This course is designed for individuals who are working in pre-K or elementary classrooms as paraprofessionals or who desire to be employed in that capacity. It introduces students to the different stages of reading development, various methodologies used to teach and assess elementary reading and acquaints them with basal series, content texts, trade books, and teacher-made materials. Various tutorial methods, techniques to aid English as Second Language learners, and methods to assist teachers will be studied.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
To prepare future teachers and educational paraprofessionals with an overview of the fundamental methodologies in the teaching of reading to elementary students.
- Language and Literacy
• An Introduction to Teaching the Language Arts • Building Powerful Language: Talking and Listening • Storytelling • Language Performed: Poetry and Dramatics • Emergent Literacy • Beginning Reading • Developing Reading • Teaching the Writing Process • Spelling and Word Study • Authentic Assessment and Portfolios • Language Arts Across the Curriculum • Practical Tips for Volunteer Tutors • Effective Literacy Instruction • Building Characteristics of Successful Readers and Writers • Helping Learners Complete Assigned Work • Effective Literacy Assessment
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Identify and use content, literature, and trade books for tutoring language arts students in grades pre-K through 3rd.
- Apply current methodologies used in the teaching of reading including phonics, whole language, and thematic instruction.
- Assess reading skills and progress through the use of miscue analysis and running records.
- Interact with elementary teachers in a tutorial role.
- Develop proficiency in DRTA (Directed Reading Thinking Activity), LEA (Language Experience Approach) and phonemic awareness.
- Create and compile lessons for various levels of reading, writing, and thinking in a Learning Tools File.
- Perform an oral reading of stories and poems for children.
- Design and evaluate a tutorial lesson for a specific student's needs and present it in the form of role-playing. Evaluation should be in the form of self-reflection addressing the following questions: Did the lesson meet stated objectives? Why or why not? What changes are necessary in order to make the lesson more effective? How might the lesson be modified for use with a special needs or ESL student? *
- Research, evaluate, and explain an issue related to tutoring in the early elementary grades such as a learning disability, teaching method, or a professional development in the field of tutoring
- Observe and summarize different teaching/tutoring situations at several different grade levels.
*Critical thinking objective
Assessment and Requirements
- Complete 10 hours of observation in a classroom setting
- Fulfill the general course requirements
- Pass the midterm and final exams with 70% or better
- Completion of readings from texts
- Completion of a literacy narrative, research paper, and learning tools file
- Presentation of oral poem or song, oral story reading, and role playing
- Completion of 10 hours of observation with written reports in various classrooms from pre-K to third grade
The curricular committee that oversees this course maintains a list of approved texts, which may be found on the EWL Division’s webpage.