EDU 5314 - Reading Practicum K-3: Early Steps

This course is one of two possible courses that satisfy the Reading Practicum K-3 requirement for Elementary Education, Special Education, and Early Childhood education majors. This course (EDU 5314) and the alternative course (EDU 5316), supplement ED PS 5315 Reading Methods K-3. Please note that Reading Practicum is a prerequisite for Reading Practicum 4-6. This is a credit/no credit field practicum is designed to help pre-service educators develop and introductory understanding of the theory and practice of instruction/intervention for the earliest phases of reading development. By participating in the practicum, pre-service educators will extend their knowledge of reading development, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, letter-sound correspondence, concept of word, word identification, synthetic blending, automaticity, fluency, textual scaffolding, oral language development, building/activating background knowledge, comprehension strategies, and motivation. Most importantly, pre-service educators will be expected to use their knowledge of these topics to provide ongoing, one-to-one Early Steps assessment and intervention for an at-risk beginning reader. Each pre-service educator will receive formal and informal coaching, observation, and feedback throughout the practicum. Please note that this practicum does not satisfy requirements for Early Steps certification.