Developing Literacy Across the Grades: Methods and Strategies

This course serves as an introduction to the teaching of literacy in grades Preschool-12 and focuses on both theoretical and practical approaches to assessing, teaching, and incorporating literacy into classroom. Teacher candidates wil explore and learn to apply teaching practices related to balanced, comprehensive literacy including, phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary development, and motivation. These approaches will be discussed in the context of special needs and ELL students, multicultural education, technology integration, and differentiated strategies. Connections to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards will be integral. This course will also expose teacher candidates to developing/analyzing lesson plans, evaluating case studies, and reading/discussing contemporary issues in literacy.