ED 323 : LANG ACQUISITION & LITERACY DEV I

This course is designed for teacher education students who plan to teach general or special education at the elementary or middle school levels. A heavy focus of the course is devoted to improving literacy among elementary students with and without disabilities, and a later section focuses on reading components for adolescent learners. Students will develop a thorough understanding of the complex nature of language acquisition, reading, and literacy- aligned with the Virginia English Standards of Learning. Related to language acquisition development, students will learn about phonetics, semantics, syntax, morphology, phonology, and pragmatics. Course content related to reading includes phonological awareness at all four levels {e.g., word, syllable, onset-rime, phoneme), concept of print, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies for fiction and nonfiction texts. Related to writing, students will learn about the stages of writing, writing strategies, conventions to support composing, written expression, usage, and mechanics. Word Study, and focus on spelling stages, is an integral part of this course.