Teaching Writing at the Elementary Level
This course focuses on writing development of pre-school through middle school children, and on ways one can encourage and respond to student writing, assess writing growth, and use writing as a means of learning. Fosters a theoretical understanding of the writing process in part by writing in varied genres and forms. I have the students analyze children's and young adult literature as mentor texts that can be used to teach elements of writing craft. This culminates into an extensive annotated bibliography that my students can take into their future classrooms. I also like to push the students to continue their own personal writing to use as models for their future students.
Course Syllabus
English 3690: Writing: Elementary School
Section 12112
Tuesday and Thursday 12pm-1:50pm
Spring 2012
Instructor: Christy Doherty-McDowell
Classroom: 3037 Brown Hall
Office: 714 Sprau Tower
Office Hours: Thursday 2-3pm and by appointment
Email:[email protected]
Course Materials:
1. Wondrous Words: Writers and Writing in the Elementary Classroom by Katie Wood Ray. NCTE, 1999. (Required)
2. Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8 by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi. Stenhouse Publishers, 2007. (Required)
3. $5 copy card. (Required)
4. Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi. Heinemann, 2001. (Optional for book club)
5. The Revision Toolbox: Teaching Writing Techniques That Work by Georgia Heard. Heinemann, 2002. (Optional for book club)
6. Hidden Gems: Naming and Teaching from the Brilliance in Every Student's Writing by Katherine Bomer. Heinemann, 2010. (Optional for book club)
7. Mentor Author, Mentor Texts: Short Texts, Craft Notes, and Practical Classroom Uses by Ralph Fletcher. Heinemann, 2011. (Optional for book club)
8. Dedicated notebook to serve as your own writing journal.
Recommended Materials:
1. Student membership in NCTE or MCTE.
2. Access to the Michigan Department of Education Grade Level Content Expectations (http://mi.gov/documents/ELAGLCE_140483_7.pdf). This is an 80 page document, so electronic access is advised.
3. Access to Common Core Standards for English Language arts (http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards).
Course Description (from the Western Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog): This course focuses on writing development of pre-school through middle school children, and on ways one can encourage and respond to student writing, assess writing growth, and use writing as a means of learning. This course also fosters a theoretical understanding of the writing process in part by writing in varied genres and forms, and emphasizes writing as an integral component of the entire curriculum. Credits: 4 hours Restrictions: Restricted to education students.
Course Objectives:
· Describe in detail the overall design and critical elements of a student-centered, writing workshop classroom in a final narrative paper.
· To introduce writing pedagogy and theory.
· To choose, plan, and conduct a writing lesson with the whole class.
· Participate in small and large group writing workshop, and share personal writing with the class.
· To write in a variety of genres in both prose and poetry.
· Create and organize an annotated bibliography of mentor texts for use in your own future classrooms.
Course Outline
Below is a breakdown of the grade distribution.
1. Literacy Narrative 100 points Due electronically March 1, 2012
For this assignment, you will tell the story of your own literary history through multiple genres that flow together cohesively.
2. Annotated bibliography 200 points Due electronically March 22, 2012
For this assignment, you will create your own annotated bibliography of mentor texts to use in your own future classroom.
3. Unit Plan 100 points Due electronically April 10, 2012
For this assignment, you will create a unit that teaches a style of writing (narrative, expository, etc) using craft ideas and mentor texts to anchor your lessons. Your lessons must include the use of mentor texts that have not previously been used in our class with the exception of the annotated bibliography.
4. Final Reflection Paper 200 points Due electronically April 26, 2012
This assignment serves as your final exam. You will write a 5-7 page reflection about your work in this course. 5. Mentor Text Lesson 100 points Ongoing throughout the semester
For this assignment, you will choose two sample lessons from our textbook, Craft Lessons, and present it to the class. You will analyze your strengths and weaknesses of your teaching in a final reflection.
6. Book Club 100 points Ongoing through the semester
In groups of six, you will read and discuss one of the optional books listed above in the course materials section and then present your findings to the class.
7. Learning Logs 100 points Ongoing throughout the semester
For this assignment, you will turn in a weekly learning log on Thursdays during class. In these logs you will write your reactions to the weekly reading assignments. These will also serve as a starting point for our class discussions.
8. Journal/Blog/Participation 100 points Ongoing throughout the semester
For this assignment, you are required to keep a journal in which you address daily topics and work on your writing for the portfolios. There will also be a weekly blog topic on e-learning. Participation in discussions is also vital.
Course Completion: All major projects must be turned in and completed satisfactorily to receive a grade for this course.
Grading Policies & Procedures:
Grading will be based on the following point values: A=940-1000, B/A=880-939, B=840-879, C/B=770-839, C=740-769, DC=670-739, D=640-669, E=0-639
Class Participation: To do well in this class, you will need to be present, and you will need to be part of our classroom community. For grading purposes, “class participation” includes willingness to engage in discussions, being a part of class activities, and sharing your work with the class.
Late Work: Papers are due electronically via email by 9:00pm on the day they are due. Late papers will lose 10% of the final grade for each day they are late—this includes weekends. If a paper is due on a Monday, and isn’t turned in until Friday, expect that paper to be docked 40% of its final grade. If a paper is submitted at 9:01pm, it will be considered one day late. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit papers. Upon the receiving of papers, I will send you a confirmation email.
Paper Guidelines: All papers must be double spaced, in 12 point font (use Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman) with 1” margins. Please turn in papers via email unless I specify otherwise.
Attendance Policy: As active participants in the process of writing and revision, you should attend class every day. You are allowed a maximum of two absences. After the second absence, grades will go down 5% for each day missed. (For example, a student with 5 absences whose overall grade at the end of the term is a 93% will lose 15%. Thus, the final grade will be 78 %). If you must be absent, please let me know via email.
A Note: WMU is committed to ensuring that all students succeed. As part of this initiative, I will be reporting individual student attendance problems to the WMU's registrar's office. If you have missed more than two classes OR if I see a pattern of poor attendance that may jeopardize your success in this class, I will report this to the registrar.
If the registrar’s office determines that a student is missing multiple classes or appears to be in jeopardy of failing a class or multiple classes, they may contact your residence hall director, resident assistant, or other student support person at the university.
Cell Phones/IPods/MP3 Players, etc: All electronic devices must be silenced and put away during class. You are here to learn, not to text, update facebook, tweet, etc. Respect the time that I put into this class and respect the time that other students are putting into this class. We can all live a few hours without these distractions. If you are spending your class time with technology rather than participating in class, be prepared for your participation grade to reflect upon your actions. You will be asked to leave class and you will lose your participation points for that day.
Student Academic Conduct: You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the academic policies and procedures in the Undergraduate Catalog (found online, http://catalog.wmich.edu) that pertain to Student rights and responsibilities. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.
Religious Observances Policy: The University is a diverse, multicultural enterprise and, as a community, we jointly embrace both individual responsibility and dignified respect for our differences. It is our general policy to permit students to fulfill obligations set aside by their faith.
It is our intent that students who must be absent from scheduled classes to fulfill religious obligations or observe practices associated with their faith not be disadvantaged. However, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with his/her instructors in advance. It is in the student’s best interests to approach each instructor expeditiously and with sufficient notice that the rights and responsibilities of the instructor are not disrupted. (WMU Policy approved on June 8, 2007).
Please let me know at least a week in advance if you are not going to be in class due to a religious observance.
Accommodation for Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability (e.g.. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact Ms. Beth Denhartigh of Disability Services for Students at 387-2116 or [email protected] at the beginning of the semester. A disability determination must be made by this office before any accommodations are provided by the instructor.
Schedules: Academic assignment schedules will be given at the beginning of each unit and throughout the semester. I reserve the right to adapt the course schedule as necessary.
Important Dates:
Section 12112
Tuesday and Thursday 12pm-1:50pm
Spring 2012
Instructor: Christy Doherty-McDowell
Classroom: 3037 Brown Hall
Office: 714 Sprau Tower
Office Hours: Thursday 2-3pm and by appointment
Email:[email protected]
Course Materials:
1. Wondrous Words: Writers and Writing in the Elementary Classroom by Katie Wood Ray. NCTE, 1999. (Required)
2. Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8 by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi. Stenhouse Publishers, 2007. (Required)
3. $5 copy card. (Required)
4. Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi. Heinemann, 2001. (Optional for book club)
5. The Revision Toolbox: Teaching Writing Techniques That Work by Georgia Heard. Heinemann, 2002. (Optional for book club)
6. Hidden Gems: Naming and Teaching from the Brilliance in Every Student's Writing by Katherine Bomer. Heinemann, 2010. (Optional for book club)
7. Mentor Author, Mentor Texts: Short Texts, Craft Notes, and Practical Classroom Uses by Ralph Fletcher. Heinemann, 2011. (Optional for book club)
8. Dedicated notebook to serve as your own writing journal.
Recommended Materials:
1. Student membership in NCTE or MCTE.
2. Access to the Michigan Department of Education Grade Level Content Expectations (http://mi.gov/documents/ELAGLCE_140483_7.pdf). This is an 80 page document, so electronic access is advised.
3. Access to Common Core Standards for English Language arts (http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards).
Course Description (from the Western Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog): This course focuses on writing development of pre-school through middle school children, and on ways one can encourage and respond to student writing, assess writing growth, and use writing as a means of learning. This course also fosters a theoretical understanding of the writing process in part by writing in varied genres and forms, and emphasizes writing as an integral component of the entire curriculum. Credits: 4 hours Restrictions: Restricted to education students.
Course Objectives:
· Describe in detail the overall design and critical elements of a student-centered, writing workshop classroom in a final narrative paper.
· To introduce writing pedagogy and theory.
· To choose, plan, and conduct a writing lesson with the whole class.
· Participate in small and large group writing workshop, and share personal writing with the class.
· To write in a variety of genres in both prose and poetry.
· Create and organize an annotated bibliography of mentor texts for use in your own future classrooms.
Course Outline
Below is a breakdown of the grade distribution.
1. Literacy Narrative 100 points Due electronically March 1, 2012
For this assignment, you will tell the story of your own literary history through multiple genres that flow together cohesively.
2. Annotated bibliography 200 points Due electronically March 22, 2012
For this assignment, you will create your own annotated bibliography of mentor texts to use in your own future classroom.
3. Unit Plan 100 points Due electronically April 10, 2012
For this assignment, you will create a unit that teaches a style of writing (narrative, expository, etc) using craft ideas and mentor texts to anchor your lessons. Your lessons must include the use of mentor texts that have not previously been used in our class with the exception of the annotated bibliography.
4. Final Reflection Paper 200 points Due electronically April 26, 2012
This assignment serves as your final exam. You will write a 5-7 page reflection about your work in this course. 5. Mentor Text Lesson 100 points Ongoing throughout the semester
For this assignment, you will choose two sample lessons from our textbook, Craft Lessons, and present it to the class. You will analyze your strengths and weaknesses of your teaching in a final reflection.
6. Book Club 100 points Ongoing through the semester
In groups of six, you will read and discuss one of the optional books listed above in the course materials section and then present your findings to the class.
7. Learning Logs 100 points Ongoing throughout the semester
For this assignment, you will turn in a weekly learning log on Thursdays during class. In these logs you will write your reactions to the weekly reading assignments. These will also serve as a starting point for our class discussions.
8. Journal/Blog/Participation 100 points Ongoing throughout the semester
For this assignment, you are required to keep a journal in which you address daily topics and work on your writing for the portfolios. There will also be a weekly blog topic on e-learning. Participation in discussions is also vital.
Course Completion: All major projects must be turned in and completed satisfactorily to receive a grade for this course.
Grading Policies & Procedures:
Grading will be based on the following point values: A=940-1000, B/A=880-939, B=840-879, C/B=770-839, C=740-769, DC=670-739, D=640-669, E=0-639
Class Participation: To do well in this class, you will need to be present, and you will need to be part of our classroom community. For grading purposes, “class participation” includes willingness to engage in discussions, being a part of class activities, and sharing your work with the class.
Late Work: Papers are due electronically via email by 9:00pm on the day they are due. Late papers will lose 10% of the final grade for each day they are late—this includes weekends. If a paper is due on a Monday, and isn’t turned in until Friday, expect that paper to be docked 40% of its final grade. If a paper is submitted at 9:01pm, it will be considered one day late. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit papers. Upon the receiving of papers, I will send you a confirmation email.
Paper Guidelines: All papers must be double spaced, in 12 point font (use Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman) with 1” margins. Please turn in papers via email unless I specify otherwise.
Attendance Policy: As active participants in the process of writing and revision, you should attend class every day. You are allowed a maximum of two absences. After the second absence, grades will go down 5% for each day missed. (For example, a student with 5 absences whose overall grade at the end of the term is a 93% will lose 15%. Thus, the final grade will be 78 %). If you must be absent, please let me know via email.
A Note: WMU is committed to ensuring that all students succeed. As part of this initiative, I will be reporting individual student attendance problems to the WMU's registrar's office. If you have missed more than two classes OR if I see a pattern of poor attendance that may jeopardize your success in this class, I will report this to the registrar.
If the registrar’s office determines that a student is missing multiple classes or appears to be in jeopardy of failing a class or multiple classes, they may contact your residence hall director, resident assistant, or other student support person at the university.
Cell Phones/IPods/MP3 Players, etc: All electronic devices must be silenced and put away during class. You are here to learn, not to text, update facebook, tweet, etc. Respect the time that I put into this class and respect the time that other students are putting into this class. We can all live a few hours without these distractions. If you are spending your class time with technology rather than participating in class, be prepared for your participation grade to reflect upon your actions. You will be asked to leave class and you will lose your participation points for that day.
Student Academic Conduct: You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the academic policies and procedures in the Undergraduate Catalog (found online, http://catalog.wmich.edu) that pertain to Student rights and responsibilities. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.
Religious Observances Policy: The University is a diverse, multicultural enterprise and, as a community, we jointly embrace both individual responsibility and dignified respect for our differences. It is our general policy to permit students to fulfill obligations set aside by their faith.
It is our intent that students who must be absent from scheduled classes to fulfill religious obligations or observe practices associated with their faith not be disadvantaged. However, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with his/her instructors in advance. It is in the student’s best interests to approach each instructor expeditiously and with sufficient notice that the rights and responsibilities of the instructor are not disrupted. (WMU Policy approved on June 8, 2007).
Please let me know at least a week in advance if you are not going to be in class due to a religious observance.
Accommodation for Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability (e.g.. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact Ms. Beth Denhartigh of Disability Services for Students at 387-2116 or [email protected] at the beginning of the semester. A disability determination must be made by this office before any accommodations are provided by the instructor.
Schedules: Academic assignment schedules will be given at the beginning of each unit and throughout the semester. I reserve the right to adapt the course schedule as necessary.
Important Dates:
- January 13 – last day of drop/adds
- March 1—Literacy Narrative Due
- March 5-March 9—spring break
- March 19—Last day to withdraw from courses
- March 22—annotated bib due
- April 10—Unit Plan due
- April 26—final exam 2:45-4:45. Final reflection is due electronically at this time. Book Club Presentations.