R, 5:30 - 8:20 p.m.
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of formal and informal assessment measures and will select and use various assessment instruments appropriate for the children they are tutoring.
2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of how to use a child’s literacy strengths to develop a child’s literacy needs as they plan and carry out appropriate literacy instruction for the children they are tutoring.
3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of reading and writing processes and will select appropriate literacy methods, strategies, and materials for the children they are tutoring.
4. Students will analyze and interpret informal diagnostic data in order to develop tutoring lessons appropriate for the strengths and needs of the children they are tutoring.
5. Students will demonstrate knowledge of how to document and monitor children’s literacy progress.
6. Students will analyze and adjust their own instruction as needed to assist children to develop their literacy abilities.
7. Students will demonstrate knowledge of a variety of reading teaching methods, reading and writing strategies, and materials to assist children with reading and writing.
8. Students will synthesize diagnostic data obtained from formal and/or informal assessments, lesson plans, and their lesson reflections in a case study presentation.
Participation and Professional Conduct, 15% of grade: The content of this course is presented via class lectures, discussions, modeling and demonstrations, readings, small group activities, hands-on tutoring sessions, and presentations. Merely attending class is not sufficient to earn the class participation credit, but you must be present in order to participate. Absence will affect your participation grade. Come to class prepared and ready to actively participate in each class session: ask questions, answer questions, share your knowledge and experiences, and actively participate in whole class and small group discussions, activities, and tutoring sessions. Read any assigned course materials, bring your texts and course materials to every class session, and take responsibility for your share of discussion. One of the privileges of a community of learners is gaining feedback from others as you learn. Take advantage of this privilege—ask others to proofread your assignments, study with members of the class, and discuss ideas and your tutoring sessions with tutoring partners and group members.
Evaluation criteria for each class session: a) actively engage others (classmates and tutees) in constructive discussion, questioning, and querying during class sessions to assist in the development of self-reflective practice, 50 points, and b) group evaluations of participation based on discussion rubrics, 50 points. If there is no group discussion evaluation required for a specific date, participation grades for that date will be based on the student’s class discussion participation as described in (a), or, if noted by the professor, on participation in another type of activity.
Lesson Logs (Plans), 15% of grade: The reason for conducting reading diagnosis is to ascertain a child’s reading strengths and needs in order to adjust your instruction to benefit the child’s learning. In order to learn how to diagnosis a child’s strengths and needs and how to adjust instruction, you will assess and tutor a child. On the basis of your analysis of the data from the assessments you administer and from your observations, you will design and implement approximately six, 60 minute tutoring sessions in which you will utilize the child’s literacy strengths to improve her or his literacy needs. To conduct instructional sessions, you need to collect assessment data to assist you in planning for instruction. You will need to determine what data to collect and what instruction you must provide. You must make decisions about the reading strengths and needs of the child you are tutoring. You are to write a weekly tutoring lesson log (plan) for each tutoring session. The format of the lesson will be discussed in class, and a form for writing the lesson log will be provided. The typed, single-spaced, 12 font (Times New Roman font, like this syllabus), lesson log is due via e-mail by noon on Monday, or in hard copy at my office door by noon on Monday, so that I can give you feedback before the next tutoring session. Evaluation criteria will be handed out at a later date as we prepare for tutoring.
As Part of the Tutoring Lessons, You Will Administer and Analyze the Following Assessments for the Child You Are Tutoring: As part of the course requirements, you will be working here on campus with a child from one of the local schools. You will use a variety of assessment instruments to identify the literacy strengths and needs of the student you will be tutoring. These assessments will be introduced and discussed in class during the semester. From the assessments discussed in class, you will select the most appropriate assessments that are for the child you are tutoring, based on the preliminary information you are given about that child. Please remember that any information about the child you are tutoring is confidential and should not be discussed or shared with anyone other than the child’s parent, teacher (if tutoring a child recommended by his/her teacher and the clinic is located at the school), or within our READ 4223 course classroom discussions and lesson planning.
1. Interest Inventory
Several interest inventories are available. You will administer the one most appropriate for the child you are tutoring. Administer the interest inventory during the first tutoring session. Following the tutoring session (do not take tutoring time to analyze the form), summarize in your lesson log what you learned about the child from the interest inventory. In the written lesson reflection, reflect on that information. How will it affect your tutoring?
2. Garfield, Burke’s, or the Metacognitive Reading Interview
You will be introduced to several reading interview forms during class. The objective of a reading interview is to discover how the child you are tutoring views reading. You will administer the most appropriate interview for the child you are tutoring. Administer the reading inventory during the first tutoring session. Following the tutoring session (do not take tutoring time to analyze the form), summarize in your lesson log what you learned about the child’s views of reading from the interview. In the written lesson reflection, reflect on that information. How will it affect your tutoring?
3. Writing Sample
During the first tutoring session and during the last tutoring session (2 times), collect a writing sample from the child you are tutoring for the purpose of writing sample analysis. Following the tutoring session (do not use tutoring time to do the analysis), use the form handed out in class to analyze the child’s writing in terms of syntactic usage, semantic usage, graphophonic usage, and writing mechanics usage (capitalization, punctuation, spacing, legibility/penmanship). In your lesson log summarize what you learned about the child’s writing from the writing sample. In the written lesson reflection, reflect on that information. How will it affect your tutoring? How can you help the child with writing during the tutoring lessons? (For the last tutoring session, how has the child’s writing changed from the beginning sample?)
4. Writing Interview
During the first or second tutoring session, administer the writing interview to the child you are tutoring. You may need to reword some of the items for younger children. In your lesson log summarize what you learned about the child’s views of writing from the writing interview. In the written lesson reflection, reflect on that information. How will it affect your tutoring? How can you help the child with writing during the tutoring lessons?
5. Spelling Inventory
You will be introduced to more than one spelling inventory form during class. During the first or second tutoring session, administer an appropriate spelling inventory to the child you are tutoring. In your lesson log summarize what you learned about the child’s spelling from the spelling inventory. In the written lesson reflection, reflect on that information. How will it affect your tutoring? What are the child’s spelling strengths? What are the child’s spelling needs? What patterns do you see? How can you help the child with spelling during the tutoring lessons, or is spelling a strength on which you do not need to focus?
6. Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) and Miscue Analysis Summary Sheets
Administer the various parts of the Johns Informal Reading Inventory. This includes the word lists and oral reading passages. You will only administer the silent reading passages and listening passages if the child you are tutoring is a certain age level (see the IRI handout). Each part of the inventory provides specific information about the child’s reading ability. After administering the IRI, score each part and complete the appropriate summary forms. Following the tutoring session, analyze the information from the forms (do not take tutoring time to do your analysis). Provide a brief summary of the information from each part of the IRI in your lesson log for that tutoring session. In the written lesson reflection, reflect on that information. How will the IRI information affect your tutoring? What are the child’s three reading levels? What is the child’s reading strength—word ID or comprehension? What are the child’s reading needs? What patterns do you see in the child’s reading? How can you help the child with reading during the tutoring lessons?
7. Tutoring Session Running Records
Following the completion of the initial assessments, you will conduct a running record assessment during each tutoring session. The running record should be completed on a familiar reading—a 100 to 150 word passage that the child read during the prior tutoring session. In order to administer the running record, you will need a copy of the material the child reads. You will mark any miscues as the child reads. Analyze the reading miscues after the tutoring session. Do not take session time to complete your analysis of the reading. In your lesson log summarize what you learned about the child’s reading from the running record. For example, what is your interpretation of the miscue analysis? What patterns do you see in the child’s reading? In the written lesson reflection, reflect on that information. How will it affect your tutoring? What are the child’s reading strengths? What are the child’s reading needs? Have the child’s reading levels changed? If so, why do you think they changed? If not, why didn’t they change? Based on information from the running record, how can you help the child with reading during the tutoring lessons?
8. Other Assessments
Based on the strengths and needs of the child you are tutoring, are their other assessments that should be completed? Other assessments may be suggested by your professor which you may need to complete. If you complete another assessment for the child you are tutoring, identify the assessment and summarize the information from the assessment in the lesson log. In the written lesson reflection, reflect on that information. How will this information affect your tutoring?
Written Reflections (Analysis) of the Tutoring Lessons and the Informal Literacy Assessments, 15% of grade: Following each tutoring lesson, you will write a 2 page written reflection of the lesson—what went well, what when wrong, why did it go well, why didn’t it go well, what might you have done differently, and so on. You will also analyze the results of any assessments you administered during the lesson (see above). The typed, double-spaced, 12 font, Times New Roman (like this syllabus) written reflections are due with the typed lesson log via e-mail, or in hard copy at my office door, by noon Monday, so that I can give you feedback on the last tutoring session before the next tutoring session. Any assessment forms completed during the tutoring may be either scanned and sent via e-mail, or delivered to my office door, by noon on Monday. Evaluation criteria will be handed out at a later date.
Comprehensive Case Report Presentation, 20% of grade: At the end of your tutoring experience, you will synthesize all of the data you have gathered about the child you tutored into a case report presentation. Utilizing information from the assessment data, the tutoring lesson logs, and your written journal reflections, you will describe what you discovered about the tutoring student’s reading levels, strengths and needs, useful instructional strategies, and so on. In order to assist you in preparing your presentation, keep detailed and accurate notes and information from each assessment and tutoring session. Your lesson logs will also provide you with valuable information as you prepare your presentation. Plan to describe two instructional strategies that you have used with your tutoring student during the semester. Your presentation will include a complete explanation of the strategies with PowerPoint visual aids. Evaluation criteria will be handed out at a later date.
Comprehensive Case Study Portfolio Folder, 5% of grade: On the first day of tutoring, begin to collect and store in a folder the materials from each tutoring session. Materials should be arranged chronologically with the most recent materials on top. Following your case study presentation, you will hand in a case study folder on your tutoring student. The folder will include the original assessments, lesson logs, and written reflections. The folder and its contents will become part of the reading clinic files.
Comprehensive Final Exam, 30% of grade: Prepare for and complete the comprehensive final exam. The comprehensive final exam is over the total course material. You will be successful with the exam if you keep up with the required reading, actively participate in class sessions and tutoring sessions, review and study course materials, and apply critical thinking skills at all times.
Grades are determined by weighing the course requirements in the following manner:
Participation in class, in tutoring, and in a variety
of group activities and class assignments 15%
Lesson logs for tutoring sessions 15%
Written reflections for tutoring sessions 15%.
Comprehensive Case Report Presentation 20%
Case study portfolio folder 5%
Final Exam 30%
Grading Scale:
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Lesson logs and tutoring reflections are due via e-mail, or in hard copy at my office door, by noon on the following Monday, so that I can give you feedback on the last tutoring session before the next tutoring session occurs. Any assessment forms completed during the tutoring may be either scanned and sent via e-mail with the lesson log and tutoring reflection or delivered to my office door by noon on the following Monday.
It is very important that you complete all tutoring lesson logs, assessments, and written reflections in a timely manner in order to prepare for the next tutoring lesson; therefore, late work will not be accepted.
Your attendance and promptness demonstrate the responsibility and professionalism expected in a teacher candidate. Attendance will be taken at each class session. I expect you to be in attendance, on time for class, and to stay for the entire class. Students who are more than 10 minutes late to class or who leave class early will be counted absent for the class session. Students who are less than 10 minutes late to class, but who are chronically tardy, will lose 10 percentage points from their final course grade. Excused absences will be approved on a case by case basis only. If you do miss class, it is your responsibility to obtain notes, class announcements, assignments, and handouts from another student, or the instructor, prior to the next scheduled class time.
Attendance for Tutoring: During part of this course, you will be tutoring a child in reading. It is very important to the child whom you are tutoring that you are present and are on time for the tutoring sessions. Scheduled tutoring sessions with the child must be made up if you miss a scheduled tutoring session; however, if the child you are tutoring misses a scheduled tutoring session, you are not required to reschedule the tutoring session. If the child you are tutoring is absent, it is your responsibility to observe a fellow classmate’s tutoring session. You will write and hand in a written lesson reflection based on what you observe during your classmate’s tutoring session.
Cell Phones: Please turn off all communication devices (cell phones) during class. Please use your cell phones on break and not during class.
Syllabus Changes: This syllabus is subject to change. Any changes will be announced in class.
Disability Access: Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the MSU Counseling and Disability Office at 940 – 397 – 4618.
Plagiarism Statement: Plagiarism (submitting another person’s work as your own or using another person’s words without giving them proper credit) is academic dishonesty and will be considered grounds for failing this course. “By enrolling in this course, the student expressly grants MSU a ‘limited right’ in all intellectual property created by the student for the purpose of this course. The ‘limited right’ shall include but shall not be limited to the right to reproduce the student’s work product in order to verify originality, authenticity, and for educational purposes” (Student Handbook).