COURSE TITLE:

LITERACY STRATEGIES for GRADES 4-12

NO. OF CREDITS:

2 QUARTER CREDITS
[semester equivalent = 1.33 credits]

WA CLOCK HRS:  
OREGON PDUs:  
PENNSYLVANIA ACT 48:  
20
20
20

INSTRUCTOR:

Mary Ann Johnson
maryajohnson-advisor@comcast.net

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Literacy Strategies for Grades 4 – 12 by Karen Tankersley is a great resource for teachers who need to help students improve understanding of textbooks and develop thinking skills critical to success in secondary education. It is rich in its ideas, and substantiates recommendations with excellent research. It deals both with skills and motivational needs of poor readers as they progress through the grades. There are many encouraging and interesting ideas to make the job of the secondary teacher more successful AND more lively.
This is the second book by Karen Tankersley, amplifying on her highly successful original book Threads of Reading:  Strategies for Literacy Development, in which she explains that the teaching of reading is sequentially based, and continues to develop throughout school years. Her books are very readable, and her creative strategies make a teacher feel like getting started right away.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, participants will have:

  1. Acquired engaging and practical ways to help students work in textbooks containing complex vocabulary.
  2. Rekindled motivation and encouragement of 4-12 grade teachers who may not have had sufficient  instruction in reading strategies and yet are responsible for helping all students with reading assignments in their subject areas.
  3. Acquired some special suggestions including on-line resources for teachers whose students include English-Language Learners.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage Institute does not award partial credit.


HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns participants their choice of CEUs (Continuing Education Units), Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours. The Heritage Institute offers CEUs and is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours.




 

UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level. These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.

  1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments 30%
  2. Completion of Learning Application assignments 40%
  3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment 30%



 

CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a "C" or better, 500 level credit is equal to a "B" or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.

AUS Continuing Education quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering, determine with your district personnel, department head, or state education office the acceptability of these credits for your purpose.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION

REQUIRED TEXT

  • Literacy Strategies for Grades 4—12: Reinforcing the Threads of Reading by Karen Tankersley. 2005, ASCD, 202-pages, ISBN 1-4166-0154-6.
  • For additional reading access an annotated Master Bibliography for this course that enhances any teacher’s toolbox. 

  • LIteracy Strategies for Grades 4-12: Reinforcing the Threads of Reading
    ISBN# 9781416601548
    by Tankersley, Karen
    ASCD

    Buy from Amazon

MATERIALS FEE

Text cost is approximately $12.50 used from Amazon.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:

Mary Ann Johnson, M.Ed Adm. has worked with students of all levels, from alternative high school to gifted classes. She has also been a junior high vice principal and is now working with teachers for continuing education in classes, distance learning and building leadership groups. She is a teacher emeritus who has led seminars for educators which focus on developing a quality learner environment for students and for teachers. Her courses are research-based and resonate with user-friendly and energizing content.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

LITERACY STRATEGIES for GRADES 4-12

ALLINGTON. R, What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, 2001.  This book includes research on the best practices for building fluency, comprehension skills and interventions that work for struggling readers and writers. It is easy to understand and practical. We know that good readers tend to be good writers, and so this book helps your students have the skills to become strong readers.
ANDERSON, Jeff. Everyday Editing. Portland, ME, Stenhouse Publishers, 2007.  Move your students beyond the fear of the red pen. You will learn how to use mentor sentences and best practices to tackle “grammarphobia.” You will learn to teach writing and editing in a way that students not only understand, but also enjoy. The book is friendly to read and does not make you feel stupid about grammar.
ANDERSON, Jeff. Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer's Workshop. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2005.  Mechanically Inclined is the culmination of years of experimentation that merges the best of writer's workshop elements with relevant theory about how and why skills should be taught. It connects theory about using grammar in context with practical instructional strategies, explains why kids often don't understand or apply grammar and mechanics correctly, focuses on attending to the “high payoff,” or most common errors in student writing, and shows how to carefully construct a workshop environment that can best support grammar and mechanics concepts.
FERLAZZO, Larry and HULL- SYPNIESKI, Katie, Navigating the Common Core with English Language Learners: Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills, J-B Ed:  Survival Guides, 2016, 370 pages.  Continuing the practical lesson plans and strategies from their recent previous book, The ESL/ELLTeacher’s Survival Guide, this book goes one further with specific strategies to guide  the intermediate and more advanced ELL students in their core subjects.  In addition, all downloadable versions of lesson plans and student handouts are available off-line through the publisher, along with a supplemental chapter about the arts for ELL’s and another for counselors by a high school counselor.
FERLAZZO, Larry and HULL-SYPNIESKI, Katie, The ESL/ELL  Teacher’s Survival Guide, Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching All Levels, Grades 4-12, pb 322 pages, Joseey-Bass, 2012.  ISBN: 978-1-118-09567-6  The authors have designed a thorough handbook to offer educators specific ways to set up their ELL-friendly classroom, develop relationships with students and their parents, and provide motivating strategies for their students.  Larry Ferlazzo, one of the authors, is the highly acclaimed author of books on motivation, including Helping Students Motivate Themselves.  The book is full of reproducible forms, worksheets and lesson plans for thematic units.  Teachers comment that it is helpful, both for beginners and experienced ELL teachers.
GALLAGHER, Kelly, In the Best Interest of Students:  Staying True to What Works in the ELA Classroom, Stenhouse, 2015, pb, 238 pages.  If you teach grades 5-12, you will love the ideas in this book.  Kelly Gallagher models some of the funniest, most relevant, and most intriguing prompts for student writing that you will have to use yourself.  He begins many of the examples with his own writing, and from there, students rise to the challenge of joining him in the fun.  He is committed to challenging student thinking and skill-building, but he continuously bursts forth with the freshest, most exciting ideas for a teacher to use with students of all levels.