READ 518/CI 510: Language and Literacy Development, pK-8 (3 credits)

COURSE
DESCRIPTION

Students will examine the connection between oral language acquisition in early childhood and the development of reading and writing skills, to make informed decisions when choosing instructional strategies that integrate the development of these skills. Topics include:

Foundations of language development in the brain,
Connections between early oral language competence and emergent literacy development,
Development of phonological skills, grammatical knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing
Individual differences in language and literacy development.

Students will discuss relevant language and literacy research throughout the course.

PREREQUISITES

Graduate standing. It is assumed that course participants will have access to elementary level students (which may include older students with literacy skills at the elementary level) in order to complete some assignments.

COURSE
STRUCTURE

Fully online delivery using D2L. No face-to face interactions. Course readings, discussion board, threaded discussion, providing responses on selected topics and exercises to share with one another.

STANDARDS

This course supports the following International Reading Association's 2010 Standards for Reading Professionals:

1.1	Candidates understand major theories and empirical research that describe the cognitive, linguistic, motivational, and sociocultural foundations of reading and writing development, processes, and components, including word recognition, language comprehension, strategic knowledge, and reading-writing connections.
1.3	Candidates understand the role of professional judgment and practical knowledge for improving all students' reading development and achievement.
2.1	Candidates use foundational knowledge to design or implement an integrated, comprehensive, and balanced curriculum.
2.2	Candidates use appropriate and varied instructional approaches, including those that develop word recognition, language comprehension, strategic knowledge, and reading-writing connections.
4.1	Candidates recognize, understand, and value the forms of diversity that exist in society and their importance in learning to read and write.
4.3	Candidates develop and implement strategies to advocate for equity.
5.1	Candidates design the physical environment to optimize students' use of traditional print, digital, and online resources in reading and writing instruction.
5.2	Candidates design a social environment that is low risk and includes choice, motivation, and scaffolded support to optimize students' opportunities for learning to read and write.

PRACTICAL
APPLICATIONS

Teachers will understand:

the connection between oral language acquisition in early childhood and the development of reading and writing skills.
the nature of early language development in the brain.
children's thinking processes as they develop phonological skills, grammatical knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills.
the interrelatedness of early oral language competence and emergent literacy development.
some major reasons for individual differences in language and literacy development and what teachers can do about them.
the instructional implications of the connection between oral language and literacy development.

CORE/ELECTIVE

This graduate course can be used as a core or elective course in the Literacy Foundations thematic area in the 24-credit Reading Endorsement program, as 3 elective credits for those in the 12-credit Literary Education program, or as a stand-alone course.

INSTRUCTOR

Frances Verbruggen is a doctoral student in the Graduate School of Education at Portland State University, where her research interests include instruction for struggling readers and writers and English language learners. She currently holds an early childhood/ elementary teaching license with a reading endorsement, and has taught reading at both the elementary and college levels. Her educational background includes coursework in literacy development, language acquisition, and communication sciences and disorders. (BA in Spanish: University of Maryland, Baltimore County; MA in teaching French: University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; MAT: George Fox University, Oregon.)

TARGET
AUDIENCE

This course covers language and literacy development fundamentals for teachers who have students reading at the elementary level (including older students with literacy skills at the elementary level).

TIME
COMMITMENT

Students should expect to spend approximately 9 hours per week for 10 weeks in course-related activities (e.g., reading the text and course materials, posting to discussion forums, completing written and teacher's classroom-based assignments, etc). This course is online and does not require in-person attendance. Assignments are completed on the learner's time schedule and are due as posted.

TEXTBOOK

A textbook is required for this course. Please check with PSU's ReadOregon program.

COST

No course in the ReadOregon curriculum will cost more than $359 per credit, including fees, for students in the ReadOregon program.

CONTACT

For more details on this course, please contact Frances Verbruggen or Elizabeth Snyder.