English
300, Section 001
Spring, 2007
Dr. Susan Stewart
Hall of Languages 314
903-468-8624
e-mail: susan_stewart@tamu-commerce.edu
website: http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/slstewart/
Policy Statement
Required Texts and Supplies:
Please Note: The bookstore returns texts to publishers after the start of the term. Waiting to buy books may make it impossible for you to purchase them in time to complete assignments.
Course Description:
This course introduces students who are pre-service teachers to the reading
process and critical reading strategies designed to better prepare them to understand
the nature of learning with regard to the reading/writing connection. The class
covers reading, writing, literary terminology, literary analysis, and research
skills, focusing on both pedagogy and literary criticism. Students will write
explications and analyses of literary texts, responses to readings, and will
develop a research-based handbook of resources for teaching literature for a
chosen grade level (4-12). The class covers integrating the TEKS and TExES competencies
for middle school and secondary English/Language Arts majors with a wide range
of literature, covering multiple periods, multiple genres, and multiple cultures,
with in-class activities designed to provide support for pre-professional development.
This course is required for all students seeking middle school (4-8) or secondary (8-12) certification in English/Language Arts and Reading. Prerequisites: 60 semester-hours completed including Eng. 102, Eng. 333, and two upper-level literature classes.
Goals for Course:
Evaluation/Grading:
According to departmental policies, students must make a minimum of a B in this course in order to receive approval for internship. Class readings and assignments address content and skills needed to teach according to the state-mandated standards (TEKS) as well as to pass the Practice Exam.
| Fiction Essay | 50 points |
| Poetry Essay (Compare/Contrast) | 50 points |
| In-class practice constructed responses | Pass/Fail |
| Constructed Response (Compare/Contrast, fiction, poetry, or both). You must score a B or better on this response in order to pass the class | 200 points |
| Various written assignments | up to 50 points each |
| Teaching Packet and Presentation | 100 points |
The class grade is based on a 100 percent system, with each assignment being assigned a specific number of points. You can track what points you have earned throughout the semester in "Grade/Profile" in Educator WHEN an assignment is completed and the final grade entered. Only you and I can access your grade information in Educator.
When the final course grade is given,
the letter grades will be given based on the following scale:
90-100% = A 80-89% = B 70-79% = C 60-69% = D 59-lower = F
In order to pass this course
Students who meet one or more of the following department criteria will be designated by the Department of Literature and Languages as “at risk for failing TExES/TOPT.” Students who are at risk will not be approved for an internship until they have fulfilled a department remediation plan with the appropriate adviser.
Academic Integrity
You are responsible for indicating when you have used specific words, sentences, or paragraphs, which belong to other writers. These words, sentences, or paragraphs should be designated via quotation marks and in-text citations. Additionally, identify when you use ideas from other sources. If you use the exact wording of something you've read or if you paraphrase it, provide a specific citation indicating where you found your information. If in question, cite it, and indicate that you've cited it by using quotation marks and in-text citations. Think of it in these terms: knowledge is a commodity, especially in the academic community. If you had a brilliant idea, or a wonderful way with words, would you like it if someone used your idea or words without acknowledging you? More specifically:
If I discover that a student has engaged in fraud, the student will receive an F for the class and I will also contact the teacher education program. Rebecca Moore Howard defines fraud in the writing classroom as "Handing in a paper that somebody else wrote" ( 488). That can mean a purchased paper, one that is taken from a file of papers, one that is given by or taken from another person, one that is copied from the internet or some other source, or any similar instance. Further, "Insufficient citation; failure to mark quotations; failure to acknowledge sources; and taking brief strings of discourse from a source and patching them verbatim or slightly altered, into one's own sentence" or "patchwriting will be a problem as well. For instance, I follow Howard's advice regarding insufficient citation and "excessive repetition" when she suggests that instructors "give an F for an insufficiently cited paper; a reduced grade for excessive repetition, in which summary masquerades as analysis; and a required revision for patchwriting" (488). If, by the end of the semester, students do not succeed in overcoming the obstacles associated with the above, it is unlikely that they will pass the course. Further, according to the Texas A&M University-Commerce Code of Student Conduct 5.b[1,2,3], penalties for students guilty of academic dishonesty include disciplinary probation, suspension, and expulsion. See also the following link: http://www.ilstu.edu/~ddhesse/wpa/positions/WPAplagiarism.pdf
Late Assignments:
I seldom accept late papers. If you have to miss on a day an assignment is due,
you must turn the assignment in prior to the due date unless you have made prior
arrangements with me. Due to printing costs and virus risks, I do not accept
assignments via e-mail. Additionally, there is no revision opportunity for late
papers unless we have made prior arrangements.
Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory. To do well in this class, you must attend regularly
and arrive on time. The same would be expected of you in the professional arena,
and this course, in part, serves as training. Additionally, we'll be taking
a workshop approach. Consequently, other students depend on your attendance
to comment on their work, contribute to discussion, and participate. Having
said that, when you are in class, in order to be considered present, you must
participate. That means join discussion, ask questions and take notes. I
understand that emergencies arise, but if it appears that you'll be missing
more than 2, you should consider taking this course when you can devote the
necessary time required by this class. I do keep track of attendance and I don't
give "free" absences. Excessive absences will negatively affect your
grade. I define excessive absences as 2 or more absences (it is, after all,
2 weeks of classes). If you miss 3 or more classes, it will be a challenge to
make better than a D and I might suggest that you drop the course.
Arrive on time. Arriving late is disrespectful and disruptive. If I have taken role before you arrive, I will count it as an absence.
Saving Your Texts
This is crucial. Sadly, computers don't always work the way we want them
to. It's an unfortunate fact of life. You are ultimately responsible for your
work, even if the computer fails. Please avoid saying things like, "My
disk broke," "I couldn't get online," "I swear I e-mailed
it to you" to me. Save your texts in more than one place. Because floppy
disks are notoriously unreliable, do not depend on those alone. My advice is
to use 2 or more of the following:
Computers
and the Internet:
You need to have access to and be willing to work
with computers and the internet. If you do not have access to a computer or
are opposed to using one, you will need to take a section wherein computers
are not as critical to the classroom environment. Most of the work I assign
will be listed on my website, and some of the readings can only be found through
links I provide. Thus, you will need ready access to the internet.
Classroom
Etiquette:
Students are expected to be civil, polite, and accommodating to differences
of opinion. University policy provides the means for dismissing students who
do not meet these requirements, and I will take politeness very seriously.
Cell Phones
in the Classroom:
Use some common sense and be smart about this, for I have a real problem
with cell phones in the classroom. It's rude, disrespectful, and disruptive
to accept or make phone calls, to text message, or play games. Just don't. The
only cell phone permitted in this class is a cell phone that is turned off.
That means you should not receive or answer calls or text messages. If there
is cell phone incident, I reserve the right to ask you to leave class, which
will count as an absence.
Americans with Disabilities
Act Statement
According to TAMU-Commerce policy, "Students requesting accommodations
for disabilities must go through the Academic Support Committee. For more information,
please contact the Director of Disability Resources and Services, Halladay Student
Services Building, Room 303D, 903-886-5835." It is only under these conditions
that I will make the accommodations you require.
About the Internship, Certification TExES and TEKS:
Follow this link for Department Policies regarding the Internship Approval Process.
TExExCET Home PageTExES/ExCET Preparation Manuals
English Language Arts and Reading 4-8 TExES Prep Manual
English Language Arts and Reading 8-12 TExES Prep Manual
Department Advisors are:
ENGLISH:
Dr. Bill Bolin (Website),
HL 314, 903-886-5272
e-mail: Bill_Bolin@tamu-commerce.edu
ESL: Dr. Robert Baumgardner
HL 229, 886-5254
e-mail: Robert_Baumgardner@tamu-commerce.edu
SPANISH: Dr. Maria Fernandez-Babineaux
HL 318, (903) 886-5270
e-mail: maria_babineaux@tamu-commerce.edu