Elementary Education (ELEM)

A 1-credit, field-based course taken each fall semester prior to student teaching designed to provide students the opportunity to apply their elementary education content and teaching skills in field placements. This course provides opportunities for students to design, implement and reflect upon instructional strategies and teaching practices.

This course introduces elementary education teachers to the characteristics of students with exceptional needs and provides an overview of the process of differentiating instruction for the individual learning needs of students in elementary classrooms who have exceptional needs.

This course addresses the development of reading, language, and writing, with a specific focus on the foundational processes needed to learn how to read and write. The course will include attention to phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, print concepts, and early writing, vocabulary, and comprehension development. In line with these concepts, students will learn related theories, assessments, and instructional practices. 

This course addresses the teaching of reading, language, and writing, with a specific focus on developing students' reading and writing skills beyond the primary grades. The course will include attention to multisyllabic decoding, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills. In line with these concepts, students will learn related theories, assessments, and instructional practices. 

An exploration of elementary social studies including constructivism, critical thinking, problem finding/solving, and inquiry. Students will acquire skills including using and identifying high quality, age-appropriate content, instructional planning methods, teaching strategies, and assessments to develop an authentic social studies unit that reflects national and local standards and activities with interdisciplinary connections.

A course designed to build fundamental knowledge of elementary science teaching and learning including standards-based curriculum design, nature of science principles, and research-based teaching strategies. The course focuses upon developing inquiry-based experiences for a diverse population while establishing an equitable classroom environment.

This course explores learning and teaching mathematics with understanding. It focuses on children’s mathematical thinking and how to use this to design and adapt instructional tasks. This course also discusses fostering an equitable classroom environment that includes cultural, racial, social, and linguistic backgrounds in rich discussions of mathematics.

This course addresses the integration of reading, writing, and speaking across the curriculum at the elementary level. The course will attend to pedagogical practices that support students' integration and synthesis of knowledge and will include attention to the role of text sets, varied discussion techniques and protocols, and the utility of graphic organizers and written assignments to foster and extend learning in the content areas. 

This course is designed to help prospective elementary school teachers promote positive student behavior. Emphasis is placed on the selection of strategies and procedures to enhance classroom organization and management and reduce and/or prevent misbehavior and strategies for effective collaboration with stakeholders, including parents and families.

The student teaching seminar is designed to provide students with an opportunity to reflectively refine their knowledge, decision-making and skills in coordinating instruction, classroom organization, management and discipline.

A 15-week field-based experience designed to enable pre-service elementary teachers to become competent at the entry level in the roles, functions, and skills of classroom teachers.

This survey course focuses on key issues affecting teachers and schools and the communities they serve. For the teacher, students will be introduced to legal, professional, and ethical standards of practice. They will also examine national, state, and local policies impacting teachers, schools, and student learning. In particular, students will examine issues related to school culture and its relationship to providing educational opportunities for all students. Students will explore best practices for collaborating and developing effective relationships with families and other community resources.