EDRD 414

EDRD 414: Reading II: Upper Elementary Reading Instruction and Assessment  

Prerequisites: EDRD 314, EDUC 304 and admission to Teacher Education Program

Credit Hours: (3)

Designed to teach balanced reading practices, including word study, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategy instruction and developmentally appropriate assessment practices in the upper elementary grades. The course includes teaching reading in the content areas and small group reading instruction. 

Detailed Description of Content of Course

This course is designed to teach balanced reading practices, including word study, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategy instruction and developmentally appropriate assessment practices in the upper elementary grades. The course focuses on: 

• Explicit and systematic phonics instruction 
• Guided reading instruction for transitional, intermediate, and advanced readers
• Fluency instruction
• Reading comprehension strategies using gradual release of responsibility in both fiction and nonfiction texts
• The integration of reading instruction with content area teaching (social studies, science, mathematics) 
• The administration of assessment tools to inform reading instructional practices in the upper elementary grades

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

This course is an integral part of the early field experience in the elementary education and special education programs.  The in-class sessions may include lecture, audio-visual presentations, student presentations, guest speakers, role-playing, reaction papers, journals, and applied technology assignments. Students will design and deliver grade-appropriate reading lessons both in class and in elementary grade classrooms.  Students design and administer a series of developmentally appropriate guided reading lessons  that are practiced and administered in a small group classroom setting. Additionally, students will administer an Informal Reading Inventory with an individual elementary student and use data from the assessment to determine grade level performance, identify reading strengths and needs, and construct a remedial plan, including instructional recommendations.   

Goals and Objectives of the Course

Goals, objectives, and assignments in this class address the Virginia Department of Education requirements for teacher preparation and the International Reading Association competencies for classroom teachers. This course is designed to enable students to:

1. Apply the Virginia Standards of Learning for English in reading when designing lessons.
2. Utilize the foundational knowledge that supports the successful development of reading skills.
3. Plan and implement research-based instructional approaches for elementary students that enhance reading skills across all essential areas of reading instruction (phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension).
4. Differentiate instruction in both whole class and small group settings to improve performance of learners at different stages of development and ability.
5. Implement both formal and informal reading assessments as screening diagnostic and progress monitoring measures for the essential components of reading: decoding, fluency, vocabulary, reading levels, and comprehension.  Candidates use diagnostic data to inform instruction for acceleration, intervention, remediation, and differentiation.
6. Be proficient in the structure of the English language, including an understanding of syntax and semantics;
7. Provide explicit and systematic phonics instruction that includes sound and symbol relationships, syllables, phonemes, morphemes, word analysis, and decoding skills.
8. Describe the characteristics of students with dyslexia and high-achieving readers and identify instructional practices that meet their needs.
9. Create literacy-rich learning environments that include contemporary digital and print resources.
10. Utilize word learning strategies that promote vocabulary and concept development.
11. Implement reading comprehension instruction with both fiction and nonfiction texts in the areas of questioning, predicting, inferencing, summarizing, clarifying, evaluating, and making connections.
12. Support students to read with fluency to improve reading rate, accuracy, and meaningful expression (prosody).
13. Integrate reading instructional methods with content areas, including science, social studies, mathematics, health, etc. that emphasize discipline-specific literacy processes.
14. Use effective strategies to enable the learning of standard English by speakers of other languages and dialects.

Assessment Measures

Assessment Measures may include, but are not limited to:

1. Final exams and quizzes
2. Participation in class discussions, graded small group activities, and reflective writing
3. Design and delivery of content area literacy lesson plans that include specific, research-based strategies
4. Design and delivery of small group-guided reading lesson plans
5. Informal Reading Inventory Case Study Report 
6. Complete VADOE Dyslexia Module 

Other Course Information

None

Review and Approval
February, 1999: Revised
October 2008: Course description and official syllabus revised by Gaston Dembele and reviewed by Jennifer Jones and Mary Smith.

August 2020