Course Guide Overviews

Happy People with ComputerModule One: Language Development and Components of Reading

The foundation of literacy skills is language development. In this module, you will explore language development through the four major theories of language development, how family plays a role in language development, the connection between language development and reading, and the two major early literacy organizations and their components of reading.

Module One Outcomes and Activity Checklist

 

Module Two: Phonological Awareness

This module focuses on phonological awareness which is an individual’s ability to recognize the different sounds of spoken words. These sounds are known as phonemes. Phonological awareness should not be confused with phonics (the matching of sounds with written symbols). Phonological awareness is a prerequisite for learning and applying phonics. Before a student can begin to become phonologically aware, they must know the structure of the English language in order to realize that words consist of phonemes.
In this section we will look at:

Module Two Outcomes and Activity Checklist

 

Module Three: Decoding Words Using Phonics

The next two modules will deal with word identification. Decoding is how students identify unknown words. There are many ways for students to decode text and they must learn all of them. In this module we will concentrate on teaching students to use phonics to decode words. Phonics is the matching of sounds with symbols. In English, the symbols are the 26 letters in the alphabet.

Module Three Outcomes and Activity Checklist

 

Module Four: Sight Words and Context Clues

Since English language does not have strict Alice In Wonderlandphoneme/grapheme correspondence, students will not always be able to use phonics to decode unknown words. Beginning readers must be taught additional decoding methods including sight words, context clues, and structural analysis. In this module we will look at how each of these decoding skills can be taught and assessed.

Module Four Outcomes and Activity Checklist

 

Module Five: Comprehension

This course has so far covered the instruction needed for children to make the transition from pre-reading skills to decoding text. In this module we will cover reading comprehension which is the goal of the reading process.

Module Five Outcomes and Activity Checklist

 

Module Six: Comprehension of Expository Text

In the last module we looked at how to help your students build their reading comprehension. Traditionally, narrative texts have been used to teach and measure comprehension. Students also need to read and comprehend expository texts, so in this module we will look at how to apply comprehension strategies to different types of expository texts.

Module Six Outcomes and Activity Checklist

 

Module Seven: Fluency and Motivation

Fluency is the ability to read quickly, accurately, and with proper expression and comprehension. Fluency can only be learned by reading. A student becomes more fluent, the more he or she reads. Motivation therefore plays an important role in creating fluent readers. In this module we will look at both fluency and motivation.

Module Seven Outcomes and Activity Checklist

 

Module Eight: Putting It All Together

Cover of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

We have covered a lot of ground in this course. During the first seven modules you explored the different components of reading:

These components have been separated for purposes of discussion and learning. However, in practice you will teach these skills in tandem. Good readers coordinate these skills and processes so they work together to produce an understanding of the printed material. All these are influenced by the affective aspects surrounding the reading situation, including motivation.

Module Eight Outcomes and Activity Checklist

 

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