Reading Specialist (RDG)

This course is required by all students enrolled in the Alt-A Early Childhood Education Programs. The purpose of this course is to provide information regarding methods, materials, and research findings concerned with beginning reading instruction for elementary grades. Foundations of literacy including reading, writing, listening, spelling, and speaking will be emphasized. This course is designed to provide explicit, systematic instruction in Science of Reading methods. Literacy components included: vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and composition. Following explicit modeling of a variety of systematic strategies, candidates will demonstrate the ability to foster a strong vocabulary foundation in students by developing lessons for explicit Tier 2 vocabulary instruction (vocabulary). Candidates will create lessons that help develop students’ ability to understand, interpret, and critically engage with various types of texts (comprehension). Candidates will demonstrate the ability to develop students’ ability to express thoughts, ideas, and information clearly and effectively in written form (composition). This course is a prerequisite to RDG 547 Reading Diagnosis. To ensure students are provided the best quality instruction in Science of Reading, throughout matriculation of the program, candidates will receive training in this quality research and content to help them prepare for literacy instruction in their future classrooms.

Provides prospective teachers an opportunity to observe, analyze, and apply concepts and theories in schools and classrooms.

Requires Teacher Education Program Eligibility. The purpose of this course is to provide information regarding methods, materials, and research findings concerned with reading strategies for students with exceptionalities. The course is designed for general or special education classroom teachers and education professionals.

Methods, materials and research findings concerned with beginning reading instruction emphasizing P-3.

Materials and methods of teaching literacy in early childhood. Foundations of literacy development including reading, writing, listening, spelling, and speaking will be emphasized. This course is designed to provide explicit, systematic instruction in Science of Reading methods. Literacy components included: phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, and phonics. Candidates will focus on developing students’ abilities to recognize and manipulate the sounds of language, which is crucial for early literacy skills (phonological awareness). Candidates will learn to explicitly and systematically teach students how to identify and manipulate individual phonemes within spoken words (phonemic awareness). Candidates will build foundational knowledge to guide students into the more complex task of focusing on the relationship between phonemes and graphemes (phonics). To ensure students are provided the best quality instruction in Science of Reading, throughout the program, candidates will receive training in this quality research and content to help them prepare for literacy instruction in their future classrooms.

The purpose of this course is to provide instruction in methods and materials regarding strategic reading for the elementary grades with emphasison building expertise in literacy instruction, including traditional and new literacies across the curriculum. Simulations, scenarios, blogging, wiki posts, and refletion are an important component of this course.

This course is required by all students enrolled in the Alt-A Special Education/Collaborative Education Programs. RDG 543 mirrors the Alt-A RDG 520 and the undergraduate RDG 305. The purpose of this course is to provide information regarding methods, materials, and research findings concerned with beginning reading instruction for elementary grades. Foundations of literacy including reading, writing, listening, spelling, and speaking will be emphasized. This course is designed to provide explicit, systematic instruction in Science of Reading methods. Literacy components included: vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and composition. Following explicit modeling of a variety of systematic strategies, candidates will demonstrate the ability to foster a strong vocabulary foundation in students by developing lessons for explicit Tier 2 vocabulary instruction (vocabulary). Candidates will create lessons that help develop students’ ability to understand, interpret, and critically engage with various types of texts (comprehension). Candidates will demonstrate the ability to develop students’ ability to express thoughts, ideas, and information clearly and effectively in written form (composition). This course is a prerequisite to RDG 547 Reading Diagnosis. To ensure students are provided the best quality instruction in Science of Reading, throughout matriculation of the program, candidates will receive training in this quality research and content to help them prepare for literacy instruction in their future classrooms.

Scope and sequence of total language arts program in the elementary school; individual research projects. EED 545 is cross-listed with RDG 545 and only one course may be counted for credit.

Using literature to increase cultural awareness can be an effective tool for teaching in the elementary classroom. Students will explore, analyze, and share literature that portrays history, customs, values, and/or languages of various cultural groups.

This course is required by all students in the Alternative Class A Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education/Collaborative Teacher Education programs. The purpose of this course is to apply the foundational science of reading methods from previous courses. This course is the final in the 9-12 hour sequence of Science of Reading methods courses for initial certification at the Class A level. Candidates will collect and analyze data on struggling readers and design strategic, targeted skill lessons appropriate to the needs determined by the data assessment. Assessment instruments used are those covered in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) Volumes 1 and 2 or similar assessment instruments as determined by the course instructor. This course focuses on the methods/materials and reading and literacy development in elementary grades with an emphasis on diagnostic, remediation, and enrichment strategies along with progress monitoring of reading progress. Literacy components targeted in this course include: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Lessons created in this course will be applied with a struggling reader in our local school system. To ensure students are provided the best quality instruction in Science of Reading, throughout matriculation of the program, candidates will receive training in this quality research and content to help them prepare for literacy instruction in their future classrooms.

Teaching reading in subject matter areas and developmental reading for high school students. RDG 567 is cross-listed with ESE 567 and only one course may be counted for credit.

Application of knowledge gained in course work; emphasis placed on using a variety of formal and informal assessment tools to determine the strengths and weaknesses of struggling readers while using this information to implement specialized instruction to enhance the student¿s literacy development; case study requires collection and interpretation of assessment data, planning, and implementation of remediation lessons for the struggling reader.

Examines research-based best practices in effective intervention strategies for students experiencing difficulties in reading; reading materials and programs will be examined and evaluated in terms of application for effective intervention instruction.

Application of knowledge gained in course work; emphasis placed on providing literacy services in developmental reading or reading intervention programs at a variety of levels.

Application of knowledge gained in course work; emphasis placed on designing and implementing literacy programs, planning and providing professional development, providing leadership in literacy instruction and serving as a resource for teachers, administrators, and the community. Must be completed at JSU.

Exploration of recent research in literacy development and instruction, identification of trends and patterns in research and findings.