TE 407 Syllabus
TE 407 Syllabus
Course Description
This course aims to guide you in taking your first steps into English teaching, to begin preparing
you for the world of the early twenty-first century English classroom with a repertoire of
instructional practices. We will also look beyond the present to the future of English in a rapidly
changing world.
During the semester, you will think about why you might take certain steps in your English
classroom as well as what you can do and how. This means that the methods you use, or how you
go about teaching, depend upon knowing who your students are, who you are, where you teach
(i.e. various contexts such as curricula, school, community, state, etc.), what you teach, and why
you are teaching. This course assumes that there is not a “one size fits all” method or single best
way to teach English language arts. Thus, it is crucial to develop a core set of principles to guide
practice: planning and enacting lessons and assessing instruction and learning. Underlying each
specific choice about what to teach and how are fundamental questions: How will this further the
learning of our students? Why this content or skill? Why this now? Why this way? Being able to
answer these questions requires understanding our students as learners, as well as the social
conditions of our classroom. Interrogating our beliefs and reflecting frequently on our practice will
help us meet our students’ needs. Often, being attentive to timing, to relationships among
learners, and to the dynamics of classroom talk is every bit as important as the coherent, relevant,
and timely presentation of appropriate content.
We will take these steps into English teaching together as a group of learners. As your instructor, I
will be learning about you and the ways I can assist you. As students, you will be learning with
and from each other, as well as from course materials. Consider this cohort your induction into a
network of professional colleagues: our work together this semester feeds directly into the work
we will do in the spring in TE408.
1) Field Experience
Starting in October and throughout the rest of the year, you will be participating in a secondary
English classroom for at least four hours (spread out over at least two days) per week. For most of
you, this participation will happen with a partner. To help structure your entry into the field
experience, we have designed assignments to help you integrate your experiences with our
course units. Additionally, you will share reflections on these tasks in a peer discussion group on
our course wikispace with small groups in class after your placement begins.
2) Teaching Lab
As part of TE 407, you will participate in a weekly teaching lab, in which you collaboratively
practice lesson planning, design, and performance. More details about lab will be provided during
your first lab class on September 3. Your work in lab is designed to feed, and be fed by, your work
in the seminar class.
3) Seminar Class
As noted above, teaching well entails making many decisions before you enter the classroom and
making on-the-spot decisions once you are there. This seminar course focuses in particular on the
planning aspects of English teaching. We will discuss the complexities involved in making planning
choices, and you will rehearse a number of decisions as you design, enact, revise, and reflect on
lessons. You will also explore the wealth of resources available for English teachers and discover
ways of approaching and organizing your teaching and your curriculum. This course will also help
you begin to build a library of professional resources and a network of professional relationships.
Core Concepts
Almost everything we do throughout the year in TE 407 and TE 408 will address the work of
planning for English instruction. We have structured the course around four core concepts. These
four concepts, and the questions that define them, will not only give coherence to our work
together in class, but we hope they will also become touchstone questions as you make teaching
decisions in your own classroom.
3. Purpose:
How does my understandings of the purpose of a lesson or unit shape my practices? How
can I build coherence in my planning? How is what I do with students today significant for
them beyond today?
4. Classroom talk:
How do different forms, types, and practices of classroom talk create the learning
environment in an English/Language Arts classroom? How can I move classroom talk in a
more dialogic direction?
Course Goals
These concepts feed directly into the primary course goals:
To develop and articulate your beliefs and knowledge as English teachers, including your
evolving understanding of yourselves as teachers and your purposes in the ELA
classroom.
To integrate your growing knowledge about the history and characteristics of English as a
school subject into this understanding.
To practice gathering information about your students and the cultural backgrounds,
discourses, and learning styles they bring to the classroom.
To practice planning curricular lessons – embedded within units – using clear purposes,
which are grounded in course goals, guiding beliefs, and content expertise.
To build a repertoire of instructional practices, including dialogic discourse practices, for
teaching ELA content to diverse learners.
Texts
We chose our course texts with two purposes in mind. First, these texts will facilitate our
exploration of course goals. Perhaps even more importantly, however, we chose texts that will be
useful components of your growing professional library. It is our hope and expectation that you
will be able to use these class texts as touchstones and resources when you enter your own
classrooms in two years. In other words, DON'T SELL THESE BOOKS. Some of these texts are
available for a reduced price at online bookstores, such as Amazon.com. All are available at the
MSU student bookstore.
Required texts:
• Burke, J. (2008). The English Teacher’s Companion. (3rd ed.) Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
• O’Brien, P (ed.) (2006). Shakespeare Set Free. (2nd ed.) Washington, D.C.: Folger Library.
• Shakespeare, W. (1998). Romeo & Juliet (Cambridge School Shakespeare). Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press.
• Additional readings, videos, and resources: available on course wikispace and/or ANGEL
Units of Study
1. Envisioning English
In this short introductory unit, we will consider the history of English teaching as well as our own
current beliefs about English teaching. English as a school subject is rapidly changing. While some
call for a return to a tradition of teaching the basics and reading classic literature, others question
whether there is anything left of relevance in that tradition and instead propose using a
combination of young adult, media, and popular culture texts to explore students’ worlds. You will
explore the myriad of ways English teaching has been defined, your beliefs about English
teaching, and your participation in these ongoing discussions.
Major Assignments
All projects will be graded on a 4.0 point scale.
Expectations
1. Learning by being here
Because this class will involve interactive and collaborative activities, being present and prepared
for class are essential conditions for its effectiveness. If you miss class or come late, you will
negatively impact the class, your classmates’ ability to accomplish their work, your own learning,
and your grade. More than two absences – excused or unexcused – will lower your grade by one
half letter. If you are more than ten minutes late, that counts as one absence. We do, however,
understand that “life happens” and that you may need to miss class. In that event, you should let
us know in advance, either by phone or email. You should assume the same practice in your field
placement. This is a basic and critical practice of professional communication.
University Policies
Grading
TE Program policy dictates that in order to pass TE 407 and 408, all parts of the course (seminar,
field experience, all labs) must be passed with a 2.0 or above. This means that a satisfactory
report must be received from your lab instructor and from the teachers in the field experiences
during TE 407. If you receive less than a 2.0 in the course, the entire course needs to be repeated
in order to continue in the Teacher Preparation Program. In order to enroll in TE 408, students
must have successfully passed all parts of TE 407 with a 2.0 or better.
Academic Honesty
Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states, “the student shares with the faculty the
responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards.” In
addition, the College of Education adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in
General Student Regulations, 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the all-University
Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in Spartan Life: Student
Handbook and Resource Guide. Students who commit and act of academic dishonesty may
receive a 0.0 on the assignment or in the course. For additional information, see MSUs
ombudsman’s website: http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/plagiarism.html
In lesson planning, it is common to "beg, borrow, and steal" ideas from other ideas from other
teachers, internet sites, conference presentations, etc. Sharing is an important part of the culture
of teaching. We will accommodate these practices by including the phrase, "modified from..."
"adapted from..." or "taken from..." in a bibliography section of the lesson plan.
Week 1
8/25
Why Teach English?
8/27
Yagelski – Literature and Literacy
Burke - Intro: Teaching English in the 21st Century
Week 2
9/1
NO CLASS
Week 3
9/8
Burke - Chapter 12: Digital Literacy: Technology in English Class
9/10
DUE: Curriculum Map & Reflection
Week 4
9/15
McCann - Talking in Class
EJ Poetry Article
9/17
Langer – Envisioning Literature
Week 5
9/22
Beach & Marshall – Teaching Literature in the Secondary School
Discussion Leaders: 1. __________________________ 2. __________________________
9/24
Johnson & Johnson – Critical Thinking through Structured Controversy
Discussion Leaders: 3. __________________________ 4. __________________________
Week 6
9/29
10/1
Burke - Chapter 9: Teaching Thinking in English Class
Discussion Leaders: 5. __________________________ 6. __________________________
Week 7
10/6
Juzwik: Our Ithacas
Discussion Leaders: 7. __________________________ 8. __________________________
10/8
R&J Prologue and Act I and Shakespeare Set Free
Week 8
10/13 (Mid-term)
Burke – Chapter 10: Composing a Curriculum
Discussion Leaders: 9. __________________________ 10. __________________________
Wiggins and McTique - Backward Design
10/15
Shakespeare Set Free
Week 9
10/20
Gardner - Multiple Intelligences
Discussion Leaders: 11. __________________________ 12. __________________________
10/22
R&J Act II
Week 10
10/27
Burke - Chapter 11: Measuring Student Progress
Discussion Leaders: 13. _____________________ 14. __________________________
10/29
R&J Act III and Shakespeare Set Free
Week 11
11/3
DUE: Assessments/Objectives/Reflections
11/5
Gere - Reading Kids
Discussion Leaders: 15. __________________________ 16. __________________________
Week 12
11/10
Burke - Chapter 14: Integrating English Projects and Exhibitions
Discussion Leaders: 17. __________________________ 18. __________________________
11/12
STRATFORD
Week 13
11/17
Gonzales et al - Funds of Knowledge
Discussion Leaders: 19. __________________________ 20. __________________________
11/19
Burke - Chapter 16: Success for All: Teaching Students with Special Needs
Discussion Leaders: 21. __________________________ 22. __________________________
Burke - Chapter 18: Thoughts on Culture, Race, and Language
Discussion Leaders: 23. __________________________ 24. __________________________
Week 14
11/24
Stairs - Culturally Responsive Teaching
Discussion Leaders: 25. __________________________ 26. __________________________
11/26
Newkirk - Popular Culture
Discussion Leaders: 27. __________________________ 28. __________________________
Week 15
12/1
DUE: Small group inquiry presentations
12/3
DUE: Small group inquiry presentations
Final Exam
DUE: Small group inquiry presentations