Course Information
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Teaching Beginning Readers Pre-K–3†
Course Preview
Graduate Credit: 3 semester hours
Formats: Print & DVD or Online
Level: Grades Pre-K–3
Tuition: $510*
Registration Deadline: July 19, 2013
Complete by: October 31, 2013
Course #: EDUC-6946T
| Grades: |
10 weeks after receipt of coursework |
*For Print & DVD format, add $30 fee for Course Study Guide (required)
Give your readers the best start to their academic careers by providing a solid foundation in reading and literacy. Through this graduate-level course, you will take a developmental, student-centered approach to reading and literacy instruction. Using the five pillars of reading as an organizational framework, particularly phonemic awareness and phonics, you will explore the characteristics of emergent, beginning, and transitional readers and plan and implement developmentally appropriate assessments, materials, and strategies for their instruction. You will explore the impact oral language has on a student’s literacy development as well and ways to engage family involvement in literacy instruction.
You will be able to apply what you learn immediately to your classroom with lessons developed based on your personal teaching situation, including your literacy program, your students, and your goals for success. Course curriculum aligns with the standards set forth by the International Reading Association.
Some assignments in this course may be more easily completed through student interaction.
Teaching Tangibles
- Understand the foundations of early literacy learning, including word decoding, phonemic awareness, and phonics
- Learn how to implement a Guided Reading lesson that uses before, during, and after reading activities
- Assess and support students’ word knowledge
- Prepare a textual grouping of reading materials to support a theme or unit of study
†Credits for up to four of these courses may be applied toward a Walden University M.S. in Education program. Please call 1-866-492-5336 and speak to an Enrollment Advisor for more details.
More Information
Download a course fact sheet to share with your supervisor, principal, and other teaching colleagues who may be interested in learning more about Canter graduate courses. The overview includes a description of the course as well as information on:
- Course topics and outcomes
- Course assessment criteria
- Course format and materials
- System requirements (online format)
- Featured education experts
Janice F. Almasi, Ph.D.
Dr. Almasi is a former elementary school teacher and reading specialist and is currently the Carol Lee Robertson Endowed Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Kentucky. Her research has examined the contexts in which children learn from text, particularly in terms of strategic processes and peer discussion environments. She has published three books (Teaching Literacy in Third Grade, Teaching Strategic Reading Processes, and Lively Discussions! Fostering Engaged Readers) and her research has been published in journals such as: Reading Research Quarterly, The Journal of Literacy Research, Elementary School Journal, and Educational Psychologist.
Sue Bredekamp, Ph.D.
Dr. Bredekamp is the Director of Research for the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition in Washington, DC. Her work is in the area of early childhood education and early childhood programs. Dr. Bredekamp has served as a consultant to many programs and initiatives and much of her work has focused on the promotion of professional development for early childhood educators.
Linda Darling-Hammond, Ed.D.
Dr. Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University, where she serves as principal investigator for the School Redesign Network and is a director of the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute. She was the founding executive director of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, which produced the widely cited 1996 blueprint for education reform, What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future. Dr. Darling-Hammond’s work focuses on educational policy, teaching and teacher education, school restructuring, and educational equity. Among her more than 200 publications is The Right To Learn, which received the 1998 Outstanding Book Award from the American Educational Research Association, and (as co-editor) Teaching as the Learning Profession: A Handbook of Policy and Practice, which was awarded the National Staff Development Council’s Outstanding Book Award in 2000.
The following course materials are included in the cost of tuition and will be delivered directly to you:
- Textbook: Literacy for Young Children: A Guide for Early Childhood Educators by P.L. Griffith, S. Beach, J. Ruan, and L. Dunn
- DVD: Teaching Beginning Readers, Grades Pre-K–3
(For online format, the DVD is provided as backup to streaming video online.)
If you order the print & DVD format, you will also receive
the following:*
- Study guide: Teaching Beginning Readers Pre-K–3
- Course information packet
*For online format, the study guide and course information packet are provided in your online classroom.
Prerequisite
This is a graduate-level course; therefore, you must have a bachelor's degree or above to enroll and receive credit.
Earning Graduate Credit
Total coursework for this course is equivalent to a 45 contact-hour course. Graduate credit will be issued when you successfully complete the following course requirements:
- Collaborate with study partner(s) (Print & DVD format only).
- Collaborate with colleagues through discussion boards (Online format only).
- View video segments.
- Complete required text/journal readings, assignments, and the final paper.
Course Completion Deadline
Print & DVD format: coursework must be submitted via email to WaldenCourseworkSubmission@waldenu.edu on or before October 31, 2013.
Online format: coursework must be submitted online on or before October 31, 2013.
System Requirements
Operating system for PC: Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, or
Windows® 7
Operating system for Mac®: OS X or higher
Processor: 1 GHz, 32/64 bit or higher
Memory: Minimum 512 MB of RAM; 1 GB recommended
Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer® 6.0 or higher; Firefox® 3.6 (also for Mac®: Apple® Safari® 4 or higher)
Internet connection: Broadband (DSL, cable modem, or similar) required
Software: Microsoft Word®, Adobe® Flash® Player 7 or higher (free), Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® version 8 or higher (free)
Monitor resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels or higher
Note: If you are using a Macintosh®, please be sure to download Mozilla® Firefox® 3.6. It’s free, and the download should take only a few minutes at http://www.mozilla.org/.
Got a question about this course?
Give us a call 1-800-669-9011 .
