5 credits
WRITING PROFICIENCY
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH ED MAJORS ONLY DURING PHASE I
Prereq: Eng 440 and 441 or permission of instructor
Winter 2010 CRN: 11187 - TR 04:00-05:50 pm; HU 110
View syllabus from Winter Term 2010 (in PDF format)
CONTENT: This course focuses on ways children learn to write by examining the various stages in the process of writing. We’ll take a close look at how writers develop over time and plan teaching strategies to promote personal and public writing. In addition, we will examine current issues in the teaching of writing, investigate the connections between reading, literature, and writing, and explore ways to implement written publication and celebrations of writing in the language arts curriculum. And, we’ll also discover what it means to teach writing through our own work as writers.
ASSIGNMENTS: Come to class with an interest and desire to learn how writing develops, as well as how writing can be taught. There will be a range of reading and writing assignments: you’ll maintain a writer’s notebook, begin to develop a publishing center/ bookmaking notebook, design a writing focus lesson on writing traits using children’s literature as inspiration, collaborate on a professional book review, and participate in a culminating writing event. Since this course is listed as writing intensive, come prepared to write often, to revise for clarity and accuracy by taking into account purpose and audience, and to develop a piece into a presentational format.
Course Texts:
Core Texts/Resources (required):
- What a Writer Needs [Ralph Fletcher]
- Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide [Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi]
- A Writer's Notebook [Ralph Fletcher]
"Expert Team" Texts (select one):
- Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School [G. Heard]
- Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices [R. Fletcher]
- Nonfiction Matters: Reading, Writing, and Research in Grades 3-8 [S. Harvey]
- Of Primary Importance: What's Essential in Teaching Young Writers [A.M. Corgill]
- The Revision Toolbox: Teaching Techniques that Work [G. Heard]
Additional Resources (optional):
- Trait-Based Mini-Lessons [M. Sloan]
- Student Membership in either/both professional organizations:
National Council of Teachers of English (journals: Language Arts
and Voices from the Middle) International Reading Association
(journal: The Reading Teacher) and NSSRC
Materials:
- Writer’s Notebook and pens/pencils
EVALUATION: Active participation and regular attendance, remaining current on readings, completion of writing notebook entries and projects, participation in all components of our Writing-A-Fair.