Online Courses for Teachers

PDI Course Number: 145T02

UCSD Course Number: EDUC42626

Learn how to receive UCSD graduate-level credit for completing this course.

Course Timeline

Participants have one year to complete the course. Participants must spend a minimum of three weeks in this course.

Course Description

Do you find yourself searching for high-yield strategies to support your students’ widespread literacy needs? With the diversity of today’s classrooms, it is becoming more difficult to meet every student’s literacy needs. This online course for PreK-5 teachers takes a deep dive into the various stages of literacy. Teachers will explore evidence-based small group practices that are centered around how best to support the needs of their readers and writers across all literacy stages —emergent, beginning, transitional, and fluent and independent — in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. The course begins by presenting teachers with assessment practices geared toward getting to know students’ literacy needs so they can be better served in small groups. The course then guides teachers through all phases of literacy — from emergent to independent — so that they not only have a solid understanding of each phase, but they also have thoroughly explored several small group strategies for each of the foundational skills (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing), all of which are based on reading science to better support the specific needs of their readers and writers. Teachers will also gain strategies for working with students who are English language learners, have disabilities, and/or have experienced trauma, poverty, and/or have missed a significant portion of school. By the end of this continuing education course, teachers will feel more confident in their quest to leverage small group practices to better support their readers and writers throughout all the stages of literacy.

Educational Outcomes

1. Teachers will learn about each of the developmental stages of reading and writing (emergent, beginning, transitional, fluent, and independent), and they will understand why small-group instruction is a best practice to differentiate students’ individual learning needs.
2. Teachers will understand the benefits of small-group instruction.
3. Teachers will explore several best practices as they relate to independent learning during small-group instruction (incorporating visuals, setting up routines, monitoring and maintaining stamina, independent writing, partner reading, literacy stations, the Daily 5, and the use of technology).
4. Teachers will take a deep dive into the five areas of literacy supported by the science of reading — phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
5. Teachers will learn about the different types of assessments and will explore a variety of assessment options to record information, including student self-assessment.
6. Teachers will learn about the various assessments that can be used in each of the “Big Five” areas of literacy instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension).
7. Teachers will explore special considerations for assessing English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who have experienced trauma or live in poverty.
8. Teachers will learn what the emergent phase of reading and writing looks like in the PreK-5 classroom.
9. Teachers will explore several best practices tips for helping emergent readers and writers succeed in the classroom, all with an eye toward further developing their phonological and phonemic awareness skills.
10. Teachers will explore several small group strategies and activities that are specifically designed to benefit emergent readers and writers to target their phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing skills at the PreK-5 level.
11. Teachers will examine the special considerations that are necessary to keep in mind when planning instruction for their emergent readers and writers as it relates to English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who have experienced trauma, come from poverty, or have missed schooling.
12. Teachers will learn what the beginning phase of reading and writing looks like in the PreK-5 classroom.
13. Teachers will explore several best practices tips for helping beginning readers and writers succeed in the classroom, all with an eye toward further developing their oral language skills.
14. Teachers will explore several small group strategies and activities that are specifically designed to benefit beginning readers and writers to target their phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing skills at the PreK-5 level.
15. Teachers will examine the special considerations that are necessary to keep in mind when planning instruction for their beginning readers and writers as it relates to English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who have experienced trauma, come from poverty, or have missed schooling.
16. Teachers will learn what the transitional phase of reading and writing looks like in the PreK-5 classroom.
17. Teachers will explore several best practices tips for helping transitional readers and writers succeed in the classroom, all with an eye toward continuing to develop their phonics and word study skills.
18. Teachers will explore several small group strategies and activities that are specifically designed to benefit transitional readers and writers to target their phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing skills at the PreK-5 level.
19. Teachers will examine the special considerations that are necessary to keep in mind when planning instruction for their transitional readers and writers as it relates to English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who have experienced trauma, come from poverty, or have missed schooling.
20. Teachers will explore several best practices tips for helping fluent and independent readers and writers succeed in the classroom, all with an eye toward continuing to develop their literacy skills.
21. Teachers will explore several small group strategies and activities that are specifically designed to benefit fluent and independent readers and writers to target their phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing skills at the PreK-5 level.
22. Teachers will examine the special considerations that are necessary to keep in mind when planning instruction for their fluent and independent readers and writers as it relates to English language learners, students with disabilities, and students who have experienced trauma, come from poverty, or have missed schooling.

Instructional Media

• Online Discussions
• Online Engagement
• Online Collaboration
• Instructor Feedback
• Instructor Interaction
• Online Resources and Websites
• Supplemental Instructional Materials
• Printable Classroom Resources

Evaluation

• Online Discussions
• Online Engagement
• Test #1 (5% of final grade)
• Test #2 (5% of final grade)
• Test #3 (5% of final grade)
• Test #4 (5% of final grade)
• Test #5 (5% of final grade)
• Autobiography and Goals for the Course (10% of final grade)
• Article/Video Reflection (15% of final grade)
• Course Collaboration/Share Ideas with the Class (10% of final grade)
• Cumulative Assignment/Project: Design Four Small Group Literacy Activities (20% of final grade)
• Culminating Practicum (20% of final grade)

Topical Outline

Unit One

• Getting to Know Your Readers and Writers
• Reaching All Readers and Writers Through Small-Group Instruction
• Building a Solid Research-Based Foundation
• Assignment #1

  Write an autobiography including information about yourself, your grade level, and what you specifically hope to learn about helping students with their executive functions so that they can succeed in an inclusive K-12 classroom. Your autobiography should be a minimum of three paragraphs.

• Test #1

Unit Two

• Assessments to Guide Small-Group Instruction
• Research-Based Assessments
• Special Considerations for Assessing Readers and Writers
• Assignment #2

  As an educator, it is important to be aware of the research, studies, and professional work done in the field. In the course, you will find an article and video that are relevant to the specific course content. Read the article and then write an essay with your thoughts.

• Test #2

Unit Three

• The Emergent Reader and Writer
• Specific Strategies and Activities for the Emergent Reader and Writer
• Special Considerations Related to the Emergent Reader and Writer
• Assignment #3

  Online Discussion Board Participation/Engagement: Please post a tip, strategy, or idea that specifically relates to helping students with their executive function deficits so that they can succeed in an inclusive K-12 classroom. The tip, strategy, or idea that you share needs to make a difference to other teachers in their own classrooms. Your assignment should be a minimum of three paragraphs and detailed enough for another teacher to follow easily. This is a great opportunity to share and collaborate with other teachers at your grade level around the country. Take time to review and respond to other postings that are relevant to your classroom population in order to gain effective ideas to use immediately in your classroom.

• Test #3

Unit Four

• The Beginning Reader and Writer
• Specific Strategies and Activities for the Beginning Reader and Writer
• Special Teaching Considerations Related to the Beginning Reader and Writer
• Test #4

Unit Five

• The Transitional Reader and Writer
• Setting Up Small Groups for the Transitional Reader and Writer
• Special Considerations Related to the Transitional Reader and Writer
• Test #5

Unit Six

• Fluent and Independent Readers and Writers
• Setting Up Small Groups for Fluent and Independent Readers and Writers
• Special Teaching Considerations Related to Fluent and Independent Readers and Writers
• Assignment #4

  Design four separate small group activities, with each activity targeting a different foundation of literacy (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, or writing). All four activities must reflect best small group practices as it relates to the various literacy stages of your students and while there might be some overlap, you may not duplicate any of the foundational literacy skills over the four activities. Each activity must be geared toward your grade level and should be explained in enough detail so that another teacher can easily use it. Follow the example in the assignment. To obtain full credit, be sure to follow all the parameters set forth in Assignment 4.

• Assignment #5

  The culminating practicum is a three-step process. (1) In the first assignment, you were asked what goals you had and what you hoped to learn from the course. Think back to your original goals for this course. Write a minimum two-paragraph reflection specifically describing how what you learned can be used to help you reach those goal(s). (2) Next, write a minimum three-paragraph plan that specifically describes the ways in which you intend to implement a particular strategy you learned in this course into your own teaching situation. (3) Last, write a minimum two-paragraph reflection describing a student you have or have had in the past. Then, discuss how the strategies you learned in this course will specifically benefit that student as you put your plan into action.

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