L504: Identifying and Working with Learners with Literacy Difficulties and Education
X400: Diagnosis and Teaching of Reading in the Classroom

Instructor, Sharon Robinson,shkrobin@indiana.edu

Course Content
L504 examines theory and practice related to language instruction, specifically the diagnosis of reading difficulties and corrective methods. Emphasis on elementary, middle, secondary, or adult education areas is provided according to student interest. Diverse forms of student evaluation are also examined through the course. The views presented in X400/L504 will broaden your overall perspective in the field of language education. This course will use Oncourse CL(http://oncourse.iu.edu) as a main tool to provide lectures and assignments. Personal e-mail account is also essential for this course.

Course Objectives
You will:

1. Work from theory to practice in applying research and diagnostic techniques in a practicum setting.
2. Become familiar with selected programs designed to help troubled readers.
3. Select a tutee/learner to work with throughout the session/semester who is having problems with reading.
4. Select, administer in a field situation, and interpret assessment instruments, including formal and informal reading inventories.
5. Diagnose a learner using a decision model for choosing objectives, strategies, organizational procedures, and resources, and begin implementing language procedures given the findings from above.
6. Learn to use a wide variety of strategies to help students with reading and writing difficulties.

Texts

To order your readings from IU Bookstore located at IMU, visit the website http://www.iubookstore.com/. To order your readings from TIS Bookstore, call 1-800-238-1229 or (812) 332-3306, extension 211, or send an email to Jackson Wright at jackson@tisbook.com. If you are in Bloomington, you can visit either place to purchase the books. They are shelved with the other Education course texts. You are also welcome to buy the books through the internet bookstores.

Required texts:

• McCormick, S. (2002). INSTRUCTING STUDENTS WHO HAVE LITERACY PROBLEMS.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-094195-6
• Stieglitz, E. L. (2001) INFORMAL READING INVENTORY:ASSESSING READING BEHAVIORS FROM EMERGENT TO ADVANCED LEVELS. Boston:MA: Allyn and Bacon ISBN 0-205-33420-2

• Goodman, Y., Watson, D., and Burke, C. (1987). READING MISCUE INVENTORY.
• New York: Richard Owen Publishers, Inc.
• Newman, A. and Metz, B. (1996). FIRST READING.
• Bloomington, IN: ERIC.
• Silvaroli, N. (1997). CLASSROOM READING INVENTORY (8th Ed.).
• Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.

Course Requirements

1. Find a tutee at any age to work with who is considered to have difficulties in reading and/or writing.
2. Turn in the written assignments on time.
3. Actively participate in online discussions. You are required to respond to at least one person for every assignment.
4. L504 student (not X400 student ) will also choose one from the following projects (projects may be negotiated): Project will be submitted in the Message Center under Projects (not Assignments). It will be at the top or at the bottom. Look for it under the heading PROJECTS.

• Prepare an annotated bibliography of 3-4 articles related to a question or area of interest relevant to our course.
• Submit an annotated bibliography of 3-4 books suitable for your learner.
• Develop a file of 10 strategies that are appropriate to your learner's needs.
• Design 5 learning centers or invitations for your learner. Submit a paper describing the centers.

Written assignments will be included in all modules:

1. Introduction
2. Tutee Introduction and Book Summary
3. Reading Definition
4. Learner Characteristic Report
5. Sample Lesson Plans
6. Informal Interest Inventory and Strategy
7. Assessments
8. Standardized Tests
9. Reading Specialist
10. Assessment Report
11. Reseach Reading Program
12. Project chosen from syllabus section for L504 students only. (See the Course Requirements section of the syllabus.)
13. Discussions in all modules by responding to classmates.
14. Self-evaluation and Final project

For on-line discussions, go to the Discussion Forum, click on which assignment you are working on, such as Module 1, Module 2, or Discussion One, etc. You are to always respond to at least one classmate about their posting for EVERY MODULE OR DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT.

Grade Reports/Transcripts: In the Assignment section of Oncourse, you will find how many points each assignment is worth.

Your grade will be given at the end of semester and it will appear at the ONCOURSE CL site.

You can request an IU transcript reflecting your coursework by following the procedures outlined at http://www.indiana.edu/~registra/Services/trnscrpt.html