Course Syllabus


Print Syllabus
Course ID: EPD270
Title: Theoretical and Research Foundations of Language and Literacy
Modality: Internet
Credit Hours: 3.00

Course Section Information

Institution: Rio Salado College

Section: 24015

Term: Spring 2015

Start Date: 3/9/2015

Weeks: 14

Last date to withdraw: None

Instructor: Deborah Rondeau

Course Materials

Be sure that you have all the necessary materials prior to the start date of your course.

Required Textbooks:
Title: Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts
Author: (Edited by) Diane Lapp / Douglas Fisher
ISBN: 9780415877367

Your course materials are available through the Rio Salado College Bookstore. All materials should be verified by ISBN before purchasing at the Rio Salado Bookstore (480-517-8710 or 1-800-584-8775 or http://learnatrio.com/RL-bookstore) or from another seller.

Course Description and Competencies

Official Course Description
Focus on scientifically-based research as the foundation for classroom reading instruction. Emphasis on the five major areas of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Application of techniques for organizing and implementing explicit, systematic instruction in each of these areas, and methods of regularly assessing children's performance in reading and language arts.
Official Course Prerequisites
Must hold a provisional or standard elementary, secondary, or special education teaching certificate.
Official Course Competencies
  1. Identify the stages of reading development.
  2. Examine characteristics of scientifically based reading theory and research.
  3. Select, administer, and interpret reliable and valid classroom screening measures to identify students at risk for reading difficulty.
  4. Define each of the five constructs of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
  5. Explain factors that influence reading comprehension.
  6. Examine a range of effective strategies, processes, and techniques for supporting children’s communication development.
  7. Outline strategies that foster the development of word analysis, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
  8. Identify and use a variety of literacy strategies with students of varying abilities and experiences.
  9. Describe the components of a balanced literacy program.
  10. Describe strategies to develop parent-school and school-community support to promote independent reading practice.
  11. Develop and implement explicit, systematic instruction, and methods of assessing children’s performance in reading and language arts.
  12. Summarize the implementation of explicit, systematic instruction, and methods of assessing children’s performance in reading and language arts.

In addition, students are also to demonstrate the following college competencies:

  • The student will demonstrate the ability to write effectively as the means to higher order thinking and a more critical understanding of experience. In keeping with this goal, he or she will be able to follow directions, generate sufficient content, organize his or her thoughts coherently, adhere to the conventions of correct mechanics and sentence structure, and use correct terminology and rich vocabulary in the fulfillment at the college level of his or her writing assignments.
  • The student will demonstrate the ability to analyze information, evaluate material, use inference to draw conclusions, use deductive reasoning, and use inductive reasoning at a college level.

Course Requirements

A student who registers for a Distance Learning course is assigned a "start date" and an "end date." It is the student's responsibility to note due dates for assignments and to keep up with the coursework.

Assessments:

You must complete all Lesson Assignments in the course to earn a passing grade.

Time Requirements

Remember that this is a three credit-hour class. As such, you will need to dedicate significant time to this course. Plan to spend at least three hours on course content and at least six hours on homework for a total of at least nine hours each week. Be prepared to double your weekly class and study time if you choose an accelerated calendar.

Grading Procedure and Scale

Grading Procedure
There are 635 possible points for this course.

Lesson

Assignment Type/Description

Points

Lesson 1

Syllabus Acknowledgement: Must be submitted by Day 3 of course.

0

Summary Assignment

30

Reader’s Response Assignment

30

Lesson 2

Goal Activity

10

Summary Assignment

30

Reader’s Response Assignment

30

Lesson 3

Language Sampling Analysis

30

Reader’s Response

30

Lesson 4

GRR Narrative

15

Summary Assignment

30

Reader’s Response Assignment

30

Lesson 5

Standards Activity

30

Summary Assignment

20

Reader’s Response Assignment

20

Lesson 6

Comprehension Activity

10

Summary Assignment

20

Reader’s Response Assignment

20

Lesson 7

RRJ Activity

10

Summary Assignment

20

Reader’s Response Assignment

20

Lesson 8

Formative and Summative Assessment Activity

10

Summary Assignment

20

Reader’s Response Assignment

20

Lesson 9

Differentiated Learning Activity

10

Summary Assignment

20

Reader’s Response Assignment

20

Final Project: Literacy Memoir

100

Total

635

Grading Scale

Final letter grades for assignments, examinations, and the course will be determined by the following scale:

Grade

Percent

Total Points

A

90% - 100%

572 - 635

B

80% - 89%

508 - 571

C

70% - 79%

445 - 507

D

60% - 69%

381 - 444

F

0% - 59%

0 - 380

The grading scale is administered equally to all students in the course. Do not expect to receive a grade higher than that earned by your total points. There will be no "point adjustments" made for such things as "class participation" or other subjective factors. There are no options for extra credit.

A student's earned grade, reported as a percentage, may not be rounded up to achieve the minimum passing percentage of 80.0%. For example, 79.9% will not be rounded up to 80%.

The student is responsible for knowing points earned in the course and keeping track of his/her grades. The student is responsible for withdrawing from the course if he/she elects to do so. Failure to properly withdraw from the course will result in a failure for the course.

Please note: Extra credit is not available for this course.

Copyright Acknowledgements

Some images used in courses are licensed as follows: Accunet/AP Multimedia Archive, Clipart.com, Thinkstock, EBSCO Image Collection.

Writing Requirements

Please note: All written communications, whether in assignments, Message Center, blogs, or threaded discussions, must be appropriate, professional and written at college level. This means that students must write in complete sentences, spell-check their work and use language appropriate to the topic. Instructors may refuse to acknowledge any written communication that does not follow these requirements.

We expect students to produce original, independent writing in all writing assignments. This means that you must form answers to each assignment in your own words. In addition, Rio Salado utilizes a plagiarism detection tool that alerts us of any work previously submitted in the system. Therefore, we request that you re-work any previous submission made to this class or a different class. Failure to do so will result in a plagiarism report and will significantly slow your progress and our ability to effectively assess your work in a timely manner. Please refer to the “Plagiarism” section below for more information.

Submitting Assignments

Online Submit Form

Your assignments have been included within the course as online submit forms.

To utilize these forms, complete ALL of the required information and then click the "submit" button at the bottom of the form. If you wish to clear the form and start over, you may click the "reset" button instead.

If you do not complete ALL of the required information fields, you will receive an error message.

Taskstream Submissions

Particular assignments in some courses, such as lesson plans, rubrics, and portfolio items, are required to be submitted in Taskstream.  See the Course Materials section for how to purchase a Taskstream account and submit assignments.

All Assignments

It is recommended that you create your answers in a word-processing program and then copy and paste them into the online submit form or within Taskstream.  This way you will have an opportunity to "save" your work.  Keep a copy of everything you submit in case of technological issues or for use in future coursework/programs.

Late or Missing Assignments

The education courses state specific due dates for assignments in the course grade book. All assignments are due by the date specified in the grade book. Do not expect an automatic extension on assignment due dates or the course end date. Any changes to the due dates must be approved by the instructor by officially requesting a change through the RioLearn system. Due date change approvals are at the discretion of the instructor. The due dates listed are mandatory and not suggested dates for submitting assignments.

You may submit two lessons at a time and then wait for feedback prior to submitting additional assignments. You should not be more than two assignments ahead of the instructor returning work back to you. If you have not completed your Syllabus Acknowledgement by the third day of your course, you may be dropped as non-participating.

Course Completion Policy

A student who registers for a Distance Learning course is assigned a "start date" and an "end date." It is the student's responsibility to note due dates for assignments and to keep up with the course work.

If a student falls behind, she/he must contact the instructor and request an extension of her/his end date in order to complete the course. A course end date extension may only be requested when the student has completed lessons up to and including the midterm exam. Students who meet these qualifications can officially request a maximum two week extension in their grade book. Extensions longer than two weeks require documentation of hardship.

Submitting Assignments

Online Submission Platform

The assignment due dates in this course are structured to complete all the lessons over the span of the course. Regular and consistent progress is expected in the course through the submission of assignments. The submission of an assignment can be no earlier than 7 days prior to the due date. Consult your course gradebook for specific due dates. Assignments/acknowledgments must be submitted through the online submission platform unless otherwise directed.

Final Grade Options

  • Letter grade (A, B, C, D, F)

  • Extension (in lieu of an incomplete grade): Students may request an assessment extension because of illness or other extenuating circumstances, if they have been doing acceptable work. Assessment extensions may extend up to two weeks beyond the established course end as indicated in the gradebook. Please Note: Assessment extensions are given at the instructor’s discretion. Instructors are not obligated to give extensions.

  • Withdrawn Failing (Y) – Students may be removed from their classes with a Withdrawn Failing (Y) grade for non-participation, which counts like an F in GPA calculation.

  • Withdrawal (W) - Students may submit a withdrawal request on or prior to the "Last Date to Withdraw" indicated in their RioLearn Gradebook.

    • Instructors are unable to submit a withdrawal (W) on behalf of a student. A student wishing to withdraw from a class within the stated timeline must do so by visiting View My Classes/Schedule in the Student Center, and selecting Drop Classes. In extreme circumstances, students do have the option of requesting a complete withdrawal from the college by submitting a "Request for Complete Withdrawal From All Courses" available under the Records heading on Rio’s Important Forms page.

    Before withdrawing, students should consider contacting their instructor and/or Rio's Counseling Services to see what options are available to help them stay in class.

    STUDENTS – STOP Before You Drop! A withdrawal request is irrevocable, and may affect future Financial Aid, Visa status, Veteran benefit eligibility, scholarship eligibility and may delay graduation. Please be sure that it is the right option for you before submission.

    STOP BEFORE YOU DROP

  • Credit/No Credit Option (P/Z) - Some courses may be offered with a credit/no credit option which, if offered, would be identified in the Grading Procedure and Scale section of this syllabus. See detailed information about the (P/Z) option here.

    • Note: Choosing the P/Z option is a permanent change to the gradebook. A P/Z grade will not be changed to a letter grade after the course end date.

Regular and Substantive Faculty-Student Interaction

The Rio Salado College faculty provide learners with frequent opportunities for regular and substantive interaction, which are critical components of a quality online program. At a minimum, faculty teaching online courses for credit monitor weekly due dates and initiate contact with students, post course announcements and/or "From Your Instructor" (FYI) notes that are academic and relevant, respond to academic inquiries within 72 hours, and provide detailed, personalized, and timely feedback. In addition, faculty regularly engage in synchronous and/or asynchronous interaction with students via tools such as discussion boards, rubrics, voice threads, video conferences, audio recordings, phone calls, email and/or text messages, social media, and online collaboration software. Though faculty members are responsible for initiating interaction, providing academic information, and facilitating learning, Rio students are responsible for remaining in regular contact with their instructors and engaging with the course content as active participants in the educational experience.

Requirement for Active Class Participation

Withdrawal for Non-Participation (Y) – Students need to communicate regularly with their instructor and engage in academic activities as determined by the instructor and department. Students may be removed from their classes after 14 days of non-participation with a Withdrawn Failing (Y) grade, which counts like an F in GPA calculation.

If you receive financial aid of any kind, it is your responsibility to protect your eligibility to receive financial aid by meeting the active participation requirements of this class.

Pregnant and Parenting Students

Students will not be discriminated against on the basis of a disclosed pregnancy. This includes discrimination against a student based on pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from any of these conditions. As a result, a pregnant or parenting student (a student during a defined postpartum period lasting up to 8 weeks after delivery), may be provided adjustments so they are able to access and participate in their educational program or activity.

Please visit the Working with Pregnant and Parenting webpage to learn more about this policy, reasonable adjustments and complete the Pregnancy Adjustment Form. If you have questions about the policy, please contact Rio Salado College’s Title IX/504 Coordinator Tafari Osayande at o.tafari.osayande@riosalado.edu or (480) 517-8196.

In the event of certain pregnancy-related medical complications, contact Disability.Services@riosalado.edu or call (480) 517-8562 for assistance in providing accommodations/academic adjustments.

Basic Needs

If a lack of basic needs such as food, transportation, school supplies, etc. is affecting your participation and/or performance in this course, please contact the Rio Salado Counseling Department at 480-517-8785 or via email at counseling.receptionist@riosalado.edu.

For additional services and resources:

Rio Salado College Counseling and Career Services
Maricopa Basic Needs and Community Resources

Library Services

The Rio Salado Library is committed to student success and provides a variety of materials and services to enhance student learning. Utilizing Rio’s online library for your research is the best way to ensure that your sources are validated, authoritative, and appropriate for college-level coursework. The library's Video Tutorials page provides instruction on how to use the online library to find books, articles, ebooks, and more. Librarians are available to help you at all times via our Ask a Librarian live chat service.

Please note that when library materials (e.g., articles, ebooks, and streaming media) are integrated into your lesson content, you will see the notation “…provided to you through the Rio Salado Library.”

Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct includes cheating, conspiring to cheat, soliciting to cheat, attempting to cheat, plagiarism, fabrication on an assignment, or other forms of dishonest presentation.

Posting assessments on an unauthorized web site, soliciting assessment answers and the unauthorized acquisition of assessments, assessment answers, or other academic material is cheating. Unless approved by the instructor, turning in content created by essay generators or other types of artificial intelligence platforms is also academic misconduct.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use of paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling or sharing of term papers or other academic materials. Information gathered from the Internet and not properly identified is also considered plagiarism.

We expect every student to produce his/her original, independent work. Any student whose work indicates a violation of the MCCCD Academic Misconduct Policy (including cheating and plagiarism) can expect sanctions as specified in the college catalog.

Rio Salado College uses software that uncovers plagiarism from student to student and other data sources on the Internet. If a student is found to have plagiarized content, grade consequences will be applied in accordance with departmental policies.

Civility Policy

The faculty of Rio Salado place a high value on the importance of general ethical standards of academic behavior and expect that communication between students and instructors or among students shall maintain the level of formality and mutual respect appropriate to any college teaching/learning situation.

Language or behavior that is rude, abusive, profane, disruptive, or threatening will not be tolerated. Activity of this type is Academic Misconduct as defined in MCCCD Policy AR 2.3.11. Students engaging in such behavior will be removed from the course with a failing grade. Additional sanctions may be applied pursuant to AR 2.3.11.

Honors Program

If you are taking this course for Honors credit, you must complete all assessments, including the Honors Project(s). The Honors Project(s) are listed in one or more lessons of the course and are designated for "Honors Students." Failure to complete the Honors Project(s) will result in a failing grade in the course and a loss of Honors credit.

Honors students are also enrolled in a non-credit Honors Achievement Award (HAA) or Presidential Honors Scholarship (PHS) section within RioLearn to submit co-curricular activity submissions. Co-curriculars must be completed in order to receive funding.

The Honors Department is here to support you! Connect with the college and other Honors students in our INSCRIBE community.

The Honors Department is available to provide additional resources and support to support your journey. Please contact the Honors department at RioSalado.Honors@riosalado.edu.

Student Responsibility

In addition to being responsible for the information outlined in this syllabus, students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the Rio Salado College policies in the college catalog and student handbook, which are available online at Student Policies.

Classroom Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) and its associated colleges are committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities to students with documented disabilities (e.g. mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical). Visit district.maricopa.edu/mandatory-drs-title-ix-syllabus-statements for more information.

Religious Accommodations

Rio Salado College will reasonably accommodate the religious needs, observances, and practices of their students, when requested and the requests are made in accordance with the procedures set forth in ND-4. Any student may request a religious accommodation by making a written request for an accommodation to the appropriate faculty member using the Religious Accommodation Request form. To the extent possible, requests must be made at least two (2) weeks before the requested absence from class due to religious holiday or day of observance.

Addressing Incidents of Sexual Harassment/Assault, Dating/Domestic Violence, and Stalking

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, MCCCD prohibits unlawful sex discrimination against any participant in its education programs or activities. The District also prohibits sexual harassment—including sexual violence—committed by or against students, District employees, and visitors to campus. As outlined in District policy, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are considered forms of "Sexual Misconduct" prohibited by District policy. Visit district.maricopa.edu/mandatory-drs-title-ix-syllabus-statements for more information.

Student Solution Center

Rio Salado College is dedicated to a quality learning experience and has provided the Student Solution Center webpage as a resource for students to raise issues to our attention. We look forward to the opportunity to provide an equitable solution for all involved parties. For grading or instructional issues, students should first contact their faculty member(s) in accordance with the Instructional Grievance Process. For non-instructional complaints, students may contact Institutional Integrity and Compliance by submitting the non-instructional complaint form, emailing studentcomplaints@riosalado.edu, or calling 480-517-8505. Students may also contact their state regulatory agency; the Arizona SARA Council; and/or the Higher Learning Commission to escalate their concerns.

Change of Address

Please notify Admissions, Records and Registration at (480) 517-8540 of any changes in contact information or log into your Student Center to update your address.

Contact Us

Please see the following page for contact information.

Disclaimer

Course content may vary from this outline to meet the needs of this particular group.

Rio Salado College Copyright

Course Content © Copyright 2024 Rio Salado College. All Rights Reserved.