EDSS 540: Literacy in Secondary Schools Kelli Burns

Course Description  Monday and Wednesday 4:30 – 7:20  Prerequisite: Admission to the Single Subject Credential Program  Corequisite: EDSS 570 or EDSS 575

Course Description  methods and techniques for reading, writing, language and literacy across the secondary curriculum  language and literacy issues and processes are crucial to successful student learning and successful teaching across contexts and content areas

Course Description  special needs of proficient readers and adolescents who struggle as readers  approaches and methods that are consistent with a comprehensive, systematic program  emphasis on teaching in multicultural, multilingual and inclusive classrooms.

Student Learning Objectives:  Explain the challenges of working with assumptions (personal and systemic) that ascribe literacy “responsibility” to only a few content areas.  Develop a growing awareness of the complexity of literacy acquisition and of defining literacy.

Student Learning Objectives:  Explain how context and culture affect literacy development.  Develop reading and writing activities so that students of varied literacy backgrounds have access to a variety of texts.  Use a wide variety of strategies to help students access content-area texts.

Student Learning Objectives:  Use Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) and apply its strategies effectively & appropriately in designing lessons.  Integrate literacy activities into content instruction to facilitate students’ learning content knowledge while at the same time growing as readers and writers.

Student Learning Objectives:  Develop methods for diagnosing students’ literacy skills in the context of their content area.  Assess the appropriateness of reading materials for students in their content areas.

Required Texts  Primary textbook: Content area reading and learning : instructional strategies  ONE content area textbook  Selected articles  ONE Book Group Selection

University Mission Statement  Placing students at the center of the educational experience, California State University Channel Islands provides undergraduate and graduate education that facilitates learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches, emphasizes experiential and service learning, and graduates students with multicultural and international perspectives.

Alignment  In our preparation of professional educators, we have given extensive consideration to the alignment of professional standards and assessments as articulated by professional associations, certification agencies and learned societies. In particular, this course aligns with standards established by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC).

Commitment  The Teacher Education Program faculty is committed to infusing language, culture, special education/exceptionality, and technology and gender competencies across the curriculum.

Course Policies and Procedures  Professionalism, Collegiality, Attendance, and Participation  Academic Honesty and Integrity  Late Work  Grading Policy  Students With Special Needs  Class Assumptions

Course Requirements  PointsAssignment  25Attendance and active participation  50Textbook analysis & adaptation  50Book Group Reflection  50Lesson Modeling 25 points each)  50Reading Journal  75Case study contributions  300Total

Assignments:  Attendance, in-class, & electronic participation (25 points)  Textbook analysis and adaptation (50 points)  Lesson Modeling (50 points)  Book Group Reflection (50 points)  Case Studies (75 points)  Reading Journal (50 points)

Questions / Comments  Does anyone have any questions or comments?

What is Literacy:  Definition: The ability and the willingness to use reading and writing to construct meaning from printed text, in ways which meet the requirements of a particular social context.

What is Literacy?  Quick write: A Literacy Memory – pick an event that seems important to you in your own literacy history and write about what happened and why it feels like a key event. Be yourself – don’t be a teacher.

What is Literacy?  “Every teacher is a reading teacher.”  Write down your thoughts and feelings on the above quote.

What is Literacy?  Pair up and share: Choose a partner near you and share your thoughts and experiences. Be prepared to share your partner’s responses.  Introduce your partner.  Based on what we have heard, what is literacy?

English ScienceMath

What is Literacy?  Meet in same discipline groups and discuss the following: What do our students use literacy for? What might this class offer us? What do we offer our classmates?  How are we different?  How are we the same?

Literacy Video  Watch the video on literacy.

For Next Time:  Read “Effective Literacy Instruction for Adolescence” According to the report authors, what are the characteristics of effective literacy instruction? Of the strategies mentioned in the article, which do you know already? Which would you like to know more about? Who are struggling readers? What are we to do with them?

Why is There a Need for Content Area Teachers to Incorporate Reading Strategies into Their Instruction?  A change in instructional emphasis from learning to read to reading to learn  A change in the nature of instructional texts as students advance through the grades  A recent change in curricular emphasis that corresponds to our growing use of technology.

Why is There a Need for Content Area Teachers to Incorporate Reading Strategies into Their Instruction?  Literacy in grades K-3 - Oral language and story reading / high success / learning to read activities  Grade 4 – dramatic shift / reading to learn with expository texts  High school reading ability – minimal level of proficiency for success in our technological age.

Why is There a Need for Content Area Teachers to Incorporate Reading Strategies into Their Instruction?  Technological age – challenging reading demands  Complex texts – History and Science (getting better) Should be challenging, well written, and organized  Teachers must: be well versed in strategies to enhance student’s comprehension of challenging texts. be able to analyze and evaluate chosen texts.

Why is There a Need for Content Area Teachers to Incorporate Reading Strategies into Their Instruction?  Textbooks: May not express importance of facts. Rarely states why student needs to know information. Students learn not to read text because teachers give all necessary info. Compartmentalize = “read and memorize”

Why is There a Need for Content Area Teachers to Incorporate Reading Strategies into Their Instruction?  Our society demands a shift from reading and answer questions to being able to apply knowledge.  Teachers must: Model higher order thinking Place students in collaborative problem- solving groups Provide assignments that require analysis and creativity

Does Content Area Reading Assist the Development of a Literate Society?  Some studies suggest content area reading strategies have an impact on reading achievement and literacy in general.  Students learn how to apply the knowledge and are able to use the information across curriculum.  Students learn how to apply strategies to new material.

Resistance to Content Area Reading Instruction  Look at the format of the article.  How is the broken up?  Skim the article reading the headings.  Read the article section you have been assigned.  Be ready to report important points to group.