Instructor: Dr. David Gill Office Phone: 962-4293
Office: 375 Ed. Bldg. E-mail gilld@uncw.edu
Required Text: Readence, J., Bean, T. W., & Baldwin, R. S. (2006). Content
Area Literacy: An Integrated Approach (8th edition). Dubuque, Iowa:
Kendall/Hunt.
Course Rationale and Description
SEC 310. Reading and Literacy in the Secondary School (3) Co-requisite: SEC
320 Field Experience Block 2 (1). Required course in the teaching of reading for secondary majors. Basic instructional reading strategies are developed, with emphasis on introducing assignments, improving study skills and fostering critical thinking. Students identify and learn to teach reading skills specific to varying content areas. Adjusting instruction to students' reading capabilities is stressed. Field experience required.
The field experience involves tutoring or application of strategies within a secondary classroom. After each session written reflections are required which analyze both the student's progress and your plans, efforts and decisions as a tutor. This duel analysis will reinforce your knowledge of yourself as a decision maker and reflective practitioner.
Course Objectives
At the conclusion of this class, the students will be to:
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Define content literacy and identify applications in their individual content areas
Apply readability concepts to content area texts and diagnose reader/text match
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Assess student interests, learning styles, and comprehension levels
Incorporate reading strategies into daily and unit lesson plans in accordance with the NC Standard Course of Study
 Demonstrate technology skills by participating in online discussion
 forums and posting assignments online
Generate lesson plans which apply knowledge of vocabulary,
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 comprehension, and study skill strategies
Apply an understanding of schema theory and the importance of prior knowledge
Describe the reading/writing connection and its implication for content instruction

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Demonstrate a knowledge of effective study strategies useful in the comprehension of content area material
Reflect on instructional decisions based on assessments and modify instruction appropriately
 Assess the effectiveness of lesson plans and tutoring sessions
Grading Scale
A = 300-285 B+ = 274-266 C+ = 239-234 D+ = 209-205
A- = 284-275 B = 265-248 C = 233-214 D = 204-200
B- = 247-240 C- = 213-210 D- = 199-195
F = 194 or below
Late or Missing Assignments: Assignments submitted after the due date will result in a grade penalty of 20% per day late. Late will be considered anything posted after 12:00 midnight on the due date. Failure to complete the field experience will result in an incomplete for this course.
Adherence to the University Academic Honor Code as explained on pages 31-33 of the UNCW
Student Handbook & Code of Student Life is mandatory.
A. Getting to Know You- You will introduce yourself to the others in the class by writing a bio about yourself. (5 points)
B. Content Unit Plan (100 points) You will construct a unit plan in your content area. It should include the following items:
STAGE ONE (1-5)
1) The bibliographic information of the text you used.
2) A list of objectives you plan to cover (8-10). You may reference the teacher's manual for these.
3) An explanation of how you plan to make this relevant to student learning
(Why should they know this? How will you engage your students on the first day of your unit?)
4) Inventories for assessing a) content knowledge , b) student interests and attitudes, and c) learning styles and/or classroom preferences. These should be separate.

5) A determination of the reading level of the text used and how you determined it. Include the actual numbers of words and sentences with your mathematical computations.
STAGE TWO (6-12)
6) A list of supplemental materials such as videos, music, CD ROMs, or other resources that will enhance student understanding
7) A list of vocabulary words (approximately 10-15) and at least three strategies for teaching them (excluding a puzzle) Actually explain and construct the strategies as if you were giving them to students. Include an example.
8) A graphic organizer (Use the Draw feature of your word processor for this.)
9) A text preview
10) A prediction guide
11) A CLOZE assessment
12) A feature analysis chart
STAGE THREE (13-20)
13) A ten day description of your plans for each day. Each day should contain an objective and a brief explanation of strategies you plan to use. A formal six point lesson plan is not necessary.
14) Guided notes
15) Questions for a learning log (5-8)
16) Two writing strategies (See notes for ideas.)
17) A puzzle for study (You may use the Puzzlemaker web site here if you wish.)
18) A game for review. Include directions and possible questions.
19) A list (5-8) of related web sites and a descriptive paragraph about what can be found on each.
20) Methods for assessment which allow for a variety of learning styles and student self reflection. Assign percentages based on 100% to each assignment and tell how you will assess it. For example you might weight your test 30%, their projects 25% etc.
C. Trade Book or Article (20 points)
Read a young adult novel related to your content area. Include the bibliographic information of the book, a summary and a list of five concepts in your content area found in the book, and a list of five teaching strategies you would use with the book. This should be two pages.
D. Weekly Assignments (6 total-10 points each)
There will be six weekly assignments.

E. WebQuest (20 points) You will construct a mini web quest in your content area and post it in the forum area so others can view it. Pick a topic.
Research websites that relate to that topic and construct ten questions along with the URLS where the answers can be found.
F. Mid term (30 points)
The mid term will be a lesson plan you will construct using the theory and strategies learned up to that point.
G. Field experience (tutoring). You will be expected to apply the strategies learned in this class through a ten hour tutoring experience. It must be done in a school setting. For those of you who already have a classroom, you may choose to apply them in your classroom as a whole or choose one student with whom to work. You'll need to submit your lesson plans along with reflections explaining what worked and what needs improvement.
H. Final exam (30 points) The final exam will be a discussion question format. I'll post a review prior to the exam.