QATAR UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
COURSE NUMBER: EDEC452
COURSE NAME:Teaching Reading and Writing to Young
Children ( 3 CHS )
SEMESTER AND YEAR
INSTRUCTOR:
EMAIL:
OFFICE NUMBER:
OFFICE HOURS:
PHONE:
CLASS MEETING TIME/LOCATION:
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Together We Shape the Future through Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship, and Leadership.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Teaching
Content: Demonstrate understanding of the key theories and concepts of the subject
matter.
Pedagogy: Plan effective instruction to maximize student learning
Technology:. Use current and emerging technologies in instructionally powerful
ways.
Diversity:. Foster successful learning experiences for all students by addressing
individual differences
Scholarship
Scholarly Inquiry:. Actively engage in scholarship by learning from and
contributing to the knowledge base in education.
Problem Solving: Arrive at data-informed decisions by systematically
examining a variety of factors and resources
Leadership
Ethical Values: Apply professional ethics in all educational contexts
Initiative:. Lead positive change in education
Course description
The course aims to help students understand the language skills needed for pre-school age
learners and proper transitional stages of preparing them for reading and writing. Students are
also trained to schedule and implement activities and appropriate teaching strategies and
methods to prepare children for reading and writing with the use of teaching materials and
techniques suitable for this age group. Using children's literature in education and language
skills is of a particular importance in this course to teach reading and writing for children in
pre-school. The course focuses on creating a stimulating learning environment by employing
active learning strategies based on dialogue, discussion and action groups in a studentcentered approach. Student performance is assessed by using multiple tools to measure their
achievements and the learning outcomes, including: testing, interactive participation, and
written reports. This course includes an extensive field-based component (10 hr ) .
Prerequisites: EDUC312+ EDUC313
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Understand the nature of the language skills appropriate for pre-school children.
2. Learn how to use strategies, tools and techniques of teaching reading and writing
to pre-school.
3. Create activities and educational environments conducive to the development of
literacy skills in preschool children.
4. Develop and use children's literature and its applications to develop positive
attitudes towards reading and writing among pre-school children.
5. Learn various strategies for assessing reading and writing skills in pre-school
classes.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Distinguish between the various language skills for pre-school children.
2. Analyze the stages of reading and writing in preschool children in relation to theories
and research in emergent literacy.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Use learning centers for teaching literacy.
Use various story telling techniques.
Use songs and rhymes in the development of language skills in children.
Use Theatre of the Child or drama to teach language skills.
Use different strategies to assess reading and writing skills in the pre-school classes.
Textbooks and readings: Hand-outs and on-line resources selected by the instructor .
Supplement Text ;
1. Mubaidin, Salwa Yusuf (2003): literacy for children. Dar Al- Fikr, Jordan.
2. Albaha, Abdelfattah (2003): teaching children the Reading and Writing Skills. Dar AlFikr, Jordan.
3. Al Tahan, Taherah Ahmad (3003): Readiness skills for reading and writing in early
childhood. Dar Al-Fikr, Jordan
A variety of videos on the Educational Environment (corners and centers) and the use of
children stories and theatre.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Each candidate is expected to attend class and contribute to the community of
learners by being a positive participant in discussions, presentations, and hands-on
projects.
2. Cell phones shall remain off during all of class.
3. Candidates are expected to be on time to class and to remain in class the entire
session.
4. All assignments should be submitted by uploading them to the course Blackboard site
drop box no later than the specified due date. Assignments turned in later are subject
to point deductions.
5. All written assignments should have a cover sheet with assignment title, candidate
name, course title, and date.
6. All written assignments should be word processed, double spaced, and in 12 point
standard font.
7. All written assignments shall use appropriate citations and references in APA style.
8. All written assignments should use correct grammar and spelling.
9. In-class mid term and final exams will be given in this class. Each candidate is
expected to be present for these exams except in cases of certified emergency
10. All students must access the Blackboard system at least three times a week, to check
for updates.
11. All students must have a working email QU address, to enable efficient
communication.
Use of Blackboard:Students are expected to use Blackboard in the communication process.
COURSE MATRIX
Unit
Learning
QNPS
Outcomes
Course
Objectives
Course Learning
Outcomes
Content
9
1
1, 2
Scholarly
Inquiry
12
2
1, 2
Pedagogy
1, 2, 7,9
3,4,5
3,4,5, 6
Assessment
(Tasks/Artifacts)
Midterm & Final
Exams
Midterm & Final
Exams
Songs Lesson Plan
Drama Lesson Plan
Instructional Tools
Big Book
Assignment,
Designing
Assessment tools
for pre-school
reading and writing
Content Distribution and Activities
Week
Theory
Applications
Activities
and
I
Course Introduction
Arabic language skills and communication
-Listening
-Speaking
-Reading
-Writing
-Emergent Literacy
Open discussion of the
course description
Presentation
Children Readiness for reading
Factors affecting readiness for reading
Presentation
discussion
Readings
and
II
III
Activities for developing readiness or reading
Introduction to the teaching of reading
Sight Words
Picture reading and description
Presentation
discussion
and
IV
OCR and its importance in reading
Readiness teaching cards
Exercises on OCR
Practical applications in
class
V
Readiness for writing
Factors affecting readiness for writing
Practical exercises in class
Teacher presentation.
VI
Writing developmental stages
Video about the phases of
the
development
of
writing in children and
discussion
VII
Activities for developing readiness for writing
Assessing readiness for writing
Practical applications in
the classroom
VIII
Mid-term examination
IX
Creating a learning environment for the
Video
on
setting
development of language skills.
educational environment
Library and story corners: Steps and aims of
and discussions
creating them in the classroom
X
Literacy centers and their
Literacy centers: Steps and aims of creating
educational advantages
them in the classroom
Readings
XI
Children’s literature
-Types of child literature
-Methods of reciting/reading children stories
-Expressive reading steps
-Goals and importance of children drawing
XII
XIII
XIV
and
XV
Using literature to teach
children
Readings
Practical applications in
the classroom
Presentation
and
discussion of the main
Properties and characteristics of children’s characteristics of children
stories
stories
Rhymes and songs for children
Practical applications of
Stories and songs for children
using of rhymes in
teaching
pronunciation
and memorization
Training on theatrical
Children’s theatre and drama
performances
Goals of drama and children’s theatre in Samples of children’s
promoting speaking, listening and turn-taking theatre
among preschool children
Field visit to Children’s
Theatre in town
Methods of assessing
preschool children
Final Exam
language
skills
in Presentation and training
on various assessment
models
Course Outline
Focus Area 1: Linguistic developmental stages of pre-school children
-Listening
-Speaking
-Reading
-Writing
-Early reading and writing (Emergent Literacy)
Focus Area 2: Readiness for reading
-Readiness for reading
-Factors affecting readiness for reading
-Activities for developing readiness for reading
-Introduction on teaching reading
-Exercises on OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
-Using Readiness to Read cards
-Sight words
-Early reading
Focus Area 3: Readiness for writing
-Analysis of the physiological development of the child: fine motor skills and visual
development and their relationship with reading and writing
-Factors affecting readiness for writing
-Stages of writing development
-Activities for developing readiness for writing
-Assessing readiness to write
Focus Area 4: The learning environment for the development of language skills
-The library and the story corner and how to develop them in the classroom
-Literacy centers and how to develop them in the classroom
-Children’s Theatre and how to develop it in the classroom
Focus Area 5:Use of children’s literature in enhancing the skills of reading and writing
-Types of children's literature
-Age-specific types of child literature
-Expressive styles for reciting/reading children’s literature
-Characteristics and features of children’s stories
-Songs and rhymes for children
-Children’s Theatre and drama acts
-Picture reading and description
-Children’s books and magazines
-How to use children’s literature to promote reading and writing skills
Focus Area 7:Assessment of Reading and writing skills in the preschool stage
-Periodic reports
-Classroom observations
-Portfolios
-Communicating with parents and keeping them informed
Teaching and Learning Strategies and Tools
The following teaching and learning strategies are used in this course:
1. Interactive lectures
2. Videos and recordings
3. Presentations of self-made videos
4. Printed material and non-printed matter uploaded on Blackboard
5. Guest speakers (colleagues and specialists in the field)
6. Students-led dialogs
7. Instructor-led dialogue
8. Brain-storming activities with student participation
9. Collaborative learning groups with specific roles and tasks
10. Worksheets
11. Problem solving-based learning
12. Guided discovery
Assessment
The activities vary in form and content depending on whether they are inside the classroom
or outside. These activities are basically linked to the learning outcomes and aim to facilitate
the process of achieving these outcomes. They will have particular focus on what is
happening within the classroom and on interaction between the instructor and the students,
among the students themselves, and with textbook.
These activities include:
1. Reading of short synopses or watching movie clips during lectures as well as a deep and
thorough external reading at home of some related literature of the teacher’s or the
student’s choice.
2. Active participation during the lecture or afterwards in pairs or groups or within groupbased projects.
3. Watching video recordings that are presented in the lecture and presenting individual
viewpoints focusing on the use of such videos in different learning situations.
4. Collecting information about specific issues from a variety of printed and electronic
sources from the University Library and other resources and presenting them in a way
that reflects the actual use of such information.
5. Designing a learning unit that promotes literacy using child literature in the preschool
stage.
6. Preparing and presenting a child drama (play)
7. Creating samples of children stories.
The assessment policy is linked directly to the course learning outcomes. Multiple assessment
tools will be used to measure the achievement of the learning outcomes.
Assessment
Grade percentage
Designing a Big Book for teaching letters and vocabulary
(group work)
10%
Prepare an instructional tool for teaching reading for preschool
children. Field-Based Lesson : Small Group Assistance
Students are required to visit a school and attend two
classes. They should help the teacher in some small group
10%
work activity. This is done according to specific rubrics that
are included in the work field package provided by the
department. It has also to be carried out under the course
teacher supervision
Distinguish between the various language skills for pre-school
children
10%
Mid-term examination
15%
Design a lesson plan to use songs (lyrics) for teaching
pronunciation or using theatre in teaching speaking.
10%
Designing an assessment tool for assessing reading in
preschool.
10%
Final examination
35%
Total
100%
The GRADING SYSTEM
A
=
100 - 90
B+
=
89.99 - 85
B
=
84.99 - 80
C+
=
79.99 - 75
C
=
74.99 - 70
D+
=
69.99 - 65
D
=
64.99 - 60
F
=
59.99 - 0
SPECIAL NEEDS
In accordance with Law No 2 of the year 2004, and Article 49 in the Constitution of Qatar:
"Education is the right of all.", and "the State shall extend efforts to achieve fair and
appropriate access in education for all". Qatar University seeks to ensure fair and appropriate
access to programs, services, facilities, and activities for students with special needs. Any
student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability
should contact the instructor privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the
Office for Disability Services to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with
documented disabilities.
SpecialNeedsSection
StudentActivitiesbuilding
Men’s Campus: 44033854, Fax: 44838925; Women’s Campus: 44033843, Fax: 44839802;
Email: specialneeds@qu.edu.qa; Office hours: 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM
STUDENT COMPLAINTS POLICY
Students at Qatar University have the right to pursue complaints related to faculty, staff, and
other students. The nature of the complaints may be either academic or non-academic. For
more information about the policy and processes related to this policy, you may refer to the
students’ handbook.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Qatar University is an academic community actively engaged in scholarly pursuits. As
members of this community, students are expected to recognize and honor standards of
academic and intellectual integrity. The College of Education supports the ideals of
scholarship and fairness by rejecting all dishonest work when it is submitted for academic
credit. Qatar University encourages students to be responsible and accountable for their
decisions and actions. Any attempt by students to present the work of others as their own or
to pass an examination by improper means is regarded as a most serious offense and renders
those students who do so liable to disciplinary action. Assisting another student in any such
dishonesty, or knowing of this dishonesty and not reporting it, is also considered a grave
breach of honesty. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism are described on page 37 in the
Qatar University Student Handbook.
LEARNING SUPPORT
Qatar University operates Learning Support Centers on each campus to provide services to
students to supplement their in-class instruction and ability to meet course requirements.
These services include tutoring, acquiring efficient learning skills and strategies, academic
and learning assessment (in conjunction with the Counseling Center), and writing labs and
workshops.
Information
about
the
Learning
Center
may
be
found
at http://www.qu.edu.qa/students/services/slsc/
Appendix
Qatar National Professional Standards for Teachers
1. Structure innovative and flexible learning experiences for individuals and groups of
students.
2. Use teaching strategies and resources to engage students in effective learning.
3. Foster language literacy and numeracy development.
4. Create safe, supportive, and challenging learning environments.
5. Construct learning experiences that connect with the world beyond school.
6. Apply information and communication technology in managing student learning.
7. Assess and report on student learning.
8. Apply knowledge of students and how they learn to support student learning and
development.
9. Apply teaching/subject area knowledge to support student learning.
10. Work as a member of professional teams.
11. Build partnerships with families and the community.
12. Reflect on, evaluate, and improve professional practice.
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