EDU 375 Grading for Assignments
The assignments below are designed to help you develop your reflective (metacognitive) abilities as a reader and
teacher. The lessons will undoubtedly be used during your teaching time this semester and the synthesis paper will
serve as a helpful reference before interviewing with administrators. Each assignment should be stapled together when
it is submitted to me. Assignments turned in late will receive the grade reduction as stated in the syllabus.
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Class Participation: 160 points
Partner Dialogue Journal: Comprehension deepens as you think critically about what you are reading.
You will respond to the readings in this class in the form of a dialogue journal, written to a class partner, over the course
of the semester. One of you will write in black ink and the other in blue ink. This will differentiate between the two of
you. We will talk about ways to respond on Day 2. Journaling increases comprehension as you make connections,
visualize, question, analyze, critique, evaluate, synthesize, repair faulty understanding and determine important from
less important information. See attached “EDU 375 Reflective Journal Rubric” for grading.
Absences = Point Reductions: You will be given one excused absence. Each absence after the “free” one will
deduct 25 points from your total points. eg 2 absences = 25 pts off, 3 absences = 50 pts off, 4 absences = 75 pts off,
etc.____________________________________________________________________________________________
RTI - Response to Intervention Lessons 75 points
Determine the needs of your students by creating 3 assessments and follow-up lessons using the GLEs for a reading
skill or comprehension strategy. (Hopefully one of these will be the Performance Based Task Assignment below, ie.,
you actually taught and reflected upon student learning and your teaching.)
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Performance based task assignment: Assess, teach and reflect on one lesson: 50 pts.
You will assess and teach a literacy lesson using RTI. Literacy is across the curriculum, so literacy may be taught in the
context of a math, social studies, or science lesson. Using the lesson plan on my website: design and teach a lesson
using the gradual release of responsibility. Lesson plan & reflection forms are on my website.
Staple and turn in the task in this compilation: Lesson plan, Assessment & Rubric used, Detailed self-reflection
(specific evaluation) on teaching & student learning including samples of student work. Make 2 copies of
paperwork to be shared in your group the last week of class.
Ideas for lessons: (There are many other possibilities. Just ask if you are not sure or need help.)
1) THINK ALOUD -STRATEGY MINI-LESSON & GUIDED PRACTICE
2) INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD - MINI-LESSON & GUIDED PRACTICE
3) INDEPENDENT READING - STRATEGY MINI-LESSON WHOLE GROUP & 3 INDIVIDUAL STUDENT CONFERENCES
4) WRITERS’ WORKSHOP - WRITING MINI-LESSON WHOLE GROUP & 3 INDIVIDUAL STUDENT CONFERENCES
5) READERS’ THEATRE - MINI-LESSON & SMALL GROUP/S
6) POETRY - MODEL WITH SHARED READING WITH STUDENTS WRITING A POEM
7) GUIDED SMALL GROUP - SKILL OR STRATEGY MINI-LESSON, GUIDED PRACTICE, INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
8) LITERATURE STUDY or CIRCLE - STUDENT LED -TEACHER INTERACTION WITH GROUP &/OR INDIVIDUALS
9) NONFICTION - GENRE, CONTENT, RESEARCH/INVESTIGATION See attached rubric
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Comprehension Self-Analysis Project: 25 points (Directions to be given at the end of the semester.)
Synthesis Paper entitled: “Teaching Balanced Literacy in My Theoretical ____ Grade Classroom” 130 points
How and why will you teach balanced literacy in your classroom? Explain how and why your students will learn in your
classroom and the authentic assessments you will implement. (Most of your paper will be directed toward the level,
primary or intermediate, that you hope to teach, but do address the other level as well. This paper will help you
prepare for interviewing with a school district. You will be assessed for your reading/writing pedagogy (content of the
paper) using the rubric in the syllabus, counting (100 points) towards your final exam for content.
This paper will also be scored as a writing assignment using the 5 of the 6 Write Traits on the 6 pt. Write Traits rubric
(Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency & Conventions) (___/30 = points) (30 points)
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Share your favorite reading website: 10 points We will create an ongoing list for all to share._______________
Total 450 points possible
437-450 = A+ (97-100%)
414-436 = A (92-96%)
378-413 = B (84% to 91%)
342-377 = C (76% to 83%)
297-341 = D (66% to 75%)
0-296 = F (0% to 65%)
blake 2010