Course Descriptions

Reading
COE 234, (406) 657-2338

The College of Education has designed its professional preparation programs to include a series of sequentially arranged field-based experiences.  Depending on the degree option, these field-based experiences may be referred to as internships, practica, clinics, or supervised field experiences.  Each field-based course requires, as a minimum, 45 contact hours per semester credit hour.  Some programs, due to national or state accreditation requirements or Departmental policy, may require additional contact hours beyond the minimum requirement.  Students should clarify requirements with their faculty advisor prior to registration.

All clinical and field-based experiences are arranged through the Office of Licensure, Standards and Clinical Practice.  Students are encouraged to make application 12 weeks prior to the semester in which the clinical or field-based experience is to be completed.  Applications are available in the Office of Licensure, Standards and Clinical Practice, Room 114, first floor COE.

RD 101 Reading Improvement for College Students 3 cr.  Provides instruction and practice in applying active reading strategies, improving comprehension in content areas, demonstrating critical thinking skills in responding to individual content area reading assignments, and increasing vocabulary to improve academic success.  RD 101 prepares students for the demands of college-level reading.  Course earns academic credit but does not count toward Academic Foundations, a degree, or certification.

RD 102 Reading and Study Skills 2 cr.  Emphasizes the skills needed for effective studying.  Designed to help college students with note taking skills, preparing for class discussions, efficient textbook reading and use of reference materials.

RD 288 Foundations of Reading 3 cr. Prerequisite: Admission to AA Program of Study in Education.  Introduces essential background related to reading, develops understanding of features and functions of print, presents materials for building mastery of reading subskills and examines common instructional practices.  Areas covered include emergent reading, reading programs, reading processes, word attack strategies, vocabulary development, phonics and phonemic awareness, comprehension, and fluency.

RD 290 Internship V 3-8 cr.  Provides freshmen and sophomores with an experience in an appointment as an assistant in some area of the school program under supervision.  In-field contact time is 45 hours per semester credit.  Field placements are arranged through the Office of Licensure, Standards and Clinical Practice.

RD 291 Independent Study V 1-5 cr. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and department chairperson.  Provides an opportunity for freshman and sophomore students to explore material not covered by the regular college courses under supervision and approved by the Department Chairperson.

RD 292 Seminar 3 cr.  Provides students an opportunity to investigate intensively topics pertinent to the field of Reading Education.

RD 293 Workshop V 1-8 cr.  Provides an opportunity for students of superior academic standing to explore material not covered by the regular college courses.

RD 310 Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum 3 cr. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education program or consent of department chairperson.  Introduces pre-service teachers to basic concepts about reading and writing to learn, provides strategies for making content area text more accessible to readers, includes techniques for assessment of text difficulty and student competence in reading content text, and examines designs for approaching content area study using reading and writing as tools for the development of content subject concepts.

RD/EC 335 Cognitive and Language Development in Young Children 3 cr. (Lec 2; Clinic 1) Prerequisite: EC 210.  Focuses on current theory and practice related to understanding and enhancing the young child’s cognitive and language development.  Provides the student with opportunities to apply child development and learning theory to assessment,
curriculum, and interaction patterns with young children.  A field experience is integrated into the course experience and assignments.

RD 401 Reflective Practices in Teaching Reading 4 cr. Prerequisite: EDCI 301.  Introduces students to visual cueing systems in print, to models of text processing and the reading process.  Discusses phonemic awareness, elements of balanced literacy, reading programs and approaches and inquiry methodology.  Provides students with a grounding in phonemic awareness, emergent literacy, evaluation and assessment, and reading/writing applications for subject matter content.

RD 412/512 Emergent Literacy 3 cr. Prerequisite: EDCI 301 or consent of instructor.  Provides a view of the stages of literacy development including areas of language, writing, perception, behavior and cognitive development.  Curriculum and instruction analyses are related to various stages of literacy development.  Contains a field experience with children, relating theory to practice.

RD 413/513 Developing Student Writing 3 cr.  Provides students with a view of the writing process, methods for engaging children in writing activity in the classroom, assessments of and interventions into the writing efforts of children, and understanding of writing-reading connections consistent with current practices in reading education.

RD 414 Teaching Reading K-3 3 cr. Prerequisites: EDCI 301/RD 401.  Introduces students to developmentally appropriate methods for teaching and assessing reading and literacy in early elementary classrooms.  This course will focus on the instruction of Reading in the primary grades (K-3) as reflected in best practices and current research.

RD 415 Theories in Reading 3 cr. Prerequisite: RD 310 or teaching experience.  Acquaints the student with a variety of theories of reading and writing instruction.  Designed to extend the theoretical understanding of literacy development.

RD 417 Diagnostic Teaching of Reading 3 cr. Prerequisite: RD 401 or RD 310; admission to Teacher Education or consent of instructor.  Focuses on the literacy development of children experiencing difficulty with classroom reading/writing instruction.  Effective teaching strategies are studied and applied.  Contains a field experience with children, tying theory to practice.

RD 418 Development of Literacies in Multicultural/Multilingual Communities 3 cr.  Provides theoretical background and practical experience in approaching literacy acquisition and development in multilingual and multicultural communities.  Offers consideration of the nature of literacy itself vis-à-vis linguistic, cultural, socio-economic, gender, racial, ethnic and intellectual diversities.

RD 419 Reading Round Table V 1-3 cr. Provides students with literature study routines and materials for nine juvenile/young adult trade books; discussion and engagement focuses on one title at a time using a literature workshop method.  Examination of reading practices which employ trade books in middle and secondary schools is included.

RD 427 Literacy Development in Middle and Secondary Schools 3 cr. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education program or consent of instructor.  Provides the reading specialist and 5-12 certification preservice teachers with a view of literacy development consistent with the abilities, interests and needs of upper grade and secondary students.  Offers instructional practices in reading/writing appropriate to and supportive of middle and secondary curricula.

RD 431 Storytelling 3 cr.  Provides students with background in the nature of oral narrative, offers developmental experience for the novice teller, and ties storytelling and practices in oral narrative in general to language acquisition and development.

RD 490 Internship V 4-8 cr. Prerequisites: completion of student teaching or approved equivalent experience.  Provides a classroom, tutoring, mentoring or other appropriate educational assignment related to teaching the English/Language Arts, with emphases on: reading/writing development, uses of literature with children, curriculum construction, integration of language processes in instruction, etc.  Infield contact time is 45 hours per semester credit.  Field placements are arranged through the Office of Licensure, Standards and Clinical Practice.

RD 491 Independent Study V 1-5 cr.  Provides an opportunity for students of superior academic standing to explore material not covered by the regular college courses.

RD 492 Seminar V 1-8 cr.  Investigates intensively topics pertinent to the area of Reading Education.

RD 493 Workshop V 1-8 cr.  Provides an opportunity for experimental study in an area of Reading Education.

RD 494 Clinic V 1-8 cr.  Selected practice opportunities allow students to explore and develop reading/writing applications in one-on-one settings.  Reflective teaching capacities emerge through direct observation, assessment and responsibility for instructional design.

Graduate Level Courses

The following are graduate level courses.  Please refer to the Graduate Catalog for the course descriptions.

RD 412/512 Emergent Literacy 3 cr.
RD 413/513 Developing Student Writing 3 cr.
EC/RD/SPED 502 Research in Special Programs 3 cr.
RD 505 Psychological Processes in Reading 3 cr.
RD 509 Language Acquisition 3 cr.
RD 510 Instructional Practices in Literacy Education 3 cr.
RD 517 Diagnostic Aspects of Reading Difficulties 3 cr.
RD 518 Literacy in Rural and Multicultural Settings 3 cr.
RD 519 Reading Round Table V 1-3 cr.
RD 520 Content Area Reading and Writing 3 cr.
RD 521 Teaching Reading 7-12 3 cr.
RD 590 Internship V 1-6 cr.
RD 591 Independent Study V 1-6 cr.
RD 592 Seminar V 1-6 cr.
RD 593 Workshop V 1-6 cr.
RD 594 Clinic V 1-6 cr.
RD 597 Action Research Project and Seminar 3 cr.
RD 599 Thesis 6 cr.
RD/SPED 611 Administration and Supervision of Special Programs 3 cr.