Type of Action
 

	Course Deletion		Requisite Change
	Course Revision		Repeatability Change
x	Description Change		Diversity Option
x	Title Change		General Education Option
	Number Change		area:
	Contact Hour Change		Computer Requirement
	Credit Change		Writing Requirement
	Add Cross-listing		Other

Effective Term: Spring 2002
 
 

New/Current Course Number:	SECED 466
New/Current Course Title:	Literacy Strategies for Content-Area Teachers
Old Course Title:	Developmental Reading in the Middle/Secondary Schools
15 Character Abbreviation:	LITERACY STRATS
25 Character Abbreviation:	LITERACY STRATS/TCHRS
Sponsor(s):	Anne D'Antonio Stinson, John Zbikowski
Department(s):	Curriculum and Instruction
College(s):	Education
Other Programs Affected:	Communicative Disorders, Business Education, Physical Education, Special Education

Check if course is required in:
 ____Major/Emphasis (specify):
____Minor/Emphasis (specify):
__X__Other (specify): Licensure in secondary BSE and postbaccalaureate teacher-preparation programs in 6-12 subjects
 

I.  Detailed explanation of changes

FROM:
DEVELOPMENTAL READING IN THE MIDDLE/SECONDARY SCHOOLS 3 cr
The principles, techniques and materials for teaching reading in the middle/secondary schools with consideration of specific needs within the various content areas taught in the secondary schools. Prereq: 423-212 or 423-222 or 423-478. Restricted to students with professional ed admission.

TO:
LITERACY STRATEGIES FOR CONTENT-AREA TEACHERS 3 cr
The principles, techniques and materials for literacy instruction in the middle/secondary schools wth emphasis on application of skills within the various content areas. Prereq: 423-212 or 423-222 or 423-478. Restricted to students with professional ed admission.

The field of reading instruction has undergone a subtle shift of identity since this course was first developed. A greater emphasis on writing as well as reading across the curriculum in schools is the main reason for using literacy, a more inclusive term than reading, in the title of this course. Literacy is preferable to reading and writing not only because it is a more economical term, but because current teaching methods are informed by the study of students' literate behavior broadly conceived, including group processes and enculturation (Heath, 1991). The word strategies in the proposed title highlights an instructional approach emphasizing application of a set of versatile techniques to help students acquire and use information from textbooks and other media. For content-area teachers indicates that the course is intended for individuals preparing to teach subjects in middle and high schools. The proposed title reflects the fact that reading comprehension, writing, vocabulary, and study-skills instruction in middle and high school takes place not just for its own sake, but to support learning in the various subjects, and, furthermore, that it is the responsibility of the teachers of those subjects. Moreover, the use of the term developmental reading to designate high-school reading programs not restricted to remediation (Bond and Bond, 1941) has become less common in recent years than it was at the time when the course was originally titled.

The proposed course title omits mention of a specific grade level because, effective August 31, 2004, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will no longer use grade level 6-12 to distinguish middle-secondary licenses but will instead use the terms early adolescence and adolescence.

The proposed title also helps to distinguish this undergraduate-only course from the graduate-only READING 768, Developmental Reading in the Secondary School, which treats a similar range of topics but is designed to emphasize the interests of experienced teachers including prospective reading specialists. Also, with the proposed title, the course is less likely to be perceived by students as a course intended either to develop their own reading ability or to discuss the acquisition of basic decoding skills.

The proposed changes in the course description align it with the revised title. The proposed title change does not indicate any change in the content of the course.

Bond, G. L., & Bond, E. (1941). Developmental reading in high school. New York: Macmillan.

Heath, S. B. (1991/1996). The sense of being literate: Historical and cross-cultural features. In Barr, R., Kamil, M. L., Mosenthal, P., & Pearson, P. D., Handbook of reading research. Vol. 2. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.