Online Courses for Teachers

Boosting Comprehension for Struggling Readers using Science of Reading

(Grades 3-6) / Flex Course

PDI Course Number: 161T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC42609

Course Description

Do you have struggling readers who are unsuccessful in their efforts to comprehend text they read? Do you want to understand how to harness the principles of the science of reading to help those students improve their comprehension skills? This online course for teachers takes a deep dive into a variety of best practices based on the science of reading to help educators in grades 3-6 guide their students to greater comprehension. The course begins with an in-depth overview of the science of reading — what it is and how to effectively put the principles into practice in the classroom. Teachers will explore some of the common factors that often contribute to reading struggles, and they will learn how to best assess them using data-driven instructional practices. From there, teachers take a deep dive into evidence-based strategies to address many of these issues across all the “Big 5” components of reading — phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Teachers will explore how text structure and organization affect how a reader analyzes and interprets texts. They will also learn how to incorporate the 5W1H framework and Question/Answer Relationships (QARs) into their own teaching practices so that students become metacognitive, reflective thinkers. Along the way, teachers will learn how to incorporate these brain-based strategies into their explicit and systematic teaching so that students’ comprehension soars and they become successful, active, metacognitive, lifelong readers. By the end of this continuing education course, teachers will feel more confident in their quest to use best science of reading practices to help guide their struggling readers to greater comprehension. This online professional development course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on receiving university credit for your PDI professional development course, visit our credit page.

Need help? Kimya Nabavi, PDI Program Coordinator, is ready to assist.