English 321W: Linguistics for Teachers
Section 1: T/TH
Section 2: T/TH
Contacting
Me:
Office:
McIver 113 (Tel.: 334-3564)
Office
Hours: Tues. & Thurs.
E-mail: ajwurr@uncg.edu (best way to reach me)
Dennis
Baron. Guide to Home Language Repair. NCTE 1994.
Lee Thomas & Stephen Tchudi. The English Language: An Owner’s Manual. Allyn and Bacon 1999.
**Selected
readings (see attach list) on reserve at the
Recommended: David Crystal. The
This
course is about language, language use, and theories and applications of
language study in the classroom. Across the semester we cover the history of
the English language and of language teaching and participate in a personal
exploration into and reflection on language acquisition. We examine definitions
of language, communication, discourse, and literacy and the political
ideologies implicated in those definitions. We investigate language structures
and systems, including an understanding and application of phonology,
morphology, and syntax. Finally, we explore the interrelationships of language
and contexts, examining such issues related to language and language learning
as dialects, multilingualism, gender, language standards and conventions
(correctness/error), language variations/varieties, technology and language,
oral/literate traditions, direct/indirect speech acts, etc.
Graded Work for This Course
Literacy and Language
Learning Project 20%
Position/Philosophy
Statement on Language and Literacy 20%
Group Presentation on
Linguistics and Annotated Bibliographies 20%
Group Lesson Plan and
Demonstration on Computers and Language 20%
Course Grade:
A = 90 – 100% C
= 70 – 79%
B =
80 – 89% D = 60 – 69% F = 0 – 59%
Attendance and Preparedness
This course is interactive which means you will be participating in each class session through oral and written discussions and activities. I assume you will attend class regularly, but you have five absences for illness, car trouble, emergencies and the like. This means that there is no distinction between an “excused” and an “unexcused” absence; every absence counts. More than five absences lowers your course grade by an entire letter, so if your course grade averages out to a “B,” but you have more than five absences, you will receive a “C.” Be prepared to enter into the discussion in one form or another. If written assignments/paper drafts are due for group work and you are not prepared, I will consider you absent. If you miss a conference with me and do not call or contact me ahead of time, I will consider you absent. Any student who presents as his or her own work the efforts of another without precise acknowledgment is guilty of plagiarism.
Overview of
Assignments
The purposes of the reading and learning
responses are
1. to interact in
writing with the reading assignments,
2. to reflect on
language, its use/misuse/reuse,
3. to explore the relationship of language use across various
contexts and within educational, political, cultural, social, and personal
realms,
4. to interact with
other students’ opinions and ideas through Blackboard.
You
will also draft and revise two short texts across the
semester:
1. a project that records some aspect of your
language learning (literacy and language learning project);
2. a philosophy statement reflecting your position on
language and literacy either for teaching or in society.
We will talk about these assignments,
generate topics, and use various invention strategies to plan your texts and
incorporate your research. The final drafts of these texts will be formatted
appropriately and typed or word-processed.
In small groups, you will do two oral
presentations: one in which you research and report on a linguistics topic (group
presentation on linguistics) and one using Blackboard to generate and teach
a language lesson that your group designs (group lesson plan and
demonstration on computers and language). In the first, you will have some
choice over your topic and the direction of your research that will culminate
in an annotated bibliography. In the second, you will be grouped by future
teaching interests and will design a language lesson on the computer that all
of us will experience.
Learning Goals
Through the readings, assignments, and class
activities in this course, you will
A. investigate language
structure and systems, including an understanding and application of phonology,
morphology, and syntax
B. examine definitions of
language, communication, discourse, and literacy and the political ideologies
implicated in those definitions,
C.
learn about the history of the English language and its dialects,
D.
participate in electronic discussions on language and education issues
discussed in class
E. analyze
language difference in specific cultural contexts and make decisions about the
appropriate uses of standard and nonstandard usage with specific educational
contexts,
F. research linguistics
topics, share that knowledge through an oral presentation, and apply it to
teaching language
G. communicate your
knowledge, thinking, and language‑teaching plans in writing, in speaking,
in gesture (and sign), and in other visual forms,
H. apply the NC Standard Course of Study for language arts and technology by developing a lesson plan, meeting several of the NC Advanced Technology Skills Competencies/ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers, and
I. work to integrate the language
arts curriculum (composition/communication, literature, and language/grammar)
as a means to teach language/grammar.
English 321W: Linguistics
for Teachers
Writing Assignments for the
Semester (40% of course grade):
1. Literacy
and Language Learning Project (20%)
This short project recounts in one or more ways your language education to this point. You might want to focus on one person, one concept, one event or one year in or out of school that shows how you learned to sign, speak, listen, write, and/or read. You might want to approach this across/over/through time, people, and events. It might deal with learning a second language. You need to decide on an appropriate audience for this project‑your future students, your family, a former teacher, friend, or person who influenced your understanding of language and learning. The forms for this text/project could be most anything: a children's book, a comic book (beyond strip), a longer poem or series of short poems, a letter to a parent or teacher, a speech on audio or videotape, an article for a specific magazine, a parody of a chapter of a textbook or case study, an allegory, a timeline, a collage, a scrapbook, a song with lyrics on audio or videotape, a skit recorded on videotape, a cookbook, a plan for a website, a board game, etc. What this project is not is a narrative essay or a chapter of an auto/biography. This is a creative project that reflects not only your history but also your understanding of how meaning arises from pictures, symbols, structures, and words. We will brainstorm ideas and talk about this assignment during class.
2. Position/Philosophy
Statement on Language and Literacy (20%)
As
the last paper for this course, you will write a multi-drafted position/opinion statement about some
aspect/issue of language, linguistics, or literacy. It should be between
four-to-six pages, double-spaced with one-inch margins. A personal
position/opinion is a synthesis of learning, so cite your sources ‑ both
internally and in a Works Cited according to the MLA style guide ‑‑
when referring to the theories, ideas, and words of others. This assignment
asks that you draw on what you already know or have learned in this course and
others. We will brainstorm topics, workshop rough drafts, and develop and
discuss a grading rubric in class.
If
you plan to teach, you might write this as an open letter to your students. If
you are a deaf interpreter, you might write this as a means of introduction to
the person who will hire you. Although you may want to write about language
and/or literacy and teaching and/or interpreting in general, you will want to
narrow down your focus and explore it with specific examples. Look back at your
readings and writings for this course. What mattered to you? What surprised
you? What appalled you? There may be the seeds for your topic and approach
already planted in one of your discussion responses or in your oral
presentation research. Or by answering the following questions you may find a
way to focus:
How
would you describe the general principles you believe about language-oral,
print, and sign? How are these principles related? What have you learned this
semester that reinforced your beliefs or made you change them? What texts, what
theories, and what people have influenced your beliefs? In
what ways? What experiences with using language have you had that have
influenced your position? Whether teacher or interpreter, how do plan to act on
the above in your classroom?
English 321W
Linguistics for Teachers
Group Lesson
Plan and Demonstration on Computers and Language
(20% of course
grade)
In
groups of three, you will design and demonstrate a lesson plan that teaches an
aspect of language through the Blackboard (a web-environment
instructional software) features available to you on the computer. You will
have a total of twenty minutes for your demonstration. During that time, you
will present the lesson to us and have us try out the activity--either all of
the lesson or some part of it. You should think of us (your audience) as
teachers and prospective teachers of language and the interactive segment on
the computer should be set up for the students you envision doing this lesson.
In other words, as teachers we will try out the lesson for the specified
students, as if this were a staff development/in-service workshop.
You
will prepare a print text as a handout that speaks to us as teachers. In other words,
as teachers with this handout, we should be able to adapt your computer lesson
for our own students and curriculum. Bring 26 copies.
The
handout
1)
has a title and lists your
names,
2)
identifies your student audience for this lesson,
3)
states the NC Standard Course of
Study competencies for the appropriate curricula and technology that you meet
with this lesson,
4)
lists your purposes and
objectives of teaching this aspect of language through the computer,
5)
explains why this aspect of language is important for those students to
know,
6)
outlines the guidelines and procedures for actually doing the lesson,
and
7)
defines the expectations you have for the students and the
means of evaluation.
You
might want to prepare and organize this handout in sections with headings. You
may also want to include handouts that outline the Blackboard software
directions, provide support materials or operate as models.
During
class, we will set the groups, brainstorm ideas and topics, discuss this
assignment, try out Blackboard and
other computer features, and use class time for you to work together.
After your presentation, the class members will send
you their responses and reactions via the mail system in Blackboard. Because
each of you has an instructor’s/teaching assistant’s account in the software,
the system will not insure privacy, so I will provide you with a written
evaluation and grade via paper.
Group Presentations for
English 321W
Linguistics for Teachers
In
class we will continue exploring topics that are intersections of linguistics
and contexts: dialects, multilingualism, gender, language standards and
conventions, language variations/varieties, technology, oral/literate
traditions, direct/indirect speech acts, gesture and signing, etc. In groups of
4-5, you will research the linguistics topic of your choice and offer a 30-45
minute presentation for the other class members.
The
presentation (worth 50% of project grade) should include (but not necessarily
in this order):
The
Annotated Bibliography (worth 50% of project grade) should:
See
the model Annotated Bibliography on reserve by Bullock et al.
Audio-visual
materials:
You
have at your disposal the chalkboard, VCR and monitor, and OHP projector. I can
arrange for a cassette/CD player and data projector for Powerpoint
presentations (but you will need to supply the laptop). Please let me know at
least one week in advance if you’d like to use either of these multimedia
resources so I can make the necessary arrangements.
You
may arrange the seating/room in any way that’s beneficial for your
presentation.
You
have control over the format of the presentation: it might include a panel
discussion, a skit, an activity involving the audience, props, etc. Try to
think of ways to encourage interaction amongst presenters as well as the
audience.
English 321W: Linguistics for Teachers
Use
the questions and directions below as prompts for your ideas. You need not
address every issue as they’re intended to get you started writing and
responding, but you should make clear references to the reading, and when
appropriate personal experience, in every entry. Realize that you have an
audience for these writings besides yourself. There are three types of reading
and learning responses. 1) The first two responses need to be approximately 350
words (two hand-written pages or one and one-half word-processed, double-spaced
with one inch margins). You can always write more to finish the thought you’re
exploring. These are expected at the class time of the reading assignment. 2)
For Blackboard discussion folder postings, your response should be around 250
words and posted on Blackboard prior to class. Within one week after class, you
also need to write short interactive responses to at least 2 other postings. 3)
For the linguistics presentations and computer demonstrations letters, see
specific prompts for directions, which need to be followed. You do not need to
write about your own presentation and demonstration. Criteria for grading on
all journal entries are appropriateness, completeness, and timeliness. No late
assignments will receive full credit, and none will be accepted more than one
week after the due date unless an extension is arranged with the instructor
prior to the due date.
1. After reading Dennis Baron’s chapters, write 5-to-10 rules or
familiar language questions that you have learned from your schooling. This
might include issues of writing‑spelling usage, punctuation,
documentation, sentence structure, organization of text, use of
examples/support, formatting, titles, etc.‑or of speaking-pronunciation,
word choice, word order, etc. For instance, I learned to never start a sentence
with a coordinating conjunction. But, I do it all of the time, don’t you? Then
discuss what you see as the differences between language conventions and
communication.
2. Using the information from CEL and EL,
explain how you see the relationship of context to language use (spoken or
written). How does the situation change the ways you and others speak or write?
How are your school voices and texts different from other voices and texts you
generate? To what extent do these shifts in voice signal shifts in authority
and identity? As a prospective teacher, what do you feel your obligation is to
help your students understand appropriateness in speech and writing? Cite
examples from your life that show how language is appropriate or not, and what
it means to “talk the talk and walk the walk.”
3. [Post in the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Parts is
Parts”] Baron offers many examples of usage distinctions emphasizing underlying
social assumptions about “proper”
English whether spoken or written. He further exemplifies this emphasis on
parts and pieces through his discussion of standardized testing. Goodman offers
an alternative to this testing. Using examples from the readings and your own,
discuss what you believe about a student’s language use, testing, and a
teacher’s responsibility.
4. [Post in the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Literacy”] What assumptions do you think you hold about literacy? Do
you agree that literacy is “emergent”? Knoblauch
discusses four kinds of literacy that act as underlying assumptions when our
society argues about curriculum in education. Which types of literacy do you
value and why? In what contexts is each type valuable to society? As a language
user and teacher, which kinds of literacy do you want to promote? Why?
5. [Post in the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “CCCC
Resolution.”] The CCCC resolution on language and teaching was adopted by its
members and first published in 1974. Did the English teachers you had in high
school and at college follow it? Use examples from your educational experiences
to show when teachers supported aspects of this resolution and when they did
not. Note: They may not have even addressed these issues directly, and they may
not know this document exists; however, their teaching supports, goes against,
or ignores aspects of this resolution. I suggest not using the names of the
teachers you write about.
6. [Post in
the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Speaking and Writing.”] After
reflecting on one difference and similarity you know between speaking and
writing, type in a line of poetry or literature, an adage, or a jingle that you
like the “sound” of. Explain why you enjoy the sounds. What do oral language
games (like Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers) help language users
learn? Do you see a role for language games in your classroom or profession?
7. [Post in
the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Dialects.”] What assumptions and
stereotypes do you see in society and school that tie to intelligence and
spoken or written language? Some believe that slow speech or a drawl equals
stupidity. Some believe that clipped and brief responses represent coldness and
distance. Have any of these been applied to you? If so, tell your story. As
teachers, what should we be doing in the classroom with language variety to
offset some of these stereotypes?
8. [Post in
the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Proper English?”] How were you taught
about language variety and dialect in high school? Were dialects and writing
practices other than Edited American English valued? What do the terms “error”
and “correctness” mean to you when dealing with language? Is there such a thing
as unintentional error? If so, when might that happen; if not, why not? Try to
include examples from both spoken and written language and try to think about
error in terms of reading and listening. Do teachers unintentionally mishear or
misread? Is this error?
9. [Post in the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Describing Language”] Webb uses descriptive linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics) to argue that Black English, like all languages, is a rule-governed? Provide any additional examples of Black English or other varieties of English you might be familiar with that might confirm, challenge, or complicate her thesis? How should schools and teachers appropriately apply this theory in practice? For example, should Ebonics be supported and encouraged in the classroom and language curricula? Why or why not?
10.
[Post in the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Tune in”] Have
you ever had difficulty understanding someone with an unfamiliar dialect, or
struggled to catch familiar sounds and words in a foreign language? Why do you
suppose parents and siblings are often able to interpret a baby’s first words
when others cannot? Reflecting on one such experience, discuss what you think
it means to “tune in” to spoken language and make sense of what we hear. Try
offering examples of your own to help distinguish between a phoneme, morpheme,
letter, and word.
11. [Post in the Blackboard
Discussion Folder titled “Morph Play.”] Morphology deals as much with slang
(you fill in the expression) and new words and expressions (“sound byte,”
“pregnant chad”) as it does with Edited American
English and technical jargon. Offer one example of slang and/or a newly coined
word and provide a morphological analysis. Include its word classification(s).
Try making up a new word and do the same analysis.
12. [Post in the Blackboard
Discussion Folder titled “Technical Terms.”] You have been reading about
phonology, morphology, syntax, and language varieties. What are your reactions
to the readings and class activities? Why do you think state certification
standards (and those who set them) require that you be aware of these concepts?
What connections do you see between the classroom, language learning, and these
concepts?
13. [Post in the Blackboard
Discussion Folder titled “Teaching Language.”] Of the twelve guidelines that
Weaver offers, which ones do you want to incorporate into your teaching and
why? Provide examples and ideas of how you might achieve these goals in your
future classrooms. In addition, Baron talks about the “double standard” of
plagiarism. How do you deal with these issues (we the literature we teach
practices one approach, while we preach another) in your classroom? What
experiences have you had as a student or teacher with these issues? How might
Weaver’s guidelines help with this double standard?
14. [Post in the Blackboard
Discussion Folder titled “Semiotics.”] Using examples from your own experience,
write about how communication happens beyond speech and writing. Categorize
these examples as auditory-vocal, visual, or tactile.
15-19. For each
presentation, use Blackboard email “select users” to write and send a letter to
group members that states what you liked or found interesting about the
presentation, what questions or connections have occurred to you because of it,
and what was effective and not effective in the organization and content of the
presentation, in the manner of presenters, in the use of audio-visual
materials, and in the interactive nature of the presentation. In other words,
you are offering praise, analysis, and suggestions for change. (NOTE: I expect
these letters to be quite detailed and instructive for the presenters,
approximately 200 words each. Remember to send your letters to me too or you
will not get credit for them. Send each letter to yourself too, so that you can
save them in a message folder (to print them out for your technology portfolio
and to resend to someone in the case the letter doesn’t make it to each
presenter.)
20. [Post in the Blackboard
Discussion Folder titled “Why History?”] After reading Thomas and Tchudi’s “A Brief History of the English Language,” discuss
why it’s important to know about the history of the language and its dialects.
What do you want to know more about? What do you want your students to know and
value about the English language?
Extra Credit [Post in the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Extra Credit” by 11/12]: After watching Mother Tongue and examining various language websites on the Internet, post your impressions about that history and about the multiple Englishes that occur around the world in the Blackboard Discussion Folder titled “Englishes”. What kinds of language changes did you learn about in the film? With our world becoming smaller everyday thanks to the Internet, the media, various forms of technology, growth in international business, etc., how do you think English will evolve and change in the future?
21-24. For each demonstration, use Blackboard email “select users” to write and send a letter to the group that states what you liked or found interesting about the lesson, what questions or connections have occurred to you because of it, and what was effective and not effective in the organization and content of the presentation, in the manner of presenters, in the use of electronic materials, and in the interactive nature of the presentation. In other words, you are offering praise, analysis, and suggestions for change. (NOTE: I expect these letters to be quite detailed and instructive for the presenters, approximately 100 words each. Remember to send your letters to me too or you will not get credit for them. Send each letter to yourself too, so that you can save them in a message folder (to print them out for your technology portfolio and to resend to someone in the case the letter doesn’t make it to each presenter.)
G
= Guide to Home Language Repair; CEL = The
EL
= The English Language: An Owner’s Manual
|
DATE |
TOPIC |
|
JOURNAL |
|
T
1/14 |
When
did you learn grammar? |
|
|
|
TH
1/16 |
Rules
versus conventions |
G
1-21 |
#1 |
|
T
1/21 |
Language
contexts and language play; Language
Project Overview |
CEL
48-65; EL 67-73 (74-104 recommended) |
#2 |
|
TH
1/23 |
Language,
education, and authority |
G
22-80; Reserve 1 |
#3 |
|
T
1/28 |
Literacy
& education |
Reserve
2 |
#4 |
|
TH
1/30 |
Teaching
language in school |
Reserve
3 |
#5 |
|
T
2/4 |
Speaking
versus writing |
CEL
180-183; G 112-120; EL 309-342 |
#6 |
|
TH
2/6 |
Language
projects due for class share; (Extra
Credit: Watch “American Tongues” in TLC and complete related worksheet &
journal) |
|
|
|
T
2/11 |
Accounting
for language differences |
CEL
82-3; EL 277-308 |
#7 |
|
TH
2/13 |
Propriety
and poetry in language variations |
G
95-111; CEL 71-75 |
#8 |
|
T
2/18 |
Describing
Language |
Reserve
4; EL 31-66; CEL 90-1, 162-3 |
#9 |
|
TH
2/20 |
Language
structures: Phonology; Linguistics Group Presentation Info |
Reserve
5 |
#10 |
|
T
2/25 |
Language
structures: Morphology |
G
121-158; Reserve 6 |
#11 |
|
TH
2/27 |
Rethinking
the Teaching of Grammar; |
CEL
94-9; EL 205-238 |
#12 |
|
T
3/4 |
Rethinking
the Teaching of Grammar; Set
groups and topics for presentations |
G
81-94; Reserve
7 |
#13 |
|
TH
3/6 |
Library
Orientation & Research: Meet in library (Journals #3-13 due by |
|
|
|
3/11-13 |
SPRING
BREAK |
|
|
|
T
3/18 |
Semiotics,
signing, & gesture; Group work: Bring at least one completed annotated
reference for work-shopping. |
CEL
403-407 & 222-7 |
#14 |
|
TH
3/20 |
Group
Work |
|
|
|
T
3/25 |
Presentations
#1-2 |
|
#15-16 |
|
TH
3/27 |
Presentations
#3-4 |
|
#17-18 |
|
T
4/1 |
Presentations
#5-6; Philosophy Statement Info |
|
#19 |
|
TH
4/3 |
History
of the English Language--Meet in McIver 231 through 4/24; (Extra
Credit: See Mother Tongue in TLC and complete related worksheet &
journal) |
EL
139-164 |
#20 |
|
T
4/8 |
Learning
Language through Computers |
|
|
|
TH
4/10 |
Learning
Language through Computers |
|
|
|
T
4/15 |
Learning
Language through Computers |
|
|
|
TH
4/17 |
Computer
Teaching Demonstrations 1-3 |
|
#21-22 |
|
T
4/22 |
Computer
Teaching Demonstrations 4-6 Draft
Philosophy Statement due |
|
#23-24 |
|
TH
4/24 |
Computer
Teaching Demonstrations 7-8 & Critique of Blackboard; |
|
#25 |
|
T
4/29 |
Class
canceled for individual conferences on Philo. statement; Journals #14-25 due |
|
|
|
TH
5/1 |
Philosophy
Statement due |
|
|
Email Address(es): ajwurr@uncg.edu
|
CALL NUMBER |
LOAN PERIOD |
AUTHOR |
TITLE |
|
|
Personal Copy |
Closed |
Bullock, Devyn T., Daughtry, Ashley G., |
Annotated bibliography: Identifying, teaching, and mainstreaming children with learning disabilities |
FYI |
|
Personal copy |
Closed |
College Composition & Communication |
Students’ right to their own language |
Reserve 3 |
|
P29.C64 1997 |
Closed |
Crystal, David |
|
On-going |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Goodman, Ken |
Phonology: The sound system |
Reserve 5 |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Goodman, Yetta |
Kid Watching |
Reserve 1 |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Harste, J. C., Woodward, V. A., & Burke, C. L. |
Rethinking development and organization |
Reserve 2 |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Knoblauch, C. H. |
Literacy and the politics of education |
Reserve 2 |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Parker, K. & Riley, K. |
Phonology |
Reserve 5 |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Walker, Ariane |
Philosophy Statement |
FYI |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Weaver, Constance |
Learning theory and the teaching of grammar |
Reserve 7 |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Webb, Karen |
Black English: A discussion |
Reserve 4 |
|
Photocopy |
Closed |
Yule, George |
Words and word-formation processes |
Reserve 6 |