Middle Level/High School Subject Area Specialization:

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Lewis & Clark has a reputation for preparing excellent teachers of the liberal arts. The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) with Initial Teaching License continues this tradition by offering candidates the opportunity to teach at the middle level or high school grades. Our program prepares new teachers to think analytically about their subject matter and the school curriculum, their practice of the teaching craft, and their role in the ethical and organizational dilemmas of schooling.

The Preservice M.A.T. in English Language Arts degree program complements similar programs in other subject areas and early childhood/elementary education. These programs all stress a strong disciplinary background and commitment to critical appraisal of curriculum in the candidate’s field.

The program prepares students to:

• Respect students as fellow readers and writers

• Know and apply writing process to the support and development of student writers

• Provide opportunities for feedback and collaboration in writing

• Teach grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling skills within the context of students' writing

• Model writing by being a practitioner of the craft of writing

• Create a literate environment in the classroom

• Model a love of reading and share how it can be an enriching part of one's life

• Know the literature he/she teaches

• Demonstrate and support a variety of modes in response to literature

• Respect the dialect which students bring to the classroom

• Model standard usage

• Provide a variety of occasions for students to speak aloud

• Understand and demonstrate comprehension strategies

Program features:

• Nine-month internship in a middle or high school in the Portland metropolitan area working with an experienced English language arts mentor teacher

  Campus studies in education, English language arts, and curriculum theory and construction

• Examinations of writing, literature, poetry, language structure, and reading strategies as components of the English discipline

• Coursework which focuses on a cognitive, integrated language approach to English language arts instruction

• Understanding of the intellectual and empirical research traditions as applied to education and English language arts teaching

• Fulfillment of the requirements for an Oregon Initial Teaching License at the middle level and high school grades.

Admission expectations:

Individuals who hold a baccalaureate degree with a major in English or the liberal arts may apply to the English Language Arts program.

Applicants with a minor, coursework, or extensive background or experience in English language arts may be considered. Please contact the Teacher Education department to discuss subject area preparation.

Contact information

For further information about licensing, degree program, and course offerings in social studies, pleases contact :

Kimberly Campbell, faculty

Teacher Education

kimberly@lclark.edu

(503) 768-6108