Reading to Learn: Developing Strategic Reading Skills
(Grades 4-12) / Flex Course
PDI Course Number: 28T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC41452
Course Description
Why do excellent early readers often begin to struggle when they enter the middle grades? This online course focuses on helping teachers work with students on key reading skills. Teachers will learn how to develop active instructional strategies that facilitate student acquisition and development of reading skills in a variety of disciplines. Emphasis is on vocabulary development and comprehension strategies. Teachers will also understand the importance of text structure as students move from reading primarily narrative text to much more expository text. Teachers will also learn how to create text-dependent questions to help students develop close reading skills. Assessment options for tracking reading skills and improvement will also be explored. Teachers will also learn how to establish guided reading groups. This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from UC San Diego Extension. For detailed information on university credit, click here.
"Excellent information! Very helpful for classroom teachers teaching reading skills. Lots of resources available. The courses you offer are excellent." - Gailene Anderson
This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units or 5 quarter units of graduate-level credit from UC San Diego.
You have up to one year from the date you are enrolled to complete a flex course.
Print our customized course approval form to share with your school district.
- The Process of Reading
- Introduction to Common Core State Standards
- Word Attack Strategies
- Assignment #1: Write an autobiography
- Test #1
- Vocabulary Development
- Reading Comprehension
- Focus Strategy: DRTA
- Assignment #2: Article reflection
- Test #2
- Content Literacy: Strategies for Working with Text
- Close Reading
- Focus Strategy: Word Roots
- Assignment #3: Share your expertise
- Test #3
- Encouraging Lifelong Reading
- Helping All Students Read to Learn
- Focus Strategy: Graphic Organizers
- Test #4
- Reading Aloud
- Guided Reading Groups
- Issues with Fluency
- Test #5
- Text-Dependent Questions
- Focus Strategy: Making Words
- Comprehension Assessment
- Assignment #4: Develop comprehension questions
- Assignment #5: Course Reflection

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