If you are interested in taking any of the English Language Arts Courses listed below, visit English Language Arts Courses - MTPLC.ORG for information on registration and further course description.
EDU 455/555 Contemporary Issues Helping Students with Dyslexia
This 8 week, two-credit offering is based on the premise that children of all ages and across grade levels can learn, but that they do so differently. We know that for some students, learning to read and write will be one of the most challenging school tasks they will ever undertake. Accordingly, practitioners must be knowledgeable about (1) the spectrum of oral and written language disabilities and (2) how a teacher can be an academic coach-guide who helps all students experience success. We will study what experts in the field have to say about learning disorders and consider how teachers can rethink their current practices, identifying ways to differentiate learning to maximize individual student success. This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits.
EDU 455/555 Helping Student Writers Gain Skill and Confidence
This 8 week, two-credit course explores how mentor texts can be used to jump-start analytical writing: writing to inform and explain, writing arguments, and writing to evaluate (Common Core Anchor Standards 1 through 3.) We will study forms of written discourse and identify genre characteristics of expository writing. Students will analyze writing assignments for developing student-writers and then adapt these to more complex, layered writing exercises. Participants will learn about analytical writing from a teacher’s perspective as well as from direct experiences with composing pieces that inform and explain, that take a position and propose a solution, and that evaluate and form judgments based on evidence. This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits.
EDU 455/555 Language Study in the Common Core Era
This 8 week, self-paced, online Moodle course is designed to develop participants’ knowledge of English language fundamentals. We will study grammar, punctuation, and usage. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
*Identify the eight parts of speech.
*Identify punctuation rules, including those that govern the comma and semicolon
*Design active learning activities that makes language abstractions understandable.
*Identify what makes English conventions and usage complex.
This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits.
EDU 455/555 Writing Improvement_Sharpen Prose with Focused Revision
This 8 week self-paced, 2-credit online Moodle course is designed to develop participants’ knowledge of writing improvement through an inquiry approach that involves reflective decision-making and critical thinking. We will study how revision differs from editing. Then we will explore specific strategies that start at the sentence level and transition to paragraph improvement. Knowing how to make improvements with paragraphs (internal text structure) lays the foundation to target external text structure (or the overall unity)—whether it is a personal narrative or critical essay. This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits.