Syllabus

Course Description

Instructor

Note to all students: You'll need to have an IU network id to access oncourse, which is where the class site is located. If you do not have an IU network id go to: http://itaccounts.iu.edu and then choose "I am a student" and "I need to create my first IU computing account and passwords."

You can find Oncourse at http://oncourse.iu.edu.

Required Texts

You can order your readings from either the IU Bookstore or TIS Bookstore. 

To order your readings from the IU Bookstore, just call Brenda Young at 1-800-553-6471 or (812) 855-4668 and state that you are a Distance Education student and provide your class number(s), or contact her via email at bkstext@indiana.edu. If you are in Bloomington, you can purchase the books and course packets at the Bookstore in the Indiana Memorial Union building. 
To order your readings from TIS Bookstore, call 1-800-238-1229 or (812) 332-3306, extension 251. If you are in Bloomington, you can purchase the books at TIS Bookstore, 1302 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47401. They are shelved with the other Education course texts. 

• Leu, D. and Kinzer, C. (2003). Effective literacy instruction (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 
• Rasinski, T. V., & Padak, N. D. (2001). From phonics to Fluency. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.

Themes

• Theme #1

Literacy Beliefs

Before reaching a decision about how to teach reading, a teacher should understand and evaluate different theories and definitions related to the nature of the reading process. This first theme addresses competing (or what is perceived as competing) instructional frameworks, and how these frameworks impact decisions about literacy education to meet students' needs. 
 
 

• Theme #2

Reading Materials, Frameworks and Assessment: The Stuff to Get Started

Understanding the variety of published reading programs and instructional frameworks is critical to establishing effective literacy learning classrooms. This theme presents strategies for implementing and revising reading strategies to meet individual needs.Included in this theme is a discussion of assessments from which teachers may choose to make effective decisions.
 
 

• Theme #3

Emergent Literacy

Children enter school settings with a variety of literacy experiences. This theme examines how emergent literacy perspectives differ from traditional readiness theories. Various methods to enhance literacy learning in young children are delineated.
 
 

• Theme #4

  Word Analysis: The Details of Decoding, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Vocabulary

This theme discusses what is involved as readers begin to decode text and what cueing systems they use to make meaning of letters and sounds. Discussions related to vocabulary will also occur. 

 
 
• Theme #5

Comprehension, Stance, and Reader Response: Is This What Reading Is? Critical Literacy Issues.

Hidden in classroom reading and writing activities are issues of stance and motivation. The purposes teachers establish for reading events will influence the ways in which children respond and react to the activity. This theme explores what stance is and strategies for enhancing children's motivation towards engagement and ways to facilitate comprehension

• Theme #6

Children's Literature in the Classroom and Content Area Reading: Moving Beyond the Details

Effective teachers make literacy learning come alive for their students in a variety of ways, such as: providing a rich environment of literature, reading aloud to the class, allowing time for literature circles and integrating writing. 
 

Projects and Assignments

• Reader Response Entries* 

Based on readings assigned for each theme, you will be required to write a reader response entry for others in the virtual class to respond to. Your responses will be posted to the discussion forum. In addition to responding to the texts, you will also be expected to respond to two other's ideas posted in the forum.
 
• Assignments for Drop Box

Each theme will have a series of assignments you may select from to better understand the over arching questions of the course: How to teach reading? and What to teach? You will be expected to select these for each theme that makes the most sense for you. ). Submit your assignment in the drop box at the end of each theme.

Along with the reader response entries and literacy notebook, you will be engaged in conducting an inquiry project.

• Inquiry Project (30% of your final grade)

This project will be focused on questions you have regarding literacy instruction in the elementary classroom setting. Using the library, Internet, and/or classroom-based data, you will examine and explore your questions. You will submit a 10-12 page paper as a result of your inquiry.
 
• Self-Reflection (10% of your final grade)

 The self-reflection piece is an opportunity to reflect on the course as well as your own learning process. You will return back to your literacy beliefs document and key concepts.This document is due at the end of the course and should be approximately 1 to 2 pages in length. 

Grading Policy

Our courses are designed to be highly interactive and to include regular dialogue between student and instructor and between students. Because of this, we need students to participate regularly, and to keep up with the course readings and assignments. Students should not assume that they will automatically be granted an Incomplete grade at the end of the semester.  The instructor will deduct 10% per day of points for lateness.

If a student has not completed the course requirements for the course by the end of the semester, the instructor will give the following grade that is most appropriate:

• FN (failed for non-attendance) should be used to indicate that the failing grade was earned because the student failed to participate in the course or stopped participating, rather than for poor performance. Participation in an online course consists of communication with the instructor and other students, turning in assigned work on time, etc. A student that has ceased communication with his/her instructor may receive this grade. 
• I (Incomplete) may be used to indicate that the work done is satisfactory as of the end of the semester, but has not been completed; This usually means that the majority of assignments have been done and only a fraction remain. The student also needs to make specific arrangements with his/her instructor regarding how and when the rest of the required work will be submitted. The maximum time allowed for the removal of an Incomplete grade is one calendar year, but most incompletes should extend for only a few weeks or months. After 12 months, the university automatically converts an Incomplete to a grade of F. 
• If a student has completed some, but not all, of the required coursework, and has not made arrangements with the instructor to complete the rest of the requirements, the instructor may give a grade that reflects the graded coursework up to that point.