University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Literacy Strategies for Content Area Teachers

SECNDED 466 – Spring 2005

                                                                                                                                                               

Instructor:                Anne D’Antonio Stinson                                                Office Hours:                Mon 2:00-4:00                                

                                stinsona@uww.edu                                                                            Tue 2:00-3:00

Office:                    Winther Hall 3042                                                                                Thur 1:00-3:00                 

Office Phone:                (262) 472-1973                                               

Home Phone:                (262) 473-7244

 

               

                               

Required Text

 

Sejnost, R. & Thiese, S. (2001). Reading and writing across content areas. Arlington Heights, IL: Skylight Professional Development (available from the instructor)

 

Vacca, R. and Vacca, J. (2002).  Content area reading, 7th edition.  New York: Harper Collins College Publishers.

(available from Textbook Rental)

 

Course Description

The student will develop secondary classroom literacy materials according to a theoretical framework of how learners read and use texts across the curriculum.  These will include teaching strategies for comprehension and vocabulary improvement as well as assessment tools for text selection and student learning.  Learning activities will encompass one or more of the following Wisconsin Teacher Standards:

1.                                            The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

2.                                            The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development.

3.                                            The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

4.                                            The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

5.                                            The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

6.                                            The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.

7.                                            The teacher plans and delivers instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curricular goals.

8.                                            The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.

9.                                            The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.

10.                                         The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well-being.

Organizing Principles

 

•                      Reading comprehension is a dynamic interactive process of constructing meaning by combining the reader’s existing knowledge with the text information within the context of the reading situation.

•                      Reading to learn is greatly influenced by the classroom interactions that occur among teacher,  students, and text.

•                      Evaluation is a continuous process that makes use of multiple methods of gathering relevant data for instructional purposes.

•                      How, when, and where a question is used to guide text discussion determines its effectiveness.

•                      Teachers reduce the uncertainty students bring to content material by helping them to use background knowledge, raise questions, and make predictions about what they will be reading.

•                      Teachers must create awareness of comprehension levels and provide opportunities that allow students to experience the satisfaction of responding to text at different levels of comprehension.

•                      As students develop sophistication in reading and study processes, they need to become strategic in their recognition and use of text organization as a tool for comprehending and retaining important information.

•                      As students become more aware of how to learn from text, e.g. how to summarize ideas in text, they become better able to use and monitor strategies for studying.

•                      Content area teachers are in a strategic position to show students how to use study strategies independently as they interact and learn with texts.

•                      Vocabulary taught and reinforced within the framework of concept development enhances reading comprehension.

•                      Writing facilitates learning with texts by helping students explore, clarify, and think deeply about ideas and concepts encountered in reading.

•                      When content area teachers combine the use of textbooks with literature, they extend and enrich the curriculum.

 

Course Requirements

Comprehensive exam                                25%                WTS 1-9                               

Final exam (case study report)                10%                WTS 1-10                               

Class participation (includes

textbook evaluation, study skills

comprehension, and vocabulary

projects, I-chart, abstracts, 

homework assignments, and

task analysis sheets, etc.)                                30%                  WTS 1-10

WebQuest                                            25%                WTS 1-8, 10

Response paper                                   10%                 WTS 9

 

Attendance Policy

Students are permitted two absences. A third absence will result in a reduction of one letter grade. A fourth absence may  result  in a failing grade.

Please note: Calling me to tell me you will be absent a third time does not excuse a third absence.

Also note: Over the course of the semester, you will be asked to participate in a number of classroom activities.  I believe that you will learn what works for your discipline, in terms of reading, by doing.  Consequently,  half-hearted class participation will affect your grade.

 

Grading Scale

Undergraduate:

         

          A       93-100%                                                            

          B       85-92%                              

          C       77-84%

          D       69-76%                              

          F        <69%

            

Graduate (Individual Study):

 

             A                                96-100%

                AB                          92-95%                  

                B                             88-91%                  

                BC                           84-87%                  

                C                             77-83%                  

                F                              <77%                                     

                               


The WebQuest Project

Utilizing the knowledge of content area literacy gained from the course, each group of 4-6 students will create an inquiry-oriented WebQuest concerning some aspect of the events of  September 11, 2001. The WebQuest Project must be tied to the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards and to any applicable professional standards as well as to the needs of middle- and high-school students.

 

You may create your WebQuest using any website-authoring software with which you or your group members are familiar; however, keep in mind that the WITRC staff will be able to offer the greatest degree of support with Dreamweaver. DO NOT attempt to create your Webquest in a word-processing program such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. The WITRC staff will not convert text documents into Dreamweaver.

 

NOTE: ALL WEBQUESTS MUST BE POSTED ON OR BEFORE 4/21. Not posting by 4/21 will result in a reduction of one letter grade for the project.

 

The following questions will be used to assess your WebQuest. You should keep them in mind as you design and execute your project:

 

‘                                           Does your project reflect an understanding of the organizing principles of this course as outlined in the course syllabus? Do you take a multidisciplinary approach?

‘                                           Does your project reflect your developing teaching skills as outlined in the Wisconsin Teacher Standards outlined in the course syllabus?

‘                                           What do you want students to learn?

‘                                           How are they expected to learn?

‘                                           Are your resources appropriate?

‘                                           How will you evaluate student learning?

‘                                           Do you provide opportunities for students to clarify, reinforce, and extend their knowledge?

‘                                           Are your objectives linked to the needs, interests, skills levels, and/or prior knowledge of the target audience? NOTE: You are responsible for identifying these needs, interests, and abilities.

‘                                           Is your WebQuest attractive, easy to navigate, etc.

 

 

 

mailto:aspear@whitewater.K12.wi.us,mailto:dlange@whitewater.k12.wi.us,Group Discussions

In preparation for each group discussion, you will locate articles for your particular discipline, annotate those articles, and for each article (one on content area reading and one on content area writing for March 10; one on grammar instruction for March 31 or April 7), complete a discussion worksheet prior to our group discussion! Be sure to complete the APA citations. It is not necessary to submit copies of the articles, but do bring the annotated copes with you to class. 

PLEASE NOTE: These assignments are tied to classroom discussion and will not be accepted late!

 

Response Paper

This paper will represent your response to the entire course. You might think of it this way: What does reading and writing in the content areas mean to you? What theories and strategies will be useful to you? What has made you stop and think? Typically, this paper is 3-5 pages in length.

 

Reasonable Modifications Requests

Students in need of some reasonable modification of the instructional context should meet with me as soon as possible to discus the needed modification.  If the modification requires the assistance of personnel, equipment, or materials that are beyond my control, please contact Disabled Student Services.

Class Schedule

Jan 20

Introduction to the course: What is content reading?  Text evaluation (readability, comprehensibility).  Activity: Perform a textbook evaluation. Related reading: Vacca & Vacca, Chapters 1, 2, & 3; Sejnost & Thiese, Chapter 1.

Jan 27

Introduction to “The WebQuest Project.” WebQuest. Vacca & Vacca, Chapter 5; Yoder (handout). Memory and metacognition. Activity: “Learn that poem. Learn it!” Related reading: Vacca & Vacca, Chapters 4, 6, & 12.

Feb 3

 

Writing to learn. Activity: Exploring a subject with the I-Chart (The WebQuest Project). Related reading: Vacca and Vacca, Chapter 8; Sejnost & Thiese, Chapters 2 & 5.

Feb 10

Group 1: Helping students study. Activity: Learning with Text. Related reading: Vacca & Vacca, Chapters 7, 9, & 11; Sejnost & Thiese, Chapter 4

Group 2:The WebQuest Project. Activity: Dreamweaver tutorial (WITRC lab).

Feb 17

Group 1: The WebQuest Project. Activity: Dreamweaver tutorial (WITRC lab).

Group 2: Helping students study. Activity: Learning with Text. Related reading: Vacca & Vacca, Chapters 7, 9, & 11; Sejnost & Thiese, Chapter 4

Feb 24

Vocabulary instruction. Activity: Creating a vocabulary lesson. Related reading: Vacca and Vacca, Chapter 5; Sejnost & Thiese, Chapter 3.

Mar 3

WebQuest workday: Meet in WITRC lab for progress check. Complete “WebQuest about WebQuest” group activity.

Mar 10

PART 1: Group Discussion: Reading & Writing in the Content Areas

PART 2: Study guides. Activity: In small “expert” groups, master one study guide; “jigsaw” to learn others. Related reading: Vacca and Vacca, Chapter 10.

Mar 17

COMPREHENSIVE EXAM

Mar 24

Spring Break!

Mar 31

Group 1: Using electronic texts. Activity: Software evaluation and/or use this time to work on your WebQuest.

Group 2: Group Discussion: Grammar. Related reading: Schuster (handout).

Apr 7

Group 1: Group Discussion: Grammar. Related reading: Schuster (handout).

Group 2: Using electronic texts. Activity: Software evaluation and/or use this time to work on your WebQuest.

Apr 14

Picture mapping; symbolic story representation.

Apr 21

The WebQuest project. Activity: Use this time to complete the posting of your WebQuest.

NOTE: ALL WEBQUESTS MUST BE POSTED ON OR BEFORE 4/21. Not posting your WebQuest by 4/21 will result in a reduction of one letter grade for the project.

Apr 28

Victory party; student presentations. Course evaluation. Activity: Be prepared to share the results of your WebQuest project. Note: Your group  will need to turn in an evaluation of the project (include hard copies of your correspondence with LMMS and an assessment of each group member’s individual contribution to the project) .

Assignment: Read “What if they Can’t Read” (handout).

May 5

 

FINAL EXAM: CASE STUDY. Response paper due.

May 12

Exam Period 3:15-5:15. I have another exam at this time. Grades for SECNDED 466 will be available during regular Thursday office hours (1:00-3:00).