November 21, 2003
To: Review Panel
Michigan Department of Education
From: Dr. Martha Kinney-Sedgwick
Associate Professor
Re: Approval of the Undergraduate Reading Major/Minor in Reading
The Reading Program at Eastern Michigan University has just received the report on our new major and minor in reading from the review panel. We would like to send you the requested information to facilitate final approval of our program.
The first piece of information requested was the sequence of courses. The Reading major/minor courses should be taken in the following order.
Courses requiring sophomore standing:
v RDNG 210: Issues and Trends in Literacy Education
v RDNG 230: Word Study in the Reading Program
v RDNG 220: Instructional Uses of Trade Books
These courses can be taken in any sequence or concurrently.
v RDNG 240: Reading and Writing Connections in the Elementary Grades.
Prerequisites: RDNG 210 or RDNG 230
v RDNG 330: Reading and the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learner
Prerequisites: RDNG 230, majors only
v RDNG 300: Early Literacy
Please note that because this course is required of all students seeking elementary certification, there are no prerequisites other than admission to the College of Education. However, it is strongly recommended to our Reading majors and minors that they complete the 200 level reading courses before taking this course.
This course serves as the prerequisite to the other 300 level courses in the major/minor.
v RDNG 310: Literacy across the Curriculum in the Intermediate Grades. Prerequisites: RDNG 300; Corequisite: FETE 401
v FETE 410: Field Experience III: Elementary
Corequisite: RDNG 310
v RDNG 340: Literacy Assessment in the Schools
v RDNG 350: Integrated Language Arts Instruction, majors only.
These courses can be taken in any sequence or concurrently.
v RDNG 400: Program Development for Struggling Readers, majors only
A program of study is attached to this memo.
The second piece of information requested was documentation that demonstrates how the Reading minor meets the diversity standards. The Reading program, indeed the entire College of Education at Eastern Michigan University, has a strong commitment to diversity and seeks to infuse concepts regarding diversity throughout our courses. As is often the case when moving from a syllabus to actual teaching, the reading faculty has provided many more experiences with issues of diversity and literacy in our minor than are perhaps documented in the matrix. A description of these activities and the standards they meet follows.
RDNG 210; Issues
and Trends in Literacy Education.
Standard 3.1.2.2: The reading educator will understand the influence of students’ culture and language on their reading acquisition, reading comprehension and instructional needs.
Standard 4.1.1.5: The reading educator will create learning environments which promote an understanding of differences in language use with personal, professional and community environments, including issues which relate to culture, race, gender, class, religion, ethnicity, heritage, regional background, and/or environmental background.
Standard 4.1.2: The reading educator will accommodate individual learning styles, intelligences, and needs by recognizing how differences among learners influence their literacy development and creating programs to address the strengths and needs of individual learners, including students with learning disabilities and students who are gifted.
Performance Assessment:
Students will read and summarize the International Reading Association’s Position Statement: “The role of reading instruction in addressing the overrepresentation of minority children in special education in the United States.” June, 2003.
Students will read and summarize Kathryn’s Au’s article: “Literacy for all students: Ten steps towards making a difference.” from the 2003 edition of Distinguished Educators on Reading: Contributions That Have Shaped Effective Literacy Instruction. Newark, DE, International Reading Association.
In small groups, students will develop a list of literacy activities based on their readings that provide inclusive experiences for children from diverse backgrounds.
Standard 4.1.2: The reading educator will accommodate individual learning styles, intelligences, and needs by recognizing how differences among learners influence their literacy development and creating programs to address the strengths and needs of individual learners, including students with learning disabilities and students who are gifted.
Performance Assessment:
Each student will create a bulletin board on tri-fold poster board featuring an author or one of the microcultures (AfricanAmerican, Asian American, Latino American, Native American). The board will feature bibliographic information about the author, summaries of some of their works, an interactive component, book jackets, children’s reactions to the books by that author etc. This bulletin board will be shared with the class.
Standard 2.1: The reading educator will respect the worth, contributions, abilities and language of all learners.
All students will be divided into teams to study the power of words to affect the lives of others. Each team will visit and interview members of various target populations either on or off campus. After the visit, each team will decide upon a word or group of words that have a negative impact on those it is used against and research the history of the term. Teams will create a power point presentation of their findings to be presented in class.
Standard 4.1.1.5; The reading educator will create learning environments which promote an understands of differences in language use within personal, professional, and community environments, including issues which relate to culture, race, gender, class, religion, ethnicity, heritage, regional background, and/or environmental background.
Performance Assessment:
Reading/Writing Activity or Content/Writing Activity: Each student will design one reading writing activity or content/writing activity. These activities should be designed to be implemented in a culturally diverse classroom, reflecting culturally responsive teaching and the writing process through all stages.
Standard 3.4.2.3: The reading educator will understand the processes of second language acquisition and the implications for developing oral language, reading, and writing proficiency.
Performance Assessment:
English as a Second Language Project: Students will read Chapter Six: “Talking their way into print; English language learners in a prekindergarten classroom.” from Beginning Reading and Writing, (Strickland and Morrow, editors,) plus three additional readings on ESL learners and literacy acquisition from journals such as Language Arts and The Reading Teacher. Based on these articles, they will design a literacy acquisition center/activity for ESL learners in a pre-k or primary grade classroom.
All courses cited above appear on the undergraduate minor. Hopefully, this list of performance assessments demonstrates that the undergraduate minor does indeed meet the standards on diversity. If the committee so desires, an updated matrix and revised syllabi could be sent to MDE for further documentation.
Minor adds
11-12 cr. hrs. to the Elementary Education Curriculum; double dips General
Education LITR 207.
Successful completion of this minor and the
certification test #05 (Reading) qualifies the student for endorsement in
Reading, certification code “BT.” Students planning to take the Michigan State
Subject Area Test for certification should take the test when all the course
requirements are completed.
Courses |
Titles |
Credits
|
Prerequisites |
|
The
following seven courses are REQUIRED for the Reading Minor: |
|||
|
____RDNG 210 |
Issues
and Trends in Literacy Education |
2 |
Sophomore
standing |
|
____RDNG 230 |
Word
Study in the Reading Program |
3 |
Sophomore
standing |
|
____RDNG 240 |
Reading
and Writing Connections in
the Elementary Grades |
3 |
RDNG
210 or RDNG 220 |
|
____RDNG 300
|
Early
Literacy |
3 |
Admission
to COE Teacher Certification
Program |
|
____*RDNG
310 |
Literacy
across the Curriculum in the Intermediate
Grades |
3 |
CURR
304 and RDNG 300 *Corequisite
FETE 401 |
|
____*FETE
401 |
Felid
Experience III: Elementary |
1 |
RDNG
300 *Corequisite
RDNG 310 |
|
____RDNG
340 |
Literacy
Assessment in the Elementary
Schools |
3 |
EDPS
340 or EDPS 341 |
|
Choose
one of the following: |
|||
|
____+LITR 207 |
Introduction
to Children’s Literature |
3 |
Sophomore
standing |
|
____RDNG
220 |
Instructional
Uses of Trade Books |
3 |
Sophomore
standing |
Note: Students
who choose the Reading Minor may NOT choose the Language Arts Major or
Minor nor the Language, Literature and Writing Minor.
* FETE 401
is required of all students taking Reading major or minor regardless
of when they started program.
+ Course is also listed as a General Education course
Adviser’s signature:
_______________________________________
Date:________________
Important
Information for Undergraduate/Initial Certification Students Selecting the New
Major or Minor in Reading: Eastern Michigan University has approved the Reading major
and minor. However, the Michigan
Department of Education (MDOE) has not yet approved them. MDOE approval of the major and minor is
anticipated by September of 2003. The
earliest a student could complete the Reading minor would be Fall 2003 (December
of 2003). The earliest a student could
complete the Reading major is Winter 2004 (April of 2004). In the event that there is a hold-up in the
state approval process, the Department of Teacher Education and/or the COE
Advising Center will work with individual students to allow them to graduate on
their anticipated graduation date and receive the Reading endorsement, if they
decide to pursue that endorsement, when it becomes available. (Reading majors and minors would be converted
to Language Arts Group majors and minors for the purpose of graduation. Then, the graduate would obtain the Reading
Teacher endorsement through the College of Education’s continuing certification
process). If you have any questions
about the Reading major or minor, please see an adviser in 130 Porter
(734-487-3415) or 313 Porter (734-487-3260).