Teacher Education Program - School of Social Science and Human Services (4 credits)

READING AND WRITING IN THE CONTENT AREAS - 40659 - EDUC 350 - 01

Fall 2023

Instructor: Susan Rodriguez, Adjunct Professor of Teacher Education, full-time ELA teacher
at Ramsey High School
Meeting Time: Tuesday, 1:45-5:15
Room: Online
Office Hours: Online office hours after class or by appointment.
E-mail address: srodriguez@ramsey.k12.nj.us - please use my Ramsey email for quickest reply
Srodrig1@ramapo.edu
Emergency # (201) 236-2902 (for college closings/special announcements)

LMS: All work will be posted on Canvas

PRE-REQUISITES: EDUC 221 Social Context of Education, EDUC 222 Teaching: Principles and
Practices, and CRW II College English.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: Advanced status in your major and in the Teacher Certification Program

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to provide you with an introduction to both the theory and practice of teaching
reading and writing in the content areas in secondary schools.
This semester is unique now that we have moved to an online format. We will be flexible in meeting the
clinical requirements to complement the coursework.
During our class sessions, you will learn theory and instructional strategies for integrating reading and
writing into the different content areas. You will also be writing lessons that will integrate literacy skills into
your subject area.

ELECTRONIC FORM OF COMMUNICATION:

In accordance with College policy, I will use your Ramapo College address (@ramapo.edu) to communicate
with you about all course-related matters.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS:

Ramapo College’s Teacher Education & Certification Program is aligned with the New Jersey Department of
Education (NJ DOE)’s Professional Standards for Teachers.

STANDARDS: New Jersey is now using the NJ Student Learning Standards which can be found at this
site:https://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/.
Also, please visit www.state.nj.us/education, the New Jersey Department of Education’s website, for more
detailed information about Professional Standards for Teachers. The Standards describe what students
should know and be able to do upon completion of a K-12 public education. They also specify benchmarks
for student achievement in the content areas. (Notice the importance of reading and writing across the
curriculum in all of the content areas!)

Also, visit the websites of the National Council of Teachers of English (www.ncte.org) and their website
coauthored with the International Reading Association (www.readwritethink.org) for helpful ideas and
resources.
NJ Professional Teaching Standards
There are eleven New Jersey professional teaching standards, and this course is aligned with standards
one, four, five, six, seven and eight.
(Source: http://www.state.nj.us/education/profdev/profstand/teacherstandardsoverview.pdf)
Standard 1: Learner Development -lesson plans, supporting materials, evidence of
work and reflection statement,
-writing analysis papers

Standard 4: Content Knowledge - lesson plans, supporting materials, evidence

Standard 5: Application of Knowledge
of work and reflection statement
--analysis and assessment of a learner’s
reading and writing skills
-list of uses for reading and writing
-oral presentation of a journal article
-lesson plans, supporting materials, evidence of
work and reflection statement

Standard 6: Assessment -assessment of learner’s writing

skills and reflection statements
-lesson plans

-lesson plans and reflections

Standard 7: Planning for Instruction -evaluation of a high school content area
textbook
-textbook Inventory
- text readability study
-analysis of a learner’s reading and writing
strengths and needs
Standard 8: Instructional Strategies -lesson plans and reflections
-evaluation of a high school content area
textbook
-textbook Inventory
- text Readability Study
-analysis of a learner’s reading and writing
strengths and needs

Organization of Standards: The standards are now organized under four domains:
● The Learner and Learning
Standard 1: Learner Development
Standard 2: Learning Differences
Standard 3: Learning Environments
● Content
Standard 4: Content Knowledge
Standard 5: Application of Content
● Instructional Practice
Standard 6: Assessment
Standard 7: Planning for Instruction
Standard 8: Instructional Strategies

EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez

 ● Professional Responsibility
Standard 9: Professional Learning
Standard 10: Leadership and Collaboration
Standard 11: Ethical Practice
Within each standard, the elements are organized under the following criteria:
✓ Performances: the aspect that can be observed and assessed in teaching practice;
✓ Essential knowledge: the understanding that one needs to support effective practice; and
✓ Critical dispositions: the habits of professional practice that underlie the performances and
knowledge and play a key role in how teachers practice.

Fundamental Understandings
The following fundamental understandings anchor the content of the standards:
● Teaching and learning are dynamic processes. Instruction is rooted in integrated and
reciprocal classroom practice, and educator effectiveness is closely tied to student learning.
● 21st century skills are fundamental. Teachers need to foster students’ curiosity, creativity,
innovation, problem-solving, global literacy, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Students need to understand technology and ethics and be able to synthesize information
across disciplines.
● Expertise in teaching develops over time. While the previous standards were geared more to
beginning teachers, these standards are rooted in professional practice across the
continuum of teacher development.
● The focus must move from teachers’ teaching to learners’ learning. Teachers must acquire
and apply the knowledge and skills to customize and personalize learning for learners with a
range of individual differences.
● Assessment literacy is an essential skill. Teachers need to have greater knowledge and skill
around how to develop a range of assessments and how to use assessment data to improve
instruction and support learner success.
● Teachers should embrace leadership roles. Teachers should advocate for their own and their
students’ needs, actively investigate new ideas to improve teaching and learning, participate
in the collaborative culture, and advance the profession.
● A collaborative professional culture improves teaching effectiveness. We can no longer treat
teaching as an isolated activity. When teachers collectively engage in participatory
decision-making, designing lessons, using data, and examining student work, they are able
to deliver more rigorous and relevant instruction.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students who successfully complete this course should be able to:

1. Explain the value and uses of reading and writing in general and specifically for their certification area;

2. Explain the importance of being able to tailor the content and form of one’s writing for different
audiences and for different purposes;

3. Identify ways in which reading and writing can enhance the learning of a particular disciplinary area;

4. Explain how to integrate reading and writing into courses to help students learn content area facts,
principles, and concepts;

5. Explain the stages of both the reading and writing processes, and identify strategies for helping
EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez
students at each of these stages;

6. Evaluate students’ reading and writing strengths and needs;

7. Explain the difference between evaluating and responding to student writing;

8. Respond effectively and constructively, both orally and in writing, to students’ writing;

9. Build on knowledge of reading and writing theory and practice, develop skills in lesson planning,
implementation, and evaluation that promote a learner’s growth in reading and writing;

10. Use a variety of comprehension strategies to target individual needs;

11. Select materials appropriate to the needs and interests of their learners;

12. Identify effective content area reading and writing activities and assignments appropriate to a learner’s
level, needs and interests.

13. Analyze student writing skills, and identify strengths and needs as well as strategies for
addressing those needs;

EXPECTATIONS:
1. Please be an active participant in our live Zoom classes. You are now a teacher and online learning may
be the new way of education. During a Zoom class, please have your camera on, sit in a proper workspace
and actively participate in discussions with your peers.

2. Attendance is important. If you have to miss a Zoom class, please email me as soon as possible.

3. Please hand in all assignments on time. If you are having any issues with assignments, reach out to me
as soon as possible.

4. All assignments will be posted and submitted through Canvas.

5. Be professional. You are transitioning from student to teacher, where professional behavior will be
expected by your employer.

EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez

CLASS SCHEDULE:
1:45 - 3:15 Required assignment
Please log into Canvas to find the classwork assignment.
This might be to read an article or watch a video or complete an assignment. You
should be completing this assignment during this allotted time. We will discuss this
assignment during our live virtual class so please be prepared to participate. I will
post the weekly plan and assignments on Canvas by 1:00.

3:15- 4:45 Live Virtual Class

I will be using the Conference/Big Blue Button feature in Canvas.
To get the most value out of this class, please be ON TIME and
be an active participant during the live session.

4:45-5:15 Independent work session

This time will be used to ask questions about your classwork and to work on
assignments. It may also be used to meet with me to discuss your coursework.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Active participation in weekly coursework. Each week you should log onto Canvas at 1:45 to
find the daily assignment. There will be weekly assignments submitted to Canvas. At 3:00, you will
log onto Zoom for our live class session. During this time we will dive deeper into our weekly topic.
You should be an active participant by contributing to class discussion, asking questions and taking
notes.

2. 10 additional clinical hours focused on literacy skills. The state of NJ is still requiring 10
additional clinical hours to your student teaching. This time should be focused on the literacy skills
you are learning in class. Please find some time at your school to complete these hours. You can
work with individual students or in groups during class time, observe another teacher and reflect on
the lesson, or work with students during lunch or after school. You will keep a log of these hours.

3. One formal lesson plan and reflection. You will be writing a lesson plan to teach a specific reading
strategy to your clinical students. You can teach this lesson to the whole class or in a small group.
Follow the EdTPA lesson plan format for Part A. After writing your lesson plan, write a 3-4 page
reflection using the guided questions provided. Please include copies of texts, handouts and any
other supplementary materials included with the lesson.

Video Recording of your lesson. You will record the lesson that you wrote on a reading strategy.
Make sure you are the focus of the video. *You will need to get parental permission for your
recording.

4. A writing assignment for your content area. You will be designing a writing assignment for your
content area. Your assignment will include an informal lesson plan leading up to the task including
strategies you would teach, the prewriting organizers the students would use, and the rubric you will
use to evaluate the assignment.

EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez

GRADES:
The final course grade will be determined as follows:
1. Weekly assignments and participation 25
2. Lesson Plan, with video and reflection 40
3. Writing Assignment with supplemental materials 25
4. 10 clinical hours focused on literacy instruction 10
Total = 100%
*All requirements must be met to pass the course.

Writing Intensive Component

Writing will be integrated into the life of this course. All assignments will be submitted through Canvas. Your
submissions should represent your best effort for each assignment and should follow either MLA format or
one that is appropriate for your discipline. Consider the issue of standards for your own professional work
while you are thinking about your expectations for your own students. Read your writing aloud to hear what
you have actually written and then revise, if needed, for clarity and logic. Then edit and proofread to
eliminate any errors in sentence structure, punctuation, usage, or spelling. Remember that as a teacher,
you will serve as a model for your students. Don’t forget to work with a writing tutor in the Center for
Reading and Writing, Room: E-230, x7557, crw@ramapo.edu for help with revisions.

Students with Disabilities: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a documented
disability, please see me as soon as possible. Please note that you must be registered with the Office of
Specialized Services. Your privacy will be respected and I will gladly work with you to help you produce
your best work.

Policy on Academic Integrity: Students are expected to read, understand, and adhere to Ramapo
College’s Policy on Academic Integrity, which can be found in the Ramapo College Catalog. Members of
the Ramapo College community are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors.
Students who violate this policy will be referred to the Office of the Provost. Any instance of plagiarism,
cheating, fabrication, or other dishonest behavior may result in a failing grade for this course.

On-Going Professional Development: I strongly urge you to become a student member of your
respective professional disciplinary teacher organizations. Each discipline has a professional educators’
association that publishes journals and provides information about national standards, conferences, and
opportunities for professional development. Each offers a wide array of helpful resources, sample lessons,
and teaching materials. Visit the websites of the professional organizations in your certification area
including the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM), and the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). You should also plan to
attend any professional development days or meetings provided by the school where you have been placed
for your clinical.

A NOTE ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

Ramapo College is committed to fostering a safe, productive learning environment. Title IX of the U.S.
Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the
basis of sex and gender in education programs and activities. Title IX and our college policy prohibit sexual
misconduct, including sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The
College encourages anyone experiencing sexual misconduct to talk to someone about what happened, so
they can get the support they need and our college can respond appropriately.

EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez

If you wish to speak confidentially about an incident of sexual misconduct, please contact the Counseling
Center at 201-684-7522. If you have questions about your rights and resources, or wish to make a report,
please contact the Office of Title IX at titleix@ramapo.edu or visit www.ramapo.edu/titleix. The Office of Title
IX can offer resources and support regardless of whether you wish to file a formal complaint. In the event of
an emergency please contact the Public Safety Department at 201-684-6666.

As a faculty member, I am required by our College to report incidents of sexual misconduct to the Office of
Title IX and thus cannot guarantee confidentiality, but I will respect your privacy and only share the
information with those who have a duty to respond.

EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez

 EDUC 350
A Partial List of Refereed Teacher-Oriented Professional Journals
(Please note that the Potter Library provides access to quite a few of the following journals.)

English
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) regularly publishes several journals:
Language Arts (for elementary school)
The English Journal (for grades 6-12)
Voices in the Middle (for grades 6-8)
Research in the Teaching of English

English as a Second or Foreign Language

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is an international organization that
publishes several journals:
TESOL Quarterly
TESOL Journal

Reading and Literacy

The International Reading Association (IRA) and the College Reading Association (CRA) both publish
journals that often include articles that focus on writing for secondary-level students:
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (from IRA)
The Reading Teacher(from IRA)
Reading Research Quarterly Reading Research & Instruction (from CRA)
Journal of Research in Reading

Mathematics
The National Council for the Teaching of Mathematics (NCTM) publishes:
Teaching Children Mathematics (K-6)
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School (6-8)
Mathematics Teacher (9-12)
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Online Journal for School Mathematics
The Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM) publishes:
Journal of Research in Mathematics
Mathematics Teaching
MicroMath (Please note that this journal is not refereed.)

Social Studies
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publishes:
Social Education (all levels)
Social Studies and the Young Learner (K-6)
Middle Level Learning (6-8)
Theory and Research in Social Education (university-level research issues)

EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez

Science
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) publishes:
The Science Teacher Science
The Science Scope (See also the 33 national and international journals for teachers of
American Biology Teacher, Journal of Science Teacher Education, School Science and
Mathematics, Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, etc.)

Art
The National Art Education Association publishes:
Journal of Art Education
Studies in Art Education: A Journal of Issues and Research

Music
The National Association for Music Education (MENC) publishes:
Music Educators Journal
Teaching Music
Journal of Research in Music Education
General Music Today
Music Education Research

Business Education
The National Business Education Association (NBEA) publishes:
Business Education Forum
In addition, there are several other business education journals that have articles that can be adapted for
the secondary level. They include:
Business Communication Quarterly
Journal of Education for Business
The Journal of Business Communication

Technology
The International Society for Technology in Education publishes:
Journal of Research on Technology in Education
The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education publishes:
Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Journal of Interactive Learning Research
Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia
Journal of Technology & Teacher Education
The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) publishes the electronic journal,
Contemporary Issues in Technology & Teacher Education

Foreign Languages
In addition to journals geared to specific foreign languages, the Modern Language Association (MLA)
publishes: The Modern Language Journal
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) publishes:
Foreign Language Annals
The Language Educator
The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) publishes:
Hispania
Language Learning & Technology

EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez

 EDUC 350
Some Useful Web Resources

www.readwritethink.org This website, coauthored by the National Council of Teachers of

English and the International Reading Association, is an excellent resource for lesson plans, teaching
materials, and engaging and creative approaches.

https://www.schrockguide.net/
Kathy Schrock provides multiple resources for incorporating technology into your teaching..

www.4teachers.org
This site is written by teachers for teachers.

www.techtrekers.com
This is another excellent web site that is written by a teacher for teachers.

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
This is an excellent resource for designing rubrics at all levels and for all content areas.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning
This is a news-centered multimedia education site for grades 3-12, with up-do-date features that change
daily. These include stories and photographs from the world-famous newspaper with related activities and
guided Web tours. The network also maintains an excellent collection of curriculum materials in every
content area.

https://www.readworks.org/ – Create a free educator account and access both fiction and non-fiction texts at
the right level for your students

https://newsela.com/articles/#/rule/latest - Search for news articles and you can change the lexile level to
match your learner. You can print the articles and questions for free.

https://www.edutopia.org/
Whether your students are seven or seventeen years old, here are a handful of really great strategies to
build those active reading skills.

http://www.awesomelibrary.org
The Awesome Library organizes the Web with 15,000 carefully reviewed resources, including the top 5
percent in education. This is a very deep and well thought-out list of links that is fast and easy to use.

http://www.webgrammar.com
This is an excellent site for writing and research help.

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf
Common core Appendix B text exemplars and sample performance tasks

https://achievethecore.org/
Free, ready-to-use classroom resources that support standards-aligned instruction for all students

EDUC 350-01 Fall 2023 S. Rodriguez