Department of Education and Special Education- Graduate Licensure
Literacy and Culture

EDUCATION 518. Teaching the Writing Process K-8. This course focuses on the writing development of primary through middle school children, and on ways teachers can encourage and respond to student writing, assess writing and writing growth, and use writing as a means of learning. Selections from a variety of genre, including children’s and young adult’s literature, will be examined as exemplary models of writing and as classroom resources. 3 credits.

EDUCATION 520. Literacy Development and Cultural Awareness. A course designed to help teachers and/or reading specialists in the PreK-12 classroom view literacy practices as interactions, values, and beliefs as well as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Culture and its impact on literacy development and success in the classroom will be emphasized. 3 credits

EDUCATION 524. Emergent and Early Literacy Instruction. Application of child development and language acquisition knowledge in making effective and appropriate decisions about early childhood and elementary school literacy practices will be examined for both emergent and early literacy learners. 3 credits.

EDUCATION 525. Intermediate to Middle Grade Literacy Education. Examining current research of the developmental, cognitive, and instructional variations in grades 4 through 9, candidates will study how to put research into practice with synthesis that represents the current thinking in the field. 3 credits.

EDUCATION 526. Classroom-based Literacy Assessment. Focusing on using benchmarks within the literacy developmental process, candidates learn how to authentically assess literacy during the act of teaching and how to use assessment to gear instruction. Various assessments that are conducive to the classroom will be examined and applied Prerequisites: six credit hours of graduate courses from the Literacy and Culture concentration. 3 credits.

EDUCATION 527. Strategies for Students who Struggle with Literacy. Helping all students to become effective, strategic readers that read and write purposefully with enthusiasm is one of the greatest challenges facing classroom teachers today. This course is designed to assist teachers to use well-informed diagnostic judgment and tools and strategies to monitor and support student’s literacy development effectively. 3 credits.

EDUCATION 529. Teaching Comprehension Strategies. This course offers an overview of the reading comprehension process and explores instructional techniques that can help students become proficient in using comprehension strategies to understand and appreciate both narrative and expository texts. 3 credits. 

EDUCATION 530. Teaching Reading in the Content Area. This course provides the graduate student with an analysis of skills and strategies for facilitating content area reading and writing in intermediate grades, middle school, high school, and with developmental college students. 3 credits. 

EDUCATION 531. Inquiry into the Literacy Process. Investigating current research, candidates will study how the reader transacts developmentally with the language of the text, is influenced by the contextual framework and by various social factors. Candidates will investigate historical and philosophical perspectives of literacy educational practices. Prerequisites: any six credits from the following courses EDUC 521, 524, 525, 526, 530 or permission from advisor. 3 credits.

EDUCATION 626.  Practicum I: Analysis & Instruction in Literacy. This is a supervised literacy practicum requiring students to utilize specific literacy assessments learned in EDUC 526 to design and implement instruction for a selected child. An emphasis will be placed on the instructional practices and professional decision making used for competency in assisting struggling readers and writers. Candidates conduct this instruction in their own classrooms or in specified field settings. Prerequisites: Educ 518, 524, 525, 526, 527 and 530. It is highly recommended that EDUC 526 be taken the semester immediately prior to taking this course. 3 credits.

EDUCATION 645. Developing Leaders in Literacy. This course explores the evolving role of the reading coach in schools. Candidates will analyze current research, procedures, and requirements for exemplary reading programs. Theoretical principles and practices for effective program development and leadership in the field of literacy will be addressed that include assessment, staff development, community outreach, reading material selection, and the evolving roles and responsibilities of reading personnel. Prerequisite: EDUC 645.

EDUCATION 646. Practicum II: Leadership in Literacy. This course is designed to build upon the content of EDUC 645 and prepare reading specialists for their role as school leaders in literacy by requiring experiences in coaching and program supervision. Candidates will demonstrate skills in professional development, literacy program design and supervision, coaching teachers in design and implementation of effective literacy instruction, and professional leadership in the area of literacy. Prerequisite: EDUC 645. 3 credits.