4- Learner Tasks and Timelines

The final product for this project is a collaborative unit plan. Your subject-specific team will prepare a resource package that can be used to teach readung== for the collaborative, multi-week project that spans two terms of the Literacy and Learning in the IS Curriculum Course and can be viewed for context in Appendix F of this paper in the far-left “Collaborative Online Learning Component Column”. The learners will collaborate and create a multi-lesson unit plan containing at least six lessons to support subject-specific literacy instruction for grades 9 or 10 students preparing to write the mandatory provincial literacy test (OSSLT).

COURSE CONTENT/TOPICS

Term 1, Week 1

Topics: What is literacy in the I/S divisions? What is content-area or subject-specific literacy? What are critical and digital literacies and their impact upon 21st Century learners?

Assignment: Identify and create a document identifying all of the literacy or research-related curriculum expectations in one subject area that you will be qualified to teach. Post to the discussion area in D2L.

Collorbative Learning: Asynchronous Discussion Post with Peer Response. Goal is to assess learner ability to work individually online asynchronously as part of a online class.

Term 1, Week 2

Topics: Why do I need to teach Literacy to high school students? Literacy skills 101: Explicit, Implicit and Making Connections Reading Skills: examining texts, search for and use information, summarizing, context clues, inferring, predicting, synthesizing, prior knowledge, and making connections

Assignment: Book Review #1: Chapters 1-3, online discussion on classroom structures that support learning (Ch. 1 Ensuring all Students Read, Write and Think; Ch. 2 Conversations: Classroom and School Structures that Support Adolescent Literacy Development; Ch. 3: Attention Getters: Anticipatory Activities to Inspire Learning)

Collorbative Learning: Asynchronous Discussion Post with Peer Response. Instructor goal is to assess learner ability to interpret and discuss literacy as a topic and discuss learning structures in a classroom.

Term 1, Week 3

Topics: Standardized testing in Ontario and the role of EQAO; EQAO Strategies for Teachers

Assignment: EQAO Web-site evaluation/Discussion Thread: Supports and Strategies for Teachers. For

Collorbative Learning: Asynchronous Groups will be randomly formed by subject specialization. Student teachers whose first teachable is mathematics will be grouped together. The same will occur for the history, biology, chemistry, English, and physical education student teachers. The students will be added to "locked" learning groups in each course shell in the virtual learning environment. Each participant will only see the discussion thread they they have been assigned to by the instructor. The purpose of this first discussion is for the group members to begin getting to know one another and begin creating community/collaborating a homogeneous peer group.

Term 1, Week 4

Topics: Multiple Intelligences and Bloom’s Taxonomy in the Literacy Classroom (How does this impact student reading?)

Assignment: Book Review, Chapters 4 and 5 (Ch. 4 Word for Word: Vocabulary Development Across the Curriculum; Ch. 5. Well Read: Promoting Comprehension through Read Alouds and Shared Reading)

Collorbative Learning: Learners will begin to work in their subject specific collaborative learning groups to use the provided templates as they might relate to writing and reading OSSLT prepartation classroom resources assignments using Bloom's Taxonomy.

Term 1, Week 5

Topics: The Unique Needs of Indigenous, ELL and ESL Learners; Teaching Content Organization and Collaboration to support Literacy attainment

Assignment: Read Ch. 7, Picture This. Select one graphic organizer and present it via a shared Google Document and Slide Show.

Reading: Pamela Toulouse. (2011) Capacity Building Series. Integrating Aboriginal Values.

Collorbative Learning: Learners will begin to work in their subject specific collaborative learning groups to use the provided templates as they might relate to writing and reading OSSLT prepartation classroom resources assignments.

Term 1, Week 6

Topic: The role of planning mini-lessons to teach literacy skills

Readings and Assignment: Fountas and Pinnell, “Planning Mini-lessons”. Create a mini-lesson on one subject area skill (selected from week 2 skills). Readings will be available on PDF on D2L.

Collorbative Learning: There is no component this week as there is an individual writing assignment due this week.

Term 1, Week 7

Topic: Resources for Teachers: Think Literacy, Teach Ontario, OSAPAC, and EduGAINS (supporting Digital and Critical Literacy learning)

Assignment: Class Discussion with VoiceThread

Collaborative Learning: Learners will assess their current resources to ensure that the resources are accessible to all learners, respect various cultures, and embed differentiated instruction and assessment for various learners. The revised work will be shared internally on in the group discussion area and VoiceThread will be used to share findings and thoughts. The instructor will post the VoiceThread and the learners will assess their work collaboratively and discuss areas for improvement based on what they know so far.

Term 1, Week 8

Topic: Discussion-based Literature Review of all Term 1 resources

Assignment: Literature Review (3-5 page APA-formatted paper)

Collorbative Learning: Learners will each add one new resource to their OSSLT preparation package that is graphic text or dialogue or interview focused. Learners will continue to assess their current resources to ensure that the resources are accessible to all learners, respect various cultures, and embed differentiated instruction and assessment for various learners.

Term 1, Week 9

Weekly Collaborative Online Small Group Project: There is no component this week as there is an individual writing assignment due this week.

Term 2, Week 1

Topic: Recapping placement and literacy strategies that worked; Differentiated Instruction and Assessment (Guided Reading and Writing Groups); Podcasting and Video-recording assignments

Assignment: Reflective Journal re: Placement Literacy in Discussions on D2L

Collorbative Learning: Learners will assess their current resources to ensure that the resources are accessible to all learners, respect various cultures, and embed differentiated instruction and assessment for various learners. The revised work will be shared internally on in the group discussion area and VoiceThread will be used to share findings and thoughts. The instructor will post the VoiceThread and the learners will assess their work collaboratively and discuss areas for improvement based on what they know so far.

Term 2, Week 2

Topic: EQAO Reading Tasks: Graphic Text, Dialogue and Information Text

Assignment: Moderated Marking Exercise in-class assignment and reflective Discussion on D2L.

Collaborative Learning: Learners will each add one new resource to their OSSLT preparation package that is graphic text or dialogue or interview focused. Learners will continue to assess their current resources to ensure that the resources are accessible to all learners, respect various cultures, and embed differentiated instruction and assessment for various learners.

Term 2, Week 3

Topic: EQAO Writing Tasks: Short and Long Opinion Writing and News Articles

Assignment: Moderated Marking Exercise in-class assignment and reflective Discussion on D2L (pick one of two weeks to complete one Blog).

Collaborative Learning: Learners will each add one new resource to their OSSLT preparation package that is either a long or short writing task. Learners will continue to assess their current resources to ensure that the resources are accessible to all learners, respect various cultures, and embed differentiated instruction and assessment for various learners.

Term 2, Week 4

Topic: Subject Area Graphic Text and Numeracy  Implications for Literacy Instruction

Assignment: Content Area Lesson Plan shared on D2L teaching graphic text

Collorbative Learning: Learners will each add one new resource to their OSSLT preparation package that is either a numeracy or graphic text selection. Learners will continue to assess their current resources to ensure that the resources are accessible to all learners, respect various cultures, and embed differentiated instruction and assessment for various learners.

Term 2, Week 5

Topic: Technology to Enhance and Accommodate Learning: Specific IEP Accommodations

Assignment: Class Discussion

Collorbative Learning: Learners will collaboratively create one resource package that is fully accessible for one group identified exceptionality. Learners will continue to assess their current resources to ensure that the resources are accessible to all learners, respect various cultures, and embed differentiated instruction and assessment for various learners.

Term 2, Week 6

Topic: Technology to Enhance and Accommodate Literacy Learning: Text to Speech and Speech to Text Devices and Programs

Assignment: Technology to Enhance and Accommodate Learning  Text to Speech and Speech to Text Devices and Programs Discussion Post

Collorbative Learning: Learners will collaboratively create one resource package that is fully accessible for one group identified exceptionality using technology to support accessibility. Learners will continue to assess their current resources to ensure that the resources are accessible to all learners, respect various cultures, and embed differentiated instruction and assessment for various learners.

Term 2, Week 7

Topic: Professional Readings in Literacy: Research into Action and the Capacity Building Series

Assignment: Critical review of one of the above resources

Collorbative Learning: There is no formal aspect to the collaborative project this week. Learners will be focusing on individual writing assignments and completing the collaborative project.

Term 2, Week 8

Topic: Placement Review

Assignment: Round-Table Seminar  Putting it all together and reflecting upon classroom practices

Culminating Activities: Learners will prepare and upload their OSSLT resource package and will answer class questions via discussion thread in the LMS. The learners will use VoiceThread to accomplish this.

Term 2, Week 9

Culminating Activities: Learners will share and present their OSSLT resource package and will answer class questions via discussion thread in the LMS. The learners will use VoiceThread to accomplish this.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION

1. Online and Classroom Discussion of Readings (5% each) - 35%

2. Scholarly Review of Subject Specific Education Journal (2nd Term) -15%

3. Literature Review of Selected Course Readings (1st Term) - 15%

4. Subject Specific Literacy Collaborative Unit Plan (Whole Year) - 30%  

5. Volunteer Placement or Classroom Review - 5%