Oakland University

Department/Program:
Department of Reading and Language Arts

Institution Address:
220 N. Squirrel Road
Rochester, MI
48309-4401
USA

Degree(s) granted:
M.A.T. in Reading
Ph.D. in Reading

Faculty involved in the program:
Linda M. Pavonetti pavonett@oakland.edu
Jim Cipielewski cipielew@oakland.edu
Annette Osborne amosborn@oakland.edu

Courses offered:
RDG 332: Literature for Children
Focuses on the critical evaluation of children’s literature, understanding its history, assessing children’s needs and developmental levels, and selecting and using quality literature with children

RDG 570: The Author and Illustrator’s Art and Craft
Special web site: http://rla.oakland.edu/~childlit
Selected authors’ and illustrators’ works are read and criticized in light of psychological, sociological, historical, literary, and curricular factors. Examines ways to encourage young people in elementary and secondary schools to read critically and appreciatively a variety of literary works representing multicultural perspectives and works in translation.

RDG 571: Foundations of Literature for Children and Young Adults
Presents criteria for selecting and evaluating literature for children and young adults from a historical perspective. Examines important research in the field and ways to incorporate literature, specifically multicultural and international literature, into the curriculum via books, tapes, and films.

RDG 572: Storytelling and Creative Dramatics
Focuses on methods of encouraging children to use imaginative and dramatic skills to interpret literature. Helps teachers use creative drama techniques. Provides opportunities to select, learn, and tell stories and lead drama activities, storytelling, and creative drama programs.

RDG 573: Literature in the Middle and Senior High Schools
Introduces literature written for and of interest to adolescents. Topics include trends in literature and publishing, methods of presenting books, how to stimulate reluctant readers, and the use of trade books, tapes, and films in content areas.

RDG 574: Literature for the Young Child
Emphasizes the careful selection and sensitive use of developmentally appropriate and enriching literature, including multicultural literature, with preschool and early elementary school children.

RDG 576: Poetry: Reading and Writing
Examines children’s response to poetry, the writing of poetry, approaches writers use in poems, and the strategies teachers can use when teaching poetry writing. Emphasis will be on learning how to read and write poetry, professional teaching, and assessment.

RDG 577: Narrative Reading and Writing
Examines children’s responses to narrative writing, how they write fiction, and the relationship between fiction writing and reading comprehension. Also examines how writers write fiction, how reading fiction improves writing, and methods of assessing responses to narrative writing.

RDG 578: Non-Fiction Reading and Writing
Examines language, cognitive development, and non-fiction reading and writing. Students work on their own writing and explore teaching methods and research related to expository writing. Students read non-fiction as models for writing and consider ways to teach non-fiction writing.

RDG 699: Master’s Project
Planning and executing a research study or an educational project focused on reading and the language arts.

RDG 704: Perspectives in Literature
Examines perspectives of literature for children and young adults. Research and critical essays on literary theory, the teaching and use of literature in classrooms, and other pertinent topics will be studied.

For more information:
http://www2.oakland.edu/oakland/ouportal/index.asp?site=53