Literacy (Reading)

 

Literacy Office
108B Recitation Hall
West Chester, PA 19383
Call: 610-436-2877
FAX: 610-436-3102
kmcaveney@wcupa.edu


Graduate Course Requirements

» Reading Courses for Master’s Degree & Reading Specialist Certification
» Professional Education Courses

 

Literacy Courses (30 credits)

Reading Courses for Master’s Degree & Reading Specialist Certification

EDR 505 Orthographic Knowledge, Language, and Literacy Development (3) 

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the development of orthographic knowledge from its earliest awareness to its full fruition and its relation to language and literacy acquisition and instruction. Students will learn how to assess children’s orthographic knowledge and to use this knowledge to plan instruction. Each student will assess and tutor a child over the course of a semester. No prerequisites are required.

EDR 507 Comprehension and Vocabulary: Development and Instruction (3) 

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the theoretical bases of comprehension and meaning vocabulary development. Best practices in teaching, supporting, and assessing comprehension and vocabulary development will be an integral part of the course. No prerequisites are required.

EDR 509 Writing Development and Instruction (3)

 This course is concerned with strategies for teaching the language arts. Methods, materials, and resources for organizing creative programs in school settings will be presented. No prerequisites are required.

EDR 512 Literacy Practicum and Seminar I (3) 

The focus is on practical techniques for recording and representing literacy learning, and understanding the effects different instructional techniques have on student learning. Major attention given to understanding a child's language and literacy development, and planning and carrying out appropriate instruction for that child. Students will use a variety of formal and informal assessments to design an individual instructional program. An extra hour of tutoring beyond classroom time is required. Prerequisites: EDR 505, 507, 509, 516

EDR 514 Reading in the Content Areas (3)

This course is concerned with specialized reading skills, reading problems, teaching techniques, and reading activities in content subjects at the elementary and secondary level. No prerequisites are required.

EDR 515 Teaching Reading with Children's and Adolescents' Literature (3)

This course is based on the philosophy that literature should be an integral element of reading programs. The emphasis is on fostering wide reading and response to literature in K-12 reading programs. Students will learn instructional strategies and develop materials and a selected bibliography. Prerequisites: EDR 505, 507, 509

EDR 516 Problems in Literacy Development (3)

The purpose of this course is to acquaint the student with the theoretical bases and the nature of differences in literacy development. The developmental nature of literacy growth and the importance of instruction within students' zone of proximal development will be explored. Students will investigate how literacy differences are influenced by social, emotional, psychological, physical, and educational factors. Best practices in teaching, supporting, and assessing students with literacy differences will be an integral part of the course. An extra hour of tutoring beyond classroom time is required. Prerequisites: EDR 505, 507, 509

EDR 519 Issues of Diversity in Teaching Reading (3)

This course is concerned with the historical, cultural, and educational contexts of literacy, language, and learning as they relate to reading instruction. Not offered in the summer. Prerequisites: EDR 505, 507, 509, 515

EDR 532 Literacy Practicum and Seminar II (3)

A laboratory course in assessment and instruction of independent readers/writers. Major attention is given to assessment of literacy, writing case reports, and adapting instruction to individual readers. Students will work with intermediate grade children individually in the reading center. Prerequisites: EDR 505, 507, 509, 514, 516

EDR 541 Organization and Supervision of Reading Programs: K-12 (3)

This course is concerned with the development, organization, and supervision of literacy programs K-12. Emphasis is on the use of the total school community in meeting individual needs. Not offered in the summer. Prerequisites: EDR 505, 507, 509, 512, 516

 

Professional Education Courses

Courses that Satisfy PDE 49.13 Competencies

Candidates admitted into the program on or after January 1, 2011 are required to meet PDE Chapter 49.13 requirements. To obtain certification as a reading specialist, the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that all candidates admitted into the program on or after January 1, 2011 must take, “at least 9 credits, or 270 hours, or an equivalent combination thereof, regarding accommodations and adaptations for students with disabilities in an inclusive setting. Within the content of these 9 credits or 270 hours, instruction in literacy skills development and cognitive skill development for students with disabilities must be included, as determined by the institution. At least 3 credits, or 90 additional hours, or an equivalent combination thereof, must address the instructional needs of English language learners,” (PA Code Chapter 49.13).

LAN/ENG 569 Teaching English Language Learners  (3)

A study of issues and the application of techniques, strategies, & materials for meeting the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in inclusive classrooms.  Emphases include: sociocultural issues in educational contexts, TESOL through the content areas, linguistics, second language acquisition, the integration and applications of the PA English Language Proficiency Standards PK-12 (ELPS), and current trends in second language teaching, learning and assessment.  Includes a field component.  

 

EDA 511 Inclusion and Collaboration (3)

Prepares teachers for cultural changes evident in American public schools with respect
to inclusion and the education of students with disabilities.

                           

EDA 542 Foundations of Special Education (3)

The study of children whose intellectual, physical, social, and/or emotional characteristics are significantly different from those of children whose needs are met through regular educational routes.

 

EDE 550 Literacy Development for Students with Learning Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms (3)

This course is designed to help students understand literacy acquisition and development for students with disabilities. The course will focus on the challenges that reading and writing pose for students with disabilities and resulting appropriate assessment and instructional techniques. Response to Intervention Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction will be addressed. Content area literacy for students with disabilities will be included.

  

Other Courses (If needed) to Satisfy Professional Education Requirements

EDR 535: Language, Learning, and Literacy (3)

This course is concerned with the developmental nature of language and the critical links between language, learning, and literacy. Major theories of language and literacy and links to practice, individual variation, class, gender, dialect, and ethnicity related to language and literacy will be discussed.

EDR 604 Literacy Program Evaluation and Data Analysis (3)

This course is designed to help literacy coaches understand how large-scale reading assessment data can be used by school personnel to make instructional and administrative decisions. This course will focus on the collection, analysis,interpretation, and communication of reading assessments administered at the school, state, national, and international level. 

EDT 500 Integrating Educational Technologies for Effective Instruction  (3)

This course covers the breadth of the conceptual foundation needed to integrate technology into teaching.  In this survey course, the focus is on learning a process for determining which electronic tools and which methods of implementing them areappropriate for classroom situations.