Teaching English Language Arts Grades 5-12 Major

Major

As a student in CMU’s English education program, you'll join a close-knit community of aspiring teachers and faculty mentors who collaborate and learn from one another through coursework, classroom experiences, professional development opportunities, and our on-campus student organization.

Together, students develop strategies for designing curriculum; teaching lessons; differentiating instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners; and taking a culturally sustaining approach to ELA teaching and learning.

The Teaching English Language Arts Grades 5-12 major builds students’ knowledge of literature, language, composition, and pedagogy through courses that may include: Young Adult Literature, African American Literature, LGBTQ Literature, Creative Writing, and Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools.

The Teaching English Language Arts Grades 5-12 major is also built on a strong foundation of real-life experience with 60+ hours of classroom experience before student teaching, including opportunities to:

• Work one-on-one with middle and high school readers in local classrooms.
• Co-teach a unit with a local English teacher in a pre-student teaching experience.
• Facilitate small group discussions about literature with middle or high school students. • Conference virtually with middle or high school students on their writing.
• Design and videorecord lessons for feedback or online teaching. Completing the B.S. in Secondary Education degree with a major in Teaching English Language Arts, Grades 5-12 qualifies students for recommendation to the Michigan State Board of Education for a Secondary Standard Certificate.

In CMU’s English education program, you can:

• Study with award-winning faculty and published authors.
• Network with other future English teachers by joining the National Council of Teachers of English Student Organization.
• Present original work at state or national conferences.
• Submit poetry, fiction, or nonfiction work to Central Review, CMU’s literary journal.
• Build professional experience as a Writing Consultant in CMU’s Writing Center.