Designed to teach elementary pre-service teachers fundamental science concepts in such areas related to scientific investigation as: reasoning and logic; force, motion, and energy; matter; life processes; living systems; interrelations in earth/space systems; earth patterns, cycles and change; and appropriate resources for teaching the Virginia Science Standards of Learning in grades PreK-6. The course also focuses on the planning, instruction , and assessment of science curriculum.

Designed to teach elementary pre-service teachers fundamental social studies concepts of United States history, Virginia Studies, civics, geography, and economics appropriate for meeting the Virginia Standards of Learning in grades PreK-6. The course also focuses on the planning, instruction, and assessment of social studies curriculum.

Students build knowledge of effective English instruction in the areas of reading, writing, oral discourse, language, and literature. Emphasis is on individualized instruction, developmentally appropriate learning objectives, authentic assessments, reflective writing processes, and integration of both media and technology. Students create lessons that include a variety of teaching methodologies. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Education

Translate theory & research into practice: design instructional units using a variety of best practices. Emphasis on individualized projects, developmentally appropriate learning objectives, authentic assessments, plus cooperative learning, creativity, reflection, media & technology integration. Critique & reinvent school textbooks for effective instruction; incorporate standards while delivering imaginative, relative learning.

This course focuses on the many genres of children's literature. Students will learn strategies for promoting reading for enjoyment and information, developing collections to support diverse learning needs, and collaborating to support literacy instruction. Students will evaluate literacy quality and learn a range of instructional techniques to support a literature curriculum.

Using Sims Bishops' (1990) mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors framework, students read, analyze, and discuss contemporary young adult literature (YAL) featuring marginalized viewpoints and identities. Students will collaborate around strategies to incorporate contemporary YAL into schools and evaluate the viewpoints present and absent in the titles they currently use with young adults.

This course aims to help educators understand how to provide quality instruction for diverse learners in schools and classrooms that are becoming increasingly multicultural. In the course, students explore theories of culturally responsive/sustaining teaching and how they can be applied to help diverse learners (including but not limited to ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse students) feel valued and successful in classrooms.

This course introduces the scientific study of language, exploring how linguistic insights can prepare teachers who work with preK-12 ELLs. It addresses the sounds of the language (phonetics and phonology), the structure of words/sentences (morphology and syntax) and how these features convey meaning (semantics and pragmatics). Students will apply this knowledge of language to the everyday use of English and its acquisition in school settings.

This course is for current and future teachers seeking to learn about second language acquisition (SLA) and how it relates to English learners. We learn existing theories of how students learn and acquire a second language, as well as individual, cultural, and contextual factors that influence language learning. We explore how theories about L1 learning are related to SLA theories and how L1s might or might not be reflected in school language.

This course examines writing development, assessment, and instruction that supports diverse learners. Participants will learn how to teach the domains of composing, written expression and mechanics. Participants will learn how to move through the writing process and provide instruction on planning, drafting, revising, and sharing a final product. This course explores narrative, descriptive, and explanative modes of written expression