Literacy Strategies for Content Learning

Support your students’ growth in literacy!

This program focuses on practical and effective reading and writing strategies to foster student growth in literacy. Participants explore intervention strategies for reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing in the content areas along with the diverse materials required to meet the literacy needs of all students.

Program Options Available for:

  • Master of Education degree (36 credits)
  • Professional Development Certificate (21 credits)

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

ED 601 – Theories of Development: A Lifespan Perspective (3 credits)

ED 639 – Psychological and Linguistic Foundations of Reading (3 credits)

ED 605 – Research Methods (3 credits)

Select two courses (6 credits)

ED 602 – Social and Psychological Forces Affecting Youth (3 credits)

ED 603 – Personality Development and Self-Esteem (3 credits)

ED 604 – Contemporary Issues in Education (3 credits)

Action Research

ED 606 – Action Research/Special Project (3 credits)

Literacy Strategies Specialization Courses (9 credits)

ED 620A – Teaching Students to Write Using Multiple Strategies: Composing (3 credits)

ED 638B – Special Project Seminar in Reading Intervention: Comprehension (1.5 credits)

ED 638C – Special Project Seminar in Reading Intervention: Vocabulary (1.5 credits)

ED 678 – Choosing Diverse Materials for Improving Content Learning (2 credits)

ED 679 – Special Project Seminar on Literacy Strategies (1 credit)

Clinical Courses

ED 620B – Teaching Students to Write Using Multiple Strategies: Issues of Correctness (3 credits)

ED 626–Diagnosis of Reading Difficulties (3 credits)

Elective

ED 697 – Reading Strategies for Content Learning (3 credits)

Specialization Standards

Standard 1: Literacy and Learning Content

Candidates apply the literacy demands of the content they teach, including the unique academic language and the oral and written discourse structures that underlie the content, in instructional planning, delivery and assessment.

Standard 2: Foundational Knowledge about Literacy

Candidates use major theories and empirical research that describe the cognitive, linguistic, motivational, and sociocultural foundations of reading and writing development, processes, and components, including word recognition, language comprehension, strategic knowledge, writing, and reading–writing connections, to plan effective literacy instruction in content learning.

Standard 3: Instructional Strategies, Materials and Effective Practices

Candidates design and implement appropriate classroom structures that demonstrate effective literacy strategies, materials and practices using collaborative and cooperative approaches to learning, effective grouping options, and best uses of time to facilitate deep understanding of content. Candidates demonstrate a wide variety of reading, writing, listening and speaking strategies to maximize subject-matter understanding through student engagement in discussion and in reading and writing a variety of diverse content-specific text, including print, nonprint, digital and technological media.

Standard 4: Assessment and Evaluation

Candidates use a variety of assessment tools and practices to better understand the literacy competencies of students (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and to evaluate the literacy demands of content-specific text.

Standard 5: Diversity

Candidates use knowledge of the abilities, interests, and cultural backgrounds of students in the classroom to plan literacy learning opportunities that address the needs of diverse student groups.