College Reading Readiness

Summer 2020 Course Syllabus

The world is full of stories about who we are and what we can do. Some writers have called the
most common of these stories—the ones that we see/ hear/ read most frequently—“dominant
cultural narratives” or “master narratives.” Stories are powerful shapers of how we understand
the world and our roles within it, and they are not neutral, so it is important to interrogate,
question, complicate, and talk back to dominant narratives. When people tell their own stories
in their own words so that they can better describe and represent their own truth, those stories
are often called “counter narratives.” In this class, we are going to read an amazing example of
a counter narrative: Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.

One of the primary ways that we engage with the world and each other is through reading and
writing—not just the books and papers we read and write for school, but the way we write
ourselves into certain identities on social media, the way we choose to ingest or ignore different
sources of information, the everyday problem solving we all engage in to navigate this complex
world, and the discussions we have within our families and communities. This course invites
you, as a reader, learner, thinker, and problem solver, to consider where you fit now and where
you want to be in the future. The course is designed to give you opportunities to practice and
gain confidence in the following critical competencies:

● Listening to yourself
● Listening to others
● Seeking to understand
● Speaking your truth in your own words

Student Learning Outcomes

Over the next eight weeks, you will:

● Interrogate and develop your own reader identity

○ How does your relationship with reading impact your identity and future as a
student, a citizen, and/or a member of your community?
● Identify and practice metacognitive strategies to make sense of complex texts
○ How can you take control of your learning processes and feel empowered to
accomplish your learning goals?
● By reading and discussing Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by
Trevor Noah, gain insight into the power of counter narratives to shape social change
○ What can you learn by reading and discussing this powerful counter narrative in
a community of readers?
● Build knowledge of the Community Cultural Wealth Framework
○ How can this theoretical framework help you to consider and define your own
story, rather than being defined by others?
How will I be graded?
Every single person can succeed in this course!

You will be graded on your attendance and participation, as well as the level of thought and
completion put into your assignments and reflections. You and your instructor will evaluate your
work each week based on rubrics for quality posts and quality participation.

In order to earn credit for the course (and the monetary incentive) you must:

● Complete the reading and “capturing your thinking” assignments

● Attend and participate in small group and whole class zoom sessions
● Satisfactorily complete all assignments and reflections and monitor your progress each
week

Course Activities
In this course we will have a blend of synchronous and asynchronous work.

● Synchronous: group activities—in Zoom—whole group or small group

● Asynchronous: individual work—in Realizit

See chart for more specifics on what we will do in this course and what will be expected of you.

● Activity: “What’s happening?”

● Modality: “Where is it happening?”
● Submission: “What do I need to turn in?”

Modality Activity Submission

Monday Start Your Week Your notes on an “Evidence /
Zoom / 30 min Start the week together Interpretation Log”
Whole class

Realizit / 20 min Watch a short video or read a case study to

introduce the topic

You and the Text(s) Your notes, including “golden

Realizeit / 40 min Reading to build knowledge of the lines” from the text and
Community Cultural Wealth Framework answers to reflection questions

Tuesday You, the Text(s), and Your Reading Post-collaboration survey

Zoom / 30 min Community
Small group Building community and talking about what
you read
 Your Brain at Work Answers to reflection questions
Realizeit / 20 min Reading or video to build knowledge about
the science of learning

You and the Text(s) Answers to reflection questions

Realizeit / 40 min Reading to build knowledge AND to gain
insight into your brain at work

You and the Text(s) Your notes, including “golden

RealizeIt / 120 Read Born a Crime lines” from the text and
min reflections on your reading
process

Thursday You, the Text(s), and Your Reading Post collaboration survey
Zoom / 30 min Community
Small Group Building community and talking about what
you read

Check Yourself Comprehension Quiz with

Realizeit / 10 min Reading comprehension assessment process wrapper

Own Your Words Your choice of important

Realizeit / 20 min Vocabulary tracking and development vocabulary and how you will
use it in the future

Friday Pulling it Together A paragraph synthesizing the

Zoom / 30 min week’s work
Whole Class

Weekly Focus & Texts

Dates & Focus Texts

Week 1 / June 29-July 3 ● Trevor Noah and Jason Reynolds (video)

● “Brave Space” and “Social Goals for a Community of Readers and Writers”
Intros and Orientation
● “Whose Culture Has Capital?” Tara J. Yosso (abstract and first pages)
● Born a Crime, opening pages
Week 2 / July 6-10 ● Born a Crime, pages 1-49
● Victor Rios TEDTalk (video)
Social Capital and Meta-
● “The Disintegration of the Community: Why We Feel Alone Even When
cognition
Surrounded By People”
● Brief Intro to Metacognition (video)
● “Whose Culture Has Capital?” Tara J. Yosso (Social Capital)

Week 3 / July 13-17 ● Born a Crime, pages 50-100

● “Three Ways to Speak English” (video)
Linguistic Capital and
● Growth Mindset module
Growth Mindset
● “Whose Culture Has Capital?” Tara J. Yosso (Linguistic Capital)

Week 4 / July 20-24 ● Born a Crime, pages 101-149

● Case Study 1: Ashley
Aspirational Capital and
○ “How the brain changes when mastering a new skill”
Strategic Metacognition
○ Metacognitive Study Strategies
○ How To Study Effectively
● “Whose Culture Has Capital?” Tara J. Yosso (Aspirational Capital)

Week 5 / July 27-31 ● Born a Crime, pages 150-199

● Case Study 2: Jhonny
Navigational Capital and
○ “How to Choose a College That Is Right for You”
Developing your “Inner
○ “The Pocket Guide to Choosing a College”
Coach”
● “Whose Culture Has Capital?” Tara J. Yosso (Navigational Capital)

Week 6 / August 3-7 ● Born a Crime, pages 200-243

● Case Study 3: Devon
Resistance Capital and
○ “Honoring Resistant Capital.”
Managing Amygdala Hijack
● Excerpts from Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive teaching and the
Brain
● “Whose Culture Has Capital?” Tara J. Yosso (Resistance Capital)

Week 7 / August 10-14 ● Born a Crime, pages 244-end

● “If I should Have a Daughter” (video)
Applying the Community
● “Diciendo cuentos/Telling Stories: Learning from and about the Community
Cultural Wealth Framework:
Cultural Wealth of Latina Mamás through Latino Children’s Literature”
Counter Narratives
● “Our Stories, Ourselves”
● “Whose Culture Has Capital?” Tara J. Yosso

Week 8 / August 17-21 ● “The Danger of a Single Story” (video)

● “Jason Reynolds Talks About Racism And The Protests” (video)
Literacies and Cultural
● “Whose Culture Has Capital?” Tara J. Yosso
Wealth: Final project