Course Calendar

Meeting #, Day,  and Date

Preparation

Class Activities

#1

T 8/24

·        Introductions

·        Orientation to WebBoard, books, etc.

·        Two letters and teaching writing

#2

R 8/26

Read: “Course Overview and Syllabus” and “Guide for Response Journals.”

Write JE 1: Response to readings and list of your three personal learning goals for the course. 

·        Read and discuss JE 1.

·        Discuss your learning goals. 

·        Questions and answers regarding syllabus, policies, assignments, requirements, portfolios, etc. 

#3

T 8/31

Read Because Writing Matters, “Intro” and Chapters 1 through 3.

Write JE 2 in response to your reading.

·        Read and discuss JE 2.

·        Discuss and work through your ideas and plans for teaching writing using best practices as outlined in BWM.  (Special focus: “writing to learn.”)

·        Schedule Teaching Reports and Practice Teaching sessions

#4

R 9/2

Read Because Writing Matters, Chapters 4 through 6.

Write JE 3 in response to your reading.

·        Read and discuss JE 3.

·        Discuss and work through your ideas and plans for teaching writing using best practices as outlined in BWM.  (Special focus: writing assessment.) 

Fri., 9/3: Last day to withdraw from a course with no withdrawal grade assigned.

Mon., 9/6: Labor Day. Consider the role of organized labor in the lives of teachers (and others).

#5

T 9/7

Read the TOC and at least one chapter from each of the two online sourcebooks on the teaching of writing. 

Conduct independent library and internet research to develop your ideas for your two Eng. 297 research projects. 

Bring with you to class your resources, questions, and ideas for research. 

·        Teaching Reports 1 and 2

·        Teacher-research workshop #1, part A

Explore and develop genres, topics, and resources for your two research projects

#6

R 9/9

Conduct independent library and internet research to develop your ideas for your two Eng. 297 research projects. 

Write JE 4 to document your research and lay out your plans for your research projects. 

·        Teaching Reports 3 and 4

·        Teacher-research workshop #1, part B

Read and discuss JE 4.

Explore and develop genres, topics, and resources for your two research projects.

Sunday, Sept. 12, 2004, all students in this class are invited to the home of Prof. Broad and his family for an optional and informal pot-luck supper from 6:00 p.m. to about 9 p.m. As this date approaches, we will discuss details (like who will bring what and where Prof. Broad lives). In the meantime, please mark it on your calendar and plan to attend. It'll be fun. 

#7

T 9/14

Read "Drugs" essay by Nancy.  Take 15 minutes to respond to the essay to help Nancy improve.

Read Straub article "The Concept of Control..." (available as electronic text)

Write JE 5 in response to reading and your experience of providing response.

Print and gather your journal entries so far (#1-5). Collect them in a file folder and turn them in to Prof. Broad.

·        Turn in JE 1-5 to Prof. Broad

·        Teaching Reports 5 and 6

·        Read and discuss JE 5.

·    Talk about responding to students' writing

#8

R 9/16

Read Making the Journey, Ch. 8, "Teaching Writing"

Write JE 6 in response to reading.

·        Teaching Reports 7 and 8

·        Read and discuss JE 6.

·        Talk about “Teaching Writing”

#9

T 9/21

Read and respond to the two essays by high-school students that are assigned to you, and read any relevant background information (assignment, rubric for evaluation, etc.). 

JE 7 includes your written response to the two student essays and your reflections on responding to their writing. 

·        Teaching Reports 9 and 10

·        Read and discuss JE 7

·        Talk about responding to students' writing

#10

R 9/23

Read Journey, Ch. 7, "Teaching Language"

Write JE 8 in response to reading.

·        Teaching Reports 11 and 12

·        Talk about "Teaching Language"

#11

T 9/28

Compose a draft of one of your teacher-research projects (teaching materials, textual research, classroom research, or something else).

As a cover sheet for your draft, compose a "Writer's Memo"

Bring 3 hard copies to class and/or post your draft and memo to the "Share Drafts" conference of our course WebBoard.

Teacher-Research Workshop #2

Share and read drafts.

Offer your helpfully supportive and critical responses. 

Start revising, continue developing your project.

#12

R 9/30

Read:
Hillocks, "Fighting Back: Assessing..."
and
ISPAW, "Making Statewide Writing Assessment..."

Write JE 9 in response to reading. How will you navigate tensions between best practices in teaching writing and statewide writing assessments like ISAT and PSAE?

• Teaching Reports 13 and 14
   

• Talk about JE 9 and how to teach writing in a state with an inadequate statewide writing assessment

Tues., Oct. 5: Deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 2 election

#13

T 10/5

Revise your first teacher-research project and update your Writer's Memo for Prof. Broad.

In preparation for the mid-term chat, write (informally) your observations regarding the strengths and successes of the course so far and your requests and suggestions for the rest of the course and/or for future versions of the course. (Note: To protect your anonymity during the mid-term chat, do NOT submit this writing. Write for yourself, to help you think and learn.)

Submit revised research project to Prof. Broad

Mid-term chat with Prof. Jerry Savage

Sign up for your mid-term evaluation conference (MTEC)

#14

R 10/7

Read one of the following articles on the teaching of writing:

• Hartwell "Grammar, Grammars, and..."

• Williams "Phenomenology of Error"

• Broad, "More Work for Teacher..."

Write JE 10 in response to your reading.

Teaching Reports 15 and 16

De-brief on mid-term chat. 

Discuss readings on grammars, errors, and/or computerized writing assessment. 

#15

T 10/12

In preparation for your mid-term evaluation conference (MTEC) with Prof. Broad, compose a self-evaluation journal entry (JE 11), then bring your journal so far and your written projects so far to your MTEC.

No class meeting. 

Attend your mid-term evaluation conference (MTEC) with Professor Broad at the time for which you signed up. 

#16

R 10/14

Read the conference program for the IATE Conference.  Choose which sessions you will attend.  Notice which issues occupy the attention of teacher-researchers. 

No class meeting. 

Attend the IATE Conference in Oak Brook, IL. 

#17

T 10/19

In response to your visit to the IATE Conference, write JE 12. 

·        Teaching Reports 17 and 18

·        De-brief on IATE Conference

#18

R 10/21

Practice grading students' writing.

• Log onto the WebBoard for Eng. 297, Section 1 (students in Section 2 will log in as "Guests")

• Open the "Response Exchange" conference

• Read the message ("Hello from Prairie Central") and  attached assignment materials--especially the rubric--from Ann Nussbaum

• Read the revised drafts of two of these three essays: "I Need a Title" by WLA, "State Champions" by GTM, and/or "One Person's Actions" by EMC

• Record the grade you would give the revised (final) essay and notes on the reasons/basis for your grades

• Bring to class hard copy of the rubric, the essays you graded, and your notes

Discuss how you graded the essays and why.  Make a written record of all the different criteria for evaluation that people mention when they explain their grading processes. 

Spend 20 to 25 minutes in workshop mode, meeting with your peer group (same group as last time) and helping each other move forward with research project #2 (or continue with #1). 

#19

T 10/26

Compose a draft of the second of your two teacher-research projects (teaching materials, textual research, classroom research, or something else).

Bring 3 hard copies to class and/or post your draft to the "Share Drafts" conference of our course WebBoard.

Note: If you are sure you will be publishing your project #1, you may exercise the option to bring a new section of that project #1 to this workshop instead of a draft of project #2. If you exercise this option, let Prof. Broad know.

Teacher-Research Workshop #3

Status-of-the-class conference (a la Atwell); lasts three minutes

Split up into workshop teams

Share and read drafts.

Offer your helpfully supportive and critical responses. 

Start revising, continue developing your project.

#20

R 10/28

Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Revise, develop, and finalize your teacher-research projects.

Practice Teaching Sessions 1 and 2

Tuesday, Nov. 2: Election day. VOTE!

#21

T 11/2

Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Revise, develop, and finalize your teacher-research projects.

Practice Teaching  Sessions 3 and 4

#22

R 11/4

Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Revise, develop, and finalize your teacher-research projects.

Practice Teaching  Sessions 5 and 6

#23

T 11/9

Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Revise, develop, and finalize your teacher-research projects.

Practice Teaching  Sessions 7 and 8

#24

R 11/11

Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Revise, develop, and finalize your teacher-research projects.

Practice Teaching  Sessions 9 and 10

[Fri. 4/11: Last day to officially withdraw from the University]

#25

T 11/16

Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Revise, develop, and finalize your teacher-research projects.

Practice Teaching  Sessions 11 and 12

#26

R 11/18

  Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Revise, develop, and finalize your teacher-research projects.

Practice Teaching  Sessions 13 and 14

Nov. 18 through 23: NCTE Conference in Indianapolis, IN. Attend if you can.

Nov. 20-28: Thanksgiving Break. Enjoy your holiday.

#27

T 11/30

Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Revise, develop, and finalize your teacher-research projects.

Practice Teaching  Sessions 15 and 16

#28

R 12/2

Bring a final draft of your to-be-published research project to class for proofreading and editing. 

Also bring a pocket dictionary or writer’s reference with you to help others with spelling or other mechanical aspects of their writing.

Teacher-Research Workshop #4

Proofreading and editing of to-be-published projects. 

Final questions about portfolio contents, guidelines, etc. 

#29

T 12/7

Do the homework assigned by practice teachers.

Complete your course portfolio and submit it to Prof. Broad. 

·        Submit course portfolios to Prof. Broad

·        Practice Teaching  Sessions 17 and 18

#30

R 12/9

Reflect on your learning in the course.  Prepare to provide numerical and narrative evaluations of the course and of Prof. Broad’s teaching. 

·        Evaluate the course and the professor

·        Wrap up questions and discussion

#31

Section 1: Mon., Dec. 13

Section 2: Tues., Dec. 14

Choose a passage from your Course Portfolio to read aloud to the class. Bring your portfolio to class.  Prepare any final comments you wish to offer the group regarding your learning in this course and your future as a teacher of writing 

3:10 to 5:10 p.m.:

·        “Final Exam” (Publishing Party)

·        Prof. Broad returns portfolios (?)

·        Say goodbye

 Monday 12/20: Grades due.

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