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Content Area Literacy: Practical Instructional Strategies

Content Area Literacy: Practical Instructional Strategies for Student Learning will introduce K-12 educators to strategies that will build and develop their student's literacy skills across the curriculum. 

Course Name: Content Area Literacy: Practical Instructional Strategies for Student Learning
Course Number: EDUC 718X	Semester Credits: 3

Course Description

Building and developing literacy across the curriculum is necessary for today's students to succeed. They are often thrust into environments where they are challenged to dive deeper into their subjects, perform high-stakes testing, meet rigorous state and Common Core standards, and reflect critically on current issues and topics. As a result, teachers across all content areas are asked to incorporate literacy into their curriculum and lessons to help their students meet these ever-evolving challenges. However, where does a teacher begin in the journey to build their students’ comprehension and literacy? Teachers need practical and ready-to-use strategies to analyze their students’ needs, provide more meaningful experiences using literacy for learning, and refresh their toolkit of knowledge so their students can read and write across the curriculum.

In this user-friendly course, you will be introduced to a variety of literacy strategies relevant to your specific content area. The text will provide evidence of the need for student literacy across the curriculum, the importance of using new literacies (technology), how to promote academic achievement for students from diverse cultural backgrounds, and methods for incorporating research-based strategies to engage all students in learning.

This course will capture your attention from start to finish through hands-on and pertinent projects for your content area. By the end of the course, you will have the necessary tools, models, and assets to begin and continue using content area literacy strategies for enhanced student learning. You will develop a "Quick Pick" resource document of literacy strategies that will be readily accessible to you. This resource will serve as a reference guide for current and future lessons. You will have the opportunity to revise a current lesson plan or create a newly designed lesson plan that includes literacy strategies. Upon successfully completing this course, you will be able to use your existing lessons and instruction to efficiently include literacy strategies for student learning.

Goals

  Educators will be able to:

• recognize their need for new content area literacy strategies by reflecting on their current teaching experience and the challenges they have faced in using literacy in their content area
• demonstrate a reflective and practical understanding of the need for student literacy across all content areas and how to apply literacy strategies for student learning
• promote academic achievement for students from diverse cultural backgrounds through tailored literacy strategies
• create a "Quick Pick" resource guide to readily access literacy tools they will need in their content area
• apply strategies that will allow their students to make meaningful connections with content through culturally responsive teaching
• learn how to effectively use other printed resources such as trade books
• engage struggling and successful students by creating a deeper connection with what they are reading to promote academic achievement for all students
• apply research-based literacy strategies for student learning by incorporating these strategies in a current lesson plan or a newly designed lesson plan

Course Contents

• Literacy Matters
• Learning with New Literacies
• Culturally Responsive Teaching in Diverse Classrooms
• Assessing Students and Texts
• Planning Instruction for Content Literacy
• Activating Prior Knowledge and Interest
• Guiding Reading Comprehension
• Developing Vocabulary and Concepts
• Writing Across the Curriculum
• Studying Text
• Learning with Multiple Texts
• Supporting Effective Teaching with Professional Development

Evidence of Learning Outcomes

Upon completing Content Area Literacy: Practical Instructional Strategies for Student Learning, the participant will demonstrate a reflective and practical understanding of using literacy strategies within various content areas. This outcome will be evidenced by answering questions from the text and completing the projects that reflect an understanding of the importance and application of literacy strategies in the content areas.

How to Register

Registration is simple and can be done online or over the phone. Courses are offered ongoing during three semesters, and enrollees may begin at any time. Students may choose to enroll in up to a maximum of 15-semester credits at any time during a semester.

Fall: September 1 - January 31

Spring: February 1 - May 31

Summer: June 1 - August 31