The Integration of Reading and Writing

1. The Integration of Reading and Writing Oakton Community College Des Plaines, Illinois Our Story

2. Twenty Years Ago… • A movement was begun by the ESL faculty, who are part of the EGL department, to merge ESL Reading and Writing courses. • This worked especially well as ESL faculty had the type of degrees that allowed them to teach both classes. • Oakton’s ESL students would benefit as they tended to test into both classes.

3. Thus was born… ESL Tandems of Reading and Writing A Permanent Curriculum Change that has proven to be quite successful according to our data

4. The Developmental Reading and Writing courses are heading down this same road • As with ESL, most students who test into developmental reading also test into developmental writing. • Why not continue a Best Practice ?

5. A Possible Obstacle? • Having to pay two separate teachers • Developmental Writing faculty are not qualified to teach Developmental Reading classes (Masters in English or Rhetoric) • Developmental Reading faculty are not qualified to teach Developmental Writing classes (Masters in Reading) • Therefore, having two teachers in the classroom means that each teacher would need to be paid 6 LHEs • A steep cost for any community college

6. Something to Consider… Faculty with Master’s Degrees in Special Education or Developmental Education are qualified to teach a developmental reading and writing tandem.

7. What then happens to the Reading & Developmental Writing faculty @ OCC? • A compromise in the curriculum can occur. • Offer several Developmental Reading/Writing Tandems taught by one teacher qualified to teach both. • Keep severalclasses separate for faculty needs and student needs.

8. Building a syllabus for a developmental reading and writing tandem • One syllabus integrating both courses is a must • Objectives may be long but as long as they’re measurable… • Build a calendar to keep the course integrated • Optional: a theme-based tandem • Ex. All readings and writing will examine problems in higher education.

9. Let’s examine one such syllabus English 092 (Developmental Reading) and English 097 (Developmental Composition II)

10. Recommended Textbook and Table of Contents • Part Seven Reading Identifying Transitional Elements Transitional Elements in Reading Transitional Elements in Writing The Placement of Transitional Elements in Sentences An Excerpt Showing the Effect of Transitions The Paragraph as a Transition Practice Essay: Barry Glassner, Teen Suicide and the Culture of Fear Reading Selections Anwar Accawi, The Telephone Judith Ortiz Cofer, More Room Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

11. Sample Lesson Plans • Plan every week with the “Flip-side” in mind. • Plan every class lesson with the “Flip-side” incorporated • Use the “Flip-side” for classroom projects • Continue to use the “Flip-side” Teaching Strategy for Homework • What is the “Flip-side” Teaching Method? • Allow me to demonstrate…

12. Assessment • At Oakton we would compare their entering placement scores with their exiting placement scores. • DRP/ACT Compass/Writing Skills Assessment Test • We could compare these scores to the classes that were not integrated. • We would also need to design a survey that would ask the students, at the beginning of the semester, and then again at the end, what they saw as the relationship between reading/writing