This page contains class information for students enrolled in CCU's EDU 324. If you have questions or comments, please e-mail Karin Snyder at karin@joyrhinos.com. Thank you.

Colorado Christian University
EDU 324 Curriculum II: Reading/Language Arts
Fall 2003
Instructors:

Name Rece Herboldsheimer Karin Snyder
Day Phone (970) 522-0792, ext 256 (970) 526-0225
Evening Phone (970) 334-2364 (970) 526-0012
E-Mail Address receh@kci.net karin@joyrhinos.com

PHILOSOPHY
This course presents an overview of the methods, materials, and curricula currently in use in the elementary language arts education. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to make decisions and adapt to the curricula and methods used in the diverse contexts of public school. Special attention will be given to reading skills in the area of word recognition, comprehension, study skills, reading in the content area, and phonemic awareness. Standardized and informal assessments will also be studied, as well as data-driven instruction. Guided reading, literature circles, shared reading, read alouds, and independent reading will be addressed in depth. Written language instruction including guided writing, spelling, handwriting, Six Traits of Writing, Step-Up-To-Writing, and Four Square writing will also be addressed. The readings, class experiences, and practical assignments are designed to help students apply their knowledge in the teaching of reading and the language arts in the elementary classroom.

PURPOSES
Each student enrolled in EDU 334 should expect to accomplish the following by the end of the semester:

1. Become familiar with the Colorado Content Standards in Language Arts, and the requirements for reading and writing on the CSAP tests.
2. Become familiar with the requirements of the Colorado Basic Literacy Act.
3. Become familiar with theories of reading, writing, and language arts and current best practices in each of these areas.
4. Become familiar with some of the current texts in the field of language arts instruction.
5. Apply learning theory in planning, implementing, and integrating language arts activities into classroom situations.
6. Become familiar with standardized and informal assessments of reading and writing.
7. Plan and implement guided reading lessons.
8. Plan and implement guided writing lessons.
9. Become familiar with some strategies to adapt lessons, which recognize student's needs, abilities, learning styles, gender, cultural background and attitudes in order to plan instruction.

...to download the entire syllabus, click here. Please note this is a partially revised syllabus. 11/12/03

The following are documents that can be downloaded for this course.

Please Note: All documents on this site are in .PDF format (portable document format). You can open .PDF documents with Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program can be downloaded for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
Paste the link above into your browser, click on the link above, or click here:

Syllabus and Schedule Please note this is a partially revised syllabus. 11/12/03
Participation Rubric for District Staff Development

Study Guides: for Burns/Roe/Smith Teaching Reading in Today's Elementary Schools

Summaries: for Burns/Roe/Smith Teaching Reading in Today's Elementary Schools

 
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7 		Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14		 Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7 		Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14

November 11
Colorado Model Standards for Reading and Writing (Colorado Department of Education http://www.cde.state.co.us/)
Frameworks for RE-1 Valley
Kindergarten Reading Writing
1st Grade Reading Writing
2nd Grade Reading Writing
3rd Grade Reading Writing
4th Grade Reading Writing
5th Grade Reading Writing

To see a Class List, click HERE.

November 13
Chapter 4 Vocabulary Activity

Presentation on The Reading Act: click HERE

November 18 Body of Evidence In-Class Project

Stone Soup Guided Reading Unit Materials
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Grade 4 Guided Reading Unit
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

Rubric for Guided Reading Lesson Plan (Assignment Scoring Rubric)

Bibliography on Reading

Reading Assignments for EDU 324 (Dec. 2-Dec 18)

NEW!! GUIDED READING LESSON TEMPLATE (Use this to create a lesson in the four-block lesson format Rece brought to class November 18)

December 2 Unit of Instruction of Guided Reading Due -- Postponed until the next session.
Presentations Dec. 9 & 11

Class summary: Tonight everyone re-read pages 399-408 in Guiding Readers and Writers: Grades 3-6 and pages 87-91 in Colorado Reads (Non-Fiction Reading). Students then wrote a summary about the information in these reading selections. The summaries were handed in at the end of class. (The summary counts as one response/reflective writing piece.)

We watched a video called "Reading and Understanding Nonfiction" (handout: Click HERE for this handout. Please note this is a Word 2000 document and you will need Word 2000 to open it) and discussed the questions on the handout after watching each section of the video. Rece gave a handout for notetaking called "Ten Important Ideas to Know About Nonfiction." There were other handouts from Rece, which she talked about:

  • Example 5.3 Strategy Use (Example: A Skilled Reader's Possible "Flow Chart")
  • Best Practice in Social Studies
  • Best Practice in Teaching Science
  • Best Practice in Teaching Mathematics
  • and, a packet with the first page entitled "TIPS for Reading Informational Texts"

Rece covered the following topics:

  • Features of Non-fiction
  • Probes
  • Features of Science texts
  • Features of Social Studies texts
  • Features of Math texts
  • Chapter 26 - graphic organizers, etc.

If you missed this class session, here are the make-up assignments:

  • Read the above pages in your texts and write a summary about nonfiction reading.
  • Watch the video called "Reading and Understanding Nonfiction." You will need to arrange a time with Rece to watch the video as it belongs to RE-1 Valley Schools. Please note the FQR teaching strategy that the teacher in the video used.
  • Respond in writing to the questions on the accompanying handout for the video.
  • Fill out the handout called "Ten Important Ideas to Know About Nonfiction."
  • Conference with Rece and Karin about your Guided Reading Lesson

December 4

Class summary: Tonight Karin addressed strategies for teaching English Language Learners in the mainstream classroom. There were several handouts:

Students were given time to read through the information and then respond in an FQR format per the video watched at the last session. On paper in a two-column format, students wrote important facts from the readings and their responses to the facts. On separate index cards, they wrote a minimum of three questions about the readings. Karin noted that there were two acronyms in the readings which were not explained and said that identifying and asking about these two acronyms could count as two questions.

Each student shared one important fact from their paper and a response, which promoted discussion with the other class members. After a break, Karin collected both the Fact/Response notes and the note cards, and then addressed some of the questions that were on the notecards. She also informed students of a website with a free downloadable book about how mainstream teachers can assist English language learners called "Help! They Don't Speak English" available at http://www.escort.org (click on the link which says "Help Kits").

Rece addressed the Step Up To Writing (SUTW) method of teaching writing. We watched a video on SUTW and received the following handouts:

  • Best Practices in Teaching Writing
  • Handy Pages Level 1: Step Up To Writing (a student booklet with SUTW concepts)
  • A packet with the first page entitled "Two Kinds of Writing"
  • Rubric Scoring Guide for Narratives and Stories
  • Rubric Scoring Guide for Paragraphs, Report and Essay Writing

Rece handed out the project guidelines for the guided writing assignment. One handout was entitled "Guided Writing -- Summary Intermediate Level." The other was a "Rubric to Guided Writing Unit," which outlines the necessary requirements for the guided writing unit of instruction due December 16.

At the end of class, Karin handed out a related handout called "Summarizing" from the UT Learning Center. She also referred students to look in the packet called "Guided Writing -- Summary Intermediate Level" Rece had just handed out (the second-to-last page has a rubric for evaluating summary writing). Karin returned the summaries from the previous sessions and asked students to re-write their summaries following the rubric guidelines in the packet and the information found in the "Summarizing" handout. The revised summaries are due December 9. (The revised summary counts as one response/reflective writing piece.)

If you missed this class session, here are the make-up assignments:

  • Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners: Get handouts from Karin and write an FQR response to the articles. Divide your paper into three-column notes and write Facts/Questions/Responses in each column. Focus on the important facts of the articles.
  • Step Up to Writing: Contact Rece to see the video of Maureen Auman (it cannot be checked out as it is RE1-Valley property; be prepared to take two -column notes on the video and projects as they are presented in video. See Rece to show you modeling of Color Strips, Dots, Summaries
  • Writing Project Guidelines: Get from Rece
  • Revise your summary about Nonfiction Reading per the rubric guidelines in the packet and the information found in the "Summarizing" handout (see above).

December 9

Class summary:

Rece opened the class with a handout called "10 Key Ideas about Writers Workshop." Students had some time to fill these out while waiting for the computer lab to open.

Karin presented on Technology and Internet in the Classroom. The presentation can be viewed HERE. There were two handouts with activities; one is entitled "Technology and Internet in the Classroom" and the other is called "Websites for Teachers." Karin asked students to be sure to answer the question about WebQuests on the back of the handout "Technology and Internet in the Classroom," and then turn in this handout for her and Rece to view. Also, there were a couple of suggestions for reflection papers (Paper #6). See the Objectives in the presentation (click HERE) -- and address one or more of the objectives in writing; or, answer the Question for Reflection at the bottom of the page "Websites for Teachers."

Six students gave presentations about their guided writing lessons.

Rece talked about how to begin the guided writing project (click HERE).

Students handed in their summaries and revised summaries from December 2 & 4.

The following assignments were given:

  • Do Reflection #6 on Technology in the Classroom (focus on literacy)
  • Finish the handout called "10 Key Ideas about Writers Workshop" and complete another called "Writer's Terrain" (available HERE ).
  • Read through the instructions about the Guided Writing project (Click HERE). Bring an idea to the next session about what you want to do in your project. You may want to use your writing portion of your Guided Reading Lesson and develop it further in your Guided Writing Lesson.
  • Come to class next session prepared to work on your Guided Writing assignment, as well as to present your Guided Reading Lesson, if you have not already done so.

If you missed this class session, here are the make-up assignments:

  • This was not applicable to anyone in this class session as all were present.

December 11

For a portion of the class we will have a working session on preparing a unit of Guided Writing instruction. Please be prepared to begin this project by having a topic and by having read the handout "How to Start the Guided Writing Project"

December 16 Unit of Instruction in Writing Due

 

December 18