EDLC 554 Foundations in Early Literacy Instruction

The purpose of this course is to provide students with theoretical and practical knowledge and experiences to build teaching literacy skills for elementary school. The course is designed to explore language acquisition, the foundational components of reading (phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension and how children develop language. Emphasis will be given to language development across different social and cultural contexts with attention to the diverse needs of students.

Candidates will explore the five components of scientifically-based reading instruction (phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension), instructional strategies, and appropriate assessment techniques for struggling readers, and three components focused on supporting a range of learners (English language learners, and students who speak language varieties other than mainstream English).

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the candidate will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, there will be three Discussions throughout the course. The purpose of Discussions is to generate interaction among the candidates regarding relevant and current course topics. The topic of the discussions: 1) The Essential Components of Reading Instruction, 2) Science of Reading, and 3) The Role of Knowledge Building in the Reading Comprehension Process. The candidate is required to submit one thread of 450–500 words. The candidate must submit two replies of 150-200 words each. In each thread and reply, there must be at least two well-developed paragraphs and include reflection from a biblical worldview. Sources cited in Discussions must be formatted in the current APA format. (CLO: A, F)

Early Learning and Development Assignment

The candidate will review the development areas from Virginia’s Early Learning and Development Standards document. For each of the five areas of development for early literacy, the candidate will complete a chart for all five areas to describe the area, describe and provide a sample activity, and make a connection with the activities to provide a context for meaningful learning necessary for all children, but especially critical for English Language Learners or children with special needs. The areas of development include Approaches to Play and Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Communication, Language and Literacy Development, Health and Physical Development, and Cognitive Development.  The description of each area of development, sample activity, and contextual analysis must be at least 100 words. (CLO: A, B, E)

Literacy Assessment Toolbox Assignment

The candidate will create an assessment toolbox for the practicum course and/or specific grade level. The toolbox will include three literacy assessments: 1) literacy screeners, 2) diagnostic tool, and 3) progress monitoring. Each assessment tool will be supported by two research-based articles relating to the assessment tool. All articles should be current within the past five years. Each journal article summary should be 150-200 words in length. The assignment should be completed using current APA format, including a title page and a reference page. (CLO: A, D, F)

Lesson Plan Assignments (3)

The candidate will create three lesson plan assignments that address language acquisition and the foundational components of reading for Kindergarten to 6^th grade using Virginia Standards of Learning. Each lesson will focus on components of reading using the Simple View of Reading (SVR) and/or Active View of Reading (AVR) models. The reading skills for the lesson plans are as follows: Foundational Literacy Lesson Plan: Word Recognition (phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency) and two Reading Comprehension Lesson Plans. The candidate must use the provided Lesson Plan Template to submit these assignments. The second and third lesson plan assignment (Reading Comprehension) will also be aligned with edTPA Task 1. Note: The candidate will also create an additional lesson plan – a third reading comprehension lesson plan – as a requirement in the Pre-edTPA Task 1: Planning Commentary and Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan Assignment. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

Pre-edTPA Task 1: Context for Learning Assignment

For this assignment, the candidate will provide thorough descriptions of various factors within the learning context. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F)

Pre-edTPA Task 1: Planning Commentary and Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan Assignment

The candidate will provide details in a template for their three original reading comprehension lesson plans (with the third reading comprehension lesson plan being submitted with this assignment). The planning commentary portion of this assignment should stay within the 9-page limit. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F)

Pre-edTPA Task 1: Instructional Materials and Assessments Assignment

The candidate will submit pictures or samples of instructional materials from the reading comprehension lesson plans created in this course. Instructional materials should not exceed 5 pages in length. Additionally, the candidate will submit the assessments and their directions from the lesson plans created in the course. There is no page limit for the assessments. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F)

Quizzes: Practicum Overview (3)

For candidates who began the licensure program in Fall 2019 or thereafter: The candidate does not need to complete the course-embedded practicum in this course. However, the candidate must complete the assignments listed below. Note the alternatives that are designated for candidates who do not need to complete the course-embedded practicum. 

For candidates who began the licensure program prior to Fall 2019: The candidate must complete the 30-hour course-embedded practicum of reading instruction in this course.

Quiz: Practicum Proposal

All candidates will identify the setting and method for fulfilling a minimum of 30 hours of field experience in elementary or remedial classrooms during literacy instruction in CORE.

Quiz: Practicum Reflection Essay or Field Experience Time Log

For candidates not completing the course-embedded practicum, the candidate will compose an 800-word paper that answers questions that guide the candidate in reflecting on their experience in this course. The composed paper will be uploaded to the quiz and submitted.

For candidates completing the course-embedded practicum, the candidate must report the practicum’s required hours by completing the Field Experience Time Log provided in CORE. The completed time log will be uploaded to the quiz and submitted.

Quiz: Practicum Reflection Essay or Field Experience Assessment (FEA)

For candidates not completing the course-embedded practicum, the candidate will compose a 400-word paper describing how their experience in this course helped prepare them or helped them grow as an educator. The composed paper will be uploaded to the quiz and submitted.

For candidates completing the course-embedded practicum, the candidate will have the host teacher complete this assessment and submit it in CORE. The candidate will upload their host teacher’s evaluation to the quiz and submitted.

Quiz: Praxis Teaching Reading Licensure Test Acknowledgment

This quiz contains three true/false questions to acknowledge the candidate’s understanding of the necessity of this licensure test. This quiz will be open-book/open-notes, have no time limit, and allow one attempt. (CLO: A).

Quizzes (4)

Each quiz will cover the Textbook material for the assigned modules. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 25 multiple-choice questions, have a 2-hour time limit, and allow 1 attempt. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)