ENGL 607 Composition Studies

This course should interest both practicing and prospective teachers of writing at middle, secondary and above, those interested in issues of literacy, and those who wish to gain practical tools for becoming better readers of other people’s writing and their own.

Textbook readings and presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will write four discussions throughout this course. Each discussions should be at least 300 words. Students should be thorough in their detailing how course material has impacted their thoughts regarding the prompt at hand. The original discussion thread is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of the module in which it is assigned. One 200–300-word evaluation of one classmate’s thread is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the final day of the same module. 

Discussion: Micro-Teaching Peer Evaluation

After completing the Micro-Teaching Project: Video Session Assignment, students will submit the lesson they recorded to YouTube. Students will then watch at least two classmates’ videos. After watching the feedback students will offer constructive feedback that is meaningful to their peers’ micro-teaching presentations. In the first Peer Evaluation, students must reply to a peer that does not yet have a peer evaluation completed. This means that before a student can be evaluated for the second time all students in the class must have at least one review completed of their micro-teaching lessons. Each peer evaluation/reply should be 250-350 words and should focus on strengths, weaknesses, what they learned, and what could be improved (CLO: E).

Micro-Teaching Project Assignments (5)

The purpose of the Micro-teaching Project is 1) to offer experience in planning and presenting instruction in a writing classroom, 2) to allow the student to witness a wider range of possibilities, and 3) to expand the student’s knowledge base in the theory and practice of teaching writing. This project assignment will be submitted in five parts and will take the majority of the subterm to complete.

Topic Selection Assignment 

The student will submit a course-related topic for researching, teaching, and lesson
planning and provide a 200-word explanation of why this topic has been chosen and what he/she hopes to accomplish in his/her researching/teaching of this topic.

Research Sources Assignment 

Lesson Plan Assignment 

The student will create a lesson plan using measurable learning goals and a student activity to help teach the concept. The lesson plan must also include an outline with the content of the lesson, properly sequenced using levels and roman numerals.

Video Session Assignment 

Students will teach and record a 7-10 minute lesson based on their lesson plan. In the recorded lesson, students are expected to exhibit effective communication, facilitate class involvement, and implement technology to enhance the teaching session. Students are encouraged, but not required, to record the video in front of an audience of at least three adults (earning up to 15 bonus points if audience is engaged in the micro-teaching session).

Analysis Assignment

Based on the peer feedback received in the Discussion: Micro-Teaching Peer Evaluation, the student will write a one-page analysis of the effectiveness of his/her instruction. Any student who does not receive peer feedback from classmates must submit an analysis based on his/her own evaluation and learning experience.

Capstone Paper Assignment

The capstone paper assignment will be a culminating project in which students explore through research and reflection an area of interest in the field of composition studies. It is recommended that the student use either APA or MLA documentation (depending on his/her discipline) and that the paper be between 3000-4000 words. (CLO: A).

Quiz: Composition Quiz

This quiz will be a combination of essay and objective questions and will be based on the textbook readings and presentations. The quiz is open book, allows one attempt, has a 3-hour time limit, and consists of at least 25 objective questions and 5 essay questions. (CLO: A).