COURSE OUTLINE: DEVELOPMENTAL READING I

Weeks and Topics

Number of
Hours

Week 1 Getting-to-know-you
Activities
(3 hour
meeting) Course Overview

Week 2 Academic reading: Skimming, scanning, browsing

More on academic reading: note taking, organizing,

outlining, etc.

Aid to comprehension: graphic organizers, directed

reading, SQ3R, etc.

Use of reference materials: the dictionary, the

encyclopedia, the atlas, thesaurus, etc.

Types of informational materials and their sources

Week 3 Louise Rosenblatt

Efferent reading: reading to learn

Aesthetic reading: reading for appreciation and
enjoyment

Reading traditional tales and knowing their patterns and

variants

Reading the modern short story: its elements (Plot:

conflict, turning point, climax, setting, character,
themes)

Reading a book/movie tie-in: its themes, subplots and

characters

Poetry as shape, imagery, voice and experience

 Reading a play (simple interpretations, creative
classroom dramatics)

Reading persuasive materials (essays, editorial

columns, advertisements)

Reading to writing: Pattern writing, book reports,

journalese

Reading as a neuro-physiological process (the eye, the

ear, the brain, dominance, etc)
Week 4
Reading as a language process (Halliday, Fries)

Reading as cognitive process (Piaget)

Reading as skill/skills (Gray/Gates)

Reading as psycho-social process (Erikson, Vygotsky)

Reading as development process(Chall)

Week 5 Intrinsic factors for reading achievement (motivation,

intelligence, learning styles, self-concept, interest, etc)

Extrinsic factors for reading achievement (the material

and the teacher as x factor)

Self-fulfilling prophecy
The Pygmalion effect

Week 6 Prelim Exam

 The Reading Process

Week 7
Theories in Teaching Reading

Models in Reading

Week 8
READING SKILLS GOALS
Become an independent, active reader
Develop "successful student" behaviors that will also
help you in other classes
Effectively manage your time (which also means your
homework will be expected on time!)

Week 9 Topics and Main Ideas

Identify topics in readings

Identify stated and implied main ideas in paragraphs
and short passages
Recognize thesis statements in longer passages
Summarize main idea and thesis statements

Week 10 Support for Main Ideas

Recognize major and minor details

Week 11 Patterns of Organization

Recognize a variety of patterns of organization

Identify transitions and other clues that signal each

pattern
Week 12 Midterm Exams

Week 13 Inferences and Reading Literature Infer meaning from

texts and illustrations

Recognize connotative meanings of words

Interpret irony and imagery Practice reading poetry

and fiction

Week 14 Facts and Opinions

Recognize fact and opinion Understand the use and

source of facts

Recognize an author’s worldview, point of view, and

purpose for writing

Identify bias and tone

Week 15 Critical Thinking

Identify and evaluate arguments Recognize fallacies

Detect bias

Think critically about arguments Be an informed

decision maker
Week 16 Efficiently read textbooks

Improve test taking skills

Increase your vocabulary

Become a critical thinker and reader

Week 17 Becoming independent reader and life-long learner

Week 18 Final Exams