California Polytechnic State University
English Department

English 391 - Topics in Applied Linguistics ~ Fall 2008: Linguistics and Language Arts
Instructor: Dr. Johanna Rubba

Last updated 9/17/08

Course Information  Syllabus (Course Plan)

 Course Objectives (Study Guide)
  Assignment Schedule
  
Term Projects
   Handouts/Study Aids
   My current schedule
 Policies (Attendance, Grading, etc.)

Course Information

Schedule: Sec. 01: MTWR 1:10-2 pm 10-201
Sec. 02: MTWR 2:10-3 pm 10-126  

Office Hours: MWR 10:10-11 am; Tues. 3:10-4 pm and by appt.

Prerequisites: ENGL 145 or equivalent (argument/crit. thinking)

Office phone: 756-2184
Instructor's Office:  47-35B

Dept. phone & fax:  756-2596  Fax 756-6374

Instructor's e-mail address: jrubba@calpoly.edu

My home page: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
Course site: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba/391/index.html

 


This course is designed for future teachers of language arts, especially those who will be teaching grades K-8. The concerns of those who plan on teaching English as a Second Language are also addressed. The goal of the course is twofold: (1) to understand concepts about language that teachers need to know and (2) to allow you to meet the standards required by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, as well as to pass the required credentialing tests, such as the CBEST, CSET, and RICA.


Linguistics is the science of language; language is fundamental in children's education in a variety of ways. First, much of education focuses on skills related to language, namely literacy skills such as reading, writing, and vocabulary. Second, education happens through language: Talk between teachers and children is a major means by which children learn, especially in the early grades. Children also learn by reading, writing, and talking with each other, which are also linguistic acts. Third, children come to school with highly-developed language abilities, mostly or exclusively in spoken language. Children's language abilities continue to develop during the school years, and not only in literacy: during these years, children participate in ever-wider social contexts and need to succeed in more-varied discourse communities. Fourth, individual differences among children and differences in children's backgrounds are reflected in the kind of language they bring with them to school, and in how they respond to the school curriculum. Understanding language in children's education is part of understanding the needs of each child you will teach.

Linguists have made great strides in understanding how children acquire their native language in the pre-school years, and have also extensively studied how children and adults acquire additional languages. Linguists have uncovered the structure of language, revealing information that should inform classroom instruction. Linguists have also studied language use in social contexts and how language and society interact, again revealing information crucial to understanding cultural diversity. A single, ten-week course cannot possibly cover the full complexity of these discoveries and their relation to language arts teaching. This course is designed to introduce you to several topics crucial to your future as a teacher and which the state of California requires future teachers to study. The topics we will focus on are

  • The general nature of the systems of language, primarily English;
  • Language acquisition: How children learn 1st (native) and 2nd (non-native) languages; 
  • Literacy and linguistics: How particular aspects of language relate to literacy training, especially early literacy training; 
  • Linguistic diversity: Educational issues for children who speak standard and nonstandard dialects of English and for children for whom English is not a native language.

The course will be organized in units that correspond to the major components of language form: Sounds, words, and sentences. In each unit, we will learn basic information about that component of language, then consider acquisition, literacy, and diversity issues relevant to that component. The final unit of the course addresses general issues of language and dialect diversity in the classroom.

Texts (all required):

  • Michael Newby, The Structure of English, Cambridge U. Press - at El Corral Bookstore.
  • Course reading packet: Available at El Corral Bookstore.
  • Standards of Program Quality and Effectiveness for the Subject Matter Requirement for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, available at http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/STDS-subject-matter.html. Scroll down to "Elementary - Multiple Subject" and click on either "PDF" or "MS Word" (the latter is recommended).
  • English Language Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, available as a downloadable .pdf file from: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/engmain.asp


Course requirements:
Attendance: Attendance is monitored and will affect your grade. Please do not inform me of absences unless you are over the limit and need an excused absence. Please see my Attendance Policy web page: how to excuse absences is explained there.
Assignments: Course readings are required. There will also be analysis practice homework, which will be collected and marked on a Pass/No Pass basis.
Tests: There will be two tests and a comprehensive (cumulative) final. Final exam schedule: Section 01: Mon., Dec. 8th 1:10-4 pm. Section 02: Fri., Dec. 12th, 1:10-4 pm
Reflective essay: Students will write a long essay (800-1500 words) reflecting on how the course influenced their concept of language-arts teaching. The essay will cover the subject matter of the Macro-Objectives found on the course Objectives Page.
This will be due at the end of the quarter and marked Pass (handed in) or No Pass (not handed in). Project: Students will write  a short term paper evaluating language arts teaching materials that are available in the library. Details are available on the Project page.

Point value of course requirements: Your course grade consists of whatever percentage you earn of 500 points. These points are distributed as follows:

Homework:           40 pts. = 8%
Test #1:               105 pts. = 21%
Test #2:               105 pts. = 21%
Final exam:         150 pts. = 30%
Project:                  75 pts. = 15%
Reflective essay: 25 pts. = 5%
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Total                    500 pts. = 100%


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