Auburn University

Course Syllabus

1.	Course Number:	CTRD 5003/6000/6006/6710

Course Title:	Literacy and Inquiry in the Content Areas, Grades 6-12

Credit Hours:	3 semester hours

Prerequisite:	Admission to Teacher Education (CTRD 5003 only)

Co-requisite:	None

2.	Date Syllabus Prepared:	April 2014 Revised

3.	Text(s):

Vacca, R.T., Vacca, J.L., & Mraz, M .( 2014). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum. Boston: Pearson.

All additional readings will be made available in Canvas Course Content.

4.	Course Description:

Strategies to enhance literacy and inquiry for students' content area learning in the middle and secondary school.

5.	Course Objectives:

Course objectives include a subset of key indicators from the Alabama State Department of Education preservice teacher continuum (.03), English language arts program-specific standards (.10), and advanced technology standards (.42). Final assessment of the advanced technology standards (.42) are in this course.

Preservice Teacher Continuum (.03)

Literacy

3.3 Uses age-appropriate instructional strategies to improve learners’ skills in fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension

3.4 Integrates narrative and expository reading strategies across the curriculum

3.7 Identifies and integrates available emerging technology into the teaching of all content areas

3.8 Facilitates learners’ individual and collaborative use of technology and evaluates their technological proficiency

Diversity

4.1 Develops culturally responsive curriculum and instruction

4.4 Supports learners to accelerate language acquisition

4.5 Guides 2nd language acquisition and utilizes English Language Development (ELD) strategies

4.6 Differentiates between learner difficulties related to cognitive or skill development and those that relate to language learning

4.7 Understands and recognizes the characteristics of exceptionality in learning to assist in appropriate identification and interventions

English Language Arts Program-specific Standards (.13)

Create meaning-including comprehension, interpretation, evaluation and appreciation-from texts. (2) (a)3. (ii)(i)

Select Appropriate research based strategies and materials to meet the needs of struggling readers, including those identified in the Alabama Reading Initiative publication Essential Skills of Teaching Reading. (2) (a) 3. (ii) (lll)

Advanced Technology Standards (.42) - Graduate Students Only

With regard to designing, implementing, and assessing technology-based learning experiences to engage students and improve learning; prepare students for successive education, careers and college; enrich professional practice; and provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community, individuals enrolled in Class A programs shall demonstrate ability to:
Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity by providing a variety of learning environments that foster collaboration and innovative thinking to solve real world issues and authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
Design, develop, use, manage, and assess authentic digital-age learning experiences that are aligned with subject-area content and the Alabama Course of Study: Technology Education to maximize content learning and address diverse learning styles, incorporating the use of formative and summative measurement tools to better inform learning.
Model and facilitate innovative digital-age work and learning experiences through the effective use of current and emerging tools to ensure success in a global and digital world whereby the teacher and learner locate, analyze, evaluate, manage, and report information as well as communicate and collaborate online fluently using a variety of technology-based media formats.
Promote, model, and communicate the safe, legal, and ethical principles of digital citizenship, equitable access, digital etiquette, and responsible online social interactions in a global culture including respect for copyright, intellectual property, the appropriate documentation of sources, and Internet user protection policies.
Engage in professional growth and leadership activities, including modeling lifelong learning by participating in face to face and online learning communities to continuously improve professional practice using existing and emerging digital tools, resources, and current research that focuses on improved student learning, as well as promotes professional development of other educators.

6.	Course Content and Schedule:

Students will interact using online discussion tools and chat. Office hours will be conducted using Scopia or Zoom or chat in the Course Canvas. Students will have access to the instructor via email and office phone as necessary in lieu of utilizing on-campus office hours.

Week	Concept for the Week	Assignment	Time Frame	Point Value
1	Introduction to content-area reading and teaching English learners	*Voice Thread assignment *Voice Thread Introductions *Textbook Selection *Textbook scan *Bader Textbook Analysis	8-24	20 10 Complete/Incomplete Complete/Incomplete 15
2	Culturally Responsive Teaching	*Discussion Posting *Quiz	8-31	20 15
3	Language Acquisition	*Mind Map Graphic Organizer *Choice of Mini Assignment	9-7	15 20
4	Effective teaching	SIOP Instrument	9-14	30
5	New Literacies	Discussion Posting Webquest	9-21	20 40
6	Assessment and Text	Pre & Post Assessment Quiz	9-28	40 15
7	Planning and Instruction	Readability of Text Alternate Text for ELs	10-5	15 10
8	Strategies to Enhance Learning	Identify 3 B,D,A Reading Strategies Take the M-MARSI & MARSI	10-12	Complete or incomplete Complete or incomplete
9	Guided Reading	Developing Before, During and After Reading Strategies (WIX)	10-19	30
10	Vocabulary	Tiered Vocabulary Lesson Plan Discussion	10-26	25 15
11	Writing	Interactive Writing Journal ( Electronic) Focus: Critical Thinking	11-2	30
12	Text Features	Textbook Scavenger Hunt Quiz	11-9	20 15
13	Learning with Trade books	Picture –Trade book	11-16	20
14	GRADUATE LEVEL ONLY	Research Report	11-23	100
15	Final Exam	Pathbrite E-Portfolio Reflective Process	12-2	100

Week 2. Culturally Responsive Teaching

Week 3. Language Acquisition

Week 4. Effective Teaching

Week 5. New Literacies

Week 6. Assessment and Text

Week 7. Planning and Instruction

Week 8. Activation of Prior Knowledge

Week 9. Strategies to Enhance Learning

Week 10. Guided Reading

Week 11. Vocabulary

Week 12. Writing

Week 13. Text Features

Week 14. Learning with Trade Books

Week 15. GRADUATE Students research report due

Week 16. FINAL EXAM

7.	Course Requirements/Evaluations:

A.	Participate in all asynchronous and synchronous class activities.

Complete all assigned readings,

Complete all class activities, write, and post reflections or evaluations on Canvas.

D.	Complete all quizzes and or examinations.

E.	Maintain a professional presence in the online environment for this course.

F.	Frequently check the course website for updates, email, and assignments.

Attendance and Participation: Class content and processes related to literacy and inquiry are based on social interaction, applications of cooperative learning activities, shared reader responses, and collaboration. Due to the participatory nature of learning experiences in this class, students are expected to have an ACTIVE online presence and adhere to all course requirements explained in class policies.

Assigned Readings: All assigned texts and course materials will be available in Canvas Course Content for this class. Readings will be discussed in various manners ranging from course Canvas discussions to embedded in-class assignments. These readings contain information that will be included in the reflections, projects, examinations, and other course requirements.

Reflections and Activities: Students will write reflections on assigned readings in textbooks and other course materials and participate in and respond to voices from the field through discussion postings. Directions or questions will be provided to guide the reflections and responses that are completed as course work. Reflections will be posted on the Canvas Discussion Board and requirements for the discussion posting will be posted with each discussion thread. Reflections and activities will be graded on the degree to which they address questions or issues raised in the directions, demonstrate thoughtful interactions with the information, and evaluate activities for helping students overcome interferences to text comprehension and problems with reading and writing.

Internet Inquiry WebQuest Project: Students will produce a WebQuest that incorporates Internet resources, publish it, and submit through Canvas, so other classmates can review and evaluate the usefulness of the WebQuest. The WebQuest will be developed as an electronic resource for engaging elementary, middle, or high school students in literacy and inquiry that corresponds to state and national course of study standards. The grade for this project will be based on rubric evaluation completed by the instructor and possibly other class members. Qualitative and quantitative rubric criteria will be used to evaluate the extent to which the WebQuest has been revised and edited for on-line publication and has potential for involving participants in:(1) meaningful, personally relevant content, questions, tasks and processes; (2) reading and responding to a variety of appropriate information sources that take advantage of the timeliness of the internet; (3) interactions with texts that integrate content area reading, writing, and technology; (4) inquiry that promotes critical reading, thinking, and synthesis across multiple sources and from multiple perspectives; (5) appropriate scaffolding for English learners (6) and rubric assessment of standards-based learning goals. Guidelines and resources for producing and publishing the WebQuest for Internet access will be available on Canvas.

WIX: Students will create classroom home pages that incorporate before, during, and after reading strategies that also reflect strategies that support English learners, publish it, and submit the hyperlink through Canvas, so other classmates can review and evaluate the usefulness of the class resource page. The WIX will be developed as an electronic resource for students to use anytime, anywhere as they are working on their unit of study. The grade for this project will be based on rubric evaluation completed by the instructor. Guidelines and resources for producing and publishing the WIX will be available on Canvas.

PathBrite Final Exam Portfolio Reflection: Students will develop a PathBrite Portfolio to submit a full compilation of all course requirements using forward, inward and backward reflection for each assignment. The plan must incorporate all previous submissions of all revised assignments. Each student will submit the URL internet address for the plan to the Instructor who will evaluate the reflections and the final submission of all assignments. Guidelines and resources for producing and submitting PathBrite e-Portfolio will be available on Canvas.

Interactive Writing Journal for Students: Students will create electronic classroom journal. Students will have a choice of submission formats. All students will submit this assignment through Canvas for final grade. A rubric will be used to grade this assignment.

Quizzes and Examinations. Students may take quizzes related to readings and class activities. All quizzes will be announced in advance by the instructor. The examination will be comprehensive and require students to demonstrate that they have read, understood, and synthesized the content addressed in assigned readings, course materials, presentations, and reflections posted on Canvas.

Research Report. Graduate students enrolled in CTRD 6000 or 6006 must complete a research report in which they summarize, evaluate, and make recommendations based on the results of at least five research articles published in refereed journals for their content area. Articles selected for the research report must present findings that relate to improving and/or accelerating reading fluency, vocabulary, and/or comprehension for elementary or secondary students in working with content area texts and materials. In the report, describe and critically evaluate the assessment tools used to monitor and provide evidence showing acquisition of reading strategies, improvement in reading instruction, or identification of students needing additional instruction. The research report should be a minimum of five full pages without the list of references and include citations for each article in the body of the text and a reference list on the last page that follow guidelines from the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual. The research report must be typed and edited thoroughly to make sure there are no semantic, syntactic, or spelling errors.

Grading and Evaluation:

The final grade for the course will be based on the following:

Late assignments will result in a 5% grade deduction per calendar day. The grading scale will be: 90-100% = A; 80-89.9% = B; 70-79.9% = C; 60-69.9% = D; 0-59.9% = F

A - Characterized by outstanding commitment to developing new understandings literacy and teaching reading in the content areas. This commitment will be evidenced by completing all assignments in an exemplary and timely manner. An "A" indicates that you have earned more than 90% of the total possible points available.

B - Characterized by honest and satisfactory commitment to developing new understandings of adolescent literacy and teaching reading in the content areas. This commitment will be evidenced by satisfactory completion of all assignments in a timely manner. A "B" indicates that you have earned more than 80% of the total points available.

C –Characterized by minimum commitment to developing new understandings of adolescent literacy and teaching reading in the content areas. This commitment will be evidenced by just doing the minimum to get the assignments done and minimally participating in group assignments and class discussions. A “C: indicates you earned more than 70% of the total points available.

***Not completing one or more assignment will earn the student a grade of “F.”

*** Please note that points will be deducted for work turned in late as explained in each assignment.

8.	Class Policy Statements:

Participation: Students are expected to participate in all asynchronous, synchronous assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor if deadlines for exercises and assignments are not met. Students are responsible for initiating arrangements for submitting missed work.

You will need to log in and participate each week. There will be three "real-time" meetings scattered throughout the semester which you must participate. You will be notified of these dates as soon as possible, so you can make arrangements. Points will be awarded based on your activities in the course and your participation on the Discussion boards and assignments.

Note: You may not "pick and choose" which assignments to complete. All assignments (including all discussion boards, quizzes, assignments, etc.) must be completed in order for students to earn a grade higher than an "F" for this course.

Note: Do not get too far ahead.

All dates are subject to change as the class progresses, due to unforeseen circumstances.

Since this is a 3 hour course, class activities have been designed to take about 3 hours to complete each week (Reading through the lesson and completing any assigned work). Readings (textbook and articles) are expected to take an additional hour each week, for a total of 4 hours a week.

Attendance/Absences: Attendance is required throughout the course.

Unannounced quizzes: There will be no unannounced quizzes.

Accommodations: Students who need accommodations are asked to electronically submit their approved accommodations through AU Access and to arrange a meeting during office hours the first week of classes, or as soon as possible if accommodations are needed immediately. If you have a conflict with office hours, an alternate time can be arranged. To set up this meeting, please contact me by e-mail. If you have not established accommodations through the Office of Accessibility, but need accommodations, make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility, 1228 Haley Center, 844-2096 (V/TT).

Honesty Code: The University Academic Honesty Code and the Student Policy eHandbook’s Rules and Regulations pertaining to Cheating will apply to this class.

Professionalism: As faculty, staff, and students interact in professional settings, they are expected to demonstrate professional behaviors as defined in the College’s conceptual framework. These professional commitments or dispositions are described in the College of Education’s Conceptual Framework as Candidate Proficiencies 11 through 14, and they are listed below:

Engage in responsible and ethical professional practices

Contribute to collaborative learning communities

Demonstrate a commitment to diversity

Model and nurture intellectual vitality

Distance Learning Students: Unless specific instructions have been given for a designated course, students in distance education courses shall take all closed resource examinations under the supervision of an approved proctor. Examples of approved proctors include a school superintendent, a principal of a high school, or a dean or department head of a college. Proctors shall be verified and exams shall be sent directly to the proctor who will manage the examination in a secure manner, requiring students to present a picture ID.

Course Assessment Map

Course Objectives	Choice of Assignment	SIOP Checklist	WebQuest	Assessment Pre & Post	Background Knowledge	Strategies	WIX QAR using BDA	Interactive Writing Journal	Trade Books	Research Report	PathBrite E-Portfolio	Discussion postings, Asynchronous & Synchronous Meetings, Group Work
Pre- service Teacher Continuum (.03)
3.3 Uses age-appropriate instructional strategies to improve learners’ skills in fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension	x	x	x	x
3.4 Integrates narrative and expository reading strategies across the curriculum	x
3.7 Identifies and integrates available emerging technology into the teaching of all content areas	x	x	x	x	x
3.8 Facilitates learners’ individual and collaborative use of technology and evaluates their technological proficiency	x	x	x	x
4.1 Develops culturally responsive curriculum and instruction	x	x	x
4.4 Supports learners to accelerate language acquisition	x	x
4.5 Guides 2nd language acquisition and utilizes English Language Development (ELD) strategies	x
4.6 Differentiates between learner difficulties related to cognitive or skill development and those that relate to language learning	x	x
4.7 Understands and recognizes the characteristics of exceptionality in learning to assist in appropriate identification and interventions	x	x
English Language Arts (.10)
Select Appropriate research based strategies and materials to meet the needs of struggling readers, including those identified in the Alabama Reading Initiative publication Essential Skills of Teaching Reading. (2) (a) 3. (ii) (lll)	x	x	x

Advanced Technology (.42)
Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity by providing a variety of learning environments that foster collaboration and innovative thinking to solve real world issues and authentic problems using digital tools and resources.	x	x
Design, develop, use, manage, and assess authentic digital-age learning experiences that are aligned with subject-area content and the Alabama Course of Study: Technology Education to maximize content learning and address diverse learning styles, incorporating the use of formative and summative measurement tools to better inform learning.	x	x
Model and facilitate innovative digital-age work and learning experiences through the effective use of current and emerging tools to ensure success in a global and digital world whereby the teacher and learner locate, analyze, evaluate, manage, and report information as well as communicate and collaborate online fluently using a variety of technology-based media formats.	x	x
Promote, model, and communicate the safe, legal and ethical principles of digital citizenship, equitable access, digital etiquette, and responsible online social interactions in a global culture including respect for copyright, intellectual property, the appropriate documentation of sources, and Internet user protection policies.	x	x
Engage in professional growth and leadership activities, including modeling lifelong learning by participating in face to face and online learning communities to continuously improve professional practice using existing and emerging digital tools, resources, and current research that focuses on improved student learning, as well as promotes professional development of other educators.	x	x