TE 842 Advanced Methods of Elementary School Reading
Fall, 1999

Course Overview
The purpose of this course is to develop expertise in the teaching of reading at the elementary school level. The focus throughout the course is on characteristics of effective reading instruction as identified by respected reading researchers and exemplary reading teachers.

• Topics for the fourteen class sessions are as follows:
• Learning about Advanced Methods of Elementary School Reading
• Standards for Elementary School Reading
• Standards-based Teaching for Elementary School Reading
• Exemplary Reading Instruction: What Experts Say
• Exemplary Reading Instruction: What Experts Do
• Exemplary Integration of Technology and Reading Instruction
• Effective Comprehension Instruction: Program Level and Individual Strategies
• Effective Comprehension Instruction: Program Level and Collective Strategies
• Effective Instruction of Vocabulary and Concept Knowledge
• Effective Decoding Instruction: Word Study
• Effective Decoding Instruction: In Process
• Effective Instruction of Foundational Knowledge and Skills
• Overall Design of Effective Reading Instruction (2)

Class sessions will include a variety of formats, including whole-class and small-group discussions, individual writing, videos, micro-teaching experiences, computer work, guest presentations, brief lectures, materials workshops, and teacher/student presentations. There will be strong emphasis on (a) developing images of effective reading instruction; (b) identifying strengths and weaknesses in one's own teaching of reading; (c) communicating with colleagues about the teaching of reading; and (d) establishing an infrastructure for lifelong learning about the teaching of reading. 

Readings for the course come from professional organizations related to the teaching of reading, professional books related to the teaching of reading, and journals related to the teaching of reading. Most readings are compiled in one of the following two resources: 

• The TE842 Course Packet, Fall 1999
  Available at Paper Image Printing Centres, Hannah Plaza next to The College Store, 4790 S. Hagadorn, East Lansing, (517) 351-4321. Cost is $37.01 plus tax.
• Every Child a Reader: Companion Readings (Hiebert, Skalitzky, & Tesnar, 1998, Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement)
  Available from CIERA or from me directly in exchange for a check for $16.00 made out to "CIERA."
• Any readings not included in these resources will be provided in class.

In addition to completing assigned readings and attending and participating actively in class sessions, teachers will be asked to complete three major written assignments. The first is a series of three memos about readings completed for the course. Each Memo will discuss one or more readings and will be addressed to a colleague or colleagues whom the teacher believes may be interested in that reading. The second is a focus project on a particular area of the teaching of reading about which the teacher and/or teachers with whom she works would like to develop additional expertise. Information for focus projects will be gathered through a variety of sources, such as professional books, articles, videos, websites, discussions with colleagues, and interviews of students and parents. The third is a series of self-evaluation commentaries in which the teacher will identify aspects of her teaching of reading that have been affirmed by experiences in course and aspects of her teaching of reading that have been drawn into question through experiences in the course. Teachers will be invited to write notes and goals about areas drawn into question to be mailed back to them later in the school year.

General Topics, Assignments, and In-Class Activities, By Session
(Please note: "ecar" refers to the Every Child a Reader: Companion Readings; "packet" refers to the coursepack.)

Class 1: September 2
Topic: Learning about Advanced Methods of Elementary School Reading

Readings: None

Activities: 

• Discussion of course, explanation of assignments
• Getting to know one another
• Defining reading and literacy for this course
• Writing about goals, interests, questions, expertise 

Class 2: September 9
Topic: Standards for Elementary School Reading

Readings: 

• National Council of Teachers of English & the International Reading Association (1996). Chapter 1: Setting the Standards in the English Language Arts. In Standards for the English Language Arts (pp. 1-11). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. packet 1-11
• Michigan Department of Education (1996). Section II: Michigan content standards and draft benchmarks, English Language Arts. In Michigan Curriculum Framework (pp. 3-21). Michigan English Language Arts Frameworks Project. will supply as needed

Activities: 

• Why I started with standards
• Comparison and discussion of standards documents
• Professional organizations in literacy (incl. website demonstrations) 
• My synthesis of goals, interests, questions, expertise writings
• Small group discussions based on goals, interests, questions, expertise writings

Class 3: September 13
Topic: Standards-based Teaching for Elementary School Reading

Readings:

• National Council of Teaching of English and the International Reading Association (1996). Chapter 4: Standards in the Classroom. In Standards for the English Language Arts (pp. 47-54). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. packet 13-20
• Duke, N. K., & Stewart, B. B. (1997). Standards in Action in a First Grade Classroom: The Purpose Dimension. The Reading Teacher, 51, 228-237. ecar
• Michigan Department of Education (1996). English Language Arts Later Elementary Vignette. In Michigan Curriculum Framework (pp. 11-19). Michigan English Language Arts Frameworks Project. will supply as needed

Activities: 

• Discussion of readings on standards-based teaching
• Discussion of our own examples of standards-based teaching 
• Discussion of focus projects questions

Due: Notes about how you address one of the standards (your choice) in your teaching. (Notes will be for your reference during class discussion in which class members share examples of their standards-based teaching.)

Class 4: September 23
Topic: Exemplary Reading Instruction: What Experts Say

Readings:

• Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (1998). Improving the reading achievement of America's children: 10 research-based principles. will supply
• Flippo, R. (1998). Points of agreement: A display of professional unity in our field. The Reading Teacher, 52, 30-40. packet 21-31
• Fractor, J. S., Woodruff, M. C., Martinez, M. G., & Teale, W. H. (1993). Let's not miss opportunities to promote voluntary reading: Classroom libraries in the elementary school. The Reading Teacher, 46, 476-484. packet 33-42

Activities: 

• Discussion of CIERA's 10 Principles
• Small group and whole class discussion of Flippo reading, especially Figures 4 & 5
• Presentation on Preventing Reading Difficulties and other landmark reports
• Best practices in independent reading
• Evaluating our classroom libraries with the Fractor et al. piece
• Sharon Taberski video: Independent Reading and Reading Share

Class 5: September 30
Topic: Exemplary Reading Instruction: What Experts Do

Readings:

• Wharton-McDonald, R., Pressley, M., & Hampston, J. M. (1998). Literacy instruction in nine first-grade classrooms: Teacher characteristics and student achievement. The Elementary School Journal, 99, 101-128. packet 43-57
• Pressley, M., Wharton-McDonald, R., Hampston, J. M, & Echevarria, M. (1999?). A survey of the instructional practices of grade-5 teachers nominated as effective in promoting literacy. Scientific Studies of Reading, 2, 159-194. packet 59-77

Activities: 

• Focus project resources sharing
• Presentation on Schools that Best the Odds Study (Taylor, Pearson, et al.)
• Self-evaluation activity based on the exemplary teachers studies and other readings
• Discussion of self-evaluation assignment

Due: Write-up of focus project question(s) and goals

Class 6: October 7
Topic: Exemplary Integration of Technology and Reading Instruction

Readings: 

• Wood, J. M. (1999). Thesis abstract, Chapter 6: Transformed literacy learning, and Figure 7. In Early literacy instruction and educational technologies: Three classroom-based models (pp. i-ii, 120-152, 158). Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. will supply
• Labbo, L. D., Reinking, D., & McKenna, M. C. (1999). The use of technology in literacy programs. In L. B. Gambrell, L. M. Morrow, S. B. Neuman, & M. Pressley (Eds.), Best practices in literacy instruction. New York: Guilford Press. packet 79-87

Activities: To be announced

Due: To be announced

Class 7: October 14
Topic: Effective Comprehension Instruction, Program-Level and Individual Strategies

Readings: 

• Pearson, P. D., & Duke, N. K. (in preparation). Effective practices for developing reading comprehension skills. To appear in What research has to say about reading instruction (3rd. Ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. will supply
• Goldenberg, C. (1992-1993). Instructional conversations: Promoting reading comprehension through discussion. The Reading Teacher, 46, 316-326. ecar

Activities: 

• Open discussion: Where we've been, where we're going
• Small group practice with individual strategies 
• Discussion of self-assessment from Pearson & Duke chapter
• Videotape from the Center for the Study of Reading: Comprehension and Text

Due: Self-assessment in Pearson & Duke. (Self-assessment will be for your reference during class discussion about comprehension instruction.)

One narrative and one expository text that you have read with your students.

Class 8: October 21
Topic: Effective Comprehension Instruction, Program-Level and Collective Strategies

Readings:

• Bergman, J. L. (1992). SAIL--A way to success and independence for low-achieving readers. The Reading Teacher, 45, 598-602. ecar
• Pressley, M., with Wharton-McDonald, R. (1998). The development of literacy, Part 4: The need for increased comprehension in upper-elementary grades. In Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching (pp. 192-227). New York: Guilford. packet 89-106

Activities: 

• Discussion of transactional strategies instruction
• Small group practice with collective strategies
• Notes to ourselves about comprehension strategy instruction
• Sharon Taberski Videotape: Read Aloud and Shared Reading

Due: One narrative and one expository text that you have read with your students (can be the same or different than those used on 7/14).

Class 9: October 28
Topic: Effective Instruction of Vocabulary and Concept Knowledge

Readings:

• Rupley, W. H., Logan, J. W., & Nichols, W. D. (1998/1999). Vocabulary instruction in a balanced reading program. The Reading Teacher, 52, 336-346. packet 107-117
• Guthrie, J. T., & McCann, A. D. (1997). Characteristics of classrooms that promote motivations and strategies for learning. In J. T. Guthrie & A. Wigfield (Eds.), Reading engagement: Motivating readers through integrated curriculum (pp. 128-148). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. packet 119-129
• Levy, S. (1996). Why are our shoes made on the other side of the world? What is the biggest change in your town since you were born? In Starting from scratch: One classroom builds its own curriculum (pp. 77-86, 126-145). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. packet 131-136, 137-146

Activities: 

• Workshop: Developing vocabulary and concept instruction activities, with an emphasis on informational text
• Discussion of "authentic literacy events"

Due: Notes about an example of something you have done with students that you believe constitutes an "authentic literacy event"--that has a purpose beyond only teaching students to read and write and that has a 'real,' appropriate audience. (Notes will be for your reference during class discussion in which class members share examples of authentic literacy events.)

Class 10: November 4
Topic: Effective Decoding Instruction, Word Study

Readings:

• Gaskins, I. W., Ehri, L. C., Cress, C., O'Hara, C., & Donnelly, K. (1996/1997). Procedures for word learning: Making discoveries about words. The Reading Teacher, 50, 312-327. ecar
• Cunningham, P. M., & Cunningham, J. W. (1992). Making words: Enhancing the invented spelling-decoding connection. The Reading Teacher, 46, 106-115. ecar

Activities: 

• Lecture on building knowledge about sound-letter relationships in English
• Center for the Study of Reading Videotape: Benchmark Word Identification Program
• Word study activities from P. Cunningham's Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing 

Due: Notes and necessary materials for a word study activity and/or lesson you've done with students. (Notes and materials will be for your use during a class activity in which class members share examples of word study activities and/or lessons.)

Class 11: November 11
Topic: Effective Decoding Instruction, In Process

Readings:

• Samuels, S. J. (1997). The method of repeated readings. The Reading Teacher, 50, 376-381. (Originally published in The Reading Teacher in January 1979). ecar
• Reading assigned by grade level taught (e.g., Johnston, 1998; Cunningham, 1995)

Activities: 

• Sharon Taberski Videotapes: Reading Conferences; 
• Guided Reading
• Presentation and discussion of multiple cueing systems theory of the reading process
• Presentation on Campbell, R. (1994). The teacher response to children's miscues of substitution. Journal of Research in Reading, 17, 147-154.
• Cueing Activities

Class 12: November 18 
Topic: Effective Instruction of Foundational Knowledge and Skills

Readings:

• Jigsaw readings on developing phonemic awareness (e.g., Adams et al. 1998; Blevins, 1998; Button, Johnson, & Furgerson, 1996; Ericson & Juliebo, 1998; Richgels, Poremba, & McGee, 1996) 
• Jigsaw readings on other foundation-related topics (e.g., Clay, 1993; Neuman & Roskos, 1992; Orellana & Hernández, 1999)

Activities: 

• Jigsaw readings discussions (within reading, then across readings)
• Presentation on different aspects of phonological and phonemic awareness
• Discussion/sharing of different approaches to phonemic awareness instruction 
• Presentation: Young children's genre-principled responses to the world
• Focus project presentations

NO CLASS NOVEMBER 25 (THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY)

Class 13: December 2 (will be conducted through telconferencing)
Topic: Overall Design for Effective Reading Instruction

Readings:

• Turner, J., & Paris, S. G. (1995). How literacy tasks influence children's motivation for literacy. The Reading Teacher, 48, 662-673. ecar
• Au, K. H. (1997). Ownership, literacy achievement, and students of diverse cultural backgrounds. In J. T. Guthrie and A. Wigfield (Eds.), Reading engagement: motivating readers through integrated instruction (pp. 168-182). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. packet 147-161

Activities: 

• Analysis of class schedule in terms of Turner & Paris and Au readings
• Focus project presentations
• Other activities to be announced

Class 14: December 9

Readings: 

• Overall Design for Effective Reading Instruction
• Fountas, I. C. & Pinnell, G. S. (1996). Designing and organizing the learning environment and Managing the classroom. In Guided reading: Good first teaching for all children (pp. 43-71). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. packet 162-170, 172-190

Activities: 

• Tentative: Guest Presentation on Book Club Plus
• Small group work on possible revisions to the overall design of your literacy programs 
• Focus project presentations
• Course evaluations

Assignments & Evaluation

Opportunities to learn in this course will derive from three major activities: (a) class sessions; (b) assigned readings; and (c) written assignments. Learning from the course relies on active, high-quality engagement with all three activities. 

Evaluation in this course will be based on performance in the three major activities listed above. Specifically, grades will be calculated on a 100-point scale in which 

25 points = Attendance in, preparation for, and participation in class sessions
24 points = Readings memos (8 points each)
30 points = Focus project
21 points = Self-evaluation commentaries

Items in the first category--attendance in, preparation for, and participation in class sessions--will be evaluated on an ongoing basis throughout the course. The default grade in this category is 25/25. Points will be deducted for any of the following: (a) more than one excused absence from the course (2 points per excused absence after the first absence); (b) any unexcused absence from the course (4 points per unexcused absence); (c) failure to participate regularly and appropriately in class discussions and other activities (points depend upon degree of lack of participation); and (d) evidence that you've failed to prepare for the class session by not completing readings or other assignments (at least 1 point per occasion). Items in the latter three categories will be evaluated (by me) on the basis of criteria provided with written explanations of the assignments.

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