Instructor: Dr. CJ Jenéy
Telephone: 816 271-4447
Email address: jeney@griffon.mwsc.edu
Office: JGM 309T (changes in February)

Prerequisite (Not required for non-English majors):  ENG 364 - Composition Theory

Required Texts:

Atwell, Nancie. In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning. Boynton/Cook: 1998.
Sorcinelli, Mary Deane, and Peter Elbow (Eds.) Writing To Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to Writing Across the Discipline. Jossey-Bass: 1997.
Tchudi, Susan & Stephen. The English Language Arts Handbook: Classroom Strategies for Teachers. Boynton/Cook: 1999.

Recommended Text:

Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary. Penguin: 1990.

Required Materials:

¨ Working Email address.
¨ Working internet account.
¨ Several 3.5” Floppy Diskettes (make sure they are labeled with your name, course, and contact info. so that lab workers know where to return lost diskettes).
¨ Pocket Folder, spiral notebook for note-taking
¨ Stapler (formal assignments must be stapled)

The Nature of This Course
This course prepares future teachers to develop writing assignments and ways of working with writing that lead students to develop more effective writing strategies. Those strategies should enhance both ways of writing for other readers and writing as a way of thinking.

Guiding Philosophy for this Course:

Scholarly discussions about language and learning begin with the assumption that both are complex and poorly understood features of our human nature. We commit actual acts by means of language (sometimes referred to as “speech-acts”), and also experience symbolic acts by means of reading literature, of hearing stories. Spoken and written language are capable of creating contexts, of implementing change; they are the corpus of our laws and our verdicts, our decrees and documents. In important ways, humans live a large part of their lives in and through language.
According to Kenneth Burke,
[L]anguage reflects the “personal equations” by which each person is different from any one else, a unique combination of experiences and judgments. Thus there is a sense in which each poet speaks his own dialect. Or, at the very opposite extreme, there are respects in which we use language “universally.” That is, we are the kind of animal that approaches everything through modes of thought developed by the use of symbol systems; what we don’t have names for, we at least think of as “nameable” – and in this respect we differ categorically from animals whose relation to their environment eliminates this roundabout, midway stage.
-- Language As Symbolic Action (28)
As we work through ideas and methodologies for teaching writing, and using writing-to-learn in the classroom, we will also need to do intellectual work on our own philosophical approaches to language, learning, and teaching within the framework of educational institutions and the context of our own profession.

Course Objectives:
A. Upon completion of ENG 365 a student should be able to:
1. Develop a philosophy of teaching writing that is consistent with research in the field of composition;
2. Understand the process paradigm as it affects the teaching of writing in middle and secondary schools;
3. Appreciate the advantages of "environmental" structured process methods;
4. Implement thoughtful and informed plans for assigning and evaluating writing;
5. Develop, complete, and demonstrate writing assignments that are thoughtful and informed;
6. Use computer technology to enhance writing instruction and learning;
7. Consider how they would train prospective teachers who will teach writing in middle or secondary schools and for those who will use writing as a teaching and learning device in other content areas; and
8. Begin the process of developing a professional teaching portfolio that includes pieces demonstrating writing competence as well as the ability to teach writing.

B. Upon completion of ENG 366 a student should be able to:
1. Develop a philosophy of enhancing writing ability that is consistent with research in the field of composition;
2. Understand the process paradigm as it affects the teaching of writing in middle and secondary schools;
3. Appreciate the advantages of "environmental" structured process methods;
4. Implement thoughtful and informed plans for integrating writing into their teaching;
5. Develop, complete, and demonstrate writing thoughtful and informed uses of writing in the disciplines;
6. Use computer technology to enhance writing instruction and learning; and
7. Develop materials for a professional teaching portfolio that includes pieces demonstrating writing competence as well as the ability to integrate writing into their teaching.
 

Required Course work:

1. Eng. 365 Develop a statement of teaching philosophy for teaching writing in high school/middle school.
Eng. 366 Develop a statement of teaching philosophy for your discipline which incorporates elements of writing or writing-to-learn objectives.
2. Write 2 entries per week to the class Electronic Forum. Posts will consist of substantive critiques and summaries of readings; exercises prompted in course readings or by the instructor; posts or exercises prompted by class members.
3. Assist in conducting High School Writing Day (details TBA).
4. Develop a writing lesson plan unit.
5. Complete a research project on one current critical issue/question in the teaching of writing. Research must include:
a) reading a significant book in the area of teaching writing OR on the specific issue (it must include substantive discussion of teaching writing or using writing-to-learn);
b) readings from course texts;
c) Interview(s) with a current middle or high school teacher;
d) current library research (journals, popular periodical publications)
e) optional internet research (note: online research does not supplant book/interview/library research).
6. Complete mid-term and final exams.
7. Eng. 365 Join SNCTE and attend at least two workshops or presentations related to teaching during the spring semester. You will hand in a summary/critique of the event you attend.
Eng. 366 Join an appropriate student or professional organization and attend at least two workshops or presentations related to teaching during the spring semester. You will hand in a summary/critique of the event you attend.

Grade Weight of Requirements:

10% statement of teaching philosophy
20% weekly posts to class Electronic Forum; class participation (includes high school Writing Day)
10% writing (or writing-to-learn) lesson plan unit.
20%  research project
10% mid-term exam
10% 2 workshops / presentations summary/critique of the event.
20% final exam
100% TOTAL

Some Resources at Missouri Western:

High School Language Arts Curriculum Guide. (St. Joseph School District). In the Library. Includes abstracted
lesson plans & grade sheets.
Middle School Language Arts Curriculum Guide. (St. Joseph School District). In the library.
Beginning Writing Groups (video request #94201). The high-school counterpart to Student Writing Groups: Demonstrating the Process, which is geared to college level.  Available for viewing in the IMC
(ph. 271-4395).
Language arts texts adopted in 1995 by the St. Joseph school system.  On the curriculum shelves in the library.

Resources via the Internet:
NCTE Web site at
http://www.ncte.org.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education site  at  http://services.dese.state.mo.us/about.html.
Missouri Association of Teachers of English Web
site at http://www.umsl.edu/services/gwp/mateintro.html

Academic Honesty
Students must submit their own work. Plagiarism or cheating on papers or tests is a complete breach of your contract with the school and with me. I will always seek the strongest punishment available under campus rules for any incidence of cheating. I also expect you to be able to prove positively that you have not cheated, so that I reserve the right to punish even apparent cheating unless you can demonstrate that the appearance is deceiving. I will always be willing to help you make such a demonstration, which will be greatly aided if you keep copies of all your earlier work toward final assignments.

Disabilities
Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so that we can discuss alternative ways to satisfy class requirements.
 
 

Class meetings
Class meetings of upper division courses are conducted under the assumption that students are well-versed in the conventions of college classrooms and academic environments.  Come to class prepared, and plan to participate and remain engaged with the materials for the entire class  period. In the unlikely and unfortunate event that you find yourself unprepared, come anyway, but I expect you to arrive doubly-prepared the next time. Should the situation become chronic, you may wish to re-examine your priorities for the semester, as this is a writing- and participation-intensive course. In short: develop good academic habits now, or pay later.

Attendance
A student with more than 4 (T-Th) unexcused absences will automatically be given a failing grade for the course.  Please see the student handbook for the definition of "excused absence" (i.e., I do not wish to see doctor's excuses or obituaries).  If you miss class it is your responsibility to contact a classmate (and of course this syllabus) regarding announcements, assignments, changes, class notes, and additional readings or writing.
Students who consult with me in advance of known conflicts will be given the option of  pre-arranged make-up work on a case-by-case basis. DO contact me in the event of unforeseen hardships and illnesses. Serious efforts to complete the work for this class will be given fair consideration, especially in cases of earnest dedication and hard work.
Note: Weddings and trips to Baja do not constitute “hardships” or “emergencies.”

This Syllabus
Read this syllabus very carefully, and refer to it often. All information presented here is regarded as part of your own knowledge. All answers to your questions about the class will be based on an assumption that you understand the syllabus and seek further clarification. The teacher reserves the right to alter this syllabus and to make announced changes as need arises during the course of the semester.

Due Dates:
Dates for handing in all required assignments are listed in the course schedule attached. There is no room in the semester calendar for late papers. I do not plan to be accepting late papers, due to my current teaching load and conference schedule. Make a note of all due dates now, and plan accordingly.

Electronic Forum:
You must have a stable email account established in order to satisfy this writing requirement for the course. I strongly urge you to use your MWSC email account for this forum. As moderator, I will do my best to insure that you do not receive advertising or other unwanted messages in your account. Expect the usual glitches and snafu’s when first getting subscribed to the electronic discussion group. I tend to use different technologies as time goes by, and as internet services evolve. I will try to make it as painless and easy as possible for you, but there is a certain amount of meticulous attention required at the outset, in order to get the forum up and running efficiently for us all.

 
ENG 365-366  TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

January
T   16 Introduction: Syllabus. Requirements: E-Forum, Written Assignments, Oral Presentations.
 Handouts: Berlin, Fulkerson.
Th 18 Introduction: cont. E-Forum practice: you must have email up and running. E-Post: preliminary statement of teaching philosophy.

T   23 Elbow Writing to Learn (WL) 5-13.
Th 25 Atwell In the Middle Chapter 1. Assign E-Forum post responding to Young.

T   30 Young  WL 27-39. Young post due. Assign Sargent post.
February
Th 1 Sargent WL 41-52. Sargent post due. Assign Fishman post.

T   6 Fishman WL 53-66. Fishman post due. Assign E-post: Statement of Teaching Philosophy draft.
Th 8 Atwell In the Middle Chapter 2. Assign Atwell post.

T   13 Atwell In the Middle Chapter 2 (continued). Atwell Ch. 2 post due. Assign Atwell Ch. 3 post.
Th 15 Atwell In the Middle Chapter 3. Atwell post due. Assign (E-Forum) exercises in Tchudi.

T   20 Tchudi English Language Arts Handbook 8-37 Aims & Priorities. Planning for Successful Teaching.
(Chapters one & two). Tchudi Exercises due in E-Forum. Assign E-Forum drafts of lesson plan unit.
STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY DUE
Th 22 Tchudi English Language Arts Handbook 38-69 Diversifying and Individualizing. Assessment,
Evaluation, and Grading (Chapters three & four) E-Forum posts due: drafts of lesson plan unit. Assign
minilessons. Discuss Midterm.

T   27 Atwell In the Middle Chapter 6. Minilesson Due: design, plan, and conduct a minilesson in class.
March
Th 1 MIDTERM EXAM.

T   6 Tchudi English Language Arts Handbook Chapter 8; E-post Due.
Th 8 Tchudi English Language Arts Handbook Chapter 9; E-post Due.

T   13 SPRING BREAK
Th 15 SPRING BREAK

T   20 Tchudi English Language Arts Handbook Chapter 13 (Writing in the Disciplines). Tchudi E-post due.
 
Th 22 Atwell In the Middle Chapter 14 “Taking Care of Business” (writing with a purpose);  E-post due.

T   27 Herrington WL 65-75 (responding); E-post.
LESSON PLAN UNIT DUE.
Th 29 Hodges WL 77-89 (responding); E-post. Discuss Research Paper Prospectus
 
April
T   3 Lunsford WL 91-104 (responding) ; E-post.
 PROSPECTUS DUE: RESEARCH PAPER
 
Th 5 Tchudi English Language Arts Handbook 177-195 (responding). Handout: Orwell “Politics and the
English Language” ; E-post.

T   10 Tchudi chapter 11 (correctness) ; E-post.

Th 12 Tchudi chapter 12; Orwell (correctness) ; E-post.
 Have you turned in critiques/summary reports of 2 presentations/events related to teaching writing or
writing-to-learn in your discipline?

T   17 Presentations.
Th 19 Presentations.

T   24 Presentations.
Th 26 Presentations.

May
T   1 Last Class Meeting
RESEARCH PAPER DUE.
Th 3 FINALS WEEK – NO CLASS MEETING

T   8 FINAL EXAM   8:30-10:20

This schedule is subject to change, as need arises
during the course of the semester