participants the opportunity to reflect and formulate questions they want addressed in this course.
2. To give participants the opportunity to reflect on a specific English language learner or group of learners whose reading and writing needs they want to address.
3. To give the instructors information on the kinds of problems and situations the participants encounter in their teaching situations so that the instructors can match theory and practice to the participants’ needs.

One of the challenges in this course is to address needs, concerns and questions which have arisen from your teaching situations. Some of you are general education teachers who have English language learners (ELLs) in your class or anticipate having them as students.  Others are English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers who are looking for new strategies or have been asked for reading and writing strategies for ELLs by classroom teachers. This assignment is designed for you to reflect on what you want to get out of this course.  This information will be used and referred to by the instructors throughout the course.  For you, this information will serve as the scenario for the mini-lesson you present on Thursday.

To complete this writing assignment, follow the steps below:

1. Provide contextual data by beginning your narrative with a description of the teaching setting.  Describe the school site, including information on demographics, socioeconomic factors, school size and any other important information about the school.
2. Describe the child or group of children by telling the age, home language, length of time learning English and any other information that will help to understand the learning situation of the child.
3. Describe the teacher who needs assistance or strategies for ELLs.  Tell about years of teaching, languages spoken, attitude towards language learners and any other important information that will help us understand the situation.
4. Conclude with a reflection on why you chose this situation.  What have you done already to address the situation and how do you feel about whether your strategies or guidance have helped?

Email this pre-course assignment to vdoherty@gmu.edu   This assignment is due by July 2, 2004 and is worth 20% of your grade.
 
 
 

Scoring Rubric for Pre-course assignment
This assignment is worth 20% of your grade.
 
 
 

Meets/Exceeds Standards
(A) Partially Meets Standard
(B) Attempts Standard
(C)
Chooses a real situation that can be addressed in class and provides sufficient background data for all participants to understand the context and the problem.  No or little additional information is needed in order to understand the concern. Selects a concern or situation that is very general.  More information is needed to understand how to address the concern. Important details about the student and teaching concern are missing Does not present a concern or states very general concerns with few details.  Does not provide a working situation.
 
 

Resource Guide

This assignment has the following goals:

1. To compile a resource guide which can be used in the participants’ teaching situation.
2. To identify and share information on theory and practical application of reading and writing for English language learners.
3. To gain an appreciation for the breadth and depth of available research on English language learning and practical application of strategies.
4. To make recommendations on specific sources to participants who are in similar teaching situations.
 

This course aims to assist teachers of a wide range of learners (pre-K-12) in developing reading and writing strategies as well as to understand the research and theory behind English language learning.  To meet this challenge, you will search for materials of particular interest to you in the areas of reading and writing.  You will write a short narrative on what you learned during the search for new sources and what you recommend to your colleagues in this class.

To complete this assignment, follow the steps below:

1. Identify at least two sources from each of the following list:
         Books (or book chapters)
         Articles (from journals or magazines)
        Computer software
       Internet sources (websites)
2. Be specific and fill out the information on the Resource Guide Grid.
3. Be ready to discuss the reasons you chose those sources.
4. Write a short narrative synthesizing what you learned from doing this assignment and include a recommendation for at least one of the sources you included in your list.
5. E-mail the list to vdoherty@gmu.edu before the first day of class and turn in a print copy of the list along with your narrative on the first day of class.
 

Resource Guide Grid
Source of information (details on how to find/access the source) Instructional Applications Who is it for?
Teacher/student General comments Recommended
(If yes, for whom and why)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Resource Guide Scoring Rubric
This assignment is worth 5 percent of your grade.
 

Meets/Exceeds Standard
(A) Partially Meets Standard
(B) Attempts Standard
(C)
Selects a variety of materials and shows how they apply to meeting the needs of ELLs.  Makes a valuable contribution to the collection of resources.  Choice of materials shows familiarity with research and/or practical application of strategies for teaching reading/writing to ELLs. Narrative with recommendation directly addresses participants’ needs. Selects material from one or two sources or makes limited reference to how materials refer to ELL.  Choice of materials shows limited familiarity with research and/or practical application of strategies for teaching reading/writing to ELLs.  Narrative with recommendation is too general to address participants’ needs. Does not present a well-researched list of resources or presents a list from only one source.  Makes limited or no reference to how materials can be applied to ELL.  Narrative does not include a recommendation.
 
 

Needs Assessment Survey (5% of final grade)
(Posted on Blackboard) is due on July 2, 2004.
(details, description and rubric supplied by Jo-el)
 

Journal Assignment (10% of final grade)

You will choose a type of journal to create and keep during your participation in this course. The main goal of this assignment is to provide you with a practical experience that you can use to develop fluency through writing practice with your English language learners (ELLs).

This assignment has the following goals:
1. To experience a new teaching technique that will develop your ELLs fluency.
2. To reflect on your experiences during the course of this class.
3. To model one of the many types of journals that can be used as writing practice.

To complete this journal assignment, follow the steps below:
1. Review pp. 227-230 and pp. 348-350 in Reading, Writing & Learning in ESL.
2. Choose the type of journal that you would like to create. Be sure to secure a partner if you choose to create a buddy or dialogue journal.
3. Complete a total of six (6) entries. You will need to design your own writing prompts based on the type of journal you chose.
4. Type a one-paragraph description that explains how you could use journal writing and/or learning logs in your classroom.

The journal will be graded using the following criteria:
* The journal contains a minimum of six (6) entries
* The writing prompts are appropriate for the purpose of the journal
* The entries are thoughtful, functional and purposeful
* The one-paragraph description is typed, thoughtful and provides support for practical implementation of journal writing for ELLs.

Journal Assessment Rubric

Meets or Exceeds Standards
(A) Partially Meets Standards
(B) Attempts Standards
(C)
Journal contains 6 or more entries. Journal is missing one entry. Journal is missing several entries.
All of the writing prompts are appropriate for the purpose of the journal. Most of the writing prompts are appropriate for the purpose of the journal. Few of the writing prompts are appropriate for the purpose of the journal.
All entries are thoughtful, functional and purposeful.
 Most entries are thoughtful, functional and purposeful. Some entries are thoughtful, functional and purposeful.
All criteria were met for the assignment. Most criteria were met for the assignment. Some criteria were met for the assignment.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Mini-lesson presentation (20% of total grade):

Your small group will conduct a 20-minute mini-lesson. The main goal of this assignment is to design an activity that incorporates reading and writing strategies for English language learners that you can present to your fellow classmates as if they were your students.

This assignment has the following goals:
1. To practice a new teaching technique that will accommodate your ELLs
2. To incorporate at least one reading and one writing strategy into a 20 minute lesson.

To complete this mini-lesson assignment, follow the steps below:

1. Choose a scenario from one of the case studies members of your group prepared. Design a lesson to meet the needs of that student or group of students.
2. Present your 20-minute lesson to the class as if they were your students. You will need to provide a brief explanation of their hypothetical age, proficiency level, etc. before beginning your presentation.
3. Each group member will need to evaluate the presentation and the participation of the group members and his/her own participation. Complete the attached form.

The mini-lesson will be graded using the following criteria:
* The activity contains a reading and writing strategy
* The content presented builds on a scenario from one of the case studies in your group.
* The content presented is accurate, interesting and appropriate for the intended age, level, etc.
* The learning objective is clear to the observers/participants.
* The sequencing is logical and the presentation is clear.
* Time is well managed.
 

Mini-lesson Presentation Evaluation Sheet

Name:__________________________________________

Name of Group Members___________________________________________________
 

Read the first question in each group and circle the best description.  Read the second statement in each group and provide a narrative answer.

Assessment of Team Process

1. How did your group work together to achieve the goals of the assignment?

Very well Well OK Fairly well Not well

2. Briefly state how your group could improve their performance.
 

Assessment of Peers

3. What was the level of productivity and collaboration of your peers?

Very high Fairly high High Acceptable Fairly low Low

4. Briefly state how you arrived at your evaluation of the productivity and collaboration of your peers.
 

Assessment of Self

5. How would you rate your own level of productivity and collaboration to achieve the project goals?

Very high Fairly high High Acceptable Fairly low Low

6. State how you could have improved your contribution to your group.
 
 

Summary of Experience

7. Use the rest of this sheet and the back, if necessary, to summarize your experience. Be sure to include how you applied the strategies learned in this course.
 

Rubric for the Mini-presentation

Meets or Exceeds Standards
(A) Partially Meets Standards
(B) Attempts Standards
(C)
Lesson contains a reading and a writing strategy. Lesson contains only a reading or a writing strategy. Lessons contain no reading or writing strategy.
All of the content is accurate, interesting and appropriate for the intended age, level, etc. All requirements have been met (i.e., typed lesson description, prepared presentation, and complete evaluation form). Most of the content is accurate, interesting and appropriate for the intended age, level, etc.  Most requirements have been met (i.e. typed lesson description, prepared presentation, and complete evaluation form). Some of the content is accurate, interesting and appropriate for the intended age, level, etc. Some requirements were missing (i.e., typed lesson description, prepared presentation and incomplete evaluation form).
Learning objective is clear to the observers/participants. Learning objective is somewhat clear to the observers/participants. Learning objective is unclear to the observers/participants.
Sequencing is logical and the presentation is clear. Sequencing is mostly logical and the presentation is mostly clear. Sequencing is somewhat illogical and the presentation is unclear.
Presentation conformed to the time limit. Presentation almost conformed to the time limit. Presentation did not conform to the 20-minute time limit.
 

Reflective Essay (25% of final grade)
(Jo-el will add the description and the rubric)

Class participation rubric (15% of total grade):

Meets or Exceeds Standards
(A) Partially Meets Standards
(B) Attempts Standards
(C)
Consistently demonstrates strong determination in the pursuit of solutions; monitors his/her level of involvement; develops and uses a number of strategies to keep self on track. Consistently shows determination in the pursuit of solutions and uses strategies to keep self on track. Sporadically shows determination in the pursuit of solutions and rarely uses strategies to keep self on track.
Often cites from readings; uses readings to support contributions/ often associates readings with the topics being discussed. Occasionally cites from readings; sometimes uses readings to support contributions; occasionally associates readings with topics being discussed. Rarely able to cite from readings; rarely uses readings to support contributions; rarely associates readings with topics being discussed.
Always willingly participates; responds frequently to questions; contributes insightful point of view. Often willingly participates; occasionally responds to questions; occasionally shares point of view Rarely willingly participates; rarely able to respond to questions; rarely shares point of view.
Always acts appropriately during class; always present. Often acts appropriately during class; present most of the time. Distracted or distracting behavior in class; present some of the time.
Always demonstrates commitment through preparation; always on time. Generally prepared; rarely arrives late. Generally unprepared; rarely arrives on time.