COURSE DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this course is to help prospective teachers understand the theory and practice of teaching early reading and writing. Reading and writing are seen as related, integrated meaning- making processes, which are reciprocal with the oral language processes, listening and speaking. Like oral language, reading and writing develop over time through the child’s active interaction with print and the environment, with support and facilitation by the teacher. Adopting effective strategies that foster success and a love of reading is a key to supporting all children as they engage in the process of becoming readers and writers.

The course will provide learners with a grounding in what it means to be a reader and early reading development, which is the foundation for the continuation of literacy development. A major goal is to develop the learners’ understanding that reading is a complex process of constructing meaning through the interaction of a reader’s existing knowledge, the information

in the text, and the context of the reading. Students will also understand the connection between reading and writing and the important role of writing in early literacy development.

Further, we will consider that most students will be learning to read and write in a language that is not his or her first language. Although the development of reading and writing in a second language follows the same trajectory as the development in a first language, there is by necessity a delay as students begin to learn the languages of the school.

The numerous topics will be discussed, exemplified, conceptualized and developed within a

three-unit span. These units are: 1) What is Reading?   2) Growing Up to Read and Write, and 3) Becoming Real Readers.  Within these units the students will come to understand that reading develops at different rates and in different ways within each individual, but that there are enough commonalities to be able to group students for instruction that is specifically designed to meet their needs.