EDUC 616 | Elementary Curriculum and Instruction: Integrated Language, Literacy, and Social Studies

This instructional methods course provides an opportunity to explore issues and strategies related to current models and trends in literacy teaching and learning. Creating inclusive learning communities characterized by equity, access and social justice requires the continued development of all students’ capacities to use language and construct meaning through print. A foundational assumption of this course is that literacy is not a ’subject’ but a tool for social, cultural, and academic engagement. In and out of the classroom, children engage with their world through literacy practices of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In alignment with this principle, literacy/language arts is integrated with social studies. To this aim we will use literacy to study individuals, communities, systems, and their interactions across time and place, in a way that prepares young people for local, national, and global civic life. The goal is to begin to build a knowledge base and internalize habits of mind that are essential for a successful beginning teacher and for continuous improvement and growth.