Overview
This course is designed to help prospective secondary teachers in all content areas increase and enhance students’ learning from text. It is also designed to help secondary teachers recognize and compensate for the variety of ability levels in the classroom. Major approaches to teaching reading to students in grades 6 to 12 will be explored. Emphasis placed on skills in such content areas as English, social studies, science, math, foreign languages, and the arts which the secondary teacher can apply toward improving secondary school students’ reading ability and their attitude toward reading. Some emphasis on the diagnosis and remediation of certain kinds of reading difficulties is included. The course provides a brief overview of the reading process, metacognition relevant to learning, and schema theory. The major emphasis will be on practical application of the course content to the classroom setting. Because of the link between reading and writing, attention will also be given to using writing in the various content areas to promote thinking and learning. Prerequisite: Admission to teacher education and permission of the department.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course students should be able to: § appreciate the value of a reflective mindset about their instructional practices (INTASC Standard 9, IRA Standard 16.2) § understand the cognitive and metacognitive processes involved in reading and thinking (INTASC Standard 2, IRA Standard 2.11) § understand how reader, text, and context interact to build meaning (INTASC Standard 1) § analyze the match or mismatch between students and printed materials through appropriate assessment (INTASC Standard 8, IRA Standard 2.14) § adapt and use a variety of literacy strategies to support diverse learners and readers at various levels (INTASC Standard 3, IRA 12.2) § incorporate writing and thinking processes and strategies into the learning environment (IRA Standard 9.2, INTASC Standard 4) § plan for instruction which will facilitate students’ learning from printed materials (IRA Standards 7.4, 8.4) § incorporate content literature and other resources as teaching tools (IRA § Standards 3.2,5.2, INTASC Standard 7) § identify professional literature related to literacy in his/her specific content area § (IRA Standard 16.1) § choose and teach vocabulary in an effective manner (IRA Standards 6.1, 6.3, 6.5, 6.6) § recognize and support students with low achievement and learning disabilities in the content classroom (IRA Standard 3.4) § choose and incorporate selected text study skills into their content classrooms (IRA Standard 8.4)Logistics
This course typically is offered and Summer II. This course should be taken just before entry into Phase I. Assignments generally include but are not limited to:- Academic Discourse Interview : You will interview a professional in your field (outside of academia) about the use of reading, writing, technology, and critical thinking in their education, training, and work. You will present your findings in a brief paper and presentation to your classmates.
- Literature Circles: You will read these books that will be assigned the first month of class and participate in literature circles related to the books. You will also complete different assignments related to the books.
- Digital Story and Technology Reflection **: You will compose a digital story on one of the following topics and include a reflection about the use of technology in the classroom: