The purpose of this (writing-intensive) course is to prepare pre-service teachers to teach reading and English/language arts in the upper elementary and middle level settings. Students will be introduced to theories and current views of practice in the literacy field. The areas of language, listening, reading, and writing are presented throughout this course as interrelated and integrated processes. Emphasis will be on providing pre-service teachers with the competencies to implement engaging literacy instructional practices while providing ongoing assessment for a diverse middle grades population. Because good teaching depends on the context, the central aim of the course is not to provide you with easy answers or instructional techniques to use in all circumstances. Rather, it is to help you develop the necessary tools for thinking and working as an educator who can articulate the reasons for teaching decisions and make informed choices about how and what to teach. These tools include ways to examine content, assess your students’ understanding on an ongoing basis, and analyze your teaching.

This course is taught in our undergraduate and graduate Middle Grades program. This is one of four methods courses our students take. It is usually offered a semester before their student teaching at both the UG and Graduate levels. This course is paired with a Special Education course and a field experience.