Curriculum
After you have been admitted to the Master of Education program, you should meet with a reading advisor to complete your Plan of Work. Your Plan of Work must be submitted to the Academic Services Division for approval, prior to completion of 12 semester hours of graduate coursework.
The Plan of Work consists of the following components:
Major Requirements
RLL 7100 and RLL 7200 are pre-requisites for RLL 7300, 7400 and 7500; therefore students should take those courses first. It is also recommended that RLL 7100, 7200, 7300, 7400, 7500, and ED 7999 be taken in sequence. Additionally, RLL 7400 is a six (6) credit hour course spread across two (2) semesters. Students must plan to take this course on the same night of the week for two (2) consecutive (Fall-Winter) semesters.
7100 Emergent Literacy. Cr. 3
Variety of theories, organization and instructional strategies involved in the beginning stages of literacy; their application to the classroom.
7200 Comprehension. Cr. 3
Prereq: RLL 7100. Models of comprehension, factors that affect comprehension, instructional methods, reading/writing connection, evaluation (pre-K to adult).
7300 Literacy Across the Curriculum. Cr. 3
Prereq: RLL 7100, 7200. Theoretical bases for teaching literacy across the curriculum; strategies for organization and instruction. Action research as a tool for learning.
7350 Organization and Supervision of Literacy Programs. Cr. 3
Prereq: RLL 7100, 7200. Factors necessary to organize and supervise literacy programs. Topics include: curriculum development for a variety of needs, evaluation of programs, resources and material; staff development; communicating with parents, other professionals, and the public.
7400 Practicum and Seminar in Evaluation and Instruction. Cr. 3 (6 req.)
Prereq: RLL 7100, 7200. Offered for S and U grades only. Must be elected in consecutive Fall and Winter semesters; credit awarded only on completion of second semester. Evaluation and literacy competencies of learners, methods of instruction, use of portfolios and reports to document progress; applied during supervised tutoring.
7500 Theoretical Foundations for Literacy. Cr. 3
Prereq: RLL 7100, 7200. Implications of theories from sociology, psychology, linguistics, semiotics and related fields, for the development of literacy.
General Professional Courses
Students must take EER 7610, Evaluation and Measurement (2 semester hours) and then choose two (2) additional courses (2 semeter hours each) from two (2) different areas. Thus students will take three different courses of two (2) semester hours each for a total of six (6) credit hours.
Electives
Students elect two (2) courses totaling six (6) credit hours in subjects related to literacy. At least three (3) semester hours must be in survey course of children’s or adolescent literature. The remaining three (3) semester hours can be satisfied through special topics offered as RLL 7600, Current Topics in Literacy Education, or in other appropriate literacy courses. All courses are chosen with an advisor’s approval.
7600 Current Developments in Literacy Education. Cr. 1-6
Topics of current interest; review of literature, discussion of educational implications.
7720 Survey and Analysis of Current Literature for Children: PS-Grade 3. (LIS 6510) Cr. 3
Intensive examination of books appropriate for preprimary and primary school children. Analysis of the literary and extraliterary factors that affect the young child's experiences with fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
7740 Survey and Analysis of Literature for Older Children: Grades 4-8. (LIS 6520) Cr. 3
Intensive examination of books appropriate for children in grades four through eight. Analysis of literary and extra-literary factors affecting the older child's experiences with fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
7760 Functions of Literature in Early and Late Childhood. Cr. 3
The effect of fiction and non-fiction on children's cognitive and social development. Specific uses of children's literature for education in home, school, and community.
7780 Storytelling. (LIS 6550) Cr. 3
Selection of appropriate literature and materials for story performance; guided practice in selection and presentation of literature for oral communication by reading aloud, mediated storytelling and storytelling.
Terminal Master's Essay/Project (Cr. 3)
As a culminating experience, students take ED 7999, Terminal Master's Seminar and Essay or Project. As part of this course students complete an action research study and write a paper presenting that study.
Program Time Limitation: Students have a six-year time limit to complete all requirements for the M. Ed. degree. The six-year period begins with the end of the semester in which the student completes the first required course for the degree.