I

FALL 1995

EDUC 383-4?

SPECIAL TOPIC: TEACHING LANGUAGE ARTS IN MULTILINGUAL,

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MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOMS

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(W1.00)

LOCATION: LANGLEY MEADOWS ELEMENTARY ?

K. TOOHEY

Course Description:

This course is intended to provide for pre-service teachers enrolled in the

Langley Professional Development Schools Project and for teachers working

in Langley schools the opportunity to consider how language arts is most

effectively taught when students come from a wide variety of linguistic and

cultural backgrounds. Participants will examine the following topics:

languages as meaning-making systems; pre-school language development;

orality and learning; learning to write/learning to read; classrooms as

environments fostering language/literacy

, development; evaluation of

language skills. Recognizing that our learners come from diverse

backgrounds and bring diverse talents to the classroom, examining these

topics should prepare teachers well for operating effective language arts

programs in elementary classrooms.

Pre-requisites (or special instructions): This

course is compulsory for all

student teachers in the Language Professional Development Schools Project.

In addition, teachers working in Langley Schools are welcome to attend. The

instructional site will be Langley Meadows Elementary School in Langley.

Course Requirements

a. Self Introduction l0%

b.

Learning Log

251

c. Observation ofLanguage Arts Unit 20%

d. Language Arts Unit

35%

e.

Statement of Personal Theory and Practice 10%

Required Texts

McGee, & Richgels, D.J. 1990. Literacy's beginnings: Supporting young

readers /

and writers. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Cooper, D. 1993.Literacy: Helping children construct meaning. Second

edition. Toronto: Houghton Mifflin.

'Crowhurst, Marion. 1994. Language and learning across the curriculum.

/ Scarborough: Allyn & Bacon.

Gibbons, P. 1991. Learning to learn in a second language. Portsmouth, NH:

Heinemann