Syllabus

EDIS 589: Reading First in Virginia:
Effective Literacy Instruction


Class Website: http://www.UVaOnline.org/

Instructor of Record: TBA

Course Overview
This 3-hour graduate level course is designed for K-3rd grade teachers as well as special education teachers. The first half of the course takes place during a Reading First Academy. During the Reading First Academy participants will engage in interactive workshops that cover current reading research regarding best practices in literacy instruction. Academies provide video demonstrations, short lectures, and hands-on activities to improve teachers' literacy instruction in their classrooms. The follow-up component to the academy is the on-line segment in which teachers will engage in virtual discussions and try out many of the methods presented in the academy. By taking the on-line component and completing all required assignments, participants will earn three graduate credits.

Required Text/s:

Evidence-based reading instruction: Putting the national reading panel report into practice. (2002). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Articles Provided in the Reading First Academy Notebooks


The Honor Code. The honor system is a recognized and integral part of the University of Virginia. The system acknowledges that a student's work as a member of the University can be accepted without question and that any violation of a student's word is an offense against the entire student body. Violation of the honor code may result in dismissal from University courses and programs. All submitted assignments must be pledged by the student. See a further description of the UVA Honor Code.

Here is what you will need for TEMPO Online Classes:

Hardware: (Minimum Requirements)

PC: Pentium 166 MHz processor; 32 megs of ram;10 megs free disc space; 28.8 minimum/56 K modem recommended.

Mac: Power PC 603 166 MHz; 32 megs of ram; 10 megs of free disc space; 28.8 minimum/56 K modem recommended.

Web Browser: Blackboard requires a browser version 4.0 or higher. You may download the required version of your browser at no extra cost by visiting a website for Netscape of Internet Explorer. We recommend these browsers when using Blackboard. AOL users tend to have difficulties using the Blackboard.com platform due to incompatible fire walls.

Plug Ins for Browsers: Your course requires the Adobe Acrobat plug-in. You may download this plug-in at no extra cost by visiting the Adobe Acrobat website.

Printing Time: When downloading and printing articles from the website, users on a network typically have a minimal wait-time. When working from home, you will find that printing will take longer and, if you have an old printer, your wait-time may be excessive. You will experience the shortest wait-time when using a new computer and printer.

Student Requirements:

  • UVA E-mail account. You will be assigned a UVA email account upon registration and payment of fees.
  • Internet Connection
  • Microsoft Office Word 96 or higher (All assignments and tests must be sent in this format.)
  • Ability to send attachments
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
Refund Policy for Online Courses: Refunds are granted automatically when a scheduled class is cancelled. For credit and noncredit courses on the Internet, the amount of the refund is made on the following basis: 1. Before the "Registration Ends" date listed above, full refund of tuition less a $12 processing fee. 2. After the "Registration Ends" date listed above, NO REFUNDS for any reason. All requests for drops or withdrawals must be done in writing from the student's home page before the "Registration Ends" date. After that date, please send any requests for withdrawals to ppd@virginia.edu. Notifying an instructor or sponsoring agency does not constitute an official request to withdraw from a class. If you do not officially withdraw from a class, you will receive a grade of "F". It is strongly advised that you log on to be sure that you have no hardware problems or firewall issues that will prevent you from taking this course. If you do not resolve any such issues prior to the "Registration Ends" date listed in the "Current Offerings" section, no refunds will be granted after that date.

To register for this class, please click here to go to our Registration page.
(http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1150&Itemid=0)

A downloadable flyer "RF-EffectiveLiteracyInstruction-Spring 08 .pdf" - is available at the following URL:

http://www.readingfirst.virginia.edu/pdfs/RF-EffectiveLiteracyInstruction-Spring 08 .pdf