Instructor: Dr. Pam Petty, Associate Professor of Literacy

      Mailing Address:                    

       Western Kentucky University

       School of Teacher Education, GRH 1103

       1906 College Heights Blvd.

       Bowling Green, KY 42101

       Office:  270-745-2922
       WKU Center for Literacy:  270-745-2809
       pamela.petty@wku.edu (best way to reach me)

You should also email me - Dr. Petty (pamela.petty@wku.edu) immediately and let me know that we are communicating.  
 

Office Hours:  By appointment and on-line from 7:00 – 10:00 every evening

Meeting Times/Location:  Hybrid course - meetings announced, otherwise on-line

Catalog Course Description:  3 credit hours.  SMED 530 Designing Instruction for Students with Special Needs and Promoting Literacy (3 hrs). The goals of this course are (1) to develop an understanding of the diverse needs of the population described as “exceptional” and (2) to develop concepts of vocabulary, reading comprehension, and reading/study skills and develop strategies for instruction in the content areas of science and math. Teacher residents will prepare and teach math and science inquiry lessons with imbedded reading experiences that challenge, motivate, and actively involve all students in reading; and modifications to instruction for exceptional learners in the classroom. They will also learn about the JCPS math and science initiatives related to notebooking and developing student’s abilities to write evidence-based claims. Teacher residents will be instructed on best practices for dealing with students with ADHD, autism, auditory and visual impairments, language barriers, physical and emotional disabilities, and gifted and talented students. They will investigate cooperative learning, cultural diversity, innovative uses of educational technology, integrating literature into content area reading, inclusion and mainstreaming, effects of disabilities on families, the legal basis for special education (IDEA), and adaptations that provide the “least restrictive environment” for students with special needs.

Prerequisites:  Admission to GSKyTeach.  Successful completion of SMED 501, SMED 510, and SMED 520.  Admission to teacher education.

Required Text: Literacy in Context:  Choosing Instructional Strategies to Teach Reading in Content Areas for Students in Grades 5-12.  Authors:  Mimi Miller and Nancy Veatch.  Published by Pearson.  ISBN:  978-0-13-503484-2  Copyright:  2011

 

Course Objectives:

• design instruction that will meet the literacy needs of diverse learners

• develop concepts of vocabulary, especially as it relates to the specific content areas of science or mathematics for diverse learners

• develop skills to measure reading comprehension in secondary science or mathematics for diverse learners

• develop the skills to promote reading/study skills in secondary science or mathematics for diverse learners

• develop strategies for instruction in the content areas of science and mathematics that promote student achievement for all subgroups

• develop skills for co-teaching and collaboration

Course Grading: All assignments, activities, and tests are assigned a point value. Your grade will be determined by the percentage of possible points earned using the scale below.
 

Evaluation and Grade Assignment

Total = 600 points
A = 558-600 (93%-100%)
B = 510-557 (85%-92%)
C = 462-509 (77%-84%)
D = 420-461 (70%-76%)
F = 419 or fewer (69% or below)

Course Requirements: 

Assignments:
 

Course Assignments and Point Values:

1. Participation and Professionalism (30 pts)  

Active participation through email, virtual chat, and voicethreads forums is mandatory! This also includes participation collegiality, effort, etc.  Professionalism is expected with regard to your electronic communications to one another and to the professor. Your communications should be polite and professional.
 

2.  Voicethread Posts/Reading Guides for each chapter in text (10 readings x 28 points each = 280)

You will respond to a prompt for each chapter.  Some of these will be posted on Voicethread.com and some will be reading guides that are in "contents" on Blackboard.  Our course calendar will reflect where you go to find the prompt/materials. 

 
Rubric for Voicethreads:

3.  Submit  lesson plan and then revise it using best practice for content area reading instruction in math or science.  (50 points)

4.  Develop a non-traditional "how to" guide for science or math teachers specific to an area of your discipline.  Incorporate these strategies in your daily science/math instruction (details by professor later):

• vocabulary  (50 points)

• comprehension (50 points)

• differentiation (50 for each of the above)

5.  Comprehensive plan for Make Reading Essential that aligns with the Kentucky Core Academic Standards (100 points)

Assessment: 

Assessment of student work will include grades for designing appropriate plans, demonstrating instructional skills, especially related to meeting the needs of students with special needs, promoting literacy in mathematics and science, and ensuring that all students achieve at a high level, and collecting and using student data to analyze teaching and modify plans as needed. Assessments will also include grades for written reports that are submitted for planning, data analysis, and reflection, as well as portions of the Teacher Work Sample that are submitted to the instructor.

Instructional Methods: These will include, but not be limited to lecture, on-line instruction, discussion, group and individual activities and projects, peer teaching presentations, simulations, readings, field experiences, and other methods as determined by the instructor.

Work Format: The specific format for different assignments will be discussed in class. In general all original work submitted for grading must be word-processed in 12 point Times New Roman font.  All work submitted must have a header with the Student’s Name and the Instructor’s Name, the name of the assignment, and the date on which the work is completed.  Each page must be numbered sequentially in the footer in the format of “Page x of y.” Unacceptable work will receive a reduced grade or be rejected.

Late Work: Late assignments are accepted with a 20% penalty per day.  No work is accepted after 5 days without an accompanying, completed “Extenuating Circumstances Request Form” (see below). Completion and submission of the “Extenuating Circumstances Request Form” does not give the student credit for participation in any class that is missed.  Makeup exams are not given.  For other policies and exceptions see Attendance and Participation Policy.

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.

Attendance and Participation Policy:  Class participation is required and expected.

Cheating and Academic Dishonesty: Cheating and academic dishonesty are unacceptable. If detected, any student work involved will be assigned a grade of “0” which can result in failing the course. Student work may be checked using plagiarism detection software. Any use of a cell phone or other electronic device during tests and quizzes without the prior permission of the instructor will be considered cheating.

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. 

In PLAIN ENGLISH:  Do not (NOT) turn in work to us that you copied from someone else, that belongs to someone else, or that you did not personally write every word of yourself.  No plagiarism or cheating will be tolerated. 
 

For information about plagiarism: what it is and how to recognize it and avoid it, see
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html

http://www.pampetty.com/plagiarism.htm
 

The Fine Print:  The following statements should be noted carefully.

1.  ALL ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE GRADED FOR CONTENT AND MECHANICS.

2.  Please keep a copy of all assignments handed in.  In the highly unlikely event that an assignment is lost, you will need to provide another copy in a timely manner.

3.  My expectations are high, but my goal is for you to be successful and to leave this university with the skills you need to be the best reading teacher possible.
 

Grades: Candidates for graduate degrees are required to maintain a combined average grade of B (3.0 grade point average) in all course work. Grades lower than that of C may not be used in meeting degree or non-degree requirements. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 GPA for both degree program requirements (degree GPA) and in their overall graduate course work (overall graduate GPA). Students who fail to meet the 3.0 GPA requirements in both areas will not be awarded a degree. 

Please consider the online grade book as a courtesy to you, subject to errors given various upgrades and shifts in the software. I reserve the right to make Grade book corrections to keep it consistent with the syllabus so that your grade reflects true performance, not software or user error. If you see something that doesn’t make sense, please alert me! Thanks much for your help.

Electronic Mail: When sending email, please use the subject line to state THIS COURSE NUMBER, and the subject of your e-mail. Remember the limitations of e-mail. Questions requiring more than a sentence or two (such as “What was covered in class today?” or “How do I make a quadrant?”) are beyond the scope of e-mail.  The same would be true of most special requests. In those cases please schedule an office appointment.

Cell Phones: Turn off all cell phones, pagers and electronic devices during class. In exceptional circumstances I will allow a student to set a cell phone to silent/vibrate and sit near the door. Speak with me should such a situation occur. Any use of a cell phone or other electronic device during tests, quizzes and other evaluations without the express permission of the instructor will be considered cheating.

Special Needs Accommodation:

WKU Policies require all students seeking certification to be officially admitted to Teacher Education.  
 

The Teacher Services Center office is located in Gary Ransdell Hall.

For more information about Student Teaching, contact: Mrs. Tammy McComb

Gary Ransdell Hall (270) 745-6571 tammy.mccomb@wku.edu

Section 1. Certified personnel in the Commonwealth:

Section 2. Violation of this administrative regulation may result in cause to initiate proceedings for revocation or suspension of Kentucky certification as provided in KRS 161.120 and 704 KAR 20:585.