CIMS 332-80 & 333-80

Welcome Letter for

Language Arts Methods 5-8

and

Social Studies Methods 5-8

Professor:

Betsy Golden

Email:

goldenb@wpunj.edu

Department:

Middle and Secondary Education

Course No. & Section:

CIMS 332-80 and CIMS 333-80

Phone:

973-720-2120 (department secretary – Mrs. Stevens)

Office Hours:

To be arranged

Hello, and welcome to Language Arts Methods 5-8 and Social Studies Methods 5-8!

Welcome to CIMS 332-80 and CIMS 333-80, Language Arts Methods 5-8 and Social Studies Methods 5-8!  CIMS 332-80 is a required course for students seeking K-5 certification with a 5-8 endorsement. It gives prospective teachers a theoretical knowledge base and conceptual understanding of content area reading. Students will learn different teaching and learning strategies in the content areas and will select, plan and design materials for content area instruction.

CIMS333-80 examines methods and materials for teaching grade 5-8 social studies.  Social studies is defined as an interdisciplinary field which includes history, geography, sociology, psychology, anthropology, political science and economics, and which examines social problems over time and in different times and places. Social studies is presented as a means of understanding the diversity and unity of peoples and their societies worldwide. The course emphasizes methods of teaching democratic and multicultural values, cooperative interaction and personal social responsibility. The course also explores interdisciplinary connections between social studies and other elementary school subjects such as math, science, language arts and fine arts.

Expectations

An online course will require at least as much time in preparation and participation as a regular classroom course. As in any other course, you must “attend” class regularly by logging onto Blackboard several times each week; you will not be able to make up weeks in which you have been absent.

Course Objectives

The candidate will:

CIMS 332

CIMS 333
  1. Recognize that reading is a transaction between the reader and the text.
  2. Recognize how prior knowledge affects reading comprehension and know how to use pre-reading strategies to build this knowledge.
  3. Understand the needs of cultural and linguistically diverse learners and know how to plan instruction to meet the needs of individual learners.
  4. Use visual information to model comprehension strategies in the content areas.
  5. Apply various instructional strategies to teach different types of content areas.
  6. Identify and make available a variety of materials to improve learners’ reading comprehension.
  7. Integrate listening, speaking, writing, thinking, and reading in planning instruction.
  8. Know how to identify, select, and plan instruction using multicultural adolescent and young adult literacy genres.
  9. Integrate technology in the content area.
  10. Develop study guides and model effective study skills.
  11. Teach critical thinking skills and incorporate classroom activities and projects that will promote critical thinking across the curriculum.
  12. Use and apply traditional and authentic assessment tools.

 
  1. Discuss the purposes and goals of elementary (K-5) social studies and global education in conjunction with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for the Social Studies.
  2. Discuss contributions to social studies of major ideas from sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, history, geography and economics.
  3. Describe and apply various designs for organizing social studies instruction and for utilizing different sources of data from the arts, sciences and literature consistent with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.
  4. Develop conceptual frameworks that recognize individual and cultural diversity among learners and the implications for effective teaching.
  5. Describe ways of integrating social studies content with skills in reading, writing, thinking and valuing.
  6. Describe ways of structuring a class and organizing activities for democratic interaction and individual self-understanding and self-valuing.
  7. Explain the major concepts of multicultural studies and global education.
  8. Describe ways to assess learning among diverse students, differentiating among testing, assessment, performance and field experience and applying the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.
  9. Plan instructional lessons that connect social studies and the fine arts, language arts, humanities, physical sciences and math.
  10. Plan interdisciplinary instructional lessons that include observable objectives, motivational strategies, active student learning, and means of assessing diverse students.
  11. Assess his/her own personal and professional growth through ongoing reflection.

 

Outcomes

Candidates will be able to:

CIMS 332

CIMS 333
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of reading in the content areas by developing instructional materials based on various approaches such as literature circles, double-entry journals, and language experience that promote critical thinking and address students of diverse backgrounds.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of reading in the content areas by preparing a lesson in a specific content area.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of reading in the content areas by designing a pre-reading/ post-reading knowledge organizer that integrates non-print materials.

1.      Demonstrate their knowledge of the theories, methods and content of social studies through research papers on social studies issues.

2.      Explore multicultural studies and global education by writing a reflective essay and through oral presentations.

3.    Create an interdisciplinary social studies unit for grades 6-8 that integrate social studies content with language arts, math and science.

Texts

Robb, L. (2010).  Teaching Reading in Middle School (Grades 5 & Up) (2nd ed.).  New York: Scholastic Professional Books.

Schell, E. & Fisher, D. (2007). Teaching Social Studies: A Literacy-Based Approach. Prentice Hall.

Grading

1. Participation in discussion on blackboard (20%): You are expected to log on AT LEAST twice a week. Check the announcements EVERY DAY.

2. Individual projects (50%):  You will reflect carefully about what will best help you to develop as a teacher candidate and propose two or three projects that will comprise 50% of your grade.  (A list of projects students have completed in the past will be provided.)  The balance of your grade (30%) will be based upon a unit plan, including a very detailed narrative lesson plan for one day, and a presentation of that lesson (which must be filmed and posted online or submitted on a CD).  You may borrow video equipment from media services in the library if you do not own any.  You may choose to present your lesson to WPU students if you are unable to obtain permission to film in your practicum or student teaching setting.  Do begin to think about this part of the assignment EARLY in the semester; visit media services, check with your cooperating teacher about filming in the classroom, etc.  You will also need to think about arranging for someone to film the lesson. 

 

How to Access Blackboard:
To log on to Bb point your web browser to http://bb.wpunj.edu and click the Login button in the upper left. Then enter your username and password in the spaces provided and click login again -- you'll find your course Bb sites listed on the right.

Some things to be aware of as you work with Blackboard:

  1. You probably won't find all your courses listed; the only ones that will appear are those that have been activated by the professor teaching the course. Professors who don't use Blackboard will not activate their courses.
  2. Your username is comprised of your last name and first initial, usually appended with a numeral. If you don't know your WPUNJ system username password you can use the Username lookup link at http://bb.wpunj.edu , or go to it directly at: http://www.wpunj.edu/username/
  3. If you are already logged in to the WPUNJ system through WPConnect you won't have to re-enter your username and password -- just click the first login button.
  4. Blackboard documentation can be found in two places: at Bb Home, http://bb.wpunj.edu, before one logs in, and in the Blackboard Support tab after one has logged on.
  5. You can always obtain Bb help by using the Problem Report form at http://bb.wpunj.edu, or by going to it directly at https://liberty.wpunj.edu/bb/support-center/.

WPUNJ Student Email:
To access WPUNJ Student Email point your web browser to http://wpconnect.wpunj.edu, enter your username and password, and then select the Mail tab.  If you are logging on for the first time you'll be asked to set your time zone and language.

Blackboard courses will use student email; third-party email addresses will not work on Bb

Good luck and have fun in the course!

n  Betsy Golden