STEP, Winter 2001

Pam Grossman Ann Vosovic

215 Cubberley Los Altos High School

650-723-0791 408-996-7478

pamg@stanford.edu AreznorMV@aol.com

Office hours: Thurs. 12-2 Office hours: by appointment

Overview of class: In this continuation of Curriculum and Instruction in English, we will be focusing specifically on developing integrated unit plans, an important ingredient of your final STEP portfolios. Much of this class will be devoted to helping you design a unit of instruction for one of your classes. The frequent small assignments are designed to scaffold the final project and to provide you with on-going feedback on your unit. We will be handing out a complete description of the unit plan assignment in class.

Another major focus of this quarter will be on the teaching of Shakespeare. Since Shakespeare continues to be a mainstay of the English curriculum and because his plays pose particular challenges to students, we will be exploring in some depth how to teach Romeo and Juliet, one of his most frequently taught plays. We will also be addressing other core issues in the teaching of English, including the teaching of grammar.

During this quarter, we will also provide you with an opportunity to analyze a small segment of your own teaching. We will be asking you to videotape a lesson sometime during the quarter and to collect samples of student work that provide some evidence of what students learned from the lesson. On the next to last day of class, we will be running a mini-conference in which you will share 10 minutes of this videotape with your colleagues and engage them in a discussion of the instruction. This assignment is closely related to the portfolio requirement that asks you to analyze an episode of teaching.

Expectations: Since much of this class will be run in a workshop format, we expect you to come to class having completed the assigned reading and any assignments due that day and prepared to participate in class discussions and activities. Participation includes engaging in large group and small group discussions and activities and contributing your ideas and perspective for the benefit of the group as a whole. Throughout your careers, your colleagues will be an important resource in your own learning.

Course reader: Available at Copy Source, 108 Rengsdorff Ave., Mountain View

O’Brien, P. (Ed.) (1993). Shakespeare Set Free. New York: Washington Square Press.

Weaver, C. (1988). Teaching grammar in context. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Unit plan: This is the major assignment of the quarter and an important part of your portfolio. You will develop a plan for a unit that integrates the teaching of reading/writing/listening/speaking around a core essential question. This unit plan both provides an opportunity for you to engage in pedagogical thinking and demonstrates your understanding of the teaching of English. See handout for full description of project and its components.

Analysis of teaching: This assignment asks you to analyze one of your own lessons, using both videotape and student work as resources. Learning to analyze and learn from your teaching is a central component of becoming a professional, reflective practitioner. For this assignment, you must arrange for one of your lessons to be videotaped. There are two components to this assignment–one written and one oral. Full guidelines for this project will be handed out in class.

Videoclub Activity; As preparation for the group discussion of videotapes on March 8, we are asking you to join a group of 3 class members (at least one of whom cannot be in your supervisory group) with whom you will share videotapes outside of class. Guidelines for the write-up of this activity will be handed out in class.

Write-up due February 22

Posting of class assignments on the class web page: By the end of the quarter, we expect you to have posted your reading strategy lesson plan or your writing assignment from last quarter, and your unit plan final draft on our class web page. This will enable us to read each other’s work and to benefit from the collective wisdom of the group.

Unit plan: 50%

Analysis of teaching: 20%

Class participation: 10%

Posting on class web page: 10%

Videoclub activity: 10%

* This due date will mean that grades may not be ready until the first week of spring quarter. If this poses a problem for you, please turn your paper in by March 19.

Reading for class: Romeo and Juliet, Cambridge School Edition

In this class, we will begin to discuss what makes a "unit" of instruction and to examine different ways of organizing units. Our focus will be on what makes a unit cohesive–the glue that keeps a unit together. In addition, we will also be talking about how to conduct pre-assessments of what students already know about the material you plan to teach.

Assignment: for the next class, bring at least 2 examples of generative questions related to Romeo and Juliet.

Readings for class: Wiggins, chapter 1 & 2

"Students with learning difficulties meet Shakespeare" (CR)

"Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet" (an adapted version) (CR)

"Hooks" for getting students into the text (CR)

" Shakespeare Set Free, introduction and pp. 27-31

Optional: "Organizing units in literature" (CR)

In this class, we will explore what makes Shakespeare difficult for students and how to address those difficulties through instruction. In preparing for this class, think through some of the difficulties you may have had reading Romeo and Juliet for the first time and the different ways in which your teachers tried to make the play more accessible. We will also be discussing the design of generative questions, for both Romeo and Juliet and your own unit plans.

Assignment: For next week, bring a generative question for your unit plan to class and a brief rationale for why this generative question will prove valuable for students.

Reading: Wiggins, chapter 3-5

Examples of lesson plans for Romeo and Juliet (CR)

In this class, we will be analyzing a sample lesson that explicitly targets an aspect of learning to read and understand Romeo and Juliet. We will also be discussing how to plan for student learning early in the unit planning process.

Assignment: For next week, bring in your learning targets for your unit plan and your rationale for why these targets are important.

Reading: "Assessment as an episode of learning" (CR)

Wiggins, chapter 6

Sample assignments for Romeo and Juliet (CR)

In this class, we will be discussing the design of worthwhile assignments to scaffold student learning. How does creating assignments help you map backwards to prepare students to be successful in completing these assignments? We will also discuss assessment as an opportunity for both student learning and teacher learning. What can you learn about your own instruction through assessing student work?

Assignment: For next week, bring in the major assignments for your unit plan and your plan for assessment.

Reading: Shakespeare Set Free, pp.117-200

"Teaching Romeo and Juliet" (CR)

In this class, we will be exploring ways of teaching Shakespeare through a variety of types of performance. We will also be discussing how to use prepared curriculum materials in your unit plans. You do not need (nor can you) prepare all of your teaching materials from scratch. How can you adapt existing materials thoughtfully to meet your own goals for your unit?

Assignment: For next week, bring your unit calendar to class as well as any questions you have about your unit plan..

In this class, we will be meeting individually with each of you to discuss your unit plans and address any questions or concerns you might have. The rest of the class will function as a workshop in which you can work on your unit plan, confer with peers, and use a variety of resources we will bring to class.

Assignment: For next week, bring in some aspect of the teaching of grammar you will include in your unit plan.

Reading: Weaver, chapters 2, 5, 6

Materials on grammar in Course Reader

In this class, we will be discussing the teaching of grammar. What is the value of teaching grammar? What aspects of English grammar are most important to teach? How do you teach it in ways that are most likely to improve students’ reading and writing?

Assignment: For next week, bring in the first draft of your unit plan.

In this class, we will be looking at issues of grading and how your grades reflect your priorities and philosophy. We will also be discussing some of the pros and cons of computer programs for grading. In addition, we will be exploring ways of using technology to teach Shakespeare and literature more generally. For this class, we will meet in a different location, to be arranged.

Assignment: For next week, be prepared to show your videotape of teaching to the class and to engage colleagues in a discussion of the tape.

In this class, we will be viewing each others’ videotapes and providing collegial feedback.

Assignment: For next week, bring in your final draft of your unit plan