SHAW UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

EDU 217/002

PRAXIS SEMINAR II: READING

HYBRID Course

Adjunct Instructor: Prof. Linda Reynolds Phone: 612-6717

Office Hours: By Appointment E-mail Address: Lreynolds@shawu.edu

Semester: Spring 2008 Class Time: Wed., 6:00 p.m.-6:50 p.m.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK THEME

The theme/purpose of the conceptual framework undergirding the Department of Education’s programs is: To produce graduates who are critical-thinking problem solvers with the knowledge, pedagogical and technological skills, and professional dispositions needed to function as effective teachers in a diverse world.

Department of Education Mission Statement

The Shaw University Department of Education builds on the knowledge, skills, and values that students acquire through their liberal arts and science foundations. Candidates graduating from the department will have the specialty area knowledge, professional skills, and experiences that will enable them to function as competent and effective teachers who think critically and demonstrate effective problem-solving skills.

Departmental majors may choose a specific concentration from four different specialty areas. Each student is encouraged to choose one of the specialty areas listed below by the end of his/her sophomore year.

Birth through Kindergarten Education (B-K)

Elementary Education (K-6)

Graduate students may pursue a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Early Childhood Education.

[The Secondary English Education (9-12) and Secondary Mathematics Education (9-12) programs are housed in the content areas. The University suspended the Special Education: General Curriculum (K-12) Program, effective in fall 2006.]

Department of Education Program Goals

The goals of the Department of Education are:

1. to align the institutional mission and goals with state, regional, national, and departmental standards and requirements;

2. to prepare candidates to work in schools as teachers who know and can demonstrate the content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all P-12 students learn;

3. to implement an assessment system that collects and analyzes data on applicant qualifications, candidate and graduate performance, and unit operations to evaluate and improve the unit and its programs;

4. to collaborate with school partners to design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so that teacher candidates develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn;

5. to design, implement, and evaluate curriculum and experiences for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn;

6. to maintain a qualified faculty that models best professional practices in scholarship, service, and teaching; and

7. to maintain the leadership, authority, budget, personnel, facilities, and resources for the preparation of candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards.

NOTE: The mission statement and goals of the Department of Education are aligned with the mission statement and goals of each of its programs.

TEXT

PLATO Web Learning Network

BLACKBOARD – Students must have access to a computer and be proficient in the use of Blacboard. As a hybrid course this course will not have face-to-face meetings every week. Some sessions will be posted Blackboard. Please refer to the weekly schedule

GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to prepare education majors to take the PRAXIS I exam in reading. It will focus on vocabulary building, literal comprehension, and critical and inferential comprehension. Homework will require students to use software in the computer lab

and complete other assigned tasks. PREREQUISITES: ENG 112 and ENG 113.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

As assessed by pre- and post-tests and other diagnostic tests, students will demonstrate at least at the “Acceptable = B” level of performance their ability to:

1. Find the main idea of a paragraph or other text.
2. Answer questions related to literal comprehension and critical and inferential comprehension.
3. Identify and evaluate the author’s ideas.
4. Interpret different kinds of resources, including charts, graphs, maps, reference, and

technical materials.

5. Improve vocabulary and increase reading fluency.
6. Develop strategies to enhance comprehension and critical thinking skills.

SPECIFIC NCDPI STANDARDS AND INDICATORS

This course will address the following State standards and indicators:
Core Standards

1.1 Teachers have a broad knowledge of content.

Diversity Standard:

6.0 Reflective practitioners who are committed to educational equity

Technology Standards:

1.1 Demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills related to technology

1.5 Use technology to enhance productivity and professional practice

Birth-Kindergarten Standard:

10.0 Professionals function professionally.

Elementary Education Standards:

1.5 Know and understand that reading is taught as a process of constructing

meaning through interaction of existing knowledge, information, and context

1.6 Understand importance of literacy for personal and social growth

1.8 Understand written and oral composition processes

English Education Standards:

1.0 Know and understand the English language

2.0 Know and understand written ad oral composing processes

2.1 Understand skills and strategies that enhance reading

2.2 Understand comprehension strategies

6.4 Model effective learning and problem-solving

8.0 Use assessment as an integral part of instruction and learning

Mathematics Education Standard:

4.6 Use appropriate technology to interpret data

ASSIGNMENTS

1. Instruction. In addition to individualized instruction, students will be assigned work weekly in the computer lab using PLATO Web Learning Network (individually guided instruction). Students continue in this course until they demonstrate mastery at least at the “Acceptable = B” (80%) level of performance on the post-test.

Core 1.1; Diversity 6.0; Technology 1.1, 1.5; B-K 10.0, Elementary Education 1.5, 1.6, 1.8; English Education 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 6.4, 8.0; Mathematics Education 4.6;

2. Library Component. The instructor will do a class presentation to include:

• How to write, using the APA style (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6^th ed.)
• How to search databases to locate sources
• How to locate sources in the Curriculum Materials

TOPICAL COURSE OUTLINE

This course will include the following topics:
1. Effective Reading and Studying

a. Increase Reading Fluency

b. Improve Vocabulary

2. Develop strategies to Enhance Comprehension and Critical-Thinking Skills
3. Understanding Ideas

4. The Main Idea
5. Summarizing Text
6. Answering Questions
7. Evaluating Ideas
8. Test-Taking Skills
9. Reading for Information (Fact Finding, Major and Minor Details)
10. Researching Ideas
11. Drawing Conclusions

12. Locating Information (Reading Graphs, Charts, Maps, etc.)

EVALUATION

Grading Scale

A = 100-90 (Target)

B = 89-80 (Acceptable)

C = 79-70(Acceptable)

D = 69-60 (Unacceptable)

F = Below 60 (Unacceptable)

1. Mandatory class attendance and participation are required.
2. Pre-test scores will NOT be computed in the calculation of averages and final grades.
3. The final grade for this course will be computed as follows:

Lab Assignments/Plato	20%
Other Assignments	40%
Post- test	40%
Total	100%

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SUGGESTED READINGS

Brown, J. 1. & Fishco, V. (1997). Efficient reading (8th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Comprehensive skills booklets. (1974). Providence, RI: Jamestown Publishers. ‘Series I includes: Main Idea, Drawing Conclusions, Vocabulary, and seven other topics- @ntcpub@tribune.com].

Corrective Reading: Comprehension (2002). Columbus, OH: SRA/ McGraw-Hill

Cortina, J., Elder, J., & Connet, K. (I 996). Comprehending college textbooks: Steps to Understanding and remembering what you read. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Crawley, S. J. & Merritt, K. (2000). Remediating reading dfficulties (3d ed). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Epstein, 1. D. & Nieratka, E. B. (1999). The proficient reader (371 ed.). Boston:
Houghton Mifflin.

Flemming, L. (1999). Reading for results (7h ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

McGrath, J. L. (1995). Building strategies for college reading. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Milan, D. (I 996). Improving reading skills (3rd ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Postman, R. D. (2000). Barron ‘.s’ how to prepare for Praxis I. - PPSTICBT. NY: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Smith, L. H. & Ramonda, R. J. (1997). Read, write, react: An integrated approach to Reading and writing. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Wiener, H. & Bazennan, C. (I 999). All of us: A multicultural reading skills handbook (3 rd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Websites:
www.microsoft.com/education

www.slkp.net/-caa

www.wordwizard.com

Search Engines:

www.altavista.digital.com

www.excite.com/

www.infoseek.com

www.metacrawler.com/

www.iTools.com/research-it/research-it.html

www. lioocom

CLASSROOM RULES/EXPECTATIONS

The class attendance policy of the University follows:

Students are allowed as many unexcused absences as the number of times the course meets per week For example, in a three-credit-hour course that meets three limes per week, the student will be allowed three unexcused absences per semester. If the class meets twice per week, the student will be allowed two unexcused absences per semester.

Attendance will be taken for online meeting sessions. Students will be required to login to Blackboard for those sessions between 6-7p.m on Wednesdays. Please refer to the syllabus. The Blackboard system allowed the instructor to monitor attendance and participation

Added ONLINE COURSE GUIDELINES

Academic Integrity/Cheating and Plagiarism. Cheating is the practice of fraudulent and deceptive acts for the purpose of improving a grade or obtaining course credit. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating that consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of another by representing the material so used as one’s own work. Cheating and/or plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Depending upon the seriousness of the action, the student may be penalized by and “F” on the assignment to and “F” in the course and the filing of a Cheating/Plagiarism /Report with the Dean to be placed in the student’s file.

Classroom Decorum Expectations. To enhance the learning atmosphere of the classroom, students are expected to dress and behave in a fashion conducive to learning in the classroom. More specifically, students will refrain from disruptive classroom behavior (i.e., talking to classmates, disrespectful responses to teacher instructions; swearing; wearing clothes that impede academic learning such as but not limited to, wearing body-revealing clothing and excessively baggy pants; hats/caps, and/or headdress. Students will turn off telephones prior to entering the classroom. Students who exhibit the behaviors described above, or similar behaviors will immediately dismissed from class at the third documented offense. The student will be readmitted to class only following a decision by the department chair. The student may appeal the decision of the department chair to the Dean of the College offering the course, and, subsequently, to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and then to the President of Shaw University. The decision of the President will be final. Failure to follow the procedures herein outlined will result in termination of the appeal, and revert to the decision of the department chair.

SIGNIFICANT DATES
The last day to add/drop courses this semester is Friday, January 24, 2008

Class Schedule - Topical Course Outline

Week	Topic	Assignment/Activity	Location
Week 1 1/16	ABOUT THE PRAXIS	Pre-Test Handouts	TOS 205
Week 2 1/23	Literal Comprehension Main Idea/Main Purpose	Plato	Online Blackboard
Week 1/30	Literal Comprehension Supporting Idea	Handouts	TOS 205
Week 4 2/6	Literal Comprehension Supporting Idea	Plato	Online Blackboard
Week 5 2/13	Literal Comprehension Vocabulary in Context	Handouts	TOS 205
Week 6 2/20	Literal Comprehension Organization	Plato	Online Blackboard
Week 7 2/27	Critical and Inferential Comprehension Inference/Conclusion	Mid Term Exam	TOS 205
Week 8 3/5	Critical and Inferential Evaluation Evidence	Plato	Online Blackboard
Week 9 3/12	Critical and Inferential Comprehension Assumption	Handouts	TOS 205
Week 10 3/19	Critical and Inferential Fact or Opinion	Plato	Online Blackboard
Week 11 4/2	Critical and Inferential Attitude	Handouts	TOS 205
Week 12 4/9	Critical and Inferential Comprehension Extend/Predict	Plato	Online Blackboard
Week 13 4/16	Critical and Inferential Application	Handouts	TOS 205
Week 14 4/23	Review	Handouts	TOS 205
Week 15 4/30	Final Exam Cumulative		Online Blackboard

REVISION OF SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO THE DISCRETION OF THE INSTRUCTOR