Western Kentucky University

Instructor:  Pam Petty	Office:  Tate Page Hall 363
Office Phone:  270-745-2922	Home Phone:  615-735-9198
Campus Email:  pamela.petty@wku.edu	Home Email:  pam@pampetty.com
Course Calendar	Homepage: http://www.pampetty.com

Office Hours:  by Appointment
Electronic Hours:  Evenings 7:00 - 10:00 

This syllabus will not be ready until August 27, 2008.

Thank you! 

Required Textbooks:

Gambrell, L.B., Morrow, L.M., & Pressley, M. (2007). Best practices in literacy instruction. NY: Guilford.

• Publisher: Guilford Press; 3rd edition (2007)
• ISBN: 1-59385-392-0

Prerequisites: None

Course Description: Analysis of the reading and writing process with emphasis on the psychological and physiological foundations of the reading act.

Course Rationale: This course provides the graduate student in education a rudimentary study of the foundations of reading and writing instruction. This experience will expand students' understanding on the reading process.

Course Objectives & Outcomes

Course Disposition Statement(s)

The teacher recognizes her/his professional responsibility for engaging in and supporting appropriate professional practices for self and colleagues.

The teacher is committed to the continuous development of individual students’ abilities and considers how different motivational strategies are likely to encourage this development for each student.

The teacher is committed to using assessment to identify student strengths and promotes student growth rather than to deny students access to learning opportunities.

The teacher has a well-grounded framework for understanding cultural and community diversity and knows how to learn about and incorporate student’s experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.

The teacher is committed to continuous learning and engages in professional discourse about subject matter knowledge and children’s learning of the discipline.

There is ONE CRITICAL PERFORMANCE for this course:   WebQuest:  Technology Assignment (125 points)
This assignment MUST be posted to the Electronic Portfolio before a final grade can be given for this course.  This assignment need to be produced electronically either in MS WORD (doc), in Rich Text Format (rtf), HTML, or PowerPoint (PPT) so it can be uploaded to the Electronic Portfolio and opened by your instructor.  Submission of WORKS files or WordPerfect files is not acceptable.  You must upload the assignment to the ASSIGNMENTS section of Blackboard AND to the Electronic Portfolio. 

You may need to register in the new EPS system before you will have access. 

http://edtech6.wku.edu/~eps/

Professionalism, Participation, Collegiality (20 points)

This course is being taught on-line. You are expected to be a fully participating member of this class. This includes participation, collegiality, effort, etc. All students are expected to contribute to this community of learners by being a positive participant in all class discussions on the discussion board in BlackBoard. This also includes any synchronous (live) chats that might be scheduled throughout the semester SKYPE or MSN Instant Messenger.

    Follow the directions on the INTRODUCTION webpage for this course (20 points total) Due: 

a.  Set up student homepage in Blackboard - Each student should create a homepage in Blackboard. (5 points) - DUE  (https://ecourses.wku.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp).  After logging in to Blackboard, click on our course name (Foundations of Reading Instruction - LTCY 519) and click on STUDENT TOOLS.  The fill-in-the-blank form for making your homepage is listed there.  To view your homepage, click on Communication, then on Student Roster. This will be a very important venue for us to get to know each other and will count as part of our class participation score. 
b.  Submit SURVEY from  INTRODUCTION (5 points) - DUE 
c.  Submit  responses to writing prompt for chapter 17 and IRA Position Statement on Excellent Reading Teachers from INTRODUCTION (10 points) - DUE 

Revised Lesson Plan (75 points)
Initial Lesson Plan Submitted:  DATE by midnight CDT

Revised Lesson Plan Due:  DATE by midnight CDT

1.  Students will submit a lesson plan that they have taught or will design one to teach (preferably in the content areas of language arts, science, or social studies - math allowed only with prior permission from instructor).  No particular lesson plan format is required, but the lesson plan should include common elements of a formal lesson plan (KY standards being addressed, materials, procedures, methods, assessment, etc.).  The instructor will review this lesson plan and will ask students to review the lesson plan for comment and comparison at the END of the semester. 

2.  Students will revise the lesson plan to demonstrate learned content from this course and will submit the revised lesson plan and a response paper which includes explaining changes made in the lesson plan, pedagogy changes, etc. The revised lesson plan must reflect ACTIVE reading strategies (pre/during/post), "best practice" in writing instruction, as well as best practice in viewing, listening, and technology.  The plan must also include specific strategies and considerations for student diversity.

Scoring Rubric for this Assignment

WebQuest:  Technology Assignment (125 points) Due: DATE by 12:00 midnight CDT
 

1.  Your challenge in this task is to develop a WebQuest focusing on aspects of ACTIVE reading strategies and supporting struggling and diverse learners. You can begin to read about WebQuests by clicking HERE.  If you work through the tutorial listed there and investigate the resources listed here: http://webquest.org/index.php you should be able to begin your own WebQuest easily. 

To begin your work on the WebQuest you need to review the training materials I put on-line: 

• http://www.pampetty.com/webquests/home.htm  

• The How do I Begin (http://www.pampetty.com/webquests/begin.htm) and

• Creating Your Own WebQuest (http://www.pampetty.com/webquests/creating.htm) pages will be very useful to you as they walk you through the process.  

• Another critical thing you need to do is LOOK AT OTHER WebQuests on-line – see what others have created in your content area, determine what you like, what you dislike, etc.  Then take the lists of likes and dislikes and use those ideas (with credit given) as you create your own on-line learning model (WebQuest).

• Determine a TEXT (children's book) that you want to use in the WebQuest.  The book can be fiction or non-fiction and must be an award winner (Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta King) or by an award winning author.  Please email Dr. Petty and have your text selection APPROVED BEFORE you begin working on your WebQuest.

• Plan your pre/during/post/vocabulary strategies for the book.

• Plan how your lesson will include adaptations for struggling and diverse learners. 
   

• You will note that there are templates available that you can edit. 

• here are some resources you may find useful:

  • http://webquest.sdsu.edu/

  • http://www.readingrockets.org/article/82 -- 103 things to do pre/during/post

  • webquest maker – (Teachnology):  http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/web_quest/

  • Application types:  http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/apptypes.html

  • Webquest overview:  http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/webquests.html

  • Webquest about webquests:  http://www.biopoint.com/WebQuests/webquest2.html

  • Generator:  http://www.aula21.net/Wqfacil/webeng.htm  (http://www.aula21.net/Wqfacil/intro.htm)

  • Webquest generator:  http://ilearn.senecac.on.ca/elc/wqg/index.html

Upload your html, Word, or PPT files to the Assignments section in Blackboard.  I will get your files and publish them on the Internet for you.  If you have web space of your own or if you want to go get some free webspace so that you can continue to ADD to and EDIT your webquest (http://www.pampetty.com/techtraining.htm), then just email me your URL and I will link to it.

An alternate method of developing a WebQuest would be to do one as a PowerPoint presentation.  See examples from previous students on this page:  http://www.pampetty.com/519webquests.htm  (Warning:  Some of these are GREAT ... some are not so great ... I invite you view these to get ideas about format, it is up to you to be critical viewers to determine quality.) 

Scoring Rubric for this assignment.

Course Calendar

The Fine Print: 

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. During the semester a date will be announced in class stating the last day in which late work can be submitted for a grade in the course. This policy is instituted primarily to prevent students from becoming overloaded at the end of the semester.  All assignments must be submitted via the Assignments Section in BlackBoard and must be in the following formats:

• .doc (Microsoft WORD)
• .rtf (rich text format)
• other acceptable formats include PowerPoint, Publisher, and html
  
  NOTE:  All assignments will be graded for content and mechanics.

The previously-stated policy on late work applies even in circumstances when the student is given an incomplete ("X") for failure to upload an assignment to the Electronic Portfolio System. Students requesting an incomplete for another reason must contact the instructor to ask for an incomplete, which may or may not be granted, depending on the instructor's judgment regarding the circumstances of the student's request. According to the catalog on Undergraduate Catalog p.28/Graduate Catalog, p.13, “A grade of ‘X’ (incomplete) is given only when a relatively small amount of work is not completed because of illness or other reason satisfactory to the instructor. “An ‘X’ received by a student will automatically become an “F” unless removed within twelve (12) weeks of the next full term (summer excluded). The grade of ‘X’ will continue to appear as the initial grade on the student’s transcript, along with the revised grade.

Keep copies of all assignments. If an assignment is lost, the burden of proof that you completed the assignment rests with you.  The WebQuest must be in html format. 

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

Evaluation and Grade Assignment

Assessment will include written assignments, performance events, and evaluation of student plans for reading instruction. The student must achieve minimum competency, otherwise the course must be repeated.

Final grade LTCY 519 will be based on a 600 point scale:

                             Grade    Percentages          Points
                             A            93-100                558-600
                             B            85-92                  510-557
                             C            77-84                  462-509
                             D            70-76                  420-461
                             F            69 or less           460 or less 

Website Address: (for your resource file)

Teacher-oriented sites:

Kentucky Department of Education: http://www.kde.state.ky.us

International Reading Association: http://www.reading.org

Children’s Literature Web Guide: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown

ERIC Clearing on Reading, English & Communication: http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/index.html

Booklist (reviews): http://www.ala.org/booklist/

Child-oriented sites:

Kids on the Web: http://www.zen.org/~brendan/kids.html

Jan Brett’s Home Page: http://www.janbrett.com

Ann Arbor District Library Kid’s page: http://www.anarbor.lib.mi.us/kidspg/kidspgw.html

K-12 English: http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/BusyT/eng.html

English literature and composition resources on the Internet: http://www.iat.unc.edu/guides/irg-30.html

Pam Petty's Education Site:  http://www.pampetty.com 

Supplementary Resources:

http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/0082guid.pdf

• Study Guide for Methods that Matter:  Six Structures for Best Practice Classrooms by Harvey Daniels and Marilyn Bizar

http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/0072guid.pdf

• Study Guide for Non-Fiction Matters by Stephanie Harvey

http://knowledgeloom.org/practices3.jsp?location=1&bpinterid=1174&spotlightid=1174

• Adolescent Literacy in the Content Areas

http://www.reading.org/positions/second_language.html

• Second-Language Literacy Instruction:
  A Position Statement of the International Reading Association

http://www.reading.org/positions/adol_lit.html

• International Reading Association's Position Statement on Adolescent Literacy - (prompt should refer to the bulleted list)

http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/0310guid.pdf

• Study Guide for Strategies that Work by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis

Allington, R.L., & Walmsley, S.A. (1995). No quick fix. New York: Teacher’s College Press.

Atwell, N. (1987). In the middle: Writing, reading, and learning with adolescents. New Jersey: Boynton/Cook.

Delpit, L. (1994). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. NY: New Press.

Dewey, J. (1916 or 1966). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. NY: Macmillan.

Gay, G. (1994). At the essence of learning: Multicultural education. NY: Macmillan.

Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching. NY: Teacher’s College Press.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Oakes, J. (1985). Keeping track: How schools structure inequality. NY: Yale University Press.

Powell, R. (1999). Literacy as a moral imperative: Facing the challenges of a pluralistic society. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield.

Roe, B.D., Stoodt, B.D., & Burns, P.C. (1998). Secondary school literacy instruction: The content areas. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Santa, C.M., & Alvermann, D.E. (1991). Science learning: Processes and applications. Delaware: International Reading Association.

Vacca, R.T., & Vacca, J.A.L. (1998). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers.

 Plagiarism Policy:
To represent ideas or interpretations taken from another source as one's own is plagiarism.  Plagiarism is a serious offense.  The academic work of students must be their own.  Students must give the author(s) credit for any source material used.  To lift content directly from a source without giving credit is a flagrant act.  To present a borrowed passage after having changed a few words, even if the source is cited, is also plagiarism.

Disability Accommodations Statement:
"Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustment and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Services, Room 445, Potter Hall.  The OFSDS telephone number is (270) 745-5004 V/TDD.  Please DO NOT request accommodations directly from the professor or instructor without a letter of accommodation from the Office for Student Disability Services.