EDU 528: Literacy II

Overview

This course continues to cover foundation and application of scientifically-based methods and strategies for best practices in teaching the five components of reading: comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, phonemic awareness, and decoding/phonics. Methods for teaching oral and written language skills will continue to be taught in this course, as well as philosophies and methods on teaching writing and reading to emerging language learners within the context of reading and writing in content areas. The course includes a review of materials, strategies for teaching reading and writing skills, and important considerations for reading and field-based assignments. The course presents information on formal and informal assessment strategies and techniques in reading and writing.

The primary goal of the literacy courses is to build a cohesive bridge from educational theory to teaching strategies that can be applied in a variety of classroom settings. The objective is to assist the educator to move from theory to practice, or to enhance present knowledge in reference to this process. Content of the courses include teaching models, teaching strategies, assessment techniques and approaches, and the application of personal and cognitive developmental and language theories. Also, the courses allow candidates to implement curriculum they design by integrating assessment and feedback with the intent of enhancing all candidates learning.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Apply research and methods that support current views of best practices regarding children’s acquisition of literacy in reading, writing, and content area instruction.
• Integrate the processes and factors of literacy development and effective strategies that promote literacy across the curriculum.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how reading and writing are reciprocal, comprehension building, problem solving processes when applied to literacy and content area instruction.
• Incorporate strategies and techniques that integrate research-based literacy components into reading and content area instruction for ELLs and English speaking students.
• Identify and utilize a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies in literacy and content area instruction.
• Identify and utilize specific technology tools appropriate for reading, writing, and content area literacy instruction and demonstrate ability to incorporate technology into reading and content area instruction.
• Apply specific evaluation criteria for selecting print and electronic-based materials and resources appropriate for literacy and content area instruction.
• Examine and analyze assessment data in order to inform planning, assessment, and lesson design.

Required Texts
EDU 528 texts are available from the JIU/MBS bookstore