RDG 513 Elementary Reading Methods

Course Description

This course offers an integrated approach to the teaching of reading, particularly for the intermediate and middle school grades 4-8. Students explore specific strategies designed to help children construct meaning across the curriculum and efficiently handle content area text. Pre-reading techniques, vocabulary development, writing, and motivational issues are addressed, as well as word identification through the use of semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic cues.

Topics and Objectives

Reading as the Construction of Meaning

· Analyze personal experiences and professional beliefs related to reading instruction.

· Analyze various models of reading instruction and discuss their underlying assumptions.

The Role of Writing in Reading Instruction

· Identify several ways in which writing may be integrated effectively into the learning process.

Strategies to Enhance Reading Comprehension

· Analyze ways to incorporate specific pre-reading and questioning activities in the language arts or content area curriculum.

Vocabulary Instruction: Words as Concepts

· Analyze criteria for choosing the vocabulary to be taught in the classroom.

· Apply several techniques for effective vocabulary instruction.

Textbook Usage and Study Skills

· Analyze various ways of using textbooks in the content area classroom.

· Identify factors contributing to textbook difficulty.

· Evaluate strategies for developing textbook usage and study skills.

Phonics and Other Word Identification Strategies

· Identify guidelines and methods for phonics instruction within a comprehensive reading program.

Techniques to Develop Reading Fluency

· Critique techniques for improving students' reading fluency.

Reading Assessment

· Identify various assessment methods.

· Analyze effective assessment systems for the classroom reading program.