Morrell, E. (2008). Critical Literacy and Urban Youth: Pedagogies of Access, Dissent, And

Course Name and Number: Reading, Writing & Critical Literacies in Secondary Schools (LSLS 3015 or LSLS 7015).

Description: This course emphasizes instructional and assessment strategies for teaching critical literacies in secondary schools. This course includes a 6-clock-hour field experiences in an urban high school and is required for candidates pursuing an Ohio Adolescent to Young Adult English Language Arts teaching license.

Credit Hours: 3 semester hours Required or elective: Required Faculty members who teach Chet Laine the course: Prerequisites: Textbooks: Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read, what teachers can do: A guide for teachers 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools. New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Other resource materials: Joint Council of the State Board of Education and the Ohio Board of Regents (2001). Ohio English language arts academic content standards. Columbus, OH: State Board of Education and the Ohio Department of Education.National Institute for Literacy. (2007). What content teachers should know about adolescent literacy. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. Morrell, E. (2008). Critical literacy and urban youth: Pedagogies of access, dissent, and liberation. New York: Routledge. Beers, K., Probst, R.E., & Rief, L. (Eds.). (2007). Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Learning Outcomes:

Learning Outcome: How is this outcome assessed? • demonstrate their knowledge of the Participate in Blackboard Literature Circles - small reading processes; groups of readers gathered together to engage in long- term discussions of the texts.

• help student draw on their past Describe the target population & community context for experience, sociocultural backgrounds, your lessons. Describe the young adults in detail, going interests capabilities, and beyond broad descriptions of the racial, cultural and Learning Outcome: How is this outcome assessed? understandings to make meaning of gender diversity. You will describe the diversity in the texts; class based on an interview with your cooperating teacher and/or intervention specialist. In addition to the interview, you will conduct an “Analysis of Student Work” and provide two detailed profiles describing plans for differentiating instruction for two individuals, a student who is in the “far below standard” group and a student who is in the “approaching standard” group. Go to the iLRC interactive tool (http://ilrc.ode.state.oh.us/) to locate Local Report Card data for your school (e.g., proficiency test results, graduation rates, financial data, and demographics). Using these data, you will describe the context within which learning and teaching take place. Through conversations with teachers, staff and community members, you will describe the community from which the students come and describe the impact of these contexts on teaching and learning. What are the community values that influence what occurs in your school? Describe the school context within which you work. What are the scheduling constraints at your school? Do you have common planning times with your colleagues? Who has power? Who has influence? • integrate into students’ learning Using data gathered from informal reading inventories, experiences a wide variety of strategies analysis of student work, interviews and surveys, design to interpret, and appreciate texts and intervention strategies to help your target students assess the effectiveness of such interpret, and appreciate texts and assess the strategies in promoting student effectiveness of such strategies in promoting student learning; learning.

• carefully design learning experiences Using data gathered from informal reading inventories, that encourage students to analysis of student work, interviews and surveys, design demonstrate their ability to read and learning experiences that encourage your target respond to a range of texts of varying students to demonstrate their ability to read and complexity and difficulty; respond to a range of texts of varying complexity and difficulty. • demonstrate how reading Using data gathered from informal reading inventories, comprehension strategies are flexible analysis of student work, interviews and surveys, design for making and monitoring meaning in learning experiences to help your target students both print and nonprint texts and teach monitor meaning in both print and nonprint texts. a wide variety of such strategies to all students;

• are knowledgeable about the Participate in Blackboard Literature Circles - small characteristics and appropriate groups of readers gathered together to engage in long- applications of widely used and term discussions of the texts. evolving assessment approaches; Learning Outcome: How is this outcome assessed?

• conduct assessments that involve Administer and interpret an informal reading inventory, multiple indicators of learner progress an analysis of student work, and the “Adolescent and take into account context of Motivation to Read Profile” to your target students. teaching and learning;

• creates assessments that take into Administer and interpret an informal reading inventory, account the complex nature of reading, an analysis of student work, and the “Adolescent writing, and language and that are Motivation to Read Profile” to your target students. based on a range of authentic literacy tasks using a variety of texts;

• teach students planning strategies Using data gathered from an analysis of student writing, most appropriate for particular kinds of design activities and teach your target students planning writing; strategies most appropriate for particular kinds of writing. • teach students to draft, revise and Using data gathered from an analysis of student writing, edit their writing; and design activities and teach your target students to draft, revise and edit their writing. • teach students the conventions of Using data gathered from an analysis of student writing, standard written English needed to edit design activities and teach your target students the their compositions. conventions of standard written English that they will need need to edit their compositions.

Alignment with Transformational initiatives: In view of this conceptual framework and our urban mission, the goal for our Transformation Initiative is to improve the performance of students in high needs schools by preparing educators who recognize the moral imperative to meet the needs of each student. We will prepare educators who are committed to each student, caring about each individual, and competent in evidence-based and data driven instruction. In this course, we address the following TI Themes:

Theme: Helping candidates come to terms with unintentional barriers and bias. Reading, Writing & Critical Literacies in Secondary Schools (LSLS 3015) includes field hours at Hughes STEM HS. In this setting, candidates critically examine unintentional barriers and bias, dangerous assumptions. Theme: Implementing a reliable and valid Teacher Performance Assessment to improve the consistency and quality of teacher effectiveness. The TPA system consists of two components: 1) Embedded Signature Assessments (ESAs) that vary across programs; and 2) a common portfolio assessment, and the Teaching Event. Several formative signature assignments are embedded in this course. Theme: Embedding methods courses in schools and better integrating methods courses with field experiences. This course is taught in an urban high school, Hughes STEM High School. The course embedded in the high school.

Theme: Adding more and earlier field experiences. This is one of five field experiences that English language arts candidates complete in their four-year program. Theme: Preparing teachers for urban schools. The course is designed to meet the needs of the Hughes STEM students, particularly those with special needs (i.e., unmotivated, neglected, special education). The teaching candidates are a combination of those seeking an integrated English language arts teaching license, valid for grades seven to twelve, or a mild to moderate Special Education teaching license, valid for teaching kindergarten through grade twelve. Approximately 20 coaching teams (English & special education pairs) work closely with small groups of Hughes STEM students. These teams coach Hughes STEM students at the high school during the day and/or after the school day, six hours per week for 10-11 weeks. These UC licensure candidates are supervised by faculty, field service supervisors, and doctoral students.

Theme: Implementation of research-based strategies. The assignments in this course are tied particular target students, with particular attention to students with special needs. The strategies employed in the design and implementation of the activities are based on sources such as Richard Allington’s What really matters for struggling readers: Designing research-based practices; Deshler, Palincsar, Biancarosa and Nair’s Informed choices for struggling adolescent readers: A research-based guide to instructional programs and practices; and research and research reviews by Nist and Simpson. The texts used in the course unpack research-based strategies for the candidates.

Theme: Academic language development This course includes signature assignments to prepare candidates for the Teacher Performance Assessment that will be completed during student teaching. Within the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) framework, academic language is the oral and written language needed by students to understand and communicate in the academic disciplines for specific purposes and audiences. In this course candidates must identify the language demands of the activities they create. They must describe the language demands their students will need to effectively participate in the classroom tasks, demands related to listening, speaking, reading, writing, and shifting between those modalities. Candidates must also be able to show how they draw on students’ language strengths (including language abilities in another language or context) and supply scaffolds to enable students to understand or produce language beyond their current level of mastery.

Theme: Reflection. Refection occurs throughout the course, in particular in the weekly Blackboard Literature Circles, where small groups of candidates gathered together to discuss critical concepts that emerge from the texts. In the accompanying work with students at Hughes STEM High School, candidate will meet to complete bi-weekly Collaborative Assessment Logs and Goal Setting Agreements. These structured settings will provide opportunities to reflect on their collaboration with prospective intervention specialists and their work with individual high school students. The critical aspects of these reflections are the candidates’ ability to monitor student learning and make appropriate adjustments in instruction.

Alignment with Conceptual Framework: This course addresses these institutional standards, in particular, candidates of the University of Cincinnati are committed, caring, competent educators

 with foundation knowledge, including knowledge of how each individual learns and develops within a unique developmental context.  with content knowledge, able to articulate the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and the structures of their discipline.  who successfully collaborate, demonstrate leadership, and engage in positive systems change.  who demonstrate the moral imperative to teach all students and address the responsibility to teach all students with tenacity.  able to address issues of diversity with equity and posses skills unique to urban education including culturally responsive practice.  able to use technology to support their practice.  who use assessment and research to inform their efforts and improve student outcomes.  who demonstrate pedagogical content knowledge, grounded in evidence- based practices, and maximizing the opportunity for learning, and professionalism.

Alignment with Specialized Program Association: The National Council of Teachers of English establishes guidelines for the preparation of English teachers. We drew the goals for this course from the Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of English Language Arts, 1996 Edition. As an English language arts teacher, you will know about language and literature; oral, visual and written literacy; print and non-print media; technology; and research. You will also demonstrate an understanding of students and teaching. You will know how to create and carry out instructional units. Finally, you will demonstrate this knowledge and skill in English language arts classrooms.  Candidates demonstrate their knowledge of reading processes.  helping students to draw upon their past experiences, sociocultural backgrounds, interests, capabilities, and under-standings to make meaning of texts  Integrate into students' learning experiences a wide variety of strategies to interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts and assess the effectiveness of such strategies in promoting student learning  carefully designed learning experiences that encourage students to demonstrate their ability to read and respond to a range of texts of varying complexity and difficulty;  Demonstrate how reading comprehension strategies are flexible for making and monitoring meaning in both print and nonprint texts and teach a wide variety of such strategies to all students;

Alignment with Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession: The Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession is the bases for two seminars: Secondary Practicum Experience II (SEC 5026) and Secondary Practicum Experience II (SEC 5026).. Candidates for the Ohio Adolescent to Young Adult English Language Arts teaching license complete these seminars while engaged with 7-12 students in field experiences. The syllabi for these two experiences address the Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession and these standards are reflected in the Collaborative Assessment Logs and Goal Setting Agreements completed by candidates in these practicum experiences.

Alignment with State Requirements: In this course candidates learn to apply Ohio’s Academic Content Standards in daily planning, managing learning environments, and methods for effective instruction in secondary language arts. http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx? Page=3&TopicRelationID=1699&Content=107240

Attendance Policies: Students are expected to attend all required class sessions, to actively participate in class and in the Blackboard learning environment, and to complete all assignments in a timely manner. Infrequent and inconsistent attendance, participation, and work completion will negatively influence the benefits that may be obtained from the course as well as lead to a lower grade. If it is necessary for you to miss class due to extenuating circumstances, it is your responsibility to obtain class notes, assignments, and/or handouts from Blackboard and/or from a classmate as well as to become aware of any announcements that were made in class. You do not need to report your absence to the instructor; it is your responsibility to determine what was addressed in the class.

Academic Integrity Policy The University Rules, including the Student Code of Conduct, and other policies of the department, college, and university related to academic integrity will be enforced. Any violation of these regulations, including acts of plagiarism, cheating, or falsifying field work will be dealt with according to the severity of the misconduct. Dishonesty in any form may result in a failing grade in a course and/or suspension or dismissal from a program (e.g., graduate or undergraduate).

Electronic Communication Policy: University of Cincinnati Information Technologies (UCIT) provides access to email for all students, faculty and staff. Email is an official method of communication at the University of Cincinnati. Students, faculty and staff are responsible for the consequences of not reading college related communications sent to their official UC email address. This is also used to post official messages and university, college and program announcements. As users of listservs, Blackboard websites, and other forms of electronic communication, candidates in this course agree to participate in a professional manner. In particular, not to harass other users of information technology services or facilities; not to attempt to disrupt, degrade, or interfere with the normal operation of any information technology service or facility; not to post or forward humor or “chain- letter” messages, or any defamatory, abusive, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials. Useful university web sites related to electronic communication include:

http://www.uc.edu/ucomm/web/social_media/students.html http://www.uc.edu/ucit/policies.html Participants are responsible for checking Blackboard and email on a regular basis. Students are encouraged to use email when interacting with the instructor. When using email, students are to be professional and courteous. Students should also remember email is an asynchronous form of communication. Thus, while a prompt response may be desired, it may not always be possible (especially late at night and on weekends). Students should allow at least 24 hours (48 hours on weekends) for a response. That said, the instructor answers emails in the timeliest fashion possible.

Grading:

Course Schedule: Week Topic 1 What are Critical Literacies? 2 Creating Independent Readers & Writers What is reading? 3 What is writing? 4 Assessing Reading & Writing Needs Finding Texts 5 Comprehension Explicit instruction Making inferences 6 7 Pre-reading Strategies Constructing meaning: During reading strategies 8 9 Constructing Meaning: After Reading Strategies Vocabulary 10 Fluency & Automaticity 11 12 Writers Workshop Decoding, Morphology, Word Recognition and Spelling 13 14 Responding to literature Exam Week