Courses > Courses for Teaching Professionals > Ready, Set, Read!

Take this opportunity to find out how children really learn to read and write. Explore current research that cuts through the media messages about reading wars and the right way to teach children. Learn by reading stories about children, doing interactive assignments, and exploring the latest in parent and childcare information. You will see everyday children’s play with a new eye as you understand how play can connect to literacy.

You'll learn how a child becomes literate from the moment of birth. First, you’ll investigate the many things a child’s growing mind must do to make sense of the written word and create writing. From there, you’ll explore the development of reading and writing from infancy to the early school years. You’ll know what problems to look for and how to assist a struggling reader. You will see how you can boost literacy growth during daily routines and child’s play.

Gain confidence in your ability to guide a child’s literacy development, and take pleasure in seeing how even the littlest events can lead to really big steps in reading and writing success.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Kt Paxton.

After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development with high honors, Kt Paxton completed a fifth year of study and holds a California Teaching Credential. She managed a pre-school and has more than a decade of experience teaching elementary schoolchildren. Kt is also the published author of the book "More Adventures With Kids in San Diego."

To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:

Requirements:

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

In our first lesson, I'll introduce you to the course philosophy and our objectives. Then I'll provide examples and anecdotes to show you some of the many ways we all interact with reading in our daily lives. We'll explore the history of reading instruction so that you'll understand where research has taken us.

Friday - Lesson 02

Just as a child communicates with us before using words, young children initiate many literacy-related activities before they actually read and write. In this lesson, I'll reveal the language skills that have the greatest impact on a child becoming a successful reader and writer. You'll end this lesson with a new understanding of the complexities of language development. You'll also see any child's language skills in a new light.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

We all get excited when children learn their ABCs. But what role does this skill play in becoming a reader and writer? And what does it really mean to know your ABCs? Today we'll uncover the differences between rote memory, knowledge of sounds and symbols, phonemic awareness, and how all these things come together for the early reader.

Friday - Lesson 04

While attention and literacy may seem like big words for little people, the way a child's brain is attending to print in his world has a huge impact on reading, writing, and learning. In today's lesson, you'll learn about different types of attention and the importance of having an organized thinking system in order to learn about print. These discoveries may shed some light on your thinking, too!

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Today you'll discover what's happening when a child works to store information in memory. By the end of this lesson, you'll realize how important it is to store information in some sort of order, and also how to get things out of memory again once they're put away. You'll then be able to watch a young reader with a new awareness of how this skill impacts her success.

Friday - Lesson 06

You'll understand what understanding is all about in today's lesson. How does a child make sense of what you read to him or what he reads to himself? In this lesson, we'll explore the many skills a child needs to understand text. Just because a child can say a word doesn't mean he knows the word when reading it. After this lesson, you'll know why!

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

While we'd never want or expect a child under two to read, much pre-literacy work goes on during the early years before a child is really even talking. In today's lesson, you'll learn how infants grow to become readers. We'll explore the many emerging literacy processes that occur during the first two years of life. Then I'll fill you in on numerous activities that you can do during this period to build literacy skills. Put away the flashcards—these activities are way more fun!

Friday - Lesson 08

Today we'll explore the sequence of skills that brings toddlers and preschoolers to the threshold of becoming true readers and writers. You'll learn why you should read that favorite story one more time, with enthusiasm! In fact, once you understand how much this repetition is helping your child's literacy, you'll want to read it a dozen more times. I'll provide examples of pre-writing and reading in this lesson, too.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Research shows that we all learn literacy skills in pretty much the same order. In today's lesson, I'll show you that order, and then I'll explain why it's okay if your child doesn't meet these milestones by a specific age. This lesson will guide you through the evolution of reading and writing letters, words, sentences, and then complex ideas.

Friday - Lesson 10

How do all of these pieces come together to produce an able reader? By the end of this lesson, you'll know what fluency looks like when a young child is successfully reading. We'll also look ahead to a child's future growth. Literacy skills continue to develop so a child can be successful with literacy activities throughout school and life. Today's lesson will help you experience fluent reading through the eyes and mind of a blossoming reader.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Now that you know all about the mental processes and learning sequences that lead to becoming a writer, I'll show you many activities that demonstrate how the complex skill of writing emerges. You'll learn what to watch for and how to assist a child who's becoming a successful scribe.

Friday - Lesson 12

What's going on when a child isn't reading or writing when you expect him to? By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to assist a child who struggles with literacy learning and how to locate resources for assistance. We'll also discuss learning differences to help you enjoy the strengths of a child who may be a little slower to master reading and writing than her peers.

To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:

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To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:

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