Syllabus
RDG/420
Elementary Methods: Reading/Language Arts
Bryan Skelton
801-294-5474
801-643-9882
bskelton@dsdmail.net
bskelton1@email.phoenix.edu
http://reading420.weebly.com
Course Description
This course focuses on current research, theory, methods, and state standards related to reading
instruction. It provides students with the background knowledge in language arts necessary to prepare
comprehensive standards-based lesson plans and integrated units of instruction. Effective instructional
and assessment techniques are modeled.
College of Education Conceptual Framework
The Conceptual Framework provides a common structure for all initial and advanced preparation education programs
at University of Phoenix. The Conceptual Framework is centered on the Educational Professional and seven themes
that support professional practice. An emphasis on knowledge, skills, dispositions, and lifelong learning as essential
elements for professional practice binds these themes together. The themes are reflected in and emphasized
throughout coursework, candidate assessments, field experience, and clinical practice as appropriate. It is the guiding
document for faculty, candidates, advisors, and academic staff in the design and implementation of programs, and
candidate and program evaluation. Initial and advanced preparation programs emphasize the following themes for
professional practice.
• Advocating for Learning
• Collaborating with Educational Communities
• Engaging in Reflective Practice
• Integrating Technology
• Leading through Innovative Practices
• Practicing Professional Ethics
• Valuing Diversity
The focus and themes of the Conceptual Framework are aligned with the University of Phoenix Learning Goals, as
well as with the University’s mission. The following University Learning Goals apply to each student in every program
at all degree levels and are incorporated into curricula, instruction, and assessment.
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Information Utilization
• Professional Competence and Values
Policies
Faculty and students will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the
following two documents:
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University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document.
Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum.
University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be
slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read
the policies governing your current class modality.
National and Specialized Professional Associations (SPA) Standards
ACEI Standards addressed in this course:
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1.0 Development, Learning, and Motivation
2.1 Reading, Writing, and Oral Language
3.1 Integrating and applying knowledge for instruction
3.2 Adaptation to diverse students
3.3 Development of critical thinking and problem solving
3.4 Active engagement in learning
3.5 Communication to foster collaboration
4.0 Assessment for instruction
Utah Effective Teaching Standards
The Utah Effective Teaching Standards that are aligned to this course are listed below. These standards are
addressed through the course topics and objectives, in-class discussion, field experience, and/or course
assignments.
Standard 1: Learner Development
The teacher understands cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and physical areas of student development.
Standard 2: Learning Differences
The teacher understands individual learner differences and cultural and linguistic diversity.
Standard 3: Learning Environments
The teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning,
encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
Standard 4: Content Knowledge
The teacher understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline.
Standard 5: Assessment
The teacher uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, monitor learning
progress, guide planning and instruction, and determine whether the outcomes described in content standards have
been met.
Standard 6: Instructional Planning
The teacher plans instruction to support students in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of
content areas, Core Curriculum standards, instructional best practices, and the community context.
Standard 7: Instructional Strategies
The teacher uses various instructional strategies to ensure that all learners develop a deep understanding of content
areas and their connections, and build skills to apply and extend knowledge in meaningful ways.
Standard 8: Reflection and Continuous Growth
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who uses evidence to continually evaluate and adapt practice to meet the
needs of each learner.
Standard 9: Leadership and Collaboration
The teacher is a leader who engages collaboratively with learners, families, colleagues, community members to
build a shared vision and supportive professional culture focused on student growth and success.
Standard 10: Professional and Ethical Behavior
The teacher demonstrates the highest standard of legal, moral and ethical conduct as specific in Utah State Board
Rule R277-515.
The complete document is available at:
http://www.schools.utah.gov/cert/DOCS/Educator-Effectivenss-Project/Teacher-and-Leader-Standards/TchStndrds-Flipbk.aspx
Individual E-Portfolio Assignments
An e-portfolio assignment denoted by an asterisk (*) is required. It cannot be changed or deleted.
Benchmark Assignments
See the Gradebook Directions document on the Materials page for directions on how to add benchmark
assignments to your Gradebook.
Course Materials
Tompkins, G. E. (2006). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (4th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson.
Week One: The Nature of Reading in Today’s Learning Environment
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
Details
Objectives
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
Contrast the major theories of cognitive development and of reading.
Describe the active, constructive role of students in literacy tasks.
Identify the main stages in literacy development.
Evaluate the major approaches to the teaching of reading and their
underlying principles.
1.5 Examine the integration of language arts with other areas of the
curriculum.
1.6 Compare the concept of emergent literacy with that of reading
readiness.
1.7 Identify techniques for teaching and reinforcing alphabet knowledge.
1.8 Identify techniques for phonological and for phonemic awareness.
1.9 Investigate the importance of teaching concepts of print in emergent
reading.
1.10 Examine the value of reading aloud to, with, and by children in a shared
reading lesson.
1.11 Explore the concept of writing as part of emergent literacy.
1.12 Identify a series of prompts to encourage students to use graphophonic,
semantic, or syntactic cues.
1.13 Explore assessment tools for evaluating phonemic awareness and
phonics skills.
1.14 Explain the importance of knowledge about phonics, sight words, and
structural analysis and the basic principles for teaching each in an
integrated, functional, meaning-centered fashion.
Conceptual
Framework
Themes
Advocating for Learning
Due
Points
Addressed this
Week
Reading
Read Ch. 1 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read Ch. 3 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read Ch. 4 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
Participation
Participate in class discussion.
Nongraded
Activities and
Preparation
Classroom
Observation
Paper
(Preparation)
Review the Utah College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
for language arts.
Identify location for observation of language arts lesson. For more
information, see the Classroom Observation Paper in Week Five.
Nongraded
Activities and
Preparation
NCATE Activity
With your group discuss why reading, writing, speaking and listening
activities are so vital to language arts lessons. Refer to the ACEI
standards and explain their importance in helping students to achieve
reading and language goals. Present your information on a simple
graphic organizer that you share with the class.
Nongraded
Activities and
Preparation
Conceptual
Framework
Activity
Write three statements that explain how a variety of assessments
incorporated into your unit correlates with the College of Education
Conceptual Framework, and how it emphasizes professional
practices. Exchange written statements with a partner and provide
feedback.
Learning Team
Instructions
Weekly Team
Review
Review the objectives from Week One and discuss additional
insights and questions that may have arisen.
Individual
Reflection Paper
Write a 350- to 700-word reflection paper in which you include the
following:


Describe what you think you will need to know to be an effective
language arts teacher.
Explain why you feel this knowledge will help you become an
effective language arts teacher.
3
5
Week Two: Building Vocabulary
Details
Due
Points
Objectives
2.1 Identify the basic principles of teaching listening, speaking,
reading, and writing vocabulary.
2.2 Suggest effective strategies and activities for vocabulary
development.
2.3 Plan a vocabulary lesson that reinforces morphemic and
contextual analysis.
2.4 Describe pedagogical strategies for activating schemata and
background knowledge.
2.5 Appraise the role of the performance arts in oral/aural
development.
2.6 Explore assessment tools for evaluating vocabulary.
Conceptual
Framework
Themes
Addressed this
Week
Advocating for Learning
Reading
Read Ch. 6 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read Ch. 14 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read the University of Phoenix Material: Phonics Competency
Pretest.
Reading
Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
Participation
Participate in class discussion.
Learning Team
Instructions
Weekly Team
Review
Review the objectives from Week Two and discuss additional
insights and questions that may have arisen.
Individual
Phonics
Competency
Assessment
Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Phonics Competency
Pretest
Complete the Phonics Competency Pretest found on the student
website.
5
Individual
Vocabulary
Mini-lesson
Develop a mini-lesson for teaching vocabulary. You will choose one
obscure vocabulary word and use at least one effective vocabulary
strategy to teach the class your chosen word. You will have 10
minutes (not 5 and not 13) to teach the class your vocabulary word
during class. You will turn in a short outline of your miniature lesson,
an outline that you would give to a substitute teacher.
10
Vocabulary Strategies
3
Learning Team
Presentation
Your Learning Team will give a 10 minute presentation on an
assigned topic.
5
Week Three: Building Comprehension
Reading Fluency
Details
Due
Points
Objectives
3.1 Identify major comprehension strategies.
3.2 Identify methods for teaching and for reinforcing metacognitive
awareness.
3.3 Plan a guided reading activity or a directed reading-thinking
activity.
3.4 Investigate progressive cloze procedures to foster
comprehension.
3.5 Identify the major comprehension difficulties posed by content
area texts.
3.6 Describe effective techniques to enhance retention of expository
material.
3.7 Explore assessment tools for evaluating comprehension.
3.8 Examine the procedures for developing literature-based, crosscurricular integrated units.
3.9 Define reading fluency.
3.10 Identify methods for improving reading fluency.
3.11 Explore assessment tools for evaluating reading fluency.
Conceptual
Framework
Themes
Addressed this
Week
Advocating for Learning
Reading
Read Ch. 5 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read Ch. 7 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read Ch. 10 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
Participation
Participate in class discussion.
3
Learning Team
Presentation
Your Learning Team will give a 10 minute presentation on an
assigned topic.
5
Individual
Integrated Unit
Matrix or
Graphic
Organizer
Develop or borrow a graphic organizer that you would use for
reading comprehension. You will present to the class your organizer
and how you developed it by teaching a 10 minute reading lesson
using the graphic organizer. This graphic organizer needs to be
detailed and done in a professional manner. You will turn in not only
an outline for your lesson as in week 2, but a one page rationale for
using this graphic organizer supporting your argument with current
5
research.
Graphic Organizers
Week Four: Teaching Writing Process
Details
Objectives
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
Reading
Read Ch. 2 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read Ch. 13 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read the section on 6+1 Trait Writing© found at
http://educationnorthwest.org/traits
Due
Points
Define the steps of the writing process.
Compare the stages of the reading and writing processes.
Explain the concept of writing as part of emergent literacy.
Explore the use of the Six Trait Writing rubric in the writing
process.
4.5 Provide examples of ways that students can share or publish
their writing.
4.6 Identify appropriate ways to use journals in the classroom.
4.7 Explore assessment tools for evaluating writing skills.
Discuss how 6 + 1 Trait writing supports the Utah College and Career
Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking, and
Listening.
Reading
Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
Participation
Participate in class discussion.
Learning Team
Instructions
Weekly Team
Review
Review the objectives from Week Four and discuss additional
insights and questions that may have arisen.
Learning Team
Instructions
Weekly Team
Review
Choose a topic and together with your team create a writing
collage. Each team member will write about the chosen topic in
a different style of writing (poetry, advertisement, creative
writing, essay, etc…) The team will present their writing project
to the class.
5
Individual
Read-Aloud
Activity
Develop a guided reading or a read-aloud activity
Choose 1 comprehension strategy to focus on.
Read the book to the class demonstrating effective read-aloud
strategies.
Turn in the outline of your activity including the reference for your
book.
5
3
Week Five: Assessing Language Arts
Details
Due
Points
Objectives
5.1 Examine the role of assessment in instruction.
5.2 Assess the reading interests of pupils.
5.3 Explain the uses, strengths, and weaknesses of formal and
informal assessment measures.
5.4 Explore the use of portfolios and rubrics as assessment tools.
Conceptual
Framework
Themes
Addressed this
Week
Advocating for Learning
Reading
Read Ch. 9 of Literacy for the 21st Century.
Reading
Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
Participation
Participate in class discussion.
Learning Team
Instructions
Weekly Team
Review
Review the objectives from Week Five and discuss additional
insights and questions that may have arisen.
Learning Team
Instructions
Student End-ofCourse Survey
Complete the Student End-of-Course Survey.
Individual EPortfolio
Integrated Unit*
Resource: University of Phoenix Material: TaskStream Assignment:
Integrated Unit you will be presenting your unit to the class.
Develop an integrated unit, using the e-portfolio document as your
guide.
Include all related Utah College and Career Readiness Anchor
Standards.
Upload the integrated unit to your e-portfolio.
15
Individual
Classroom
Observation
Paper
Select one lesson, if permitted at your field experience placement
site, that you developed for this course and teach it to students in a
grade-appropriate classroom.
10
Reflect on your experience as part of the Field Experience Record,
including revisions that you would make to the lesson based on the
experience.
Write a 700- to 1,050-word reflection summarizing your observations.
Include the following:


How the teacher organizes for instruction.
What teaching method theory is being used, as described in Ch.
3




1 of the text.
Examples of effective teaching practices.
The nature of the print environment; would you consider it printrich?
If the students appear to be active learners.
Determine what has influenced the teacher’s organization for
literacy instruction. Do both the students’ needs and the ‘Utah
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading,
Writing, Listening, and Speaking ‘influence and/or support the
instruction?
Rewrite the lesson plan you observe and highlight your revisions to
the lesson. At the end of the lesson defend your reasoning for
changing the lesson.
Note. Remember to document your observation on the BSEd Field
Experience Record located in the Teacher Education Handbook.
Learning Team
Comprehension
Lesson Plans
Choose three comprehension strategies using an instructional
approach of guided or shared reading.
Develop one formal lesson plans for each member of the learning
team.
Include objectives, state standards addressed, materials,
procedures, accommodations for different levels of readers, and
assessments.
15
Individual
Creation
Project
Create a multimedia presentation that summarizes what you
have learned in this class about literacy. This could be a video,
an interactive web page, or another technology project approved
by the instructor.
10
Week One Discussion Questions

A parent complains that her child talks all the time about the writing she is doing in reading class. The
parent is concerned that her child is not learning to read. How would you respond? How would the
Utah College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards help to support your response?

In your primary classroom, you have 15 children at all different stages of literacy development. What
would you do to meet their needs?

How is phonemic awareness different from phonics and how do children acquire phonemic
awareness?

What kinds of activities might teachers utilize to develop children’s word recognition?

Compare the terms reading readiness and emergent literacy. What are the implications of these
terms for instruction?

How does shared reading fit into the process of acquiring literacy?

How can teachers make phonics instruction meaningful?

Describe what you would implement for a spelling program. What types of activities would you include
in your program?

When all the rhetoric involving the great debate is stripped away, teachers are still left with the
essential question; what’s the place of phonics in learning to read? How would you respond to this
question?
Week Two Discussion Questions

How does prior knowledge affect a student’s vocabulary level?

You may remember vocabulary study as getting a list of words, looking up the definition, and then
taking a test on the words. This is still a prevalent practice, but research shows it is highly ineffective.
What different methods of vocabulary instruction would you use to help students gain and retain
vocabulary knowledge?

What is meant by the statement that most vocabulary is learned incidentally? How could you foster
and develop the incidental learning of vocabulary?

How might you select which vocabulary words to teach? Do Utah schools or districts have a
sanctioned, grade level list? What Reading Programs-Basals are being utilized within the Utah
School Districts that you have observed in your field observations?

What strategies should students utilize to analyze unfamiliar words?

There are many techniques for effective vocabulary instruction. How might you choose which one to
utilize in a particular lesson?
Week Three Discussion Questions

Select a piece of expository text. How might you apply the discussed comprehension strategies to
facilitate students’ understanding of the content?

Identify a comprehension strategy presented in this class. How would you implement it at a grade
level you would like to teach?

Many consider round-robin reading to be an inappropriate oral reading strategy. What other oral
reading strategies are more effective?

How could you help struggling fifth-grade readers who are not reading fluently?

How do the comprehension strategies presented in this course align to comprehension strategies
listed in the Utah College and Career Anchor Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking, and
Listening?

There are many techniques for effective vocabulary instruction. How would you choose which one to
use in a particular lesson?

Students should be fluent readers by the third grade. What approaches can be used in the classroom,
at home, in the school, and in the community to ensure that this occurs?
Week Four Discussion Questions

What are some effective ways to use journaling in a classroom of a specific grade level?

What is a plan that a school could implement to provide opportunities for students to share or publish
their writing? Have you observed, read, or heard about any of the Utah Districts or schools that are
providing these types of opportunities?

List and describe the five developmental stages in spelling. How may you use these stages to justify
to parents the use of invented spelling in lower grade levels?

Discuss the pros and cons of correcting students’ spelling and grammar on formal writing
assignments.

Students should be fluent writers by the third grade. What approaches might be used in the
classroom, at home, in school, and in the community to ensure that this occurs?
Week Five Discussion Questions

What is the difference between assessment and evaluation?

What are the differences between formal and informal assessment?

What is the role of assessment in a balanced literacy program? What types of assessment are
sanctioned here in the state of Utah? Do those assessments help to support teacher’s balanced
literacy programs? Do they correlate with the Utah College and Career Readiness Anchor
Standards?

How would you prepare your students for high-stakes district, state, or national testing in the area of
language arts? What testing does Utah support in the area of language arts?

How would you document your students’ growth throughout the school year in the area of language
arts?
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