SMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Summer Semester 2000

EDUC 473 -4

Louise Towill

Designs for Learning: Reading

Office: TBA

(Elementary)

Phone: 291-3395 / 430-1539

Fridays 13:00-16:50 in MPX 7600

D01.00

E-mail: louise_towill@sfu.ca

PREREQUISITE

Educ 401/402

COURSE DESCRIPTION

TOPICS

• How children learn language: a socio-cultural process

• Literacy learning: Where reading fits in the big picture

• Reading as the active construction of knowledge

• Emergent readers and writers

• Creating a classroom for readers

• The teacher's role: Reading aloud, conferencing, teaching skills and strategies

• Selecting reading materials

• Teaching reading comprehension: Strategies and metacognition

• Reading and writing connections

• Literacy instruction for special populations

• Assessment and evaluation: Analyzing readers and reading programs

OBJECTIVES

The course will focus on developing knowledge, skills and strategies to create a rich and stimulating reading

program in the classroom. Issues in literacy learning, and reading in particular, will be examined through current

theory and teaching practice. The framework provided will enable you to examine and reflect on your

understandings about learning and teaching reading, and your role as teacher.

The course will comprise a broad range of experiences. These will include professional readings, discussion and

written response, seminars, demonstrations, individualized tasks and small-group work threaded through

cooperative learning strategies.

REQUIREMENTS

1.

Completion of short written assignments to be shared in class: a professional journal, early

reading experiences - 20%

2.

Assessing reading -25%

3.

Developing a reading program - 30%

4.

Reflection on readings (term paper) - 25%

No Scheduled final exam.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Cooper, J.D. Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning. 4th edition. Houghton Mifflin.

Chambers, A. The Reading Environment. Markham, ON: Pembroke Publishers.

Peterson, R. & Eeds. M. Grand Conversations: Literature Groups in Action. Scholastic.

Province of B.C. Performance Standards: Reading. Victoria, BC: Ministry of Education.

RECOMMENDED TEXT

Daniels, H. Literature Circles. Pembroke.

Walker, B. Supporting Struggling Readers. Pippin.

Booth, D. Literacy Techniques. Pembroke.