email to teachers; miscue project

Hello, all! Here is a copy of the email I sent to the teachers asking them to work with you. This is FYI:

Hello middle school English educators:
I am teaching a course at Purdue this semester called EDCI 434: Teaching English in the Middle School and Junior High. It is a 6-week class that is taken before the students go out into their student teaching placements. The course focuses on middle level English education, and as part of the class they do a field experience of approximately 10 hours (four visits or so) during which they conduct a "miscue analysis" project.

The main purposes of this project are (1) to give students insight into the reading process by analyzing one middle school reader's miscues; (2) to give students insight into one reader, not only through miscue analysis and the subsequent retelling/discussion but through a reading interview; and (3) to give students the opportunity to apply some of what they've learning about effecting teaching by making recommendations for helping the reader become more effective and/or more efficient (if appropriate). The project involves the following four field visits:

1. interviewing a child to find out about his/her reading interests, strategies and so forth;

2. having the child read orally;

3. having the child retell the story or selection without prompting, then discuss it; and finally,

4. asking the child questions to probe for deeper understanding of the selection and his/her reading strategies.

If you think you might be willing to have one or two of my students visit your classroom to complete the miscue analysis project, please let me know. Also, feel free to send this email to any other potentially interested teachers. (I know my email list is not comprehensive.) The written project will only be read by me for the purposes of class instruction, so the final paper will not be distributed to any wider audience or be disseminated in any kind of professional context.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you very much for your help! We couldn't educate such wonderful new English teachers without you.

Sincerely,
Janet Alsup


ALSO--if you know a middle school aged child and would rather do your miscue project with him/her OUTSIDE of a school setting (in a tutoring situation, a nanny situation, a friend's child, or your own child) that is fine. Ask me if you have more questions about this. I will send the permission form tomorrow, as promised.