3796. Differentiated Literacy Instruction in the Disciplines, 7-12 (3 s.h.) F S SS. RCI: WI.

(Formerly: SEC ED W371.)

Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the Teacher Certification Program.

This course examines ways in which secondary teachers can support students’ struggles with reading and writing in the disciplines, including Mathematics, History (Social Studies), the Sciences, Foreign Language, and English. How can we teach all students the concepts, facts, and skills that they need to do well in our discipline? What kinds of reading and writing issues can inhibit students’ progress? How do we identify the kinds of difficulties that different text organizations may pose for students? What must a high school student learn to do to read and write appropriately in English, History, Science, and so on? How can we address these issues without taking time away from teaching our discipline? What kinds of reading and writing tasks can we use as resources for helping students to learn in our discipline? How do the current state and national emphases on standards and teacher accountability affect our responsibilities in the classroom? The answers to these questions have deep implications for the instructional activities that we will develop to enable all children to use reading and writing as tools for learning in our fields. This is also the Capstone Writing-Intensive Course in the Major. The course immerses you in the kinds of literate activities practiced in our profession. It examines the ways that reading and writing vary across the disciplines included in this course. NOTE: Prior to spring 2011, this course was called Reading Problems in the Secondary School.