MON FRASER UNIVERSITY

S

Summer Semester 2001

EDUC 472 - 4

Grant Wardle

Designs for Learning:

Office: TBA

Elementary Language Arts

Phone: 291-3395 / 859-7399

E01.00

E-mail: gwardle@sfu.ca

Mondays 17:30-21:20 in EDB 7600

PREREQUISITES

Educ 401/402

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course will focus on developing knowledge, skills, and strategies to create a rich and stimulating

language arts environment. Issues in reading, writing, listening, and speaking will be examined

through current theory and teaching practice. This course will provide you with the opportunity to

examine and reflect upon your understandings about learning and teaching language arts, and your

role in engaging children in communicating and searching for meaning. It will also allow you to

examine your personal beliefs about children, the teacher, and the curriculum. As well, you will

investigate the benefits of creating a language rich environment.

The course will be made up largely of action-based learning experiences including seminars, group

work, responses, and demonstrations. Due to the broad nature of this course (K-7), students will

have the opportunity to complete a self-directed investigation of language arts at their preferred

teaching level. There will be an emphasis on the integration of the strands of language arts (reading,

writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and representing) through the development of units of

instruction. Upon completion of this course you should have an extensive repertoire of strategies and

materials to use in the language class.

TOPICS

• creating language rich environments

• language acquisition

• the reading process

• the writing process

REQUIREMENTS

• regular attendance and participation

• completion of assigned professional readings

• completion of assignments and projects

• portfolio assessment

• reading and writing across the curriculum

• developing an effective language arts program

REQUIRED READINGS

Popp, Marcia S. Teaching Language and Literature in Elementary Classrooms. Mahwah, NJ:

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1996 [Copp Clark Pitman: A Longman Co.] ISBN 0-8058-2253-4

Caulkins, Lucy McCormick. The Art of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1994. ISBN

0-435-08809-2

Province of B.C. Integrated Resource Package: English Language Arts K - 7 Victoria, B.C.: Ministry

of Education

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

A list of recommended readings will be available on the first day of class and readings will be assigned

throughout the course.