Question 1

What is our Zoom meeting address?

Accepted Answer

https://illinoisstate.zoom.us/j/91277767181

Question 2

Should I buy the books or can I rent them?

Accepted Answer

While renting the books may be the best choice for you financially, if possible I strongly encourage you to buy them. One of the best resources an ELA teacher can provide students is a classroom library, so whenever offered the opportunity to study an adolescent or young adult novel, it's a good idea to buy it because it can be added to your library when you finish. Our methods text, Letting Go of Literary Whiteness will also serve as a good resource for you when you have your own classroom.

Question 3

How do I know what we are doing each week?

Accepted Answer

There are multiple places to find this information. For a complete snapshot of the week, you can click on the week page, which can be found on the Units page. Here, I will post the materials we will be using for the class, as well as any other relevant information. You can also find a brief overview on our Getting Started page. This page will share the specific class focus for the upcoming weeks. You can also access the course calendar on the Getting Started page. This calendar will be updated regularly. It also has the due dates of the Unit Guides and Détournement project listed so you can plan your semester.

Question 4

When are my assignments due?

Accepted Answer

Unless otherwise announced, all weekly tasks should be completed by 5pm on Sunday. Longer assignments are also due by 5pm on Sunday by the date indicated on the Assignments page.

Question 5

How do I turn in my work?

Accepted Answer

All of your work will be submitted via your ELA portfolio. If you are doing work with a partner, both of you should post your work on your portfolios. For more information about your portfolio, see the next question.

Question 6

How should I set up my 238 portfolio?

Accepted Answer

You should have 3 tabs set up for this course: Thematic Units, Course Projects, & Instructional Materials.
 
Thematic Units: You will create two unit guides this semester. Your final guides should be posted here. You may also want to post links to classmates' guides here. These will be valuable resources for your future classes. Remember, if you use classmates' ideas in the future, be sure to credit them!
 
Course Projects: All other course work should be posted here. This includes your détournement project, as well as the weekly work you complete.
 
Instructional Materials: Use this space to keep track of resources that I or others share throughout the class. You never know when you may want to use them again when you are teaching in the field!

Question 7

What is the best way to communicate with you?

Accepted Answer

Please use the Slack channel I have created for our class. Emails get buried in my inbox, and I make sure to keep Slack open on my desktop and phone. You will get a more timely response by using Slack. And Slack allows you to attach documents, pictures, etc, just like email. Slack also allows us to communicate as a larger community. You may use the general channels to communicate with the larger class or to ask questions that others may know the answer to. You can directly message your classmates in Slack, as well as create other group discussion channels. It really is a versatile communication tool.

TCH 238

ELA Literature Methods for Middle School