Assignments

The final case study is meant to be a synthesis of your learning over the course of the semester in particular, but as this is a continuation course, may draw on work from the fall semester as well. The weekly logs will offer much to pull from in this final piece. You are essentially beginning this paper with where you left off at the final paper in the fall. Format: 10-12 single-spaced pages including charts and appendices. Additional information about your case study project will be provided in class.
 * __ Case Study: __**



__**Case Study Roundtable:**__


**__ Weekly Logs: __** One of your primary roles as a Reading Specialist will be the support you offer struggling readers and writers. With this in mind, throughout the semester you will be asked to continue your work (or begin anew) with a student identified as struggling with literacy. While the structure and focus of each session will of course be specific to the student’s identified needs and the context in which you are working, there are some general areas you should consider. These include: A. Focused word study B. Working with familiar text to build fluency C. Introducing a range of genres (over time) D. Supported reading and comprehension of a text at the student’s instructional level E. Connection to writing F. Opportunity for engaged conversation G. Informal assessments to gauge learning Each week’s reading will offer different points of focus as you build your professional expertise. I ask that you connect what you understand from these professional investigations and conversations to your practical work as a Reading Specialist. Over the course of the semester, you will be asked to submit 8 logs (2-4 double-spaced pages each, 12 pt. font) in which you describe the tutoring session. Please be sure to cover the following areas in your logs… Please note the final due dates for your tutoring logs: Logs 1-3 due March 3, Logs 4-6 due April 6, Logs 7-8 due April 21. All logs must be emailed to the instructor. You are expected to post 1 Log per due date on the Wiki.
 * 1) Session goals / objectives: This section describes what you hope to achieve with your students by the end of your tutoring session.
 * 2) Summary/Observations: This section summarizes and describes what you did with your student, including materials, student’s reaction, progress, observations, etc.
 * 3) Critical Reflection: Please use readings, prior coursework, and prior sessions with your student as lenses to consider the progress both of you are making. Use these resources and experiences to critically reflect on your work and your student’s progress. Please explicitly describe the connections that you are making to your tutoring session.
 * 4) Next Steps: Include a description of how this session is informing your thoughts about the next meeting.

In many districts, Reading Specialists offer multiple roles of support for both students and colleagues. As the resident literacy expert, you will often be asked to conduct professional development workshops. With this in mind, you will create one mini-workshop this semester to present in class. The focus of your workshop and a tentative implementation outline //mu st be approved by me at least 1 week before you give the workshop//. These workshops should be hands on and invite class participation. The workshops are NOT presentations; they are meant to be active investigations of specific topics. Participants should leave the session with a practical strategy to try with students – having had the opportunity to try it out themselves. Please limit the workshop to **20 minutes in length**. If you are presenting with a partner, workshops should last approximately 30-40 minutes.
 * __ Mini-Workshop: __**

In order to better meet the needs of you and your student, you will have the opportunity to select a text and participate in a variety of book club activities. Four class sessions have been set aside for these activities. The first session will take place on February 23rd. The remaining sessions will be part of your online course activities. If you choose, you can also arrange face-to-face meetings on your own. During the first weeks of class, you will discuss possible readings and choose your text. Each group will then plan and submit a four-week study that will result in the creation of a resource website (or wiki site) and presentation that will be shared at the end of the semester. Your Book Club website or wiki site should include the following: 1) a brief overview of the text (i.e., summary, purpose, audience, etc.), 2) a book critique (strengths, weaknesses, etc.) that could possibly be posted on a site like Amazon.com, and 3) a demonstration/discussion of explicit connections that you have made between the book and classroom teaching/learning. During your Book Club presentation, you will introduce your website/wiki to the class and share one or more instructional ideas/activities. Additional information on Book Clubs will be given in class. Some suggestions to get started, however, include the following:  · Begin by breaking down the text (I suggest into relatively equal parts) for four weeks of reading.    · Designate a discussion facilitator for each meeting in order to keep the conversation productive.    · For each meeting, plan on generating several questions/comments to bring with you to the discussion. Plan for your workshop as you read your book. Identify ideas to share as you go.
 * __ Book Club: __**