The course is designed to develop skills related to an understanding of vocabulary development and comprehension skills in English, mathematics, science, history and social science. The course also supports developing strategies, which include teaching students how to ask effective questions, summarize and retell both verbally and in writing, and to listen effectively. Teaching strategies include literal, interpretive, critical, and evaluative comprehension, as well as the ability to foster appreciation of a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts and independent reading for adolescent readers. 

This course is open to anyone who might need a course for their provisional license. This course is explicitly aligned to the competencies for the professional studies courses as shown in the Virginia state licensure regulations. 

This course is designed to advance in-service or preservice teachers’ understandings of the role of literacy within the context of academic disciplines. This course balances a focus on general instructional techniques to support adolescent readers as they learn from texts with a nuanced focus on the literacy demands within specific disciplines.