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English 302: Teaching Writing in the Elementary & Middle School
Spring 2015
Monday, 3:30 – 6:15
Our Course Wiki: http://engl302teachingwriting.wikispaces.com/
Professor Information
Name: Dr. Christina Berchini
Office: Centennial Hall 4115
Contact info: berchicn@uwec.edu (email is best)/715-836-2161 (land line)
Office hours: On certain weeks,1 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12 – 1:30 (or by appointment)
Do I dare disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
~T.S.Elliot~
Required Texts:***
1.
Jeff Anderson, 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know
2.
Troy Hicks, Crafting Digital Writing: Composing Texts Across Media and Genres
3.
Ruth Culham, 6+1 Traits of Writing: The complete guide, grades 3 and up
Recommended:
1)
Lori Jamison Rog, Marvelous Minilessons for Teaching Intermediate Writing, grades 4 – 6
***I will also post required readings to the course wiki as we move through the semester.
Course Description:
English 302 is a writing-intensive course focused on writing theory and pedagogy in the
elementary and middle school. Students will engage in multiple writing projects to develop and
understand their own writing lives and the writing lives of children. We will explore creating
engaged writing environments, supporting student writing processes, scaffolding student writing,
integrating reading and language study into the writing classroom, writing for a variety of
purposes, conferring with writers, assessing student writing, and supporting diverse and
struggling writers. Each course concept will be addressed within the context of theories of
literacy development of elementary and middle school students, current composition theory, and
national and Wisconsin performance standards in writing and literacy.
Graduate-level component: In addition to all other class assignments, graduate students are
expected to do significant extra work. This may include, for example, one or more of the
following: preparing individual research projects; producing more or longer creative works;
writing longer, more scholarly research papers or teaching units; giving class presentations;
supervising undergraduate projects. Specifically, graduate level students will have the
opportunity to propose, conduct, and present inquiry-based projects focused on writing pedagogy
in their specific schools and communities. Paper/article publication will be encouraged. Graduate
students should discuss their ideas with their professor early in the semester.
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There are certain weeks during which I supervise intern teachers at this time. Please always email me in advance to
make sure I will be in my office during the office hours that you are interested in. If I am teaching off campus during
a particular week, I am happy to make an appointment with you for another time.
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University Learning Goals: This course works to address the University Learning Goals listed
below:
 Knowledge of Human Culture and the Natural World
 Creative and Critical Thinking
 Effective Communication
 Individual and Social Responsibility
 Respect for Diversity among People
ENGL 302 Learning Goals and Assessments, in a nutshell*
Learning Goal
Engaging the diverse and critical
conversations about issues in literacy
learning.
Assessment
Class discussion, active participation, and weekly
advanced preparation for class sessions (with an
emphasis on weekly reading reflections/discussion
points)
Digital Teacher Portfolio
Identify and justify characteristics of an
Lesson plan rationale
effective classroom environment to foster Lesson plan 1
writing.
Identify student characteristics that
impact student learning of writing and
examine the importance of these
characteristics to literacy learning.
Experience the “Writerly Life” by
maintaining a Writer’s Notebook and
using it to bring a piece to publication.
Lesson plan rationale
Lesson plan 1
Produce detailed, learning-goal focused
lesson plans that incorporate knowledge
of learners, effective writing, and
appropriate environments.
Lesson plan rationale
Lesson plan 1
Unit plan rationale
Unit Plan
Develop a strategy for conferring with a
student regarding his/her writing.
Conferring Assignment
Digital Teacher Profile
Collaborate to develop resources for
teaching one aspect of writing.
Analyze the component parts of teaching
complex writing skills.
Presentation with Task Analysis
Plan and produce a detailed, learnercentered unit plan focused on learning to
write more effectively.
Publication Piece (draft)
Publication Piece (final draft)
Presentation with Task Analysis
Lesson plan 1
Unit Plan
Unit Rationale (Proposal)
Unit Plan
Publication piece (final)
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Develop and justify a theory-based
approach to teaching writing based on
your cumulative learning throughout the
course.
Unit Rationale (Proposal)
Unit Plan
Learning Goals, Assessments, and Calendar for
Unit
Publication piece (final draft)
*This chart contains mostly summative assessments. Not all formative assessments are listed here. You will receive
additional details about the work that will be expected of you in class as we move through the semester.
Assessments at a glance:
Participation/Daily Work (15%) – ongoing
Participation in this course encompasses quite a bit. We will be doing quite a bit of discussion
and active learning during our time together; I will expect that you’ll come to class having read
the assigned material, and we’ll build on what you’ve read to construct new knowledge in class.
Participation and daily work will take a variety of forms – sometimes discussion, sometimes
small-group activities, sometimes exit slips, etc.
Participation also includes arriving prepared with any drafts that are due on a given day. These
include, but are not limited to:
 Publication Piece draft
 Unit Plan: draft of first week’s lessons
 Unit Plan: draft of second week’s lessons
 Unit Plan: Learning goals, assessment, & calendar draft
Details about all drafts, and their associated due dates, are forthcoming.
Another note on participation: You will spend much of the next few weeks with classmates
sharing ideas, theories, advice, and experiences. You are a valuable resource for your peers, and
the stronger the community we build in this class, the richer the experiences we will have here. If
your final average falls between grades (for example between an A- and a B+) the following
criteria will be used to determine your final grade.
a) Clear evidence that you have read the weekly readings (i.e. productive, consistent
participation in discussions, completion of assignments)
b) Completion of tasks that support the work in class
c) Active and supportive listening in the classroom and offering constructive feedback to
peers and instructors
Finally, I typically structure a “Discussion Leader” assignment into my courses, but, rather than
officially incorporate this particular assessment into the syllabus, I invite you to volunteer as a
discussion leader for extra credit (this would require significant preparation, advanced notice,
and collaboration with me).
Writer’s Notebook & Publication Piece (10%): You should keep a separate Writer’s Notebook
for the first six weeks of class. You should write in your Writer’s Notebook often and use the
Notebook to bring one piece of writing to publication. According to Ralph Fletcher, a Writer’s
Notebook is a place to record our musings and observations of the world – the beginning sparks
of ideas that might later become the basis for a piece of writing (or a writing lesson plan). We
will read extensively about Writer’s Notebooks in class and share our entries with one another.
*I will not manage your maintenance of your Writer’s Notebook. I will not dictate the kind of
Notebook you should keep (e.g., digital or otherwise). I will offer reminders about writing in
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your Notebook, but will not check to see whether you’ve done so. How you approach your
Notebook is your responsibility. I am interested in the final product which emerges from your
Notebook, a product we will refer to as the Publication Piece.*
*A potential Publication Piece can take many different forms. We will discuss these different
forms/possibilities as the semester progresses. Some brief examples include pieces that might be
suitable for both traditional and nontraditional forums, such as those found here:
 http://www.ncte.org/write
 English Education Provocateur Pieces
 http://ed.ted.com/
 www.readwritethink.org
Finally, if you are strategic about how you use your Writer’s Notebook, you will find that this
particular assessment informs your approach to your other assessments in this course, such as:
Weekly Reflective Responses (a form of course participation)
Your Writer’s Notebook can (and should) emerge from a variety of the tasks we will engage
here. One way to start formulating your Writer’s Notebook is with your Weekly Reflective
Responses. These are the notes that you should have prepared for each week’s session, for the
purpose of facilitating meaningful class discussion. These guidelines will be distributed
separately and posted to the course wiki.
Presentation with Task Analysis (15%): You will be required to give a group presentation in
class. You will choose a spotlight topic to present with your group. Your topic should emerge
from the readings, class discussions, and your own interests. The sign-up sheet for these topics
will be available in class. Choose a topic, meet with your group, complete a task analysis
handout for the class, and prepare a 20-30 minute presentation which actively engages the class
in learning about your topic. Specific assignment and assessment criteria will be made available
on the course wiki. This will be accomplished in groups of three.
Digital Teacher Profile (15%) – For this assignment you will write a profile of a teacher who is
currently teaching in an elementary or middle school. You will want to interview your teacher in
order to learn about his or her background, training, experience, and beliefs about teaching –
specifically, the teaching of writing. A central goal of your profile will be to address the
question(s) that you and your classmates created on the first day of this unit.
Lesson Plan (10%): You will complete one detailed lesson plan focused on teaching a narrow
concept or skill about writing. We will discuss the assignment in detail in class. Specific
materials related to the lesson plan assignment will be made available on the course wiki. For
extra credit, you are welcome to demonstrate your lesson in class. Details to follow.
Conferring Assignment (10%): You will develop a script that outlines how you would confer
with a student writer. Specific details of this assignment will be made available on the course
wiki.
Unit Plan (25%): You must complete a 3-week unit plan for writing instruction at a specific
grade level. We will discuss this assignment in detail during class. The specific assignment along
with evaluation criteria is available on D2L. If you choose to work with a partner, you must
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complete at 4-week plan. As part of this assignment, you must complete a proposal, a goals,
assessments, & calendar assignment, and drafts of weeks of lessons.
Assessment roundup:
Assessment
Percentage of total grade
Tentative Due Dates
Participation (Overall)
All drafts
Weekly Reflective Responses
15
(A form of participation)
(A form of participation)
Presentation with Task
Analysis
15
Lesson Plan
Digital Teacher Profile
(Midterm)
Writer’s Notebook and
Publication Piece
Conferring Assignment
Unit Plan (Final)
10
15
Ongoing
TBD based on class needs
Any time reading is
assigned
Ongoing, based on signups: 2/23, 3/2, 3/30, 4/13,
4/20
2/16 Before class time
3/16 before class time
10
4/6 before class time
10
25
4/27 before class time
Will be due at finals
Total
100
Additional course policies and expectations:
Attendance & Participation: You are expected to be in class for each session. Excessive absence may
result in a reduction of your grade. I take attendance at the beginning of class. Please be prompt. You also
need to come to class prepared to discuss the day’s readings with all of the assignments completed;
otherwise, class time will be a waste for you. I expect everyone to participate enthusiastically in the
activities and discussions. One factor in determining your potential success as a teacher is your ability to
engage and participate in class. More than two (2) unexcused absences will necessitate a lowered grade
by one letter grade. After three (3) unexcused absences, you will receive an F in the course. Please see the
University’s policy about what constitutes an excused absence, available online at
http://www.uwec.edu/DOS/policies/attendance.htm
Email: I will also occasionally use email to communicate with the class; check your UWEC email
account frequently. Email is also the best way for you to communicate with me.
Due Dates: As a fellow teacher, I understand the necessity for strict adherence to due dates. I expect you
to turn your work in on time. I will hold you accountable for having your work turned in on time. I rarely
grant exceptions to deadlines. I will check for draft assignments on the day they are due.
Academic Honesty: I expect that all of the work you do in this course will be your own. In the case of
suspected plagiarism, I will follow the procedures in Chapter 14 of the UW System Administrative Code
published in the Student Services and Standards Handbook.
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Eating & Gum: This is a long class, and it meets late in the day. Please feel free to eat and drink if
necessary. However, be mindful of the disruptive nature of some foods.
Special Needs: If you have a documented special need, please see me and we will make the necessary
accommodations.