Syllabus EDUC 567 Literacy and the English Language Learner

October 2011 Session

(October 24, 2011 December 18, 2011 8 week class)
Course Syllabus
Textbooks and syllabus are subject to change each session.
Students are responsible for using the appropriate textbook
and syllabus. Instructors may modify assignments.

Course Description
Reading Specialists role in education is changing, a key challenge that they now face is how to work
with a broad range of cultural, linguistic, and intellectual differences among their students. How to
meet the varied needs of all their students? What must be considered when planning and
implementing literacy instruction? And finally, just what is the role of the Reading Specialist as an
ELL/reading liaison to mainstream teachers?
EDUC 567 Literacy for the English Language Learner will focus on answering these and other questions
dealing with strategies and techniques for teaching ELL students. It will explore language and literacylearning strategies children bring from home and how these strategies impact and facilitate growth in
reading and writing. The unique view of diversity and literacy EDUC 567 offers is based on sociocultural and sociolinguistic theories of literacy learning that will provide students with a real-world
understanding of the issues and opportunities of diversity.
You will become aware of the rationale and concepts in ACCESS for English Language Learner (A
large-scale test of English language proficiency based on the English language development standards
required by the State of Illinois). You will analyze, interpret and design learning plans for ELL students
based on the ACCESS for English Language Learner.

Course Objectives
Gaining factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods, trends) (E)
Learning fundamental principles, generalizations, or theories (I)
Learning to apply course material (to improve thinking, problem solving, and decisions
(E)
Developing specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professionals in
the field most closely related to this course (E)
Developing creative capacities (writing, inventing, designing, performing in art, music,
drama, etc.) (E)
Gaining a broader understanding and appreciation of intellectual/cultural activity
(music, science, literature, etc.) (E)

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Developing skill in expressing oneself orally or in writing (E)

Required Text and Resources:

Title:

Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning: Teaching Second Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

Author:

Gibbons, P.

Publisher: Heinemann.
st

Year/Ed:

1 edition / 2002

ISBN 13:

9780325003665

Course Requirements
Discussions: This course is designed to be a collaborative learning experience using Discussion
Forums. Each week Discussion Questions on topics that are vital to the knowledge of early literacy and
instructional practices will be assigned. To receive a minimum passing grade, you must make a
posting by midweek and a respond to at least one additional posting by the end of the week which
must be on two separate days. However, I hope each of you make more than two postings and really
get into the heart of the discussion. We have tried to make the discussions interesting by choosing
topics that provoke passionate responses AND a real learning experience. NOTE: Only discussions
threads posted by 11:00pm CST of the week they are due will count for grading purposes.
Written Assignment: 4 Model Lesson Plan (Due Week 6): Using the Four Roles/Resources
example, explain how you would use the model to teach the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears
in a guided reading group. Develop a lesson plan incorporating the strategies and justify the use of the
design elements with ELL students. Think about the following questions:
What challenges did you face using the model?
Did it help you to analyze the fairy tale any differently?
Did it help you to scaffold the lesson?
Written Assignment: Reading Specialist Action Plan (Due Week 7): Over the duration of this
course, you are asked to reflect and evaluate how you can incorporate the course content into your
everyday practice. Below are the guiding questions you will need to address in your action plan.
What preparation steps will you make or be aware in order to serve as an ELLs
resource for mainstream teachers in your building?
What action steps will you take to support yourself in becoming a successful reading
resource for ELLs for mainstream teachers in your building?

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What follow-up steps will you take to reflect on actions taken?

For each question, you will include the following information using the Action Plan Template:
Steps Taken
Rationale
Impact Benefit(s)
Impact Risk(s)
Professional Portfolio Artifact: ACADEMIC LEARNING PLAN (Due Week 8): An Academic
Learning Plan requires a rigorous process of analysis and interpretation of ACCESS test data in order
to design a comprehensive academic plan. Each week covers various components of the full Academic
Plan. Each Academic Learning Plan will be based on real-world ACCESS assessment data examples
from students in an Illinois public school district (provided in class). This assignment is your
Professional Portfolio Artifact.
The Academic Learning Plan consists of an academic overview and lesson plans designed to improve
an identified area of learning or gap that needs support, reinforcement or re-teaching. The Academic
Learning Plan consists of:
Content Learning Goal/s
Language Learning Goal/s
Description and ACCESS scores of Students in Learning Group
Rationale for Students Chosen for Learning Group
Titles and authors of lesson plans included in the Academic Learning Plan
Each Academic Learning Plan must include the following criteria:
Lesson Plans include:

Content Objectives

Must clearly identify WIDA Standards

Language Objectives

Key Vocabulary to be reviewed during lesson

Supplementary Materials needed for instruction

Lesson Plan Features were completed

Lesson Sequence should be organized and logical

Lesson Reflection should be concise and informative

Instructional components that need to be addressed in the lesson planning:

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Lesson Plans clearly addressed the kind of context: Context and Situation

Lesson Plans clearly addressed the Registers within the context of learning

Lesson Plans incorporated clear instructions

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October 2011

Lesson Plans address the appropriate transfer issues

Lesson Plans effectively incorporates Classroom Talk

Lesson Plans are based on the concepts in The Four Resource Model

Lesson Plans effectively incorporated the three types of knowledge

Semantic Knowledge knowledge of the world

Syntactic Knowledge knowledge of the structure of the language

Graphophonic Knowledge knowledge of sound-letter

Lesson Plans incorporated the seven strategies for creating a content rich environment
for ELL students:

Provide opportunities for immediate success

Build on ELLs prior knowledge and teach essential vocabulary

Explain cultural assumptions and use culturally relevant material whenever

possible

Use a variety of visual aids and teach to all learning styles \

Lighten the linguistic load by simplifying grammatical structures and

paraphrasing

Teach language along with content

Teach interdisciplinary thematic units/lessons whenever possible relationships

Include as a Professional Portfolio Artifact for Standard 1 & 2. (Please see artifact rationale
rubric for specific expectations, as outlined in the Professional Portfolio Handbook.)
Course Policies
You are encouraged to access this course 3 to 5 times per week. By doing so you will be able to
actively participate in the Discussion Forums, complete your assignments and access announcements
in a timely manner. Assignments are to be submitted by the due date listed on the course schedule.
Late assignments will be penalized.

Week

Title

Assignments

Reading

01

Introduction to Literacy for

English Language Learners

Articles

Week 01 Discussion - Teaching English

Language Learners

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The readings this week discuss common views

of English language learners and how teachers
can use what they know about literacy
instruction and their students to maximize
learning.
Think about your English language
learners. What ideas from might be
useful in your classroom?
How can you use what you already
know about literacy instruction and
your English language learners to
enhance their learning?
How can you ensure that English
language learners and their Englishspeaking peers have equal access to
the curriculum?
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other students' post
by the end of the week. Please check the
Course Calendar for specific due dates.

Reading
Articles

Week 02 Discussion - ACCESS

After you review the material for the ACCESS
assessment, post your responses to the
following statements:
3 key ideas I found out from the
readings
02

2 things that were interesting or

especially hard to understand from
the readings

English Language Learners

1 question I still have about the

readings
Respond to one additional post and in
responding to a classmate's post discuss your
understanding of the information given; and
try to address the 'question' the person has in
order to come to a conclusion on that
issue(s).
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other students' post

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by the end of the week. Please check the

Course Calendar for specific due dates.

Reading
Gibbons - Forward and Chapters 1
and 2
ESL/Bilingual Resource Guide
Group Work Handout
Mundelein School District Student:
English Language Fluency
Performance / Modification Tool

Week 03 Discussion - Registers and

Learning

Why is it important for teachers to

have the ability to recognize
increasing ranges in learning
registers?

03

Why is it important for teachers to

understand why the control of
increasing ranges in registers is
important in learning?

Challenges of the English

Language Learner

Is it important to have the ability to

distinguish between the ranges of a
register?
What can we do as teachers to
positively address these issues in
learning?
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other students' post
by the end of the week. Please check the
Course Calendar for specific due dates.

Week 03 Discussion - Group Activities

Gibbons offers a variety of activities with
examples for group work within the classroom
(pg. 29-34). Think about the information
that's presented and develop an alternative
activity for one of the examples. List the new
activity in the discussion area and reflect on
why your particular activity would be

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successful with ELL students based on what

you've learned about instructional practices
thus far.
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other students' post
by the end of the week. Please check the
Course Calendar for specific due dates.

Reading
Gibbons - Chapter 7: Learning
Language, Learning Through
Language, and Learning About
Language: Developing an Integrated
Curriculum
Tips for Teaching ELLs
Ways to Engage ELL Students
What Teachers Need to Learn about
Their Students Handout

Week 04 Discussion - Lesson Plan Cycle

04

Understanding the Cultural and

Linguistic Background

This assignment allows you to begin to put

into practice some of the strategies and
viewpoints we've learned in the course up to
this point. Using the Classroom Scenarios in
the assignment summary below, you will need
to select a scenario and develop the initial
portions of the lesson plan called the 'lesson
cycle'. The 'lesson cycle' and the "Ways to
Engage" strategies are part of the overall
lesson planning process and will help you
formulate the information for your
professional portfolio artifact (refer to
Professional Portfolio folder for additional
details). You will post your lesson cycle plan
here for discussion.
To complete this assignment the following
attachments are provided:
Assignment Summary
Ways to Engage Article
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other student's post

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by the end of the week. Please check the

Course Schedule for specific due dates.

Week 04 Discussion - Transfer

Determine the transfer level for each example
in this list.
Positive Transfer
Negative Transfer
No Transfer
In order to respond to this discussion,
consider the following:
The transfer issue
A rationale for the transfer
Example of how the transfer issue
might help, make no difference or
hurt communication
In your post be sure to connect your
responses to your assigned readings. Identify
your reasons and/or rationale for your
responses.
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other student's post
by the end of the week. Please check the
Course Schedule for specific due dates.

Reading
Gibbons

Chapter 3: From Speaking to

Writing in the Content

05

Speaking to Writing and

Writing in a Second Language

Classroom

Chapter 4: Writing in a
Second Language

Getting at the Content

Third Language of Academic English

Week 05 Discussion - Writing Difficulties

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for ELL Students

What are areas of potential difficulty in writing
for ELL students? Give an example of an area
of difficulty and a possible solution to
remediate the problem. Post your response to
this discussion.
Use the Writing Modifications handouts below
for additional support:
Writing Modification Handouts
In your post be sure to connect your
responses to your assigned readings. Identify
your reasons and/or rationale for your
responses.
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other student's post
by the end of the week. Please check the
Course Schedule for specific due dates.

Week 05 Discussion - Speaking to

Writing & Scaffolding Writing
Gibbons outlines four texts that form a
sequence of instructional events called a
'mode continuum'. Refer to the magnetic
example listed in the book (p. 41-48) and
develop your own example, briefly identifying
each of the four stages and what is taking
place. Your stage 4 can include any of the
scaffolding ideas presented in your text (p.
67-70). Post your continuum here and be sure
to connect your rationales to your assigned
readings.
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other student's post
by the end of the week. Please check the
Course Schedule for specific due dates.

Reading
06

Reading in a Second Language

Gibbons - Chapter 5: Reading in a

Second Language
A Socio-Cultural Approach: Resourcing

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Four Roles as a Literacy Learner

Article
Instructional Example of the Four
Roles
Reading Supports for All

Week 06 Discussion - Three Kinds of

Knowledge
Read the examples Gibbons presents for the
three kind of knowledge located in Chapter 5
page 78.
Reflect on the following two questions:
What are the implications of the three
kinds of knowledge and your teaching
style with ELL students?
What impact does personal or prior
knowledge have on the learning
process for ELL students?
Please make your initial post by midweek, and
respond to at least one other students' post
by the end of the week. Please check the
Course Calendar for specific due dates.

Week 06 Written Assignment- 4 Model

Lesson Plan

Using the 4 Roles/Resources example, explain

how you would use the model to teach the
fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears in a
guided reading group. Develop a lesson plan
incorporating the strategies and justify the
use of the design elements with ELL students.
Think about the following questions:
What challenges did you face using
the model?
Did it help you to analyze the fairy
tale any differently?
Did it help you to scaffold the lesson?
Submit your completed assignment to the
drop box for instructor grading. Please check

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the Course Schedule for specific due dates.

Reading
Gibbons: Chapter 6 - Listening: An
Active and Thinking Process

Week 07 Discussion - Ways of Listening

Complete a short lesson plan activity using
the examples listed in the Gibbons text on
pages 106-112. Think about the listening task
and what kind of listening you expect from
the students. Be sure to identify the type of
listening your activity represents.
Reflect on your Academic Learning Plan for
your Professional Portfolio Artifact assignment
(details located in the Professional Portfolio
Folder), have you included listening tasks as a
component of that assignment?

07

Listening

Please make your initial post by midweek, and

respond to at least one other students' post
by the end of the week. Please check the
Course Calendar for specific due dates.

Week 07 Written Assignment - Action

Plan
Over the duration of this course, you have
been asked to reflect, evaluate, and apply
various strategies you've learned and
incorporate the course content into your
everyday practice. Below are the guiding
questions you will need to address in your
action plan.
1. What preparations will you need to
make or be aware of in order to serve
as an ELL's resource for mainstream
teachers in your building?
2. What action steps will you take to
support yourself in becoming a
successful reading resource for ELL
student for mainstream teachers in
your building?
3. What follow-up steps will you take to

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October 2011

reflect on actions taken?

For each question, you will include the
following information:
Steps Taken
Rationale
Impact Benefit(s)
Impact Risk(s)
Using the Action Plan Template, create a
personal Action Plan for assisting the
mainstream teachers in your building to
better serve the ELL student population.
You will submit your assignment for grading
to the drop box. Please check the Course
Schedule for specific due dates.

Week 07 Written Assignment Academic Learning Plan

In Week 08, your Academic Learning Plan will

be due. Please see the Course Materials
folder for more details.

Week 08 Written Assignment Academic Learning Plan

Your Academic Learning Plan is due this week.

Submit your completed assignment to the
drop box below. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.

08

Academic Learning Plan

Benedictine Student Survey

The following survey allows you to provide
feedback based upon your experience in this
course. Your response will offer valuable
insight, and will be used to improve our
Benedictine online courses.
The results of this survey will be collated and
viewed by a course administrator. While not
anonymous, your name will not be made

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available to your course instructor; this

information is only visible to the course
administrator. This survey is ungraded, and
will not affect your grade in this course in any
way.
Benedictine University thanks you for your
honest and candid feedback.

Library Resources
The primary mission of the Benedictine University Library is to provide library resources and services
that support the Benedictine University community and meet its academic and research needs. To
support our mission, the Library has made provisions for all students to gain access to important
academic resources through the Benedictine Library Website. As you begin your academic journey
please take note of these key concepts that will affect that access:
Entry into academic databases and most Library resources must be made through the
Benedictine Library Website at www.ben.edu/library
Within one week of your official enrollment your patron information will be
automatically entered into the library system, where once entered, you will be able to
check out books and access databases
When off-campus you will be prompted by authentication software (a proxy server) to
provide your Library ID number and last name to access article databases and request
books. This software proxy server confirms that you are a current Benedictine
University student and thus allowed access
Your Library ID number is a combination of the Benedictine Library prefix 2281100
and your seven-digit student ID number (also called your b number). Thus
2281100XXXXXXX is the Library ID number with Xs being the seven digit student
number. This number is prominently located just below the barcode on your
Benedictine ID card
Tutorials on the Research Process including basic Library skills and Web-based
Resource Guides are available on the Library Website http://www.ben.edu/library/.
Click on Reserves & course support or simply follow the link
http://www.ben.edu/library/course_support/index.asp
Additional Library information and tutorials are available on the Library Website by
clicking on How do I?...(Help & FAQs) or simply follow the link
http://www.ben.edu/library/help/index.asp

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For further information on any aspect of Library resources and access please call or
write the Benedictine Library Reference Desk at 630-829-6057 or libref@ben.edu.
Please take note of Library hours and staff directory located on the Library Website
under About the Library and feel free to contact us about any concern or need you
might have.

Late Assignments
Per University policy, assignments cannot be accepted by an instructor after the last day of
the course. In the event of extenuating circumstances, please see the information regarding
the Incomplete Policies and Procedures.

Incompletes: Policy and Procedures

Under extraordinary circumstances, when a student is unable to complete all course
assignments by the final date of the session, a grade of 'I'(Incomplete) may be requested by
the student and issued with the permission of the instructor. In order to be eligible for an
Incomplete, a student must be performing satisfactorily in the course, have completed a
substantial portion of the course and be in good academic standing.
Online students may have as many as 28 days in which to complete their work and submit for
a final grade from the instructor. Incomplete grades not addressed by students will become
an F unless the student has removed it. It is the students responsibility to complete all
course requirements.

University Academic Honesty Policy

The search for truth and the dissemination of knowledge are the central missions of a
university. Benedictine University pursues these missions in an environment guided by our
Roman Catholic tradition and our Benedictine Heritage.
Integrity and honesty are therefore expected of all University students. Actions such as
cheating, plagiarism, collusion, fabrication, forgery, falsification, destruction, multiple
submission, solicitation, and misrepresentation are violations of these expectations and
constitute unacceptable behavior in the University community.
To access the complete Academic Honesty Policy, which includes student responsibility,
responsibility and authority of faculty, violations, reporting and communicating, responsibilities
of the provost, appeals, composition of the academic appeals board, procedures of the
academic appeals board, and records, please select the following link: www.ben.edu/ahp

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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of
1990 prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities by standing provision of
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If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability, you may be eligible for
reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, please
contact the Student Success Center, Krasa Center - 012A, 630-829-6340. All students are
expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The University will not waive any essential skill or
requirement of a course or degree program.

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EDUC 567

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