Required Textbooks:

Brozo, W.G., & Simpson, M.L. (1999). Readers, teachers, learners: Expanding literacy across the content areas (4^rd Ed.). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

TWO books from the following list of adolescent/young adult literature are required to complete certain assignments:  http://www.pampetty.com/444421literature.htm .  Read the description of this assignments below before selecting the literature.

Course Description: Principles, psychology, and methodologies for teaching both the general and specialized reading skills in the secondary grades. This course is required for secondary English.

Rationale: LTCY 444/444G will provide secondary education majors with an overview of the instructional strategies for teaching and integrating reading into the content areas at the secondary levels. Students will develop a conceptual understanding of reading processes and appropriate instructional strategies, which emphasize reading skills necessary for the learning content area information in secondary schools.

The goal of this course is to present information on various aspects connected with secondary reading instruction and develops both conceptual and practical perspectives appropriate for teaching in secondary schools. The course objectives are stated corresponding to Kentucky Experienced Teacher Standards for Preparation and Certification.

ETS:

Standard 3:
Designs/Plans Instruction
The teacher designs/plans instruction that develops student abilities to use communication skills, apply core concepts, become self-sufficient individuals, become responsible team members, think and solve problems, and integrate knowledge.

Standard 5:
Implements/Manages Instruction
The teacher introduces/implements/manages instruction that develops student abilities to use communication skills, apply core concepts, become self-sufficient individuals, become responsible team members, think and solve problems, and integrate knowledge.

Objectives:

The student will:

1. develop a concept of reading comprehension and strategies for instruction
2. develop a concept of vocabulary and strategies for instruction
3. develop a concept of reading/study skills and strategies for instruction

Methods and Activities:

1. On-line discussion boards, reflective entries, electronic presentation, on-line resources review
2. On-line discussion boards, reflective entries, electronic presentation, on-line resources review
3. On-line discussion boards, reflective entries, electronic presentation, on-line resources review

Assessment:

Scoring guides

Topics Relevant to the Course:

Language acquisition and reading processes
Cultural diversity and the teaching of reading
Literacy assessments: formal and informal measures of assessment
Reading comprehension: curriculum, instruction, strategic reading, student learning
Vocabulary development and instruction in the content areas
Study skills and reading strategies for content area reading
Integrating literature into content area reading
Writing and reading processes: facilitating literacy in the content areas
Technology and literacy

Assignments

It is expected that ALL assignments will be submitted on their due dates. Late assignments will be penalized 20% of their possible point value if submitted within two consecutive days of their due date. Further penalties will be assessed for assignments turned in beyond that point. This policy is instituted primarily to prevent students from becoming overloaded at the end of the semester.

It is expected that you will read and reflect on required course readings prior to each specific discussion board. Selected course readings will help you develop the knowledge and theoretical base needed for teaching diverse learners strategies for reading in the content areas.

Keep a copy of all assignments electronically. If an assignment is lost, the burden of proof that you completed the assignment rests with you. You will not receive a grade in this course until the Critical Performances (Electronic Research and Literature-Based Instruction) are uploaded onto the Electronic Portfolio.  All materials for this course must be submitted electronically to the Instructor.  

Evaluation and Grade Assignment

Assessments will include written assignments, discussion boards, and evaluation of literature-based reading experience. The student must achieve minimum competency, otherwise the course must be repeated.

Final grades for LTCY 444 - 421 will be based on a 500 point scale:
 

Discussion Board  180 points = 20 points for submission of Discussion Board prompt (see schedule) and then 10.66 points each for 15 different Discussion Board RESPONSES.   You should view the TOPICS of discussion and decide which 15 are of interest to you and you feel like you can CONTRIBUTE to the conversation.  There are 27 topics in all. 

To facilitate students’ ability to become reflective educators, decision makers, and to construct meaning for an understanding of the interrelationships and application of educational theory into classroom practices, students will engage in Discussion Board entries responding to the assigned prompt.  The purpose of this assignment is to allow students to reflect, explore and dialogue with the university instructor and with each other concerning topics and issues discussed in class or as these issues relate to the experiences of the student.  The discussion boards take place in BlackBoard (https://ecourses.wku.edu/). This forum provides with a means of communication and exploration of topics/assignments.  The textbook and the research you do for this course will guide our discussions.

Each student will provide a discussion prompt based on the topic they select for their electronic research. Your prompt MUST be sent to Dr. Petty via email attachment.  Dr. Petty will post the prompts every TUESDAY and FRIDAY.  In order to get credit for participating in a discussion board that is posted on Tuesday, you must reply to the prompt by midnight on Thursday of each week.  In order to get credit for a discussion board prompt posted on Friday, you must reply by midnight on Monday of each week.  The discussion prompt you write must be based on the topic you select for your electronic research, must be thought-provoking, challenging, and direct us to the "heart" or thrust of the topic.  Students may reply more than once - as in a class discussion or grand conversation on these topics.  If your prompts are boring, the replies will be boring.  The instructor reserves to right to edit the submissions for clarity and accuracy.  Credit will also be given as "class participation." The person submitting the prompt must log onto the discussion board every day that his/her prompt is active, read the comments posted, and keep the conversation going.  A good discussion prompt will:

1. reflect KEY points from the chapter and/or other research (with references)
2. be brief and to the point (one paragraph ONLY)
3. provide a question that will encourage other students to make thoughtful replies
4. example of a good prompt

Scoring for this assignment will be based on the following criteria:

1. thoughtful insights
2. all responses posted by DUE dates
3. sharing of experiences specific to topic of discussion
4. specific references to information from our text or other outside readings (references must accompany)
   • NO "drive-by," "hit-and-run" or "token" responses
5. Graduate students will support undergraduates by referring to specific research and researchers in as graduate students respond to prompts for the Discussion Board.

Click HERE for RUBRIC for scoring this assignment. 

Teacher Action Research Paper (75 points) - DUE Week of November 28

In an effort to prepare Graduate students to be active participants in surveying and synthesizing research germane to their teaching, and to more effectively link theory with practice, students will design an action research project and write a research paper that includes the following:

	Problem - what challenge do you face in your literacy instruction
	Survey of Literature - what does research say about your particular challenge/issue
	Action Research Design - how will you take best practice as supported in research and try to solve the challenge you face
	Results - what are the results of your application of theory into your literacy instruction
	Implications for other Middle/Secondary (content area goes here) Teachers - how does what you have learned impact other teachers

Click on this link for ALL directions for this assignment:  Teacher Action Research Paper Requirements (includes scoring rubric)

Electronic Research (50 points) - Due Week of September 26

Students will use on-line searches to locate professional readings and resources (minimum of five sites) related to topics of study in this course.  Topics for this research are listed below.  You must provide the URLs for the information you have located, an annotation of each site including how the site aligns with current literacy research (must make reference to specific researchers or research projects),  and a presentation of the information you have gathered.   This presentation may take the form of a PowerPoint presentation, a web-site, a "visual" adaptation of a Microsoft Word document, or possibly other methods of delivery (with Instructor approval). 

The purpose is for each student to become an "expert" on a particular topic and to be able to share information with others.  The on-line resources should be supplemented by print materials (via an APA-style bibliography).   Students must sign up for a topic of interest. I will accept email messages requesting topics on August 21, 2003.  This assignment must be sent to the Dropbox in Blackboard or  put on a web page with the URL being sent to the Instructor by the due date.  The Instructor will post these assignments so that all students may view the presentations and provide feedback for others.  You can see an example of what this project should look like by clicking here:  Middle and Secondary Students and Literacy. NOTE:  This example does NOT include the references to specific researchers or research projects that is now required of graduate students.  Your annotations MUST include those references.  

Electronic Research and Professional Readings will be used for: 

• Demonstrating your "expert" knowledge on the selected topic
• Discussion board reactions and discussions based on your findings.  This will allow you to react to the reading as well as what you have learned. (Reactions and responses are to be based on evidence rather than on feelings.)
• "Grand conversations" via the Discussion Board based on your well developed explanation or description of how you will use what you have learned.

Example of APA format:

McCallum, R. (1998). Don’t throw the basal out wit the bath water. The Reading Teacher, 42(3), 204-208.

OR

Irvin, J., & Connors, N. (1989). Reading instruction in middle level schools: Results of a U.S. survey. 
         Boston:  Abbott and Smith.

  Click HERE for RUBRIC for scoring this assignment.  

Literature Across the Curriculum (50) - DUE Week of October 24

The purpose of this assignment is to allow you to take a piece of quality adolescent literature, identify key literary elements, and find connections to your particular curricular area.  If you are not yet in the classroom, you may select one (or more) curricular areas that the book you choose seems to fit naturally.

Go to the Literature List below or  (http://www.pampetty.com/444421literature.htm) and select a book.  It would be nice if you selected something you have not read before so that you could learn a new piece of literature, but even if you have read the book before you won't be able to do this assignment unless you read it again.

Each theme or novel unit will be different and unique based on the book you select and the curricular area in which you choose to focus. To see an example , go to http://www.pampetty.com/novelunit.htm . In the WATSON'S GO TO BIRMINGHAM example  provided for you, you will note that a Social Studies theme (Civil Rights Movement) and a Language Arts theme (idioms) emerge.  You must follow the format of the on-line version of

WATSON's GO TO BIRMINGHAM:

• Personal Response to Book
• Literary Elements

  • Character	Plot	Point-of-View	Setting
    Style	Theme	Tone

• Curricular Connections
• Theory and Practice Links:
  •  Summary statements explaining how using literature in the content areas is supported by research; benefits for learners (must make reference to specific researchers or research projects)

The Curricular Connections need to be STRONG - they should relate to a central THEME in the book or RECURRING elements. Click here for MORE EXAMPLES.

This assignment is part of your SERVICE LEARNING project and also counts for 3 hours of your 10-hour field experience (undergrads only - graduate students get service learning credit only).  For those of you in the Bowling Green and Warren County area, arrangements have been made for you to work with middle and high school students at the Housing Authority of Bowling Green.  Details of this assignment and options for those of you who live distances from Bowling Green will be explained via email.  The best case scenario is that you work in pairs/groups of 2 or 3 to develop this project.  After you have read the book and developed the materials, you will be asked to conduct "book clubs" on the book of your choice with middle or high school students and to USE the curricular and literacy connections you developed to ensure comprehension and connection to other learning/real world situations. Number of hours spent in service learning, dates, times, and particulars will be explained later in the semester via email.

Click HERE for RUBRIC for scoring this assignment. 

•  Overview of Unit
  • Bibliographic information on the book (APA style)
  • One paragraph summary of book
  • Your content area focus
  • One paragraph describing the positive aspects of using this particular book as a springboard for teaching comprehension strategies and content material 
• Specific Goals for the Unit
  • Objectives
  • Kentucky Learner Goals
  • Academic Expectations
  • Core Content

  • Application to Real-Life Experience

  • Resources
    • Supplement your core book with textbooks or other expository literature to help students understand concepts in the book.  Use strategies from chapters 7, 3, 5, and 6 in planning instruction.
  • Assessment
    • How will you measure learning? 
• A Lesson Plan Format for EACH day of the unit (minimum of 1):  Use THIS form to plan your instruction.
  • Your unit plan must include the lesson plans for each day AND any forms, handouts, graphic organizers, etc., you planned within that day's instruction.  Specifically, this means materials you prepared for vocabulary instruction, comprehension instruction, and materials you generated to link your content area to concepts in the book.
• A bibliography of all literature (narrative and expository) used in this assignment.  
• A one page (minimum) reflection making firm connections between the literacy instructional strategies included in the unit and specific research that supports those strategies.

Click HERE for RUBRIC for scoring this assignment. 

Professionalism, Participation, Collegiality (20 points)

Participation in this course is  mandatory! This also includes collegiality, effort, etc.  You are required to regularly check your email and to check Blackboard for announcements, explanation of assignments, recommended resources, etc.  You are also expected to communicate regularly with the Instructor and other students via email.  You have the option of chatting "live" with the Instructor via the chat capabilities in Blackboard (or AOL Instant Messenger) during the semester.  Instructions for using this chat facility are found on the FAQ page (http://www.pampetty.com/444421faq.htm) ... it is easy, don't worry. You must put a homepage in Blackboard by September 3, 2005 (see above for directions).

Click HERE for RUBRIC used for scoring this assignment.