Course Number: CTRD 6710

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

Credit Hours: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Admission to Teacher Education

Corequisite: None
 

Date Syllabus Prepared: May 19, 2000
 

Text : Ruddell, Martha Rapp. (1997). Teaching Content Reading and Writing. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
 

Course Description:
 

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

Course Objectives:
 

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
 

1. reflect orally and in writing on their own and others' literacy learning and experiences with questioning and discussion strategies that yield literl, interpretive, and evaluative responses to texts. (2)(e)(3)

1. evaluate, select, and apply techniques for teaching middle and secondary school students to engage in strategies that are used by fluent readers and writers and that increase comprehension (i.e., summarizing, retelling, rereading, outlining, note-taking, visualizing, clarifying, predicting) and for evaluating students' effective use of those strategies. (2)(a)(1)(ii); (2)(b)(2)(viii); (2)(e)(2); (2)(e)(5)

1. discuss theories of literacy development and their impact on educational issues, trends, and strategies recommended for integrating language arts into content area instruction. (2)(b)(2)(xi)

1. identify and locate classic and contemporary children's and young adult literature, both fiction and nonfiction, at students' independent and instructional reading levels and avoid texts with inconsiderate features that work against students' reading for understanding and enjoyment in the content areas. (2)(c)(1); (2)(c)(3)

1. select independent and cooperative learning strategies that teach middle and secondary school students to explore their own and others' interpretations of text and media input and promote critical reading and thinking, questioning, problem solving, and synthesis of information from multiple sources and a variety of literary and expository texts. (2)(c)(1); (2)(c)(4); (2)(e)(2)

1. evaluate and select textbooks, trade books, electronic and multimedia materials and software, and other community and technological resources for use in content area instruction. (2)(c)(1); (2)(c)(4)

1. demonstrate an awareness of factors that must be considered when selecting, substituting, rewriting and/or modifying content area materials that are appropriate for middle and secondary school students' reading levels and needs (e.g., students' diversity in language backgrounds, learning styles, prior knowledge, and ability to select appropriate purposes and techniques for reading and learning). (2)(c)(5)

1. exhibit knowledge of the impact that teacher behaviors, types of assignments, classroom factors, amount of reading, and vocabulary expansion have on reading comprehension and achievement (i.e., providing ample time and support for independent reading, assistance with self-selection of books, daily reading and writing, and vocabulary instruction that is context-based, meaningful, and provides multiple exposures to words and concepts). (2)(b)(2)(iv); (2)(b)(2)(ix); (2)(e)(1)

1. develop plans for reading and learning based on state course of study and national standards within a content area and effective practices identified in the "Expanded Reading Power" section of the Alabama Reading Initiative's Knowledge and Skills Teachers Need to Deliver Effective Reading Instruction. (2)(b)(5)

1. reflect on the role that literacy and inquiry play in middle and secondary school students' learning across the curriculum and in models of content area instruction that present learning as a continuous cycle and life-long process. (2)(b)(2)(xi)

Course Content:
 

Week 1 Examining Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Content Area Reading and Literacy
 

Week 2 Examining the Current State of Affairs and Measures of Student Performances in Content Area Literacy

Week 3 Examining Applications of Schema Theory and Content Area Literacy Strategies that Engage Students in the Learning Cycle

Week 4 Participating in a Cognitive Mediational Model of Instruction

Week 5 Exploring Strategies to Accommodate for Language and Literacy Factors that Affect Student Learning in the Content Areas

Week 6 Examining Structures, Readability Features, and Adaptations for Making Inconsiderate Texts More Considerate and Readable

Week 7 Developing and Assessing Vocabulary in the Content Areas

Week 8 Exploring Discipline-Based Inquiry as a Literacy Model that Engages Students in Research, Analysis, and Synthesis of Content

Week 9 Developing Response-Centered Instruction that Encourages Readers to Differentiate and/or Integrate Efferent and Aesthetic Stances

Weeks 10-11 Locating and Evaluating Literary and Expository Texts in Print, Electronic, and Multimedia Formats as Primary Sources and Authentic Materials for Content Area Literacy Learning

Weeks 12-13 Using Cooperative Learning, Collaborative Responses, and Group and Self-Assessment Strategies to Encourage Critical Thinking

Week 14 Selecting Strategies and Developing Plans for Standards-Based Content Area Literacy Instruction

Week 15 Process and Content Assessment

Final Reflections
 

Course Requirements:
 

A. Attend all class sessions and participate in all class discussions and exercises.

B. Complete all reflections and activities required as journal entries.

C. Complete a mid-term examination.

D. Complete a final examination.

E. Present results of a group inquiry project. (Guidelines will be provided in class.)

F. Complete a reading/learning plan. (Guidelines will be provided in class.)
 

Journal: You will be expected to reflect on assigned chapters and activities in the textbook, class discussions, and strategies modeled and practiced in class. Most assignments will be completed as homework; however, some will be completed in class. Journal entries will be graded on the degree to which they demonstrate that you have thoughtfully interacted with strategies for helping students overcome problems with texts and reading.
 

Group Inquiry Project and Presentation: In small groups, students will prepare an instructional presentation. The group will pick a topic from the readings, define the objective(s), identify research questions, locate resources, structure interactions, and document literate footprints necessary for extending understandings and communicating findings. The presentation grade will be based on evaluations by the Instructor, group members, and the student. Evaluations will rate group effectiveness and individual contributions from evidence in the presentation that:(1) personally meaningful and content-pertinent questions were identified and considered; (2) a variety of information sources were explored, and the most appropriate sources were selected; (3) group members interacted effectively with printed and spoken discourse; (4) results of inquiry were evaluated, organized, and synthesized; (5) summaries, conclusions, and further questions were communicated thoughtfully, coherently, and creatively.
 

Reading/Learning Plan: You will develop a reading/learning plan based on a text selection from an expository trade book. The plan should incorporate the following components, all of which will contribute to the grade for this assignment: 1) an analysis of the readability, structure, coherence, and audience appropriateness of this text passage and any accommodations that you would make to the text itself or include as activities to render it more considerate for your audience; (2) strategies that help students achieve learning goals (vocabulary, concepts, and critical thinking skills) that correspond to selected state and national standards; (3) an assessment component that you can use to evaluate whether students have accomplished the learning goals for this piece of text; (4) citation of the trade book's title, author(s), publication information, and the page numbers for your selection; (5) a format that is typed, spell-checked, and edited to correct errors.
 

The midterm and final examinations will be comprehensive.
 

Grading and Evaluation:
 

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

Journal Entries 20%

Group Inquiry Project & Presentation 20%

Mid-term Examination 20%

Reading/Learning Plan 20%

Final Examination 20%

Total 100%
 

Any assignment turned in late will result in a 5% grade deduction per calendar day. The following grading scale will be used:
 

90-100% A

80-89.99% B

70-79.99% C

60-69.99% D

Below 60% F
 

Class Policy Statements:
 

A. Students are expected to attend all class meetings and lab sessions, and they are expected to participate in all classroom discussions and exercises (Tiger Cub, p. 73). Students are expected to contact the course instructor before missing a class meeting if possible.
 

B. Students are responsible for initiating arrangements for missed work due to excused absences (Tiger Cub, p.74).
 

C. Make-up quizzes and exams will be given only for University-approved excuses as outlined in the Tiger Cub (p.74). Arrangements to take the make-up quizzes or exams must be made in advance. Students who miss a quiz or an exam because of illness need a doctor's statement for verification of sickness and should clear the absence with the instructor the day they return to class. Other unavoidable absences from campus must be documented and cleared with the instructor in advance.
 

D. Students who need special accommodations should make an appointment to discuss the Accommodation Memo during office hours as soon as possible. If you do not have an Accommodation Memo, contact Dr. Kelly Haynes, Director, Program for Students with Disabilities, in 1244 Haley Center as soon as possible. Telephone: 3340844-5943 (Voice T/O)
 

E. All portions of the Auburn University Honesty Code found in the Tiger Cub (Title 1208) will apply in this class.
 
 
 
 
 

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Justification for CTRD 6710
 

CTRD 6710 involves students reflectively and experientially with instructional models, strategies, and assessment tools that are supported by theory and research as effective techniques for helping middle and high school students overcome reading problems in the content areas. It will be offered as a service course for undergraduate and graduate programs within and outside of C&T.