Unit Outline

This unit has a focus on contemporary approaches to the teaching of reading, including close attention to the teaching of phonemic awareness, phonics, word knowledge, and vocabulary instruction and reading comprehension of a wide range of texts. An emphasis of study will also be on teaching children writing, with a close study of text types and grammar. Throughout the unit there is also a strong focus on the pedagogical imperatives underpinning the English curriculum including explicit teaching, assessing student learning progress and catering for diverse learners. You will learn to apply this knowledge by developing a portfolio of lesson plans in reading and writing.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Apply theoretical knowledge about the English discipline which attends to structured literacy in the Lifting Literacy Strategy.
2	Understand that reading instruction must attend to how the brain learns to read through systematic and explicit teaching practices for the following elements: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and oral language.
3	Design a sequence of lessons which deliver effective reading instruction that attends to how the brain learns to read through systematic and explicit teaching practices for the following elements: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and oral language.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Concurrent Pre-requisite	EMT502

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Phonic knowledge Assessment	Week 5	20 %	LO2
Assessment Task 2:	Vignette of practice – evaluation and reflection	Week 8	40 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 3:	Design a sequence of reading lessons	Week 12	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Phonic knowledge Assessment

Task Description:

Assessment activity which assesses knowledge of the complex relationships in the decoding system of the English Language. The assessment requires mastery learning where students can identify the 44 phonemes in the English language.

Task Length:

800 words

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify phonemes represented through single letters and letter combinations such as digraphs (e.g. sh, ch, th), trigraphs (e.g. igh, tch), and consonant blends (e.g. bl, str, gr) as well as vowel combinations.	LO2
2	Identify sound symbol relationships, especially the 44 phonemes and 26 graphemes.	LO2

Assessment Task 2: Vignette of practice – evaluation and reflection

Task Description:

You will view a video of a literacy lesson and evaluate the evidence of effective reading instruction that attends to how the brain learns to read through systematic and explicit teaching practices for the following elements: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and oral language.

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply knowledge of the theoretical dimensions which underpin the English curriculum	LO1
2	Identify where the lesson demonstrates effective reading instruction that attends to how the brain learns to read through systematic and explicit teaching practices for the following elements: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, compre	LO2
3	Identify how the reading and writing instruction in the lesson vignette demonstrates discipline and discipline specific curriculum and pedagogy.	LO2

Assessment Task 3: Design a sequence of reading lessons

Task Description:

You will design two lessons which teach the constrained skills of the ‘Big 6’. These lessons will work together as a sequence and in your reflection, you will describe how you considered reading instruction which attends to how the brain learns to read through systematic and explicit teaching practices together with how you will assess this learning.

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Lesson alignment with evidence-based practice and the Australian Curriculum: English	LO1
2	Demonstrate how the lesson delivers effective reading instruction that attends to how the brain learns to read through systematic and explicit teaching practices.	LO2
3	Designs and justifies lesson sequence in terms research informed and underpinned by the constrained skills of the ‘Big 6’ (phonemic awareness, phonics)	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Fellowes, J., & Oakley, G. (2023). Language, literacy and early childhood education (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching language in context (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Perrin, R. (2020). Pocket guide to APA style (7th ed.). Cengage Learning*.
*Please note there is no requirement to purchase the Perrin text if you already have the previously required Faigley text.

Reading Lists provide direct access to all material on unit reading lists in one place. This includes eReadings and items in Reserve. You can access the Reading List for this unit from the link in MyLO, or by going to the Reading Lists page on the University Library website.