SYLLABUS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES & LANGUAGE ARTS

Term: Fall, 20041

Course Number: 10-483-C

Instructor: Angela Ramsey

Office: 300

Office Phone: (219) 473-4309

E-mail: aramsey@ccsj.edu

Office Hours: Monday thru Friday

Call for an appointment – 219-473-4309 or 473-4288

Course Time: Monday thru Thursday

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Course Meeting Room: 307

Course Description: This course explores methods and strategies in teaching social studies and language arts in the elementary school. Classroom management, instructional materials, curricula, and measurement and evaluation of outcomes are included. Field Experiences Required

Prerequisites: EDU 200, 300, 311, and 342

Learning Outcomes/ Competencies:

Students in this course will:

· Teacher candidates will design lesson plans in language arts and social studies for an elementary school curriculum.

· Teacher candidates will select and incorporate instructional strategies and materials.

· Teacher candidates will explore multi-cultural perspectives and backgrounds as they relate to the instructional program.

· Teacher candidates will acquire knowledge of the vocabulary and best practices utilized in effective social studies and language arts instruction .

· Teacher candidates will reflect on the social studies and language arts instructional strategies at the elementary level.

· Teacher candidates will observe practicing teachers to examine critically effective teaching practices.

· Teacher candidates will network with practicing teachers to develop insights into the teaching of social studies and language arts.

RELATED INTASC PRINCIPLES:

#1. The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry and the

structures of the disciplines he/she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

#2 The teacher understands how children learn and develop and can provide

learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social and personal

development.

#3. The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning

and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

#4. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to

encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and

performance skills.

#5. The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation

behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social

interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.

#6 The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media

communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive

interaction in the classroom.

#7 The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, the

community, and curriculum goals.

# 8 The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.

#9 The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of

his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in

the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow

professionally.

#10 The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and

agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well-being.

Textbooks:

Tompkins, Gail (2002). Language Arts: Content and Teaching Strategies. New York: Prentice Hall.

Zarrillo, James (2000). Teaching Elementary Social Studies: Principles and Applications. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Learning Strategies: (Group Discussions, Team and Individual Student Projects, Collaborative Learning, Lecturing…etc.)

Reading assignments: are listed in the timeline section of this syllabus. As minimum preparation for class discussion and participation, students should read the chapters to be examined on that day. Small groups or individual students will be assigned chapters to present on a daily basis.

Assignments

· You will be required to read chapters in each text and be prepared to discuss the concepts in class. You will be required to develop a Power Point Presentation for the chapter that will be assigned to you for Language Arts and Social Studies.

· You will be required to observe three elementary school classrooms during the instruction of language arts or social studies and write a three-page paper summarizing this observation. One classroom will be urban, one will be suburban and one will be a private or charter school. The summary will need to be broken up into two parts. It will need to include a commentary and a reflection. The commentary will include what you saw during the observation and the reflection will include your thoughts about the observation. The commentary and reflection needs to compare/contrast between the three observations. You also need to include Indiana Academic Standards, INTASC Standards and Developmental Standards that you observed the teacher implementing. The reflection needs to include your thoughts about what you observed based upon classroom discussions and your individual beliefs about teaching language arts/social studies and literacy. The summary needs to include the date, time, place, subject area, location, and number of students in the classroom. You will also be required to complete an official university Classroom Observation form as you complete your experience.

• You will be required to develop a lesson plan and implement an integrated language arts and social studies lesson in a classroom setting. Lesson plans need to include a behavioral objective, learning objective, instructional strategies, and academic standards that will be implemented. During instructional delivery, the implementation of INTASC and Developmental Standards should be evident. You will develop and submit a lesson plan prior to instructional delivery and then submit a one-page reflection about each lesson after implementation.

• You will be required to write a summary of the language arts practices focusing on the six language arts modes that will be presented in class. These six language arts modes (listening, talking, reading, writing, viewing and representing were proposed by the National Council of Teachers of English visually and reflect the growing importance of visual literacy. See LA text page 26.

• You will construct, develop and present a form of poetry. You will need to develop a lesson plan to accompany the poetry and make a presentation to the class. As you develop a lesson plan you need to include a behavior objective, learning objective and instructional strategies as well as the academic standards that you will address while teaching this lesson. You need to explain the poem as it relates to you. As you present this lesson to the class your peers will observe, evaluate and give feedback utilizing the standard observation form. During the observations teacher candidates will look for Academic Standards and INTASC standards that are implemented.

• You will create a text set of eight trade books on a social studies topic. A written description/summary of each trade book chosen will need to be completed (1-2) paragraphs on each trade book). You will present one book to the class (discuss your choice of book, tell why you chose the book that you did, and discuss what curriculum concepts and standards that the book addressed.) You need to include the standard that you are addressing in each summary.

• For a final grade (LA) you will construct a lifeline clothesline. You are required to gather and organize information for an autobiography. You will need to collect items that represent your life and hang them on a clothesline. You need to write about each object (explain how it relates to your life). You are also required to make a presentation to your peers and receive feedback about your presentation based upon a rubric.

• For a final grade in (SS) you will construct a social studies artifact (Ex. – Native American rattle/totem pole, African rain stick, model of an ancient ship, time capsule, Egyptian artifact –Field Museum. You will be required to develop a SS lesson plan to accompany this artifact and make an oral presentation to your peers. During your presentation you will include Academic Standards and INTASC Standards that are implemented during the instructional delivery of your lesson. Make sure to include a behavior objective, learning objective and instructional strategies with your lesson plans. Classmates will be prepared to provide feedback about the lesson plan and presentation based upon a rubric.

Blackboard Assignments

Assignment #1 - The teaching of values and the related topic of moral education has generated a great deal of controversy in education circles. Should values be taught in the elementary classroom? Respond to this statement.

Ten Points

Assignment # 2 – What are the benefits of integrating social studies with language arts?

Ten Points

Respond to each question/statement from your personal beliefs and then respond to at least two of your classmates

Class Policy for Assignments:

Assignments need to be completed as scheduled.

Late assignments will lose points.

Grading Scale:

Assignments Points

Attendance/Participation/Chapter 120 pts. = 25%

Outlines/Language Arts Summary

Trade books 40 pts. = 10%

Poetry activity 20 pts. = 10%

Observations 45 pts. = 10%

Teaching 60 pts. = 10%

Social studies final 45 pts. = 15%

Language arts final 45 pts. = 15%

Blackboard activities 20 pts = 5%

Class Policy on Attendance:

Attendance is mandatory, students are expected to be present and on time for all classes. Attendance will impact student grades.

Class Policy on Electronic Devices: (Optional)(Cell phones, Beeper, Pagers…etc.) Students may need to be contacted by those outside of class from time to time. However, should the use of electronic devises become habitual to the point of disrupting the regular class schedule, the student will be asked to turn-off such disruptive devices.

General Course Outline/Class Dates:

Week 1

Introductions

Syllabus

Observations

Lesson Plans

Chapter Outlines

Observation of Teacher (video)

Traditions

Discuss Standards (State and National)

Language Arts Standards Based Lesson

Social Studies Standards Based Lesson

Week 2

Observation – Urban Schools

Observation – Suburban Schools

Observation – Private Schools

Chapter Outlines

Museum

Social Studies and Language Arts Activities

Social Studies Activity

Week 3

Poetry Lesson Presentations

Social Studies Activity

Trade Book Presentations

Movies

Develop an integrated L/A and Social Studies Lesson

L/A Finals

SS Finals

Center for Academic Excellence:

Tutoring assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph. Call the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), to make an appointment at 473-4287. The Center has experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who are struggling in a course or who are doing well and would like to do better. Regular weekly tutoring sessions are likely to improve your grade.

Statement of Plagiarism:

If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances. (Academic Planner 2001/2002 p.27)

Citation Guidelines:

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.). All of these guidelines are available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore. These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media.

Withdrawal from Classes Policy:

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for withdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the final examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree Completion Division (DCD) students should consult the DCD Student Handbook for information on DCD withdrawals.

An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript. Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an "F" grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).