English 7-12 English, Lang. Arts, Reading Certification

Teacher Preparation Program Admission Requirements

Traditional Undergraduate Teacher Preparation Program

Applications for admission to the Teacher Preparation Program are accepted in September for the following spring semester and in February for the following fall semester.

Application to program submitted through TK20, to include the following:
- Disposition Survey
- Code of Ethics Reflection Statement
- Completed FERPA form
- Payment of $35.00 application fee.
Overall GPA of 2.80 or higher.
Complete a writing sample and interview as a requirement for the application to the Teacher Preparation program.
Completed hours in content area: 4 - 8 ELAR certification candidates must have completed 12 semester hours in content area with no grade below "C".
Advising from assigned faculty advisors in the Teacher Education program.

For Admission to Field-Based Co-Teaching Semester

A Notice of Intent for Field-Based Co-Teaching semester submitted in TK20 in September for the following spring semester and in February for the following fall semester.
Completion of appropriate coursework.
Minimum of 2.80 GPA overall; no grade below "C" in upper-division courses.

For Admission to the Clinical Co-Teaching Semester

Successfully complete all program requirements.
Successful completion of Field-Based Co-Teaching semester as determined by Chair of Teacher Education.
Continued placement in assigned K-12 classroom.
Maintain 2.80 cumulative GPA ; no grade below "C" in upper-division courses.

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science

Undergraduate Courses in English w/7-12 English, Language Arts & Reading

ED 311. Growth and Development for EC to Grade 12 (EL). 3 Hours.

This is an introductory education course which presents theories of children's growth and development along with their relationship to learning and teaching. Cultural, emotional, physical, intellectual, and learning differences are studied for their impact on learning and educational opportunity. Students must be considered in their junior year and will be required to participate in 8 hours of field experience. This course integrates the principles of Experiential Learning and meets the criteria of field work.

ED 321. Foundations of Education for Secondary (EL). 3 Hours.

This course provides students seeking certification in grades 4-8 and 7-12 skills for designing instruction and assessment that promote a growth mindset and create a positive, productive classroom environment. Students will apply skills and knowledge in lesson and unit planning as well as content pedagogy specific to area of certification. Traditional as well as innovative technologies will be addressed. State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and End of Course Exams (EOC) effective content pedagogy will be emphasized in this course. This course integrates the principles of Experiential Learning and meets the criteria for field work.

ED 331. Classroom and Behavior Management. 3 Hours.

This course presents best practices in classroom and behavior management including management of time, materials, and space. Additionally, the course examines strategies for managing individual and large-group student behaviors, transitions, lab activities, and other arrangements for classrooms in general and special education. Prerequisite: Admitted to the Teacher Preparation Program.

ED 435. Secondary Content Pedagogy. 3 Hours.

This course provides students seeking certification in grades 4-8 and 7-12 with pedagogical best-practices. Students will learn lesson planning, assessment, and available resources for their specific content area. Methods for accessing and processing information through traditional as well as new technologies will be addressed. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Preparation Program.

ED 495. Field-Based Co-Teaching Semester. 3 Hours.

This course provided clinical experience in the public school setting as part of the field experience requirements for the undergraduate Teacher Preparation Program. The Teacher Candidate is required to spend six hours per week for 12 weeks in an assigned classroom. A university field supervisor in conjunction with the cooperating teacher supervises the Clincial Teacher. Block 1 is the first semester of the co-teaching assignment (2 semesters) in which the Teacher Candidate and Cooperating Teacher are considered co-teachers for the class. Course is graded on a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) basis for 3 SCH. This course integrates the principles of experiential learning and meets the criterion for internship. Prerequisite: Met admission requirements to undergraduate field based placement guidelines.

ED 496. Clinical Co-Teaching Semester (EL). 3 Hours.

This course provided clinical experience in a public school setting as part of field experience requirements for the undergraduate Teacher Preparation Program. The Teacher Candidate is required to spend 72 complete instructional days in an assigned classroom. A university field supervisor in conjunction with the cooperating teacher supervises the Clinical Teacher. Block 2 is the second semester of the co-teaching assignment (2 semesters) in which Teacher Candidate and Cooperating Teacher are co-teachers for the public school class. Course graded on Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) basis for 3 SCH. This course integrates the principals of experiential learning and meets the criterion for internship. Prerequisite: successful completion of ED 495, continued acceptance in the public school classroom, and completion of program requirements.

ENG 305. Children's Literature I. 3 Hours.

This course provides a survey of the history of children's books, books for very young children, picture books and illustrators, short fiction, folk tales, fables, myths and epics, historical fiction and biography.

ENG 306. Young Adult Literature. 3 Hours.

This course is a survey of young adult literature.

ENG 312. Shakespeare. 3 Hours.

This course provides a study of the author's plays with special attention devoted to major and better-known works.

ENG 320. Understanding Grammar. 3 Hours.

This course engenders improved application and understanding of the linguistic structure of Modern American English with specific reference to application in teaching.

ENG 340. Advanced Expository Writing (EL). 3 Hours.

This course advances individual writing ability by focusing upon analytical and rhetorical strategies through various exercises and the production of compositions. This course integrates the principles of Experiential Learning and meets criteria for undergraduate research. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 with a grade of C or better, and ENGL 1302 or ENGL 2311 with grades of C or better.

ENG 345. Advanced Composition for Educators. 3 Hours.

This course provides future educators opportunities to grow as writers, personally and professionally, through interaction with the conventions of writing, literature, and writing across the curriculum, all within a writing community focused on education of self and others. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 with a grade of C or better, and ENGL 1302 or ENGL 2311 with grades of C or better.

ENG 350. Technical Writing (EL). 3 Hours.

This course advances students in the rhetorical analysis, composing, design, and execution of technical and scientific writing and communication, including print and web-based texts. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 with a grade of C or better, and ENGL 1302 or ENGL 2311 with grades of C or better.

ENG 424. History and of the English Language. 3 Hours.

Participants will cover topics that include the basic features of human language, a historical study of English, and a study of English phonology, morphology, and syntax.

ENG 430. Studies in Women's Literature. 3 Hours.

This course provides a study of the various images of women in literature with an emphasis on the twentieth century.

ENG 442. Advanced American Literature (EL). 3 Hours.

This course provides a study of specific eras of American Literature. Topics will vary.

ENG 445. Advanced World Literature. 3 Hours.

This advanced course in World Literature aims to introduce students to a selection of classic and/or modern literary works outside of the United States and Britain. One of the goals of the course is to analyze and discuss these works of literature within their soci-historical context with an emphasis upon a different theme or literary movement presented in each offering of the course. While this varying theme or movement will demarcate the frame of the course, the theme of encounters (textual and cultural) remains consistent and the importance of factors such as race, class, gender, religion, language, translation, and so on will be taken into consideration. The students' critical engagement with the assigned works of literature will be further enhanced by the historical and literary background provided by lectures and secondary sources. No prior knowledge of or familiarity with other languages is required as all reading materials are provided in English translation.

ENG 450. Studies in Genre. 3 Hours.

This course provides an advanced study of one of the following literary genres: Short Story, Film, Poetry, Drama, and International Literature. It may be repeated when topics vary.

ENG 472. Advanced British Literature. 3 Hours.

This course provides a study of specific eras of British Literature. Topics will vary.

ENG 489. Individual Study. 1-3 Hours.

This course provides individual instruction. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.

ENG 491. Capstone in English Studies. 1 Hour.

This course constitutes a practicum in which students review English studies with emphasis on critical approaches to literature, literary terminology, and the characteristics and major writers of literary periods. Students write capstone papers that reflect their understanding of the components of literary study. Prerequisite: To be taken during the final semester of the bachelor's degree program in English.

ENG 497. Special Topics. 3 Hours.

Instructors will provide an organized class designed to cover areas of specific interest. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.

ITED 350. Technology and Digital Literacy. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to assist students with developing skills for using web applications and mobile computing. The activities in the course assist students with promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills by engaging them with digital tools being used in daily life. Topics covered include: technology in society, computers and digital components, the internet- how it works and making the most of web resources , applications for work and play, and systems software- operating systems, utilities and file management, information technology ethics, understanding and assessing hardware, digital devices and media and protection, information technology careers, software programming, databases and information systems, networking and security. There is an emphasis on using the Microsoft Office Suite of Products in this course including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.

RDG 343. Reading Beyond the Primary Grades. 3 Hours.

This course teaches content area teachers how to help their students learn from textbooks, including techniques for evaluating both textbooks and students. Coping with the reading, demands of textbooks, and study skills will be learned.

RDG 350. Emergent Literacy Development (EL). 3 Hours.

This course addresses the foundations and pedagogy of reading instruction to provide the pre-service EC-6 teacher with knowledge and skills necessary to promote early literacy development. Students will develop competency in the components of the science of teaching reading, including oral language development, phonological and phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, high frequency vocabulary development, decoding and spelling strategies, fluency development and comprehension. A variety of techniques will be examined to enable the pre-service teacher to design a multidimensional word recognition program. The targeted grade levels for this course are Early Childhood through grade two.

RDG 352. Literacy Development in the Upper Grades. 3 Hours.

This course addresses the foundations and pedagogy of reading instruction to provide the EC-6 pre-service teacher with knowledge and skills necessary to promote literacy in the upper grades. Students will develop competency in the components of disciplinary literacy, research and inquiry, written communication, and viewing and visually representing as related to the construction of meaning. A variety of techniques will be examined to enable the pre-service teacher to design a multidimensional content literacy program. This course is targeted for grades three through six.

SPED 410. Introduction to Individual with Exceptionalities. 3 Hours.

This course develops students’ foundational knowledge of historical perspectives, educational principles, laws, and professional ethics and roles in the fields of special education and English Language Learners (ELL). It focuses on the learning and behavioral characteristics of diverse learners, including students with exceptionalities (which includes disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, Dyslexia, and Gifted/Talented) students who are ELL and students who are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional (CLDE) learners. Additionally, this course introduces instructional strategies, appropriate curriculum, accommodations, modifications, and assistive technology to ensure the success of all learners.

SPED 418. Research, Trends, and Issues in Education. 3 Hours.

This course presents current research, issues, and trends in education, specifically emphasizing the teaching-learning process to meet specific student learning needs. Emphasis is placed on teacher candidates integrating best practices in the teaching-learning process including: 1) Strength-based strategies, 2) Understanding by Design, 3) Differentiation, 4) Differentiation for Neurodiversity, 5) State Accountability Testing, and 6) Teacher Evaluation. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Preparation Program.