TEACHING READING

AND MATH

EDU 622

Online Studies Student Syllabus

© Belhaven University | Updated August 11, 2022;

Updated October 12, 2023, Updated June 10, 2024

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Course Description This graduate-level course provides an advanced study focusing on the selection and utilization of

materials and methodologies for teaching both reading and math skills in elementary school

contexts. The course looks into current literature and best practices in literacy and numeracy

education. Through critical inquiry and analysis, candidates explore advanced strategies aimed at

fostering comprehensive literacy and numeracy development among elementary school students. By

integrating insights from contemporary research, candidates gain the theoretical knowledge and

practical skills necessary to design and implement effective instructional interventions that support

students' literacy and math proficiency.

Student Competencies • Examine issues in teaching CCRS from a Christian worldview.

• Recognize and embrace the instructional challenges required in crafting summative

assessments on a mathematics topic, incorporating the shifts in rigor enhanced

formatting, and increased demand on reading as part of assessments. (InTASC 6)

• Integrate fiction and non-fiction, text through pictures and media sources into instruction

on a targeted competency (InTASC 8)

• Develop skill in creating text-based questions, teaching students how to do close

reading, and developing students’ higher-order thinking skills. (InTASC 6)

• Analyze student reading comprehension assessment data and use it to develop

instructional and intervention plans for increased student achievement

(InTASC 6)

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Assessment Criteria

Assignments Weight

Writing Assignments 30%

Discussion Questions 20%

Quizzes 10%

Final Projects 40%

Total 100%

Grading:

A 93-100%

A- 90-92%

B+ 87-89%

B 83-86%

B- 80-82%

C+ 77-79%

C 70-76%

D+ 67-69%

D 63-66%

D- 60-62%

F 059%

Resource Inventory

No Textbook required for this course.

The Holy Bible

Research Articles: Locate articles by accessing the Belhaven Library Online

http://belhaven.libguides.com/az.php

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Expectations of Online Studies Education Candidates

Attendance

Attendance will be recorded online by Tuesday of each unit for the preceding unit. Students are to

be marked as present if they interact with the course by submitting a paper, posting to a discussion

forum, or taking a quiz. If the student performs any of these elements, he or she is to be marked

present for that week. If not, the student is marked absent. Viewing a lecture does not constitute

attendance for a student.

Due Dates

A unit is considered to be Monday – Saturday. You are encouraged to “Observe the Sabbath day and

keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Good time management is essential to career and academic success.

Early submissions of assignments and discussion responses are encouraged. Unless indicated

differently by the instructor prior to the start of the course, assignments submitted late will be

subject to a 30% reduction for each day they are late up to two days and will not be accepted late

after two days. Due dates are posted to the assignments.

Communication

Communicate questions related to the course directly to the professor, except in cases where you

need to contact technical support. Your Belhaven University email address will be utilized for the

class, so check it frequently.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Belhaven University offers students disability accommodation in accordance with the guidelines of

the Americans with Disabilities Act. The student must make his or her disability known to the

Office of Student Care, provide current documentation of the disability from an appropriate licensed

professional, and complete the Belhaven ADA Request Form for accommodation. The student must

provide such a request to the Office of Student Care at least two weeks prior to the beginning of

each semester for which the accommodation is requested. Approved accommodations will be

communicated to the student and made within a reasonable time period after completion of the

official request. Students must present their official accommodations letter to the instructor of each

course they are enrolled in to receive the accommodations. Apply under the Quick Links on the

Student Life/Services tab.

Required Formatting

The required formatting for your papers, assignments, projects, discussions, or anything else that

may be research-based is the latest Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

(APA). APA information can be located on your Canvas course page by clicking on Academic

Resources and then Academic Help and APA Resources. The only exception to this is the Bible

courses, which use Chicago Turabian formatting. Help for this formatting is also available in the

Academic Help and Resources.

Responsible Research

Responsible research is a critical component of education, and any individual conducting research

must learn how to investigate, read, understand, synthesize, interpret, and finally explain complex

ideas and issues in writing. An individual conducting research must also understand that ideas found

in literature, media presentations, interviews, or any other form of media do not belong to the

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researcher and, therefore, must be given credit through proper documentation. It is required that

every person conducting research provides proper credit through the correct use of documentation

not only to prevent plagiarism but also to demonstrate respect to the idea’s originator. To ensure

that all papers possess originality, faculty members will use Turnitin. Any paper exceeding 20% of

non-original material or noticeable undocumented information will be subject to a discount in points

at the discretion of the faculty.

Originality

Writing assignments will be evaluated for originality using Turnitin. Belhaven University

encourages a high degree of originality in writing. Quoted material should seldom be used and must

be limited to phrases that cannot be paraphrased or summarized without losing effectiveness.

Students must cite and reference all sources of information and images using APA style. APA

information can be located on your Canvas course page by clicking on Academic Resources and

then Academic Help and APA Resources. Non-originality exceeding 20% on papers will be subject

to a grade discount at the professor’s discretion, or referred back to the student to redo the

assignment, and students may be referred to a writing lab for assistance with originality.

Graduate School of Education Policy on Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

(AI) for MAT, M.Ed. and Ed.S. Candidates

It is the responsibility of the Graduate School of Education to prepare teacher and administrator

candidates that:

– Communicate effectively in the school setting with parents, students, educational

professionals, and the community at large;

and

– Utilize instructional strategies that will yield students that are strong thinkers, writers, and

leaders.

To accomplish this, it is imperative that degree candidates are required to address challenging

writing prompts and produce documents that adequately address the problem posed.

Hence, candidates for the masters and specialist degree programs in education at Belhaven

University will NOT be allowed to utilize Artificial Intelligence for creation of responses to ANY

course assignments since practice in creation of original works is necessary preparation for those

responsible for training young children, adolescents, and teachers to be critical thinkers, writers, and

problem solvers.

***It is expected that all assignments are produced by the candidates themselves. Use of a

generative AI tool to create a response to an assignment constitutes academic dishonesty and will be

reported as an Honor Code violation. The BU School of Education reserves the right to require a

demonstration of learning at any time.

Key Reminders

• Do not attempt to get a research paper from the Internet (or anywhere else) and submit as

your paper. This is dishonest and unethical.

• Do not copy from any book, article, or encyclopedia, and submit this for your paper. This is

not acceptable research.

• Include references (including source and page numbers) that document every source upon

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which you have in any way relied for each paragraph of your paper. If sources are not

properly referenced, the student has cheated the sources out of deserved credit and cheated

readers out of valuable information.

• Do not use material from any other student’s paper or work unless you give that student full

credit in reference notes.

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Summary of Assignments

Writing Assignments

Writing assignments must use APA-compliant formatting and include a title page, appropriate

citations, and references. Each will be evaluated using the individual assignment rubrics located in

the module appendices. Assignments are due no later than 11:59 p.m. (CT) on Saturday. Earlier

submissions are encouraged.

NOTE: Be sure to read the writing guidelines in the Appendix section of this syllabus to improve

your understanding of expectations.

Discussion Questions

Discussion questions are available on the first day of each week. You should respond to the initial

discussion questions no later than 11:59 p.m. (CT) each subsequent Wednesday. Responses to

classmates’ discussion questions are due Saturday at 11:59 p.m. for each unit. Early postings are

encouraged. Initial discussion question responses must be 250 – 300 words each. A response to a

classmate must be at least 100 words. Fewer than this will automatically result in a significant

reduction in one’s grade. Three responses to classmates’ postings are required.

You must mention the person’s name to whose comments you are responding and quote what aspect

of his or her post you are addressing. Without either, it is not possible to see the direction of your

comments, and the comments will not receive any points.

Quizzes

Candidates will complete quizzes on all reading assignments and lectures. Quizzes are available

once all week lectures have been viewed. Quizzes must be completed by Saturday at 11:59 p.m.

(CT).

Viewing Lectures

The viewing of each unit lecture counts toward the overall quiz grade.

Final Project

The Final Project components must be completed to receive a grade for the course. Failure to

complete the Final Project will result in a final grade of F, no matter what grade you had prior to

those Final Project components being due.

The final projects cover the array of topics discussed and presented in the course and are due at the

end of weeks 3, 6 and 7. The projects will be evaluated using the rubrics found in Appendix B.

(Due Unit 3) Prepare the CCRS Math Assessment (150 points) using the following guidelines:

You will create an ORIGINAL math assessment consisting of 25 original (not copied,

downloaded, taken from your district’s assessments, etc.) math questions. Your assessment

will consist of 10 enhanced multiple-choice items, 10 constructed response items, and 5

performance items.

Your math assessment will address standard 5.MD.5 of the 2016 Mississippi College- and Career-

Readiness Standards for Mathematics.

Multiple-Choice Items (12 questions)

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• Purpose: Assess CCRS math standards and incorporate both math standards and

math practices in real-world applications.

Constructed Response Items (8 questions)

• Students show their work in completing two or more tasks or one more extensive

problem.

Performance Items (5 questions)

• Students apply the identified math concepts to new and novel situations.

(Due Unit 6) Prepare the Analysis of Reading Comprehension paper (150 points) using the

following guidelines:

• Using your knowledge of reading comprehension (e.g., literal comprehension, inferential

comprehension, engagement of schema, self-monitoring), write a response in which you:

▪ Identify and discuss one of the student’s strengths relating to reading

comprehension;

▪ Identify and discuss one of the student’s weaknesses relating to reading

comprehension.

(Due Unit 7) Prepare Text-Based Questions across Sources (100 points) using the following

guidelines:

• Read page 102 from the Mississippi ELA Curriculum Guide (available at

https://districtaccess.mde.k12.ms.us/curriculumandInstruction/MississippiCurriculumFrame

works/ELA/2016-MS-CCRS-ELA.pdf and copied into Canvas.

• Go to https://www.sunsigns.org/famousbirthdays/d/profile/ruby-bridges/ and study the

information about Ruby Bridges.

• Go to http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/ruby-bridges/ruby-bridges-for-kids.htm and

study the three sections on Ruby Bridges.

• Pay particular attention to the images as well as the text.

• Write 4 text-dependent questions pertaining to the life of Ruby Bridges. Each question will

be scored according to this checklist:

▪ The standard measured is copied and bolded prior to the question stem.

▪ The question assesses understanding of the designated standard.

▪ The question requires analysis of the text.

▪ The question requires text evidence in the response.

▪ A sample student response is provided.

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Unit One

o Reading Assignments

o Askey, Richard. Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics. American Educator,

v23 n3 p 6-9, 12-13, 49 Fall 1999. (see Canvas for copy of article)

o Strom, Erich. Common Core: Solve Math Problems.

https://archive.org/details/ERIC_EJ991955 (A PDF copy is available in Canvas.)

o Scriptures: Matthew 6: 25–34; Philippians 4:4-13

• View Lecture – Unit 1

• TAKE QUIZ – UNIT 1

• Discussion Question: Post your initial responses to the discussion forum by Wednesday 11:59

p.m. and respond to the discussion of others by Saturday 11:59 p.m.

o Discussion Question: (10 points)

Discuss the relevance and integration of the two selected passages for this section of the

course into the teaching and learning of mathematics, including various approaches to

assessment and remediation. You are looking at this from a secular point of view as

well as a Christian point of view – how would a non-Christian teacher approach the

teaching of mathematics and the changes required in instruction and assessment? How

would a Christian teacher approach it? Post a thorough discussion, and comment freely

and deeply on the comments of your classmates?

• Writing Assignment: Submit by Saturday 11:59 p.m.

o Writing Assignment (50 points)

Following the description in the reading assignment "Common Core: Solve Math

Problems,” select one end-of-lesson assessment problem that is rich and representative

of the bulk of the concepts in the standard you are targeting. Develop three different

stations in three different ways—concretely, representationally, and abstractly. Include a

description of what will be happening in each station.

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Unit Two

o Reading Assignments

o Zemelman, Harvey and Hyde, Arthur. Best Practices for Mathematics Instructions.

Available at http://www.heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/E00744/sample.pdf

and copied into Canvas.

• View Lecture – Unit 2

• TAKE QUIZ – UNIT 2

• Discussion Question: Post your initial responses to the discussion forum by Wednesday

11:59 p.m. and respond to the discussion of others by Saturday 11:59 p.m.

o Discussion Question: (10 points)

Reflect on “Chocolate Algebra” from this week’s reading assignment. Which of the

identified qualities of best practice in teaching mathematics are represented in this

lesson? How can you apply elements of this lesson in your teaching at your grade

level?

• Writing Assignment: Submit by Saturday 11:59 p.m.

o Writing Assignment (50 points)

Create 3 ORIGINAL math assessment items for the Mississippi Mathematics

competency 5.MD.5. One item is to be an enhanced multiple-choice item, one is to

be a constructed response item, and one is to be a performance item. This

assignment is to make sure you understand the differences between these three

formats. The questions you create MAY be used as part of your 25-question math

test (due in week 3). This standard has been unpacked for you at

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/standards/common-core-

tools/unpacking/math/5th.pdf . This document is also copied into Canvas

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Unit Three

o Reading Assignments

o Shaw, Jean. Manipulatives Enhance the Learning of Mathematics.

https://sgarciaellsummer.weebly.com/uploads/5/4/5/0/54501133/manipulative_in_m

ath1.pdf?c=mkt_w_chnl:aff_geo:all_prtnr:sas_subprtnr:1538097_camp:brand_adtyp

e:txtlnk_ag:weebly_lptype:hp_var:358504&sscid=81k6_citsp

(A PDF copy is available in Canvas.)

o Mississippi Department of Education College- and Career-Readiness Standards for

Mathematics Overview. Available in Canvas and at

https://districtaccess.mde.k12.ms.us/curriculumandInstruction/Mathematics%20Reso

urces/MS%20CCSSM%20Framework%20Documents/2016-MS-CCRS-Math.pdf

o Scriptures: Matthew 6: 25–34; Philippians 4:4-13

• View Lecture – Unit 3

• TAKE QUIZ – UNIT 3

• Discussion Question: Post your initial responses to the discussion forum by Wednesday

11:59 p.m. and respond to the discussion of others by Saturday 11:59 p.m.

o Discussion Question: (10 points)

How does the CRA model of instruction support students’ development of deep

conceptual understanding? Be specific and cite evidence from this week’s reading or

other sources in your response.

• Final Project 1 – Complete your Final Project – math assessment: Submit by Saturday

11:59 p.m.

o Create an ORIGINAL math assessment consisting of 25 original (not copied,

downloaded, taken from your district’s assessments, etc.) math questions. Your

assessment will consist of 12 enhanced multiple-choice items, 8 constructed response

items, and 5 performance items. See Appendix B for complete details. (150 points –

Final Project Part A). You are to use the same Mississippi Mathematics

competency 5.MD.5 that you've used for other assignments in this course.

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Week Four

o Reading Assignments

o Wren, Sebastian. Ten Myths of Reading Instruction. Available at

http://www.sedl.org/pubs/sedl-letter/v14n03/2.html and copied into Canvas.

o Scriptures: John 14:12 – 17; Psalm 13

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