Courses
C&T 4137 Content Area Literacies
This course will introduce students to a toolkit of theories and practices to aid them in rethinking and redesigning literacy practices used in teaching mathematics, science, social studies, and other content areas.
C&T 4138 Teaching literacy in the early years
This course examines theory, research, and practice of literacy learning and teaching in the early years. The course emphasizes early literacy development from preK to the primary grades,, assessment-based literacy instruction, the sources of support and difficulty provided by books and other texts, methods of teaching early literacy (including approaches to assessing and teaching decoding, spelling, fluency, text use, and comprehension), and how to infuse children’s multilingual resources, experiences, and interests in the curriculum.
C&T 4139 Constructing critical readers
This course examines theory, research, and practice on teaching reading comprehension in intermediate classrooms. Students will study curriculum design, assessment practices, and teaching methods and materials. The course emphasizes curricular structures and strategies for teaching comprehension, grades 2-8.
C&T 4140 Literature for younger children
This course helps teachers develop a deep knowledge of PK-grade 2 literature. Course participants will come to understand the sources of difficulty and support that particular books provide learners, and ways in which informed instructors can use books as co-teachers. Participants will study how particular texts can provide special supports for certain reading behavior. They will study texts that teachers might use for reading aloud, shared reading, thematic studies, direct instruction of specific skills, and independent reading. Course participants will learn about various genres of literature for young children with emphasis upon criteria for selecting and interpreting quality material. This course will also engage students in exploring critical literacy.
C&T 4141 Literature for Older Children
This course aims to help participants come to know the series books, mysteries, historical fiction, fantasy, and realistic fiction that commonly fill the shelves of upper grade and middle school classrooms. Students will consider children’s developmental issues, theories of reading, and emphasis on literary qualities—such as genre, author’s style, theme, and character—to create meaningful, literature-based curricula.
C&T 4151 Teaching of writing
This course integrates theory and practice for teachers. Topics include writing development, reading-writing connections, and classroom methods for teaching the writing process in elementary classrooms.
C&T 4200
Students will observe and critically reflect on curriculum, instruction, assessment, learners, and professional development in a variety of educational contexts. Classroom placements can be arranged for students who need to fulfill the 50-hour practicum requirement for professional certification in elementary and secondary classrooms. Required for students in the MA-CUED, MA-CUSD, and MA-CURR degrees.
C&T 4502 Master's Project
MA-CURR students work to complete the required Master's integrative project. During the fall semester, students are supported to identify a sound topic of interest and create a project proposal to be completed independently in the spring semester. This course requires at least 30 hours of out-of-classroom work.
C&T 4835 Improving Reading Instruction
Improving Reading Instruction (1-2 points): This seminar explores how to infuse drama and performance approaches with the read-aloud experience, to enhance students’ engagement with reading and comprehension of texts.
C&T 5037 Literacy, Culture and the Teaching of Reading
Literacy, culture and the teaching of reading (2-3 points): This course examines current practices of reading instruction in light of theory and research on literacy as a social, cultural, and political practice. The emphasis is on intersections of class, race/ethnicity, gender, and sexuality as critical axes for understanding culturally specific language and literacy practices, and as a basis for re-imagining reading instruction rooted in the experiences of students.
C&T 5520
This course integrated theory and practice in teaching writing. The emphasis will be on developing methods of teaching writing to become skilled at conferring, assessing, teaching minilessons, leading small group instruction, making reading writing connections, and designing curriculum.
C&T 5800 Institute: Teaching of writing
The focus of the institute will be on the teaching of writing with the participants also working on their own writing. There will be a combination of large group presentations, small interactive sessions, and writing workshops. Separate sections will be offered for advanced participants. A partial list of topics to be covered includes: the central role of planning and curriculum development in the teaching of writing, methods for holding our students accountable for doing their best work, classroom structures that support inquiry and collaboration, and using literature to help students craft their writing. The Institute is appropriate for elementary and secondary teachers. Attention! Online application required, you must submit an application on the Reading & Writing Project website https://readingandwritingproject.org/summer-institute-offerings to be registered for sessions and to receive a grade and course materials. Contact MaryAnn Mustac, mustac@tc.edu, for more information. Course is pass/fail.