TE 930 A/B Methods for Teaching Language Arts &
Reading in Elementary School

Course Syllabus
Rosa Parks Student Teaching Block

Jill Kerper Mora
San Diego State University

This web page is provided as a resource for teacher candidates enrolled in TE 930 A/B with Dr. Jill Kerper Mora, Fall 2000 semester in the Rosa Parks Student Teaching Block.

Textbooks and Materials

Required:

Mora, J.K. (2000) TE 930 A/B Course Reader. Montezuma Publishing.

Bear, D.R., Invernizzi, M. , Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2000). Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary and Spelling Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill-Prentice Hall. (WTW)

First Steps. (1994). Reading Developmental Continuum. Heinemann. (FS-RDC)

First Steps. (1994). Reading Resource Book. Heinemann. (FS-RRB)

First Steps. (1994). Writing Developmental Continuum. Heinemann. (FS-WDC)

First Steps. (1994). Writing Resource Book. Heinemann. (FS-WRB)

Recommended:

Rossi, J. & Schipper, B. (1999). Case Studies in Preparation for the California Reading Competency Test. Boston, Allyn & Bacon.

Course Description

The professional preparations program at SDSU provides substantive, research-based instruction that effectively prepares each candidate for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (CLAD emphasis) to deliver a balanced, comprehensive program of instruction in reading, writing, and related language arts. A balanced approach to reading/language arts instruction includes explicit instruction in basic reading skills and comprehension strategies for all students, including students with varied reading levels and language backgrounds.

The following factors have been considered in the development of this course:

Each teacher candidate will engage in intensive instruction in reading and language arts methods that is grounded in methodologically sound research and includes exposure to well-designed instructional programs. This will enable the candidate to provide a balanced, comprehensive program of instruction that includes explicit and meaningfully-applied instruction in reading, writing, and related language skills and strategies for English language learners and speakers of English.

Each teacher candidate will study reading and language arts methods with strong preparation for teaching the following:

    comprehension skills

    a strong literature component

    strategies that promote and guide students' independent reading

    strategies that incorporate listening, speaking, reading, and writing for speakers of English and English language learners

Each teacher candidate will experience a variety of genres of literature and expository texts including materials that reflect cultural diversity in teacher-supported and independent reading contexts.

Each teacher candidate will be instructed in and gain experience with developing student background knowledge and vocabulary, and in the use of reading comprehension strategies.

Each teacher candidate will study the phonological/morphological structure of the English language and methodologically sound research on how children learn to read, including English language learners, students with reading difficulties, and students who are proficient readers.

The field experiences of each teacher candidate are designed to establish cohesive connections between reading methods coursework, reading-related coursework, and the practical experience components of the program, which provide ongoing opportunities to participate in effective reading instruction.

The field experiences of each teacher candidate include extended experience in a linguistically and/or culturally diverse classroom where beginning reading is taught.

Course Objectives

This is the second semester of a two-semester course which has been designed to provide you with appropriate theoretical and pedagogical information and resources that you will need to consider and reconsider now and throughout your career as a teacher. Your primary task as a teacher of reading and language arts will be to develop effective instruction that encourages all of your students to communicate effectively in their primary and second language and to develop a positive interest in doing so.

The communication processes include listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing. These processes are referred to as the integrated language arts. During both semesters we will explore the integrated language arts through a discussion of related topics. These topics include emergent literacy, individual student differences and similarities, first and second language acquisition and development, emergent and experienced reading and writing development, multiple test sources, text analysis, process writing, assessment techniques, portfolio assessment, classroom organization and management, whole language classrooms, language arts materials, and effective instructional strategies. 

The focus of the first semester of the 6-unit course block is on the following areas of a balanced literacy program:

    components of a balanced literacy approach

    developmental stages of reading

    assessment and classroom organization for reading instruction

    cueing systems in first and second language reading

    principles of phonics and phonics instruction

    developmental stages of spelling and word study

    grammar and syntax in reading instruction

The focus of the second semester of the 6-unit course block is on the following areas of a balanced literacy program:

    content-area reading

    developing students' writing proficiency

    teaching literature and reader response

    examining text structure and characteristics of different literary genre

    expanding knowledge of assessment and instructional planning for diverse students

    solidifying and refining candidate's knowledge base in teaching basic reading skills

The purpose of this course is to share information that will help you develop and improve reading/language arts instruction. Throughout the course we will explore theory and practice through discussion, demonstration, and other strategies. You will be encouraged to reflect on and practice various teaching strategies. At the end of the course, you should be able to describe how the language arts can be encouraged and supported in school and home settings. You will be able to recognize, describe, and support learners’ strengths, select and utilize materials to maximize literacy instruction. In addition, you will better understand how cultural and linguistic differences affect literacy development, implement literacy instruction that motivates students, and continue on a path of person literacy development and expertise.

Note: After beginning the preservice teacher education program, but prior to receiving teacher certification, all teacher candidates are required by law to take and pass the Reading Instructional Competency Assessment (RICA) which becomes a requirement for all teachers applying for certification after October 1, 1998. This class has been structured to assist the teacher candidate to meet the requirements of the RICA test through the focus on literacy instruction and assessment for second-language learners. The content and activities of the course are correlated to the domains and sub-domains of the RICA examination.

The content of the required CLAD courses reinforce and expand on each other. The focus of PLC 914 is on second-language (L2) learners and factors in their literary and content-area knowledge development. See the chart below to understand the interrelationship of the RICA domains and content areas when applied to teaching literacy to L2 learners. These principles of literacy instruction and their specific applications will be reinforced throughout the semester.

The projects for the course are described thoroughly in class and in handouts and models.  Students are encouraged to develop a timeline for the semester for accomplishing the tasks required. For the Rosa Parks student teaching blocks, due dates for these assignments will be spread over two semesters. Check the course schedule for partial assignments and assignment completion dates. Detailed descriptions of these assignments will be provided.

 Participation in class is weighed heavily because the processes learned through interaction with peers are an essential component of the course. A student cannot earn a grade of A in the course with more than two absences from class.

 1. A Reflective Journal with entries in response to assigned classroom observations and experiences and literacy autobiography reflections.

 2. A Reader Case Study describing the results of various assessments, surveys and ethnographic analyses of a child's literacy skills, interests and learning process. This case study will focus on a second-language learner. The case study includes assessment of the student’s English language proficiency using the Student Oral Language Observation Matrix.

 3. A Phonics & Word Study lesson plan and presentation in class based on materials from Words Their Way

4. A Grammar-in-context lesson plan and presentation in class. 

These assignments will be graded on a 100-point scale and weighted and averaged for the final grade. Class work, projects and written assignments and tests will be weighed for the total course grade according to the following point scale:

 

Reflective Journal	5@6% Each	30%
Reader Case Study		30%
Word Study Lesson Plan		15%
Grammar Lesson Plan		15%
Participation & Professionalism		10%

All written assignments will be typed, double-spaced in continuous narrative portions and edited for usage and mechanical errors. The content of all quizzes, tests and assignments will be evaluated based on the level of higher order thinking skills demonstrated by the student according to the criteria for grading included in this syllabus. Any papers not turned in by the beginning of class on the date due will be designated late. Late papers will be penalized ten percent for each week past the due date until handed in to the instructor.

The schedule of topics and assignments that follows is based on the Rosa Parks Student Teaching Block master schedule. Some sessions will be three hours and some will be four hours. Teacher candidates should check the master schedule for details regarding class hours and location. Changes may be necessary and will be announced in advance.

TE 930 Schedule of Topics

Fall 2000
Rosa Parks Student Teaching Block

Date	Class Topics & Activities	Readings & Assignment	On-line Resources
8/29	Overview of RICA Domains & Content Areas Planning, organizing & assessing for Language Arts/Reading (LAR) Instruction Components of a balanced literacy program	Reader, Sec. A Reflection 1:  In class Early Literacy Experiences	Definitions of Literacy A Literacy Framework
9/6	Stages of reading  development A literacy framework  & teaching strategies Preview of literacy assessment	Reader, Sec. B,  p. 19-29 FS-RDC,  Part I & Part 3 FS-RRB, Cpt. I	Language Assessment
9/20	Principles & content of  phonics instruction The three cueing systems Strategies for teaching emergent literacy	Reader, Sec. B,  p. 30-36 WTW, Cpt. 1 & 2 Reflection 2	L2 Reading Instruction
10/4	Lessons for phonemic  awareness & phonics Word study for emergent readers	Reader, Sec. B, p. 27-29 WTW, Cpt. 4 Reflection 2:  In class	Minimal Pairs
10/11	Sequencing of phonics  instruction Assessment of phonemic awareness & phonics Word Study Lesson Plan presentations	WTW, Cpt. 4 & 5 FS-RRB, Cpt. 4 Word Study Lesson Plan & Presentation Due Case study guidelines	Phonics Sequence
10/18	Second language reading The informal reading inventory Case study of L2 reader	Reader, Sec. C, p. 41-50 FS-RRB, Cpt. 5, p. 137-144 WTW, Cpt. 3	Metalinguistic Transfer in Spanish/English Reading
10/25	English language  development Effective Read-aloud The role of grammar in  ELD & literacy Situational grammar teaching	Reader, Sec. C,  p. 50-57 FS-RRB, Cpt. 6 Reflection 3:  Bring to class	Road Map to Effective ELD Instruction Grammar Teaching
10/28	Reading comprehension  strategies Shared Reading & Guided Reading  Strategies Features of narrative text	Reading comprehension strategies Shared Reading & Guided Reading strategies Features of narrative text	Guided Story Construction
11/8	Guided Reading and Reader  Response with  Multicultural Literature Story Structure	Reader, Sec. G, p. 124-131	Multicultural Literature Text Analysis
11/15	Developmental continuum  for writing Assessment of L2 writing Activities for L2 writing instruction	Reader, Sec. F,  p. 107-114 FS-WDC,  Parts 1 & 2 WTW, Cpt. 5 Reflection 4: Bring to class	L2 Writing Writing Rubrics Guided Writing in the L2 Classroom
11/20	Consolidating early reading skills Reading interventions & struggling readers	FS-RRB, Cpt. 5  Case Studies WTW, Cpt. 5
11/21	Review for RICA:  Components of Reading A professional growth plan for LAR teaching	Reader Case Study Due	RICA Study Guide
12/8		Reflection 5  in Journal Reflective Journal Due

 

California Reading Instruction Competency Assessment (RICA)
Content Domains and Literacy Instructional Competencies
for English Language Learners (ELL)

Correlation with TE 930 Content

 

RICA Domain & Content Area	ELL Instructional Competency
Domain 1: Planning and Organizing Reading Instruction Based on Ongoing Assessment (1) Conducting ongoing assessment of reading development (2) Planning, organizing, and managing reading instruction	Knowledge of language assessment of ELL provides information on language proficiency and first to second language transfer that may enhance or impede literacy development. Language assessment provides the basis for targeting areas of weakness and patterns of errors and to monitor oral language development in relation to reading and writing skills.
Domain 2: Developing Phonological and Other Linguistic Processes Related to Reading (3) Phonemic awareness (4) Concepts about print (5) Systematic, explicit phonics and other word identification strategies (6) Spelling instruction	Language assessment and miscue analysis provide clues to areas of weakness in phonemic discriminations based on contrasts in phonology of ELLs' first language and English. Phonics instruction can be tailored to the features of English that are distinct from the child's L1 based on detection of omissions, substitutions, syllable juncture and other errors that appear in students' oral reading and writing.
Domain 3: Developing Reading Comprehension and Promoting Independent Reading (7) Reading comprehension (8) Literary response and analysis (9) Content-area literacy (10) Student independent reading	Language assessment data inform teachers about the reading level the ELL learner can achieve for instructional reading based on their oral proficiency and comprehension. Text can be matched to proficiency levels so as to maximize students' success in independent reading
Domain 4: Supporting Reading Through Oral and Written Language Development (11) Relationship among reading, writing, and oral language (12) Vocabulary development (13) Structure of the English language	Language assessment serves to identify grammatical errors and syntactic patterns where ELLs require instructional support and/or intervention. Knowledge of the natural progression of L2 development and interlanguage helps teachers set realistic expectations for growth in literacy. Formal and informal assessment of vocabulary indicates areas for targeted instruction in pre-reading activities.

Additional Resources

Click below for instructional modules and research articles about biliteracy and second language available on Dr. Mora's CLAD Website.

Learn more about L2 Reading	Learn more about Transition in Biliteracy Instruction
Learn more about Spanish Reading	Theoretical Foundations of Bilingual Education
Biliteracy and L2 Reading Bibliography	A Research Study of Biliterate Students presented at NRC'99
A Research Study on Teachers' Approaches to L2 Literacy Instruction presented at NABE'99	Metalinguistic Transfer in Biliteracy Development

To navigate Dr. Mora's CLAD Website

 

Return to  Dr. Mora's Home Page	MoraModules Menu
PLC 915 Syllabus	ED 516 Syllabus
TE 639 Syllabus	RICA Study Guide

 

This page was last updated on 07/26/02