3 semester credits

The intermediate grades present unique challenges and opportunities for literacy learning, including complexity of text, students' use of technology, student motivation to learn, and student identity development. Education professionals have opportunities to evaluate research-based instructional and assessment practices to help students in grades 4–6 actively engage in literacy learning and achieve the literacy goals of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and other state standards. Education professionals examine the role of literacy in content area learning, explore ways to teach close reading of complex texts, and consider how to incorporate different levels, types, and genres of text to support all students' learning and literacy development. Through coursework, education professionals focus on effective strategies to support writing about text, academic vocabulary, listening and speaking, and the effective use of technology tools to support content area reading.