SEC-345 Assignments
Here are some common concerns that students encounter when completing assignments. As a reminder, please refer to rubrics before beginning your assignment, as all assignments are graded using those. And if I haven’t addressed your question here, please send me a message using the Questions for Instructor Forum or Individual Forum. Thanks!
Module 1: Literacy’s Effect: Student Achievement & Long-Term Learning
This 500-750 word essay asks you to discuss what it means to be literate, how literacy affects student achievement in your content area (i.e. ELA, social studies, world language, math...), and how reading fosters long-term learning across content areas. Here are a few important items that you don't want to overlook:
- Please be sure to use the GCU eLibrary to find at least 3 peer-reviewed articles to support your ideas. For help using the GCU eLibrary, please visit this page: http://www.gcu.edu/Student-Affairs/Library/Tutorials.php.
- Please be sure to use APA style for formatting your paper, creating a references page, and including citations; the Student Success Center has templates and additional resources, Purdue's OWL has lots of style guides, and websites like KnightCite can help with creating your cites/references.
- Please be sure to proofread your writing; I find reading my work out loud helps me catch most of my little errors. I also discovered Microsoft Word has a command you can quickly and easily add that will read your work out to you; here's a how to for adding and using this.
- Please be sure to review the rubric to see how your work will be scored.
Module 2: Literacy in Culturally Diverse Classrooms Digital Presentation
This assignment asks you to share strategies for addressing literacy in our culturally diverse classrooms. This is a great opportunity for you to discover very usable ideas that you can use with your own students! Here are some tips for addressing each of the key requirements:
- Create a 10-15 slide presentation - As a note, try to keep information on the slides short and sweet (with bullets); then you can put all of the details in the speaker notes below. If you need a few tips on navigating PowerPoint, be sure to check out the PowerPoint Tips in the General Resources tab.
- Content area and grade level of teachers you are addressing - You will want to include this on the title slide so that it is very clear.
- Five or more student specific characteristics - Be sure to include five characteristics.
- Two lesson planning strategies - Check out the Topic 2 Study Materials (via the Path tab in our class) for readings that will help you discover some wonderful ideas.
- Parameters of readibility - More details about this in our textbook readings for this week; if you want to go down this rabbit hole, check out a website like https://www.readabilityformulas.com/, which quickly helps you identify the readability of a text you may want to use with students.
- Two content area reading materials - Be specific with your two selections, including the authors and titles.
- Description of how implementing culturally responsive literacy instruction - This last item is great spot to use research for support.
- Reference page - Please use APA style for listing your references; additionally, remember to cite your sources throughout your presentation.
- 3-5 peer-reviewed articles - Please be sure to use the GCU eLibrary to find 3-5 peer-reviewed articles to support your ideas. For help using the GCU eLibrary, please visit this page: http://www.gcu.edu/Student-Affairs/Library/Tutorials.php.
- As always, check the rubric out beforehand to see how your work will be scored; this helps ensure you are hitting all the marks!
Module 3: Three Day Unit Plan
This assignment asks you to create a three-day unit plan; then, in subsequent weeks, you will be creating a lesson plan for each of those three days (three lessons total). Please watch this video for all the details; additionally, here are some helpful steps to completing this assignment:
1. Download the template in our Course via Path > Topic 3 > Study Materials > Three Day Unit Plan Template or via the Student Success Center > College of Education.
2. Select a topic you would like to explore in your content area and grade level. Pick a topic you enjoy! For example, I might choose to do a unit that compares/contrasts Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, or maybe I might choose to do a unit on the Periodic Table of Elements. Possibilities are endless!
3. Complete the three-day template, providing an overview of the unit and a brief look at the three days of lessons. Here's a sample three-day unit plan to help. Here are some tips: When selecting standards, please include the standard name and full details.
**The three lesson plans will be submitted in the following weeks.
1. Download the template in our Course via Path > Topic 3 > Study Materials > Three Day Unit Plan Template or via the Student Success Center > College of Education.
2. Select a topic you would like to explore in your content area and grade level. Pick a topic you enjoy! For example, I might choose to do a unit that compares/contrasts Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, or maybe I might choose to do a unit on the Periodic Table of Elements. Possibilities are endless!
3. Complete the three-day template, providing an overview of the unit and a brief look at the three days of lessons. Here's a sample three-day unit plan to help. Here are some tips: When selecting standards, please include the standard name and full details.
**The three lesson plans will be submitted in the following weeks.
Module 3: Clinical Field Experience A: Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Strategies
Allocate at least 4 hours in the field to support this field experience. There are a couple ways to approach this assignment:
If you have a mentor teacher you are working with:
After watching approximately four hours of videos, evaluate the effectiveness of vocabulary building and reading comprehension strategies within the lessons. Observe how the teacher uses technology in lessons and how such use promotes students’ reading comprehension skills. Then write a 250-500 word reflection regarding your observations. Address the following:
If you have a mentor teacher you are working with:
- Discuss with the mentor teacher how he or she evaluates the effectiveness of vocabulary building and reading comprehension strategies and determines when and how to use them. Observe how the mentor teacher uses technology in lessons and how such use promotes students’ reading comprehension skills. With the mentor teacher’s approval, use any remaining field experience hours to assist with the current lesson with a small group of students or with the whole class. Write a 250-500 word reflection regarding your observations and interactions with the small group or whole class of students. Address the following:
- Describe at least one of the vocabulary building strategies from your observations or discussion. Include how effective you feel the strategy was for students.
- Describe at least one of the comprehension strategies from your observations or discussion. Include how effective you feel the strategy was for students.
- If technology was used, describe how it was used and if it effectively facilitated comprehension of the content area material. If it was not used, provide an example of how it could be effectively incorporated in the field experience classroom.
After watching approximately four hours of videos, evaluate the effectiveness of vocabulary building and reading comprehension strategies within the lessons. Observe how the teacher uses technology in lessons and how such use promotes students’ reading comprehension skills. Then write a 250-500 word reflection regarding your observations. Address the following:
- Describe at least one of the vocabulary building strategies from your observations. Include how effective you feel the strategy was for students.
- Describe at least one of the comprehension strategies from your observations. Include how effective you feel the strategy was for students.
- If technology was used, describe how it was used and if it effectively facilitated comprehension of the content area material. If it was not used, provide an example of how it could be effectively incorporated in the field experience classroom.
Module 4: Lesson Plan #1
Now that you've created your Three-Day Unit Plan, it's time to dive into the first of three detailed lesson plans. Please be sure to use the COE Lesson Plan template, available here, in our Course via Path > Topic 5 > Study Materials > COE Lesson Plan Template, or via the Student Success Center > College of Education. Please be sure to fill in each section thoroughly, addressing each area completely; additionally, please be sure to use the tips and resources provided in the Main Forum. With practice and experience, you can develop this skill in order to engage students in meaningful and challenging ways!
Module 5: Clinical Field Experience B: Lesson Delivery
Allocate at least 5 hours in the field to support this field experience. There are a couple ways to approach this assignment:
If you have a mentor teacher you are working with AND are able to create a recording:
If you have a mentor teacher you are working with AND are able to create a recording:
- Create a video of yourself teaching using any video recording device; it is mandatory that the “Video Recording Permission Requests” be completed by the parent/guardian of each student prior to recording.
- Use an online video platform such as Loom, YouTube, or Vimeo to upload your completed video. Ensure that others can access and view your linked video prior to submitting to the LMS.
- Ensure that students whose families did not sign the permission form are not visible in the recording.
- Teach a lesson to a small group or whole class, either the lesson created in Topic 4 or a lesson of the mentor’s choosing. At the end of your lesson, ask students to complete an exit ticket responding to an open-ended question of your choice about what they learned from the lesson. Discuss your delivery with your mentor teacher and review the exit ticket responses together.
- Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the mentor teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.
- Select a 10-minute segment from your video and write a 250-500 word reflection summarizing your teaching experience, feedback from the mentor teacher, and student feedback. Be sure to use the questions in the assignment details in order to complete your reflection.
- Teach a short lesson to a small group or whole class, either the lesson created in Topic 4 or a lesson of the mentor’s choosing. At the end of your lesson, ask students to complete an exit ticket responding to an open-ended question of your choice about what they learned from the lesson. Discuss your delivery with your mentor teacher and review the exit ticket responses together.
- Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the mentor teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.
- Write a 250-500 word reflection summarizing your teaching experience, feedback from the mentor teacher, and student feedback. Be sure to use the questions in the assignment details in order to complete your reflection.
- Include at least three scholarly sources for support (tip: use the GCU eLibrary for these).
- Watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFRClI2q18Y.
- Then write an essay in which you analyze the lesson, instruction, and strategy in the video; your essay should be approx. 500 - 750 words, with at least three scholarly sources for support (tip: use the GCU eLibrary for these).
- You can use the questions in the M5 Field Experience B assignment to guide your analysis.
Module 5: Examining Texts Brochure
It's time to get creative and make a brochure that promotes literacy in the home and serve as a resource for families, informing them of the different texts and writing materials that will be implemented as part of the class curriculum.Your brochure should include the process of examining texts and writing strategies, and describe technology tools and digital resources that can be used at home to advance students’ literacy development. Include the following:
- Engaging front cover that identifies the grade level and content area
- The importance of using multiple texts to meet the specific needs and abilities of all students
- Examples of two different types of texts that will be used in the class with brief rationales that describe the complexity and purpose of the text as well as the grouping techniques (e.g. whole group, independent, small group) that will be used to teach each text selection.
- Explanation of how texts are selected for the classroom through both quantitative and qualitative measures
- An example of how writing will be incorporated into the content area
- Two activities families can do at home to help struggling readers and writers (one activity for reading and one activity for writing)
- Two digital tools or resources families can use to support literacy development at home. Include one for reading and one for writing, as well as brief directions of how to use the tools and/or where the families can go to learn how to use the tools.
- The brochure should be visually appealing with color, graphic elements, and variations in text.
- Support your brochure with a minimum of three scholarly resources.
- While APA style format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
Module 6: Lesson Plan #2
This is the second of your three lesson plans. Again, please be sure to use the COE Lesson Plan template, available here, in our Course via Path > Topic 5 > Study Materials > COE Lesson Plan Template, or via the Student Success Center > College of Education. Please be sure to fill in each section thoroughly, addressing each area completely; additionally, please be sure to use the tips and resources provided in the Main Forum.
Finally, be sure to address the following from the assignment directions: Focus on utilizing literature-based materials and cooperative learning in this lesson. There should be some type of literature being used in this lesson plan (what will students be reading and how will they interact with that reading), as well as a cooperative learning strategy (so many to choose from!).
Finally, be sure to address the following from the assignment directions: Focus on utilizing literature-based materials and cooperative learning in this lesson. There should be some type of literature being used in this lesson plan (what will students be reading and how will they interact with that reading), as well as a cooperative learning strategy (so many to choose from!).
Module 6: Clinical Field Experience C: Observation and Collaboration
Allocate at least 3 hours in the field to support this field experience. There are a couple ways to approach this assignment:
If you have a mentor teacher you are working with:
If you have a mentor teacher you are working with:
- Observe and analyze the literature-based materials and resources used in your field experience classroom, including the resources on the classroom walls (or within the virtual classroom). Discuss with the mentor teacher how the literature in the classroom is incorporated into content lessons.
- Consider the following:
- Are there different types of literature (e.g., text books, professional journals, newspapers, novels) used in the classroom?
- Do the resources seem to effectively fit with the content area?
- Do the resources support learning in the classroom?
- Write a 250-500 word reflection describing your observations and discussion with your mentor teacher. What have you observed in this field experience that you will use in your future classroom to meet the needs of the students?
- Observe and analyze the literature-based materials and resources using within your selected videos; if possible, include details about what you saw within the classroom (on the walls, how the desks were arranged, etc.). Discuss with the mentor teacher how the literature in the classroom is incorporated into content lessons.
- Consider the following:
- Are there different types of literature (e.g., text books, professional journals, newspapers, novels) used in the classroom?
- Do the resources seem to effectively fit with the content area?
- Do the resources support learning in the classroom?
- Write a 250-500 word reflection describing your observations of these videos. What have you observed in this field experience that you will use in your future classroom to meet the needs of the students?
Module 7: Benchmark - Content Area Literacy for Middle and Secondary Teachers (aka Lesson Plan #3)
This is the third of your three lesson plans. Again, please be sure to use the COE Lesson Plan template. Please be sure to fill in each section thoroughly, addressing each area completely; additionally, please be sure to use the tips and resources provided in the Main Forum.
Finally, be sure to address the following from the assignment directions:
Finally, be sure to address the following from the assignment directions:
- In the “Multiple Means of Representation” section: Develop and implement supports for student literacy development across content areas.
- In the “Multiple Means of Engagement” section: Students’ personal, family, and community experiences, and cultural norms in the lesson to provide multiple perspectives of discussion.
- In the “Multiple Means of Expression” section: Opportunities for students to learn, practice, and master academic language in the content area.
Module 8: Clinical Field Experience D: Evaluating Content Area Literacy Materials and Assessments
Allocate at least 3 hours in the field to support this field experience. There are a couple ways to approach this assignment:
If you have a mentor teacher you are working with:
If you have a mentor teacher you are working with:
- Review literacy materials and assessments in your mentor teacher’s classroom. Ask your mentor teacher how he or she incorporates these materials and assessments into curriculum. Discuss with your mentor teacher the process of selecting content area literacy materials and how they are used to plan instruction and assessments, including modifications needed for individual students.
- Based on your selections and the feedback from your mentor, write a 250-500 word reflection that addresses the following:
- How the literacy skills are assessed. How is the suitability of various assessment types determined?
- What kind of feedback do the teachers receive on students’ literacy skills as a result of the assessments? What kind of feedback do students receive on their performance of the literacy skills? How is this information used to guide future growth and development? What could be improved upon in the selection and use of assessments to further develop the literacy skills of the students?
- How are the literacy materials selected? How are they reviewed for potential bias?
- How the literacy skills are assessed. How is the suitability of various assessment types determined?
- Observe and analyze the literature materials and assessments using within your selected videos; if possible, include details about how these are used within the classroom.
- Consider the following:
- Are there different types of literature (e.g., text books, professional journals, newspapers, novels) used in the classroom?
- Do the resources seem to effectively fit with the content area?
- Do the resources support learning in the classroom?
- Write a 250-500 word reflection describing your observations of these videos. What have you observed in this field experience that you will use in your future classroom to meet the needs of the students?
Module 8: Evaluating Content Area Literacy Materials and Assessments Information Sheet
For this assignment, you will be selecting two literacy materials that would be appropriate for the students in your content area classroom; create an information sheet that can be shared with other educators. Many students just use Microsoft Word and either organize the information by the headings below, or they create a table that shares this information; how you present the information is up to you, but please keep it organized, clear, and concise.Please be sure to include the following for each material:
- Title, author, and brief description of the literacy materials and how they fit with the selected content area
- For each material: Description of one literacy strategy used within each textbook or literacy material
- Brief description of one activity for each material
- Example of a formative assessment and how the data collected could be used to adjust future instruction
- Brief rationale justifying why the selected formative assessments are suitable to determine student progress
- Images, graphics, etc. to enhance the document
Module 8: Clinical Field Experience Verification Form
Check out this video. These seven minutes will tell you everything you need to know about documenting your practicum hours via the Verification Form.
Additional resources for completing the Clinical Field Experience Verification Form can be found in the Student Success Center (or here).
If you are working with a mentor, he/she will sign your completed form via the Document Management System (via the link above); then you will save a copy of the PDF and submit that to LoudCloud.
If you are watching supplemental videos for your practicum hours, you will be sending your form to me via email ([email protected]) and I will sign as your mentor; no further action needed on your part.
If you are working with a mentor AND watching supplemental videos, you will have TWO completed forms (one signed by your mentor and one signed by me); again, follow the directions above for the appropriate form.
Additional resources for completing the Clinical Field Experience Verification Form can be found in the Student Success Center (or here).
If you are working with a mentor, he/she will sign your completed form via the Document Management System (via the link above); then you will save a copy of the PDF and submit that to LoudCloud.
If you are watching supplemental videos for your practicum hours, you will be sending your form to me via email ([email protected]) and I will sign as your mentor; no further action needed on your part.
If you are working with a mentor AND watching supplemental videos, you will have TWO completed forms (one signed by your mentor and one signed by me); again, follow the directions above for the appropriate form.