EDC 555: Reading/Literacy - Elementary

Description:

(formerly: Methods of Teaching Reading & Other Language Arts)
Competency Area: Curriculum & Instruction
Required of and restricted to Fall 2008 entering Integrated Learning Elementary and Early Childhood certification students and Waldorf year round M.Ed. with state certification students.

Is reading a skill that children naturally develop or is it a process that requires programmatic, constant instruction? Is it better to teach phonics or try a 147whole language148 approach? This course will address these questions and consider the following topics: an analysis of the reading process and what is involved in encoding and decoding; different approaches to reading instruction and the use of children146s literature; ways to teach reading that promote confidence and fluency; assessment tools to determine the strengths and needs of young readers; and the integration of reading, writing and speech activities throughout the curriculum.