Course Overview

This course is an opportunity for you to focus your attention on writing:  writing as a tool for learning, as a means for communicating with others and with yourself, and as an invitation for self-expression and creativity. It is a chance for you to experience personally the power of writing to support building understanding and to provide imaginative entry into other places, times, lives, and ways of being in the world.  Based on your experiences, you should be able to begin formulating a perspective about the teaching of writing in your classroom and specific plans for implementing that perspective.

 

Teaching Methods

interactive lectures/discussions	viewing
reading/writing workshop	projects and presentations

 

Course Goals

• To work as members of a community of learners who care about and enjoy our collaboration
• To begin building a deeper understanding of writing and aspects of the craft of writing
• To become a writer; to develop your personal and academic writing including: journaling, poetry, memoir, and multigenre writing
• To develop thoughtful and motivating language arts assignments and rubrics for 21st-Century Learners
• To become aware of professional resources and organizations that support and inspire language arts teachers

 

NCATE/IRA STANDARDS

Standard 2: Instructional Strategies and Curriculum Materials: Candidates use a wide range of instructional practices, approaches, methods, and curriculum materials to support reading and writing instruction.

·         2.1: Use instructional grouping options (individual, small-group, whole-class, and computer-based) as appropriate for accomplishing given purposes. 

·         2.2: Use a wide range of instructional practices, approaches and methods, including technology-based practices, for learners at different stages of development and from differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

·         2.3: Use a wide range of curriculum materials in effective reading instruction for learners at different stages of reading and writing development and from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 
 

Standard 4: Creating a Literate Environment: Candidates create a literate environment that fosters reading and writing by integrating foundational knowledge, use of instructional practices, approaches and methods, curriculum materials, and the appropriate use of assessments. 

·         4.1: Use students' interests, reading abilities, and backgrounds as foundations for the reading and writing program. 

·         4.2: Use a large supply of books, technology-based information, and non-print materials representing multiple levels, broad interests, and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 

·         4.3: Model reading and writing enthusiastically as valued life-long activities. 

·         4.4: Motivate learners to be lifelong readers. 

Standard 5: Professional Development: Candidates view professional development as a career-long effort and responsibility. 

·         5.1: Display positive dispositions related to reading and the teaching of reading.

·         5.2: Continue to pursue the development of professional knowledge and dispositions. 

·         5.3: Work with colleagues to observe, evaluate, and provide feedback on each other's practice. 

·         5.4: Participate in, initiate, implement, and evaluate professional development programs. 
 

Course Readings

Allen, C.A., & Swistak, L. (2004). Multigenre research: The power of choice and interpretation. Language Arts. 81, 3, 223-232.

Arnberg, A. (1999). A study of memoir. Primary Voices K-6, 8, 1, 13-21.

 

Certo, J. (2004). Cold plums and the old men in the water: Let children read and write “great” poetry. The Reading Teacher, 58, 3, 266-271.

 

Espinosa, C. (2006). Finding memorable moments: Images and identities in autobiographical writing. Language Arts, 84, 2, 136-144.

 

Gillespie, J. (2005). “It would be fun to do again”: Multigenre responses to literature.  Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, 48, 8, 678-684.

 

Grierson, S., Baird, J., & Anson, A (2002). Exploring the past through multigenre writing. Language Arts. 80, 1, 51-59.

 

Kirby, D.L., & Kirby, D. (2007). New directions in teaching memoir: A studio workshop approach. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.

 

Kucan, L. (2007) "I" poems: Invitations for students to deepen literary understanding. The Reading Teacher, 60, 6, 518-525.

 

Moulton, M. R. (1999).  The multigenre paper: Increasing interest, motivation, and functionality in research.  Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, 42, 7, 528-539.

 

Youngs, S. & Barone, D. (2007). Writing without boundaries: What's possible when students combine genres. Heinemann:Portsmouth, NH.

 

 Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT Blogging: A framework for blogging to promote Higher Order
Thinking. The Reading Teacher, 62,8, 650-661,

 

Trade Books and Textbooks to Purchase:

Using the Writer's Notebook in Grades 3-8: A Teacher's Guide by Janet L. Elliott

On Writing by Stephen King

************************

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

Amelia's 5th-Grade Notebook by Marissa Moss

Amelia's 6th-Grade Notebook by Marissa Moss

Amelia's 7th-Grade Notebook by Marissa Moss

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman

*****************************

 

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse by Walter Dean Myers

All the Small Poems and Fourteen More by Valerie Worth

This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman

 

Flicker Flash by Joan Bransfield Graham (Author), Nancy Davis (Illustrator)

OR     Technically, It's Not My Fault: Concrete Poems by John Grandits

 

Silver Seeds by Paul Paolilli (Author), Dan Brewer (Author), Steve Johnson (Illustrator), Lou Fancher (Illustrator) African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley (Author), Deborah Noyes (Photographer)

Dirty Laundry Pile: Poems in Different Voices by Paul B. Janeczko

I Am the Mummy Heb-Nefert by Eve Bunting (Author), David Christiana (Illustrator)

Atlantic by G. Brian Karas

Mojave by Diane Siebert (Author), Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Boy by Roald Dahl (Author), Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

 

Choose ONE of the following:

1.     My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco

2.     Shortcut by Donald Crews

3.     Family Pictures, 15th Anniversary Edition / Cuadros de Familia, Edición Quinceañera by Pat Mora (Afterword), Carmen Lomas Garza (Illustrator)

 

4.     When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant 

 

Course Requirements:

You are strongly encouraged to be prompt for each class. Regular attendance is required. More than 1 absence will result in the lowering of your grade. For every class absence after 1, you will have 5 percentage points deducted from your final course grade average. I expect each of you to closely and carefully read each assignment; in addition, I expect your active participation during class discussions as well as BLOG Dialogue. Also, you are expected to check your ASU email account. If you would like to forward mail to another account, please feel free to do so. But our communication will be through ASU's system.

Academic honesty and integrity are expected of all students. Any work that you or your team submits must be your own work. Any ideas, information, approaches, or formats that you use based on the work of others must be acknowledged by citing the appropriate sources. Please review the Appalachian State University Academic Integrity Code (http://www.AcademicAffairs.appstate.edu/academic_integrity_index.htm).

Appalachian State University is committed to making reasonable accommodations for individuals with documented qualifying disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Those seeking accommodations based on a substantially limiting disability must contact and register with The Office of Disability Services (ODS) at
http://www.ods.appstate.edu/ or 828-262-3056. Once registration is complete, individuals will meet with ODS staff to discuss eligibility and appropriate accommodations.

Professional Development Opportunities:

North Carolina Reading Association Conference---http://www.ncreading.org

International Reading Association---http://www.reading.org/

read*write*think  http://www.readwritethink.org/index.asp

NCTE-National Council of Teachers of English http://www.ncte.org/

The American Reading Forum http://americanreadingforum.org/

 

LRE Web Site:

http://www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/lre/ReadingProgramInformation.aspx

After you have completed two courses in our program, please complete your Degree Program of Study Form and Admission to Candidacy Form:

http://www.graduate.appstate.edu/gradstudies/forms_graduate/index.html#Program

 

Major assignments/assessments include:

Journal/Writer's Notebook Invitation and Your Writer's Notebook (40)

Individually Created Educational Blog (48 points)

Poems-Created By You (40) Free Verse, Acrostic, Found, Concrete and I POETRY

Poetry Writing Assignment and Analysis (75 points)

Multigenre Memoir Project (100 points)    

• Memoir

Grading

94-100%  = A        90-93% = A-         87-89% = B+    83-86% = B  

80-82%    = B-       74-79% = C           69-73% = D