Successful instruction in the middle school calls for creating an environment which is responsive to the developmental needs of early adolescents. This course provides the student with an understanding of the overall structure of middle school curriculum and instruction. The historical development, goals, philosophy, and mission of middle level education will be explored. The student will be introduced to a variety to instructional strategies appropriate for the wide diversity of development among middle school students. This is the second in a series of two required courses that examine the development of literacy in elementary-age children.
Students review the theoretical bases of an integrated approach to teaching the language arts.
Specific strategies that reflect these theories are then investigated, demonstrated, and practiced. Such strategies teach children necessary literacy skills through a meaning-centered approach, and emphasize the integration of all subject areas, as well as the connection between the language arts modes. Students are expected to demonstrate their abilities to connect theory to practice in field work. During this course the student is assigned to work in two classrooms in the public schools. Under supervision, the student observes and participates in all teaching activities related to the performance of a teacher's work in the elementary grades.