Listing of Master's level Courses in the Reading Department

Key:

OC = On Campus

OL = Online (through UA Blackboard or SUNY Learning Network)--note that ALL online courses are cpn-required

cpn required = closed permission number required (check here for details)

Looking for more details of each course? Click on its title, and you can view an extended description of the course, the major topics/themes, suggested assignments, and suggested readings. If the title is not underlined, that means an extended description, etc., is not currently available.

ERDG500 Introduction to Literacy Teaching and Learning, B-6 (3) OC/OL
Introduces instruction and development in reading, writing, listening, and speaking from Birth through 6th grade, focusing on Kindergarten to grade 2. Teachers will learn productive research-based strategies, materials, and assessment practices, and reflect on their own literacy as a resource for understanding children's literacy development. The course involves 10 hours of practical literacy experiences with children. Prerequisites: none

ERDG502 Teaching Reading in Secondary School

--Discontinued: but if taken previously, may be used in place of ERDG505.

ERDG504 Literature for Reading Programs (3) OC/OL
Examination of the broad range of genres and the rich variety of texts for use in classroom settings. Focus includes strategies for incorporating texts into various curricular areas. Topics include literacy events with text for emergent readers, knowledge of book difficulty, and uses of literature in the classroom. Prerequisites: none

ERDG505 Introduction to Literacy Teaching and Learning, 5-12 (3) OC
Introduces instruction in reading, writing, listening, and speaking development from grades 5-12. Teachers will learn productive research-based strategies, materials, and assessment practices, and reflect on their own literacy as a resource for understanding children's literacy development. Involves practical literacy experiences with adolescents. Prerequisites: none

ERDG506: Young Adult Literature (3) OC
Examines the broad range of genres and the rich variety of texts for use in classroom settings. Presents strategies for incorporating literature into various curricular areas. Topics include motivation issues, text difficulty, and use of literature with controversial themes. Prerequisites: none

ERDG508 Teaching Reading in Elementary School

--Discontinued, but if previously taken, can be used in place of ERDG500.

ERDG526: Language Acquisition (3) OC (cross-listed with Ant 526, Lin 526)
Examines theoretical and empirical aspects of first language acquisition and its development in speech and writing from birth through adolescence, including phonology, syntax, vocabulary, and pragmatics. It views acquisition across languages and (sub)cultures from linguistic, psychological, and social perspectives. Prerequisites: none

ERDG/ETAP530: Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum (3) OC
Addresses the theory and practice of literacy learning and instruction within and across the disciplines. Focuses on disciplinary and interdisciplinary uses of and purposes for oral and written texts. Includes developing research-based models for integrating reading and writing into content study and for communicating beyond the school setting. Prerequisites: none

ERDG600: Practicum in Literacy Teaching and Learning, B-6 (3) OC/OL cpn & wait-list required
Extends ERDG500, emphasizing the knowledge teachers need to address and prevent problems in children's learning and in school practices. Teachers will learn assessment tools (e.g., standardized tests, portfolios, informal assessment) and to negotiate solutions to instructional problems with colleagues and parents. Involves tutoring a student encountering difficulty with literacy development. Prerequisite: ERDG 500 or ERDG508. For students in Literacy Specialist B-6, this course should be taken immediately before ERDG620.

ERDG605: Practicum in Literacy Teaching and Learning, 5-12 (3) OC cpn and wait-list required
Practicum in assessment of literacy as a cultural practice. Students conduct activity systems assessments to understand reading, writing, speaking, and listening instruction and learning in a variety of grade 5-12 settings, attending especially to variability across classrooms and to demands such variability places on students as well as literacy specialists. (15 practicum hours). Prerequisite: ERDG 505 or 502. ERDG 605 is recommended as your last course (Classroom Track) or immediately before ERDG 623 (Literacy Specialist).

ERDG609 Adult Literacy (3) OC  --not currently taught
Social and psychological perspectives on current research, programs, methods, materials, and evaluation in adult literacy. Teachers will consider contrasting conceptions of literacy and learning and adult development; participatory literacy programs; instruction and curriculum for adults of diverse backgrounds; alternative/performance-based assessment. Prerequisites: none

ERDG610: Literacy in Society (3) OC/OL
Provides opportunities for building shared understanding among teachers working with students across grade levels. Involves critical examination of social and linguistic perspectives on language and literacy. Addresses the relationships among schooling, literacy, social, and cultural life. Encompasses family literacy, media studies, and the nature and significance of sociocultural and linguistic diversity. Prerequisites: none

ERDG615 Teaching Writing, B-6 (3) OC/OL
Theory and practice of teaching writing. Covers these topics: history of writing systems, stages of writing development, theories/philosophies of writing; major instructional strategies for teaching writing (topics for writing, prewriting/drafting/revising/editing/proofreading, issues of audience and purpose, style, spelling, handwriting/keyboarding, grammar, organizing the writing classroom; assessment of writing. Prerequisites: none

ERDG616 Teaching Writing, Grades 5-12 (3) OC
Teachers will critically examine major instructional strategies and theories for teaching writing. Covers these topics: the intertwining roles of talk and reading in writing development, writing within and across disciplines, using portfolios for tracking student learning and for assessing teachers' growth, and uses of technology in writing English/Language Arts classrooms. Prerequisites: none

ERDG617 Teaching Social Studies and Language Arts in Preschool and Elementary Settings (3) OC/OL
Focuses on the New York State Standards and Assessment in teaching Social Studies and Language Arts. Teachers will learn theoretical and practical applications of historical and literary concepts. Examines productive ways to integrate across the subject areas, Emphasizes material selection, instruction, and assessment to promote conceptual understandings for all students. Prerequisites: none

ERDG618 Teaching Math and Science in Preschool and Elementary Settings (3) OC/OL not currently offered: this course has been replaced by two courses--ETAP612 and ETAP614 (see below)
Focuses on the New York State Standards and Assessment in teaching Math and Science. Teachers will learn theoretical and practical applications of mathematical and scientific concepts. Examines productive ways to integrate across the subject areas, Emphasizes material selection, instruction, and assessment to promote conceptual understandings for all students. Prerequisites: none

ERDG620 Capstone Practicum and Seminar, B-6 (6) OC cpn & wait-list required
Involves an intense, reflective tutoring experience with a child grade K-6, which expands into small group instruction. Teachers tutor a student and work with a group to document the students' literacy learning and their own instructional interactions. Emphasis includes reflection on teaching, theories of literacy development, and teachers' understanding of teaching, learning, and research. Prerequisites: ERDG500 and ERDG600. Note for students in Literacy Specialist B-6: this course must be taken in the last semester of your program. Note for students in SpEd/Literacy programs: you must meet eligibility requirements in your program in addition to prerequisites and requirements stated above.

ERDG621 is now ERDG677

ERDG623 Capstone Practicum and Seminar, 5-12 (6) OC cpn & wait-list required
Involves an intense, reflective tutoring experience with a child grades 5-12, which expands into small group instruction. Teachers tutor a student and work with a group to document the students' literacy learning and their own instructional interactions. Emphasis includes reflection on teaching, theories of literacy development, and teachers' understanding of teaching, learning, and research. Prerequisite: ERDG505.

ERDG625 Integrating Literacy Instruction, B-6 (3) OC/OL
Theory and practice of integrated literacy instruction. Covers these topics: historical perspectives on integrated language arts, different kinds of integration (within language arts, between language arts and subject areas, within and across grade levels, etc.), developing integrated units of instruction, teaching skills within themes, and assessing children's literacy progress. Prerequisite: for students in Early Childhood/Childhood Ed, this course must be taken in the last semester of your program. For students in other programs, there are no prerequisites. However, if you take this course out of sequence, and then enter Early Childhood/Childhood Ed, your final project will be reviewed, and may have to be revised or resubmitted.

ERDG638: Media Literacy (3) OC/OL
Develop an informed and critical understanding of new communication media, including ways to read and write electronic texts. Explore implications of these technologies and their uses in schools, communities, and workplaces. Focus on practices involving cutting-edge technologies that hold promise for the teaching of writing, language, and literature.

ERDG648: Discourse and Language in the Classroom (3) OC
Explores discourse analysis as relevant to understanding teaching and learning in classroom settings. Major themes include the nature of classrooms as a communicative environment; influences of social and linguistic diversity in classrooms on teaching and learning processes; alternatives approaches to analysis of classroom communication and their contribution to understanding major themes. Prerequisites: none

ERDG655 Emergent Literacy (3) (Cross-listed with ETAP654) OC/OL
Language and literacy development in young children is examined in everyday contexts, in and outside the home. The reciprocal relationship between early writing and reading is emphasized, as is a serious reconsideration of some long-held notions, such as 'reading readiness,' 'pre-reading,' and 'prerequisite skills.' Prerequisites: none

ERDG656: Language and Learning to Read (3) OC
Addresses topics on the nature of language, especially English, in relation to literacy teaching and learning. Examines the organization of language, its acquisition from birth through adolescence, its use in communicative settings, linguistic awareness, language as a tool for learning, differences between spoken and written language, dialect and sociocultural variations and attitudes.

ERDG657: Reading in a Second Language (3)(cross-listed with ETAP 657) OC
Provides an overview of issues in teaching and learning to read and write a second language by young children, adolescents, and adults. Considers the differences across languages in spoken and written form, the nature of second language acquisition, the range of programs in place to foster second language literacy, and perspectives on optimal instruction. Prerequisites: none

ERDG666 Discontinued  January 2003
ERDG667 Discontinued  January 2003

ERDG677 Administering and Reforming School Literacy Programs (3) OC/OL
Examines organizational/administrative issues at three levels (societal/govt, district/school, and classroom). Covers these topics: historical perspectives on literacy, current philosophies/theories, federal and state regulations, supervision techniques, district- and school-level reform (professional development, selection of materials/strategies, curriculum reform, assessment, etc.), classroom organization for literacy instruction (materials, grouping practices, etc.), evaluation of literacy initiatives. Prerequisites: none

ERDG680 Series: Seminars (3) OC
Individual and group study of problems related to specific areas of literacy. Prerequisites: Consent of Department and 12 hours of graduate credit.

ERDG685 Reading and the Exceptional Child (3) OC   not currently taught
Theories and practices of reading as related to the education of students with special needs and handicapping conditions (learning disabled, visually impaired, deaf and hearing impaired, mentally retarded, etc.) in mainstream classes and special programs. Specific topics include assessment, individualized educational plans, instructional delivery, and materials evaluation in reading programs for exceptional children.

ERDG687 Institute in Education (2-9) OC normally 3 credits--selected by Dept
Selected courses and workshops in literacy. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

ERDG695 Supervised Fieldwork and Practice in Reading (3-6) OC
Open to graduate students who have been admitted to the sequence in reading.

ERDG697 Independent Study in Reading (1-6) OC normally 3 credits, selected by Dept
Projects designed to meet the needs of students in master's level programs. Prerequisite: Consent of department.

The following courses are taught by other departments for Reading students enrolled in the MS (Reading): Classroom Track Online, the MS (Literacy): Childhood Education Online/On Campus, and the MS (Literacy):Early Childhood Education (on campus) programs

EPHL601 Philosophy of Education (3) OL

An examination of methods of philosophy and its application to educational issues. Topics considered include social justice, moral education and theories of learning and knowledge. These topics are examined in the context of historic and contemporary philosophical writings. Prerequisites: none (Note: this course is not exclusively for Reading students).

EPSY521 Development in Childhood (3) OL
This course focuses on the young child (birth through age 11), especially the development of cognition and social-emotional characteristics. Emphasis will be placed on major developmental theories, methods of studying child development, and the implications of child characteristics for instruction, assessment, and the attainment of the NYS Learning Standards. Prerequisite: None

EPSY540 Assessment in Education (3) OL
Theory and practice of assessment for teachers and other professionals. Emphasis on classroom assessment and evaluation practices consistent with the NYS Learning Standards. Methods include performance assessments, instructional rubrics, student portfolios and exhibitions, and objectively-scored tests. Assessments used for improving student performance and teaching practice. Prerequisite: None.

ESPE561 Integrating Students with Disabilities in General Education Classrooms (3) OL
This course is designed to provide elementary and secondary general education teachers with a range of research-based approaches for integrating students with disabilities. These approaches include effective planning for individual differences, grouping strategies, co-teaching, cooperative learning and peer tutoring. Strategies for specific disabilities and specific disciplines will also be discussed. Prerequisites: none

ETAP512 Teachers in Context (3) OL
An examination of the influence of sociological, cultural, and historical factors on the place of teachers in society and the professional practice of teaching with an emphasis on representative countries. Prerequisites: none

ETAP519 Learning in the Academic Disciplines (3) OL
This course is an introduction to general theories of human learning and their application to learning in academic disciplines. The course explores some aspects of the relationships among sociology, technology, and human learning, and raises pedagogical and curricular issues related to the creation of instruction and learning environments in subject matter domains. Prerequisites: none

ETAP 612 Mathematics in the Elementary School (3) OL/OC

This course prepares students to teach elementary school mathematics. Students will explore what it means to learn mathematics with understanding while they deepen their own understandings of fundamental mathematical ideas, consider how different groups of students experience mathematics instruction, and develop pedagogical strategies that emphasize mathematical reasoning, communication, and problem-solving. Prerequisites: none

ETAP 614 Science for Children (3) OL/OC

This course prepares graduate students to monitor and enhance the development of science literacy in pre-school and elementary school children. Graduate students will deepen their understanding of fundamental scientific principles and develop pedagogical strategies applicable in formal and informal educational settings that provide all children the opportunity to develop understanding of science and the abilities of science inquiry appropriate to their developmental level. Prerequisites: none

Last Updated: January 3, 2008