content

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
READING
(RDG)

0013 Reading Improvement
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Practical instruction in strategies for improving reading of university-level materials. Strategies developed include determining word meanings; understanding main ideas and supporting details; identifying the writer’s purpose, point of view, and intended meaning; analyzing relationships among ideas; using critical reasoning when reading; and study skills. Course does not count toward any degree at UTSA.

3513 Children’s Literature—EC–4
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Designed to familiarize students with children’s books from diverse cultures that are appropriate for young children. Topics will include: the values of children’s books, criteria for selecting materials, the evaluation of individual books, a survey of the genres of children’s literature, literary response, and the discussion of current issues in the field of children’s literature.

3523 Reading for Teachers–Grades 4–8
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An overview of the development of reading across the grades with an emphasis on grades 4 through 8. This course focuses on the reading process, techniques for developing oral and written language facility, word identification and comprehension of readers from various sociocultural backgrounds and with differing abilities, and classroom assessment of reading. Twenty hours of field experiences are required.

3533 Content Area Reading–Grades 4–8
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: RDG 3523.
Study of the teaching and learning of content area reading in grades 4 through 8 including the textual, contextual, and cultural factors that influence reading. The course considers the range of reading abilities of intermediate and middle grade students, texts used in these grade levels, and strategies for teaching and evaluating vocabulary, comprehension, and thinking skills in the content areas. Twenty hours of field experiences are required.

3633 Literature and Other Texts Across the Content Areas–Grades 4–8
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
This course is designed to familiarize students with literature and other texts appropriate for students in grades 4 through 8. These texts include trade books, informational books, electronic texts, and other real world texts that are appropriate for teaching and learning. Topics will include: examination of critical issues in children’s books and young adult literature, evaluation and selection of texts, and literary response. Five hours of field experience are required.

3673 Reading for Secondary Teachers–Grades 8–12
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An overview of the developmental nature of reading across the grades with an emphasis on grades 8 through 12. This course focuses on the reading process, including word identification, fluency, vocabulary, higher-order levels of comprehension, and metacognition. This course considers social and cultural factors that influence the adolescent reading processes, including the role of social interaction in reading, language variations, and background knowledge that are a part of the reading process. Other topics include differences in student ability and motivation as well as new approaches to assessment. This course also explores literacy programs that fit the needs of diverse adolescent, especially programs that address the challenges of struggling secondary readers. Twenty hours of field experiences are required.

3773 Introduction to Content Area Reading–Secondary
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Completion of all requirements for admission to the teacher certification program, including but not limited to satisfying the TSI requirement, and completing EDU 2103 and EDP 3203.
Study of the reading process and of materials and techniques for supporting reading and writing in the secondary school. Considers the range of reading ability of secondary students, texts used, and strategies for teaching vocabulary, and comprehension in different content areas. Directed field experiences in secondary school classrooms are required. Opportunities for cross-disciplinary applications. Twenty-five to 30 hours of field experience are required. Restricted course; advisor code required for registration.

3803 Writing Development and Processes
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Examines the nature of written language and facets of the writing process. The course focuses on stages in the writing process, writing in different genres, the developmental nature of writing, writing in relation to other communication processes, and the place of technology in writing.

3813 Early Literacy Learning—EC–4
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ECE 3603.
Introduction to early literacy learning and ways in which it relates to language development in diverse communities. Special emphasis is placed on emergent reading and writing, development of phonemic awareness, decoding and word analysis, fluency, and meaning construction. Additional topics include family literacy and the assessment of early literacy development. Field experiences in this course include an early literacy assessment of a young child and one-on-one tutoring in oral language, reading, and writing. A minimum of 10 hours of field experience required.

3823 Reading Comprehension—EC–4
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: RDG 3813. Must be taken concurrently with C&I 4403. May not be taken concurrently with C&I 4303 and RDG 4733.
Study of the reading comprehension process, including how textual, reader, contextual, and cultural factors affect understanding of written text. Emphasis is placed on comprehending narrative and expository text and supporting literacy in the content areas. Twenty hours of directed field experience are required. (Same as BBL 3823. Credit cannot be earned for both RDG 3823 and BBL 3823.)

4733 Literacy Problems—EC–4
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: RDG 3813 and RDG 3823. Must be taken concurrently with C&I 4303. May not be taken concurrently with C&I 4403 and RDG 3823.
Practicum that affords students the opportunity to assess and tutor struggling readers. Cognitive, sociocultural, and affective factors related to the child’s literacy development are addressed. Students learn a variety of means to assess literacy ability and develop instructional interventions to address identified areas of need. A maximum of 20 hours of fieldwork are required.

4913 Independent Study
3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Department Chair, and Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree.

4993 Honors Thesis
3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to candidates for honors in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching during the last two semesters; consent of the Honors College.
Supervised research and preparation for an honors thesis. May be repeated once with advisor’s approval.

text size– | + | R |