This course is designed to develop practical and evidence-based knowledge for teaching literacy and enable students to demonstrate competencies teaching young children. It requires supervised participation in an assigned early childhood education setting and attendance at a weekly seminar. Students will explore principles, methods, and materials for teaching emergent literacy within a developmentally appropriate, interdisciplinary and culturally responsive curriculum. Current research regarding speaking, listening, reading and writing experiences of young children will be critically examined. Practical classroom experiences will provide opportunities for students to make connections between theory and practice, develop professional behavior working with young children and their families, and build a comprehensive understanding of balanced literacy in early childhood classrooms. Students will design, implement and evaluate activity-based literacy learning experiences for young children with diverse learning styles and needs, with strong emphasis on child centered, play-oriented approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, and knowledge of curriculum content areas.
