Course Description

This course is designed to prepare middle grades teachers to utilize reading and writing skills as tools for learning in the content areas. Teacher candidates will be able to employ a three- part learning framework and strategies for implementing the framework within their content fields. During this course, candidates will utilize varied types of print and non-print content materials in developing skills for training students in content literacy skills. Individual needs of learners will be addressed in determining the appropriateness of varied grouping strategies and comprehension activities for each learner. Directed field-based experience required.

Textbooks
- Steps to Success: Crossing the Bridge Between Literacy Research and Practice, Ed. Kristen A. Munger
- Link to other resources
Course Learning Objectives

The main purpose of this course is to introduce students to reading and writing strategies that will enhance learning in content-area classrooms.

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

1. Connect thinking processes to strategies underlying reading, writing, and learning activities in content area teaching.
2. Provide explicit instruction for middle grades students in reading and writing strategies that will enhance their learning in content fields.
3. Plan, introduce, guide and culminate units of instruction that will meaningfully engage students with reading and writing activities to enhance understanding.
4. Provide diverse print and non-print materials for content-area reading.
5. Employ comprehension support in pre-reading, actual reading and post-reading content activities.
6. Provide experiences to enhance vocabulary development in content fields.
7. Utilize formal and informal writing to encourage middle grades students to connect, organize, share and apply content
knowledge.
8. Train students in the selection of appropriate study techniques for specific content fields of study.
9. Engage middle grades students with a range of materials and methods for learning about the world and organizing
content-area and interdisciplinary inquiry.

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