EDUC 205 Materials for Teaching Reading

This course is designed for pre-service and in-service teachers. Participants will use criteria consistent with findings of scientific research to select, evaluate, and compare instructional programs and materials for teaching reading. Successful student will be proficient in enabling students to become strategic, fluent, and independent readers using a variety of texts and other materials. They will be prepared to involve parents and members of the school and surrounding community to promote reading both inside and outside of school. This course meets the Maryland State Department of Education Reading requirement for an initial certificate in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Special Education Generic Infant/Primary, and Special Education Generic Elementary/Middle.

Credits

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

1. Select, organize, and evaluate text that supports the development of the five essential
components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension)
including but not limited to: decodable text, controlled vocabulary text, informational text,
technology documents, functional text, and literary text.
2. Evaluate two core, comprehensive reading programs for their allegiance to research-based
principles of instruction in phonological awareness, phonics and word study, word recognition
accuracy and fluency, passage reading fluency, vocabulary, comprehension skills and strategies,
and language instruction.
3. Select supplementary materials and approaches for strategic and intensive intervention,
phonological skills, phonics, word recognition, passage reading fluency, vocabulary, language,
and/or comprehension skills and strategies.
4. Evaluate the alignment of the instructional components of a core reading program with Maryland
Voluntary State Reading and Language Arts curriculum (VCS).
5. Utilize research based independent sources to review materials, methods, and programs.
6. Evaluate the quality of children's literature by using appropriate criteria for specific genres.
7. Select classroom materials that integrate a variety of technology and media resources, multiple
genres, and diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to support content area reading.
8. Select, organize, and evaluate materials to determine if they are appropriate to instructional
purpose (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and/or comprehension),
developmental level, student's interest, diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, gender,
English Language Learners (ELL), Gifted and Talented (GT), special education and at-risk
populations.
9. Use appropriate leveling systems.
10. Describe the variety of texts (narrative, expository, reference, etc.) that should be in a classroom
library and a method for organizing and presenting them.
11. List incentive programs and classroom practices that promote wide reading.
12. State the theoretical principles of motivation that support independent reading.
13. Describe the features of text organization and formatting that are “student friendly" and that
support comprehension.
14. Select and use appropriate materials that scaffold readers from developing to fluent reading and
help students self-select material to match their independent reading level.
15. Collaborate with school-based teams to identify, select, and evaluate children's literature and
other material that meets students' reading needs and interests.
16. Describe parent-school and school-community support programs that promote independent
reading and parent involvement in children's reading.
17. Select materials that support core and supplemental instruction that parents can use at home.
18. Assist parents and caregivers to learn how to select quality children's literature and other
materials that meet student's reading needs and interests to fluent reading and help students selfselect
materials to match their independent reading level.
19. Evaluate children's literature and other materials for establishing a print-rich environment that
supports literacy instruction to include: organized classroom library, literacy centers, and
technology/media.
20. Plan and manage a print-rich environment that effectively supports student's instruction and
independent levels, interests, motivation, and positive attitudes about literacy that includes: areas
appropriate for whole and small group instruction, areas for independent practice, and easy
access to a wide variety of reading materials.

Course Objectives

1. Select, organize, and evaluate text that supports the development of the five essential
components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension)
including but not limited to: decodable text, controlled vocabulary text, informational text,
technology documents, functional text, and literary text.
2. Evaluate two core, comprehensive reading programs for their allegiance to research-based
principles of instruction in phonological awareness, phonics and word study, word recognition
accuracy and fluency, passage reading fluency, vocabulary, comprehension skills and strategies,
and language instruction.
3. Select supplementary materials and approaches for strategic and intensive intervention,
phonological skills, phonics, word recognition, passage reading fluency, vocabulary, language,
and/or comprehension skills and strategies.
4. Evaluate the alignment of the instructional components of a core reading program with Maryland
Voluntary State Reading and Language Arts curriculum (VCS).
5. Utilize research based independent sources to review materials, methods, and programs.
6. Evaluate the quality of children's literature by using appropriate criteria for specific genres.
7. Select classroom materials that integrate a variety of technology and media resources, multiple
genres, and diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to support content area reading.
8. Select, organize, and evaluate materials to determine if they are appropriate to instructional
purpose (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and/or comprehension),
developmental level, student's interest, diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, gender,
English Language Learners (ELL), Gifted and Talented (GT), special education and at-risk
populations.
9. Use appropriate leveling systems.
10. Describe the variety of texts (narrative, expository, reference, etc.) that should be in a classroom
library and a method for organizing and presenting them.
11. List incentive programs and classroom practices that promote wide reading.
12. State the theoretical principles of motivation that support independent reading.
13. Describe the features of text organization and formatting that are “student friendly" and that
support comprehension.
14. Select and use appropriate materials that scaffold readers from developing to fluent reading and
help students self-select material to match their independent reading level.
15. Collaborate with school-based teams to identify, select, and evaluate children's literature and
other material that meets students' reading needs and interests.
16. Describe parent-school and school-community support programs that promote independent
reading and parent involvement in children's reading.
17. Select materials that support core and supplemental instruction that parents can use at home.
18. Assist parents and caregivers to learn how to select quality children's literature and other
materials that meet student's reading needs and interests to fluent reading and help students selfselect
materials to match their independent reading level.
19. Evaluate children's literature and other materials for establishing a print-rich environment that
supports literacy instruction to include: organized classroom library, literacy centers, and
technology/media.
20. Plan and manage a print-rich environment that effectively supports student's instruction and
independent levels, interests, motivation, and positive attitudes about literacy that includes: areas
appropriate for whole and small group instruction, areas for independent practice, and easy
access to a wide variety of reading materials.