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Course Description: To explore and implement techniques and strategies for the effective
teaching and integration of language arts/childrens literature, investigate current issues and
teaching practices, and curriculum development appropriate for teaching in the elementary
classroom.
1. The students will recognize the integrated nature of the language arts-reading, writing,
speaking, listening, viewing, and visual representation.
2. The students will demonstrate an understanding of the appropriate content for the
various language arts as reflected in standards.
3. The students will incorporate teaching plans and strategies that integrate language arts
skills to elementary age children from a variety of language patterns and cultural
backgrounds.
4. The students will demonstrate the effective integration of literature into language arts.
7. To plan, design, select, and adapt content, to find and create materials for lessons, and
to reflect upon and evaluate lessons taught in the classroom in order to meet the needs
of individual learners.
(2) Candidates are knowledgeable about language, oral discourse, reading processes,
writing processes, literature, print and non print media, and technology, research
theory and findings. Candidates demonstrate:
(c) knowledge of and skills in the use of reading processes, (e.g. phonemic
awareness, word identification and phonics, vocabulary and background
knowledge, fluency, comprehension strategies)
Graduate Syllabus Template 1-4-08
Masters Initial Revised 08-13-08
Course Policies:
Accommodations: Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who
believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability
Support Services as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations can be arranged. Please
meet with DSS staff to verify your eligibility for any classroom accommodations and for
academic assistance related to your disability. Disability Support Services is located in the
Academic Support Center (657-2283).
Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any
knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student commit and
act of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to the following
acts when performed in any type of academic or academically related matter, exercise, or
activity.
All academic misconduct will be dealt with accordingly and individually between the student
and the instructor.
Positive online participation is expected. Much of the success of the threaded discussions
depends on prior preparation; therefore students ought to complete the assigned readings before
each discussion. Rude comments will not be tolerated. Students are expected to act in a way
that befits the teaching profession.
No extra credit assignments or re-dos are permitted to improve grades. The expectation is that
students will carefully attend to the directions given concerning assignment. Students who
follow these guidelines can successfully complete each assignment.
Online discussions are expected each week. I expect you to complete at least one quality
discussion per topic(s) each week. Much of your weekly online grade depends on the reading of
other posts. I expect you to read at LEAST 15 other posts for EACH discussion. You will not
receive full points in the discussions if you are not reading that many discussions.
Each of you will be expected to send your lesson plans that are due to all your online classmates
via email. This will allow each of us to have several different plans for each language arts topic.
Do NOT send a copy of the graded lesson plans, send a copy of the lesson plan as submitted to
the instructor of the course before it receives a grade.
All discussions and ASSIGNMENTS are DUE by 11:59 PM on Tuesday. A new unit will open
on Wednesday of each week.
Assignments
Graduate Syllabus Template 1-4-08
Masters Initial Revised 08-13-08
(a) Lesson Plans (25 points EACH) You will be writing 6 lesson plans total. Each lesson
plan is specific to a genre of literature and specific to a language topic. You will use the
required lesson plan format developed in the College of Education at MSU Billings. I
encourage those of you with classrooms to write your lesson plans for your students.
All of you need to include a grade level that your lesson focuses on and the title and
author of your book. If you are currently NOT in a classroom, I would like you to
consider writing your lesson plans for different grade levels. EACH LESSON NEEDS
TO INCLUDE INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL. The only lesson and title that will be
dictated to you is for Island of the Blue Dolphins. You will be creating a writing lesson
with this novel. Also remember to email these lesson plans to each of your classmates so
that each one begins a collection of lessons to use with literature. Make sure you
include an assessment with each lesson and accommodations for various learners with
each lesson. (it is located on the College of Education Department of Educational
Theory and Practice Website-Lesson Plan format 2 objectives) (COE INTASC-
1,2,3,4,8)
(b) Balanced Literacy Topic Research Paper- (50 points) This assignment allows the
student to research Balanced Literacy. The student will research this topic and
write a 5-6-page paper on Balanced Literacy. You will also need to include an
additional half page to one page self reflection on balanced literacy. The paper
needs to be double-spaced, using a font no bigger than a standard 14. You need to
use at least two different references in text and make sure to include a
Bibliography/Reference page.
(c) Online threaded discussions (10 points per discussion) Since this is a large class, I
will expect that each of you post at least one time PER discussion. I will not accept
I agree or I disagree as one post, you will need to explain yourself. The majority
of online learning is discussions from each other and the greater the depth of
discussions the more we learn. This would also include reading each others posts.
Most weeks there will be two discussions.
(d) Introduction of self (10 points) This will include a paragraph in the discussion
introducing yourself and background information about you. This will be
completed during the first week of class.
(e)Literature Log Final Project (200 points) Keep a log of the childrens books that you
read this semester. Your log will have 70 books altogether.
Then write a few brief comments about the book. (4-5 sentences) THE LOG MUST
HAVE A TABLE OF CONTENTS LISTING TITLES, AUTHORS, ILLUSTRATORS,
AND COPYRIGHT DATE WITH EACH BOOK. Making quality selections is important
to this assignment. Your log must include:
5 folktales/fairytales,
2 myths/ legends,
2 fables,
13 picture books,
2 easy reader chapter books
Graduate Syllabus Template 1-4-08
Masters Initial Revised 08-13-08
REMINDER: Your Degree is for Kindergarten through Eighth grade, so make sure your
literature choices are appropriate for these age groups. Adult novels will NOT work in
elementary classrooms. Also note, some titles may fit into more than one genre, you may
only include it in one genre, you are to have 70 different book titles included in your
literature log.
Below a 60% is F
COURSE OUTLINE AND DUE DATES:
***Due to many students using different editions of the textbook Through The Eyes Of A
Child, I will not be listing page numbers to read. I will just be listing the chapter content for the
week and you will be responsible for reading the right chapter.***
(DUE on Tuesday, October 31st by 11:59 PM) This needs to be emailed to the instructor of the
course at lschwalbe@msubillings.edu There will NOT be a dropbox for the literature log as
the course closes automatically and you will no longer have access to this course. Again email
The final project to lschwalbe@msubillings.edu