Welcome!

Welcome to ENGL 3690

Take charge of your happiness,

surround yourself with wisdom,
and move ahead with determination.
It’s going to be a great year!

Mrs. Barbara Meeusen

Instructor
 Introductions
We will begin our class this evening by introducing
ourselves, letting everyone know who you are by
telling us your nickname if you have one, and
sharing with us what pronouns you prefer.

At the end of the class, you will go to the Discussion Board

and write a few sentences about yourself that you would
like to share with the class. In Elearning, go to
Communications, then Discussions. The directions are
there for you to follow. This will be our Exit Ticket for today.
 All
All About
About Me
Me

This is a great writing assignment

for the beginning of the year in
the elementary grades.
 Syllabus

Click the Content tab

in Elearning to find the
information about our
course. The Syllabus is
the document that
addresses the overview
of academic content.
Please take some time
this week to familiarize
yourself with this
documents and the
other procedural
documents that are
contained in Module 1.
Article of the Week
Assignment

The Article of the Week

Assignment instructions
are in Module 1. Each
week, we will have two
individual student
presentations that will
teach the class about a
"hot topic” in education
based on the research of
an academic article.
Students need to sign-up
for a date to present. We
will do that now!
 Writer’s Website
Reading Responses

As you familiarize yourself

with the assignments in this
course, please be aware
that before we meet next
week you will need to
begin your Writer’s Website
and enter your first
Reading Response.

You will find the instructions

for these assignments
(as well as the rest of the
assignments for this course)
in Module1of Elearning.
 Pen Pal Letters

Please be aware that your first Pen Pal Letter is due during
Week 3. This assignment has many components, and the
guidelines for these multiple assignments will be located
in Module1of Elearning and posted at a later date.

Pen Pal Letters are due

Monday, September 12.
Please submit this letter to Drop
Box. Remember, be friendly
and cute to your Pen Pals. Ask
your Pen Pals questions about
their hobbies, interests, and
school. Engage Pen Pals so
they will want to write an
interesting letter back to you!
 Questions???

Any questions??? Please put them in the Chat.

 Cultivating Genius

Goldy Muhammad is the author of a truly

amazing book called Cultivating Genius. This book
is a remarkable resource for teaching the group(s)
of students who have been marginalized the most
in society and within schools.

Cultivating Genius provides a

historically responsive literacy
framework to help teachers
redesign learning goals and lesson
plans. Just as importantly, it helps
teachers select culturally and
historically responsive texts to use
in teaching.
 Quote

At the end of each class, we will unpack a quote from

Cultivating Genius to see how the idea would provide
valuable instruction for our students. Since reading and
writing are so closely intertwined in education, this
discussion will prove to be an effective strategy for
teaching both content areas in elementary school.

“Rather than wait for their rights

and education to be granted from
those with legislative power, they
instead created their own
agendas and claimed authority
by organizing into professional
associations focused on literacy.”
 Exit Tickets
We will conclude our class meeting by
writing in the Discussion Board. Usually,
we will be writing to a prompt in the
Chat for our Exit Ticket. But, today you
will earn your Exit Ticket points by writing
in the Discussion Board.
Remember, you will go to the
Discussion Board and write a
few sentences about yourself
that you would like to share with
the class. In Elearning, click on
Communications, then
Discussions. The directions are
there for you to follow. Please
read the Discussion Guidelines
document as well.
 Exit Tickets
Typically, we will conclude our class
meeting by writing to a prompt in the
Chat for our Exit Ticket. Then, I will copy
these submissions and post them for you all
to read. Sometimes, we will use the
Discussion Board for our Exit Ticket like we
did today. By sharing our writing, we will
get to know each other, establish trust and
build a positive writing community.

That is exactly what you will do when you become a

teacher and have your own classroom and students!
Building a positive and nurturing classroom environment will
provide your future students with many learning
opportunities. I sincerely hope that this is the type of
community that results in our ENGL 3690 Course this
semester. When we work together and give our best effort
anything is possible!
 PowerPoints
Teachers know that all students (despite their age) learn in
different ways. In Education, we call these ways the Multiple
Intelligences. With that in mind, I have prepared these slides
for YOU to support your learning in this class. After each class,
I will post the slides I used to teach. They live in the Module
called PowerPoint Presentations.

In the coming years as you prepare

to become teachers, you will work
hard to prepare interesting lessons
so that your students become
active listeners and learners. I hope
you enjoy these slides and they help
you learn how to become an
amazing teacher. The world could
really use some amazing teachers
right now!
 Contact Info

barbara.meeusen@wmich.edu
WebEx Meeting Room:
https://wmich.webex.com/meet/barbara.meeusen

Mrs. Meeusen's Office Hours:

BY
Monday & Wednesday 4:00-5:00
Please email me if you plan to join me
in WebEx during Office Hours.
I am also available at other times by appointment.

Enjoy your last week of summer, and have

a lovely Labor Day with family and friends.
See you on September 7.