Unit rationale, description and aim
Being able to read and write is critical to young people’s success in education and the workplace.
In this unit, pre-service teachers examine typical language development and language variations, with particular attention to typical and atypical phonological development, and lexical and semantic development. Pre-service teachers also examine aspects of language development in bidialectal and multilingual contexts, the different features of oral and written language, and the reciprocal relationship between oral language/vocabulary knowledge and the development of literacy. They are introduced to how children learn to read and write words and to comprehend longer texts, and examine how the English writing system works and how phonemes, morphemes and history of the language are represented in this system. Pre-service teachers will develop awareness of phonemes, graphemes, and morphemes, and examine why phonics is important in moving children from pre-readers to readers, why spelling is a crucial element of teaching writing, and how spelling differs from and supports reading acquisition. Finally, language and reading comprehension are introduced as multi-componential constructs, and the roles of word reading ability, reading fluency, vocabulary and oral language ability in reading comprehension are highlighted.
The aim of this unit is to provide pre-service teachers with the foundational understanding of language and literacy concepts and developmental and learning processes that are necessary for learning to teach and assess literacy skills.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Identify, describe and evaluate students’ language...
Learning Outcome 01
Apply knowledge of how children learn to read and ...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply knowledge of phonology, morphology, phonemic...
Learning Outcome 03
Apply literacy and language knowledge and understa...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
Knowledge
- Understanding language: Grammar, vocabulary, morphology, phonology, and orthography
- Oral language and vocabulary development
- Differences between written and oral language
- How children learn to read and write
- How language comprehension develops
- Language differences and literacy development
- Australian Aboriginal English
- English as an Additional Language
Skills
- Analysis of phonological, phonemic, morphological, and graphemic features of words
- Analysis of grammatical, lexical, and phonological features in a range of spoken and written texts
- Application of knowledge of language and literacy development to assess suitability of texts, learning materials, and learning tasks
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate consolidation of knowledge and achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating academic and professional standards. The Foundations of Literacy unit will build the foundational knowledge and skills regarding oral and written language learning and development that are required to meet expectations of the Graduate Attributes and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate level.
Assessment Task 1 focuses on the knowledge required to understand children’s oral language development. Assessment Task 2 focuses on students’ ability to analyse linguistic features of written texts. Assessment Task 3, the examination, assesses pre-service teachers’ application of knowledge and understanding of literacy and language (i.e. grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, phonology).
The three assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development of content knowledge and skills to prepare pre-service teachers for pedagogical knowledge units EDEN290 and EDEN291.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate the achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, pre-service teachers are required to complete ALL assessment tasks and achieve an overall Pass grade overall.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Module quizzes Students will c...
Assessment Task 1: Module quizzes
Students will complete a short quiz at the end of each module assessing their consolidation of the content presented in lectures and reading.
20%
Assessment Task 2: Analysis of Texts Students wil...
Assessment Task 2: Analysis of Texts
Students will analyse a sample of instructional texts and assessment materials for their features and suitability for students at different year levels.
40%
Assessment Task 3: Examination 2-hour examination...
Assessment Task 3: Examination
2-hour examination: Application of knowledge and understanding of literacy and language
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The learning and teaching strategy for this unit is based on providing pre-service teachers with examples of explicit teaching approaches that are supported by research evidence, and that they can implement in their own literacy classrooms.
In line with the chosen learning and teaching strategy, this unit includes frequent reviews of previous learning, explicit delivery of new content, worked examples, guided and independent practice, and frequent feedback. Once the knowledge is consolidated, it will be applied to analysing and designing learning tasks in order to develop analytical and evaluation skills. The learning and teaching strategy is achieved through a range of learning activities such as reading, reflection, discussion, and engagement with webinars, podcasts and video resources.
This is a 10-credit point unit. It has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, pre-service teachers will engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. This includes regular attendance and participation in tutorials.
The unit is hosted on a Learning Management System (LMS) site with resources and online links, announcements, and a discussion board to post questions and reflections that promote connection between content and educational experiences.
Mode of delivery: This unit may be offered in different modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants.
On Campus
Most learning activities or classes are delivered at a scheduled time, on campus, to enable in-person interactions. Activities will appear in a student’s timetable.
Multi-mode
Learning activities are delivered through a planned mix of online and in-person classes, which may include full-day sessions and/or placements, to enable interaction. Activities that require attendance will appear in a student’s timetable.
Online unscheduled
Learning activities are accessible anytime, anywhere. These units are normally delivered fully online and will not appear in a student’s timetable.
Online scheduled
All learning activities are held online, at scheduled times, and will require some attendance to enable online interaction. Activities will appear in a student’s timetable.
ACU Online
In ACU Online mode, this unit is delivered asynchronously, fully online using an active, guided learning approach. Pre-service teachers are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions and receive regular and timely feedback on their learning.
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
Locations
Credit points
Year
Have a question?
We're available 9am–5pm AEDT,
Monday to Friday
If you’ve got a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search FAQs, text us, email, live chat, call – whatever works for you.