EDRD 688: Foundations of Literacy Instruction
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of Graduate Coordinator
Credit Hours: (3)
This course is designed to provide students with foundational knowledge of the developmental
stages of literacy development, as well as important seminal research within each
stage. Students will also gain knowledge of developmentally appropriate, research-based
instructional strategies for each stage of reading development.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
This course explores the characteristics and a wide-range of research-based instructional
practices, approaches and methods, including technology-based practices, for learners
at differing stages of literacy development.
Major topics addressed within the course include:
· Emergent Stage of Literacy Development - characteristics
· Beginning Stage of Literacy Development - characteristics
· Transitional Stage of Reading Development - characteristics
· Advanced Stage of Reading Development -- characteristics
· Reading readiness
· Concept of Word and Concepts of Print
· Phonemic and phonological Awareness
· Basic principles of word study instruction for each stage of development:
onsets and rimes, consonant blends/digraphs, short and long vowel patterns, diphthongs,
syllables, inflections, affixes, morphemes.
· Fluency instruction across the stages of literacy development
· Comprehension strategies across the stages of literacy development
· Role of oral & silent reading
· Role of motivation and engagement in literacy development
· Social, physical and psychological facets of literacy development
· Word attack skills
· Reading / Writing Connection
· Selecting appropriate texts for each stage of reading development
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
This course will involve a lecture format with class discussion, audio/visual presentations,
guest speakers, role-playing, hands-on activities and action assignments. Students
will develop and implement reading lessons with students in various stages of reading
development and engage in professional readings addressing pertinent issues in the
field of reading.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Goals, objectives, and assignments in this class address NCATE Standards 1b Professional
Content Knowledge and 1g Professional Dispositions.
The objectives and corresponding codes included below refer to the Virginia Department
of Education Standards for Reading Specialists (VRS), the National Association for
the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the International Reading Association
Standards for Reading Professionals (IRA).
Having successfully completed this course, the student will:
- Demonstrate expertise in developing students’ phonological awareness skills. (VRS
2b; NAEYC 4b)
- Demonstrate expertise in explicit phonics instruction, including an understanding
of sound/symbol relationships, syllables, phonemes, morphemes, decoding skills, and
word attack skills (VRS 3a; IRA 1.4, IRA 2.2; NAEYC 4b)
- Demonstrate the ability to promote creative thinking and expression, as through storytelling,
drama, choral/oral reading, etc. (VRS 2e)
- Demonstrate expertise in the morphology of English including inflections, prefixes,
suffixes, roots, and word relationships. (VRS 3b)
- Demonstrate expertise in reading comprehension strategies, including a repertoire
of questioning strategies, understanding the dimensions of word meanings, teaching
predicting, summarizing, clarifying, and associating the unknown with what is known.
(VRS 3e)
- Demonstrate expertise in the ability to teach strategies in literal, interpretive,
critical, and evaluative comprehension (VRS 3f)
- Recognize how to use a variety of comprehension strategies (e.g., linking information
in the text to previously learned knowledge, identifying key words and conepts, questioning,
paraphrasing, summarizing) to clarify understanding of a text. (VRS 3e, VRS 3g)
- Identify instructional strategies (e.g., summarizing, using graphic organizers) to
help students distinguish main ideas and supporting details in a nonfiction text and
identify the author's purpose). (VRS 3g)
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of instructional strategies to promote students' comprehension
by helping them identify logical organization and recognize structural patterns. (IRA
4.1)
- Demonstrate the ability to foster appreciation of a variety of literature (VRS 3h)
- Understand the importance of promoting independent reading and reading reflectively
by selecting quality literature, including fiction and nonfiction, at appropriate
reading levels (VRS 3i)
- Demonstrate knowledge of systematic spelling instruction, including awareness of
the purpose and limitations of “invented spelling,” the orthographic patterns, and
strategies for promoting generalization of spelling study to writing (VRS 4b)
- Demonstrate expertise in their use of technology for both process and product as they
work to guide students with reading, writing, and research (VRS 5; IRA 2.2)
- Demonstrate an understanding of the needs of high achieving students and of strategies
to challenge them at appropriate levels (VRS 6b)
- Demonstrate knowledge of current research and exemplary practices in English/reading.
(VRS 6j; NAEYC 4c)
- Understand the integrated relationship of physical, psychological and social/cultural
factors as they influence reading (IRA 1.1; IRA 4.1)
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the role and importance of automatic word recognition
(e.g., automatic recognition of high-frequency irregular sight words in connected
text) and reading fluency (i.e., the ability to read aloud accurately at an appropriate
rate and with appropriate expression). (IRA 1.4)
- Identify instructional strategies for promoting development of students' reading fluency
(e.g., oral reading and rereading of texts written at each student's independent reading
level). (IRA 1.4; NAEYC 4b)
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the linguistic, sociological, cultural, cognitive,
and psychological bases of the reading process and how they influence students' reading
comprehension (e.g., vocabulary knowledge, prior knowledge and experience, fluency,
interest, motivation). (IRA 1.1; NAEYC 4c)
- Understand the role of motivation and engagement on reading development, particularly
reading comprehension (IRA 1.4, IRA 4.1, 4.4)
- Identify ways to promote independent reading and family and community involvement
in literacy activities. (IRA 4.3, 4.4, NAEYC 2)
Assessment Measures
1. Personal Literacy Autobiography
2. Action Research Assignment
3. Basic Skills Competency Exam (*key NCATE assessment)
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
May 1995 Reviewed Dr. Robert Lockwood
October 2008 Course title change, course revision Don Langrehr/Jennifer Jones