Unit rationale, description and aim

Being able to read and write is critical to young people’s success in their education and workplace. In this unit, preservice teachers examine typical language development and language variations. They also examine aspects of language development in bidialectal and multilingual contexts, the different features of oral and written language, and the reciprocal relationship between oral language/vocabulary knowledge and literacy development.

Pre-service teachers are also introduced to how children learn to read and write words and to comprehend longer texts. Pre-service teachers will examine how the English writing system works. They will develop awareness of phonemes, graphemes, and morphemes, and examine why phonics is important in moving children from pre-readers to readers, why spelling is a crucial element of teaching writing, and how spelling differs from and supports reading acquisition. Finally, language and reading comprehension are introduced as multi-componential constructs, and the roles of word reading ability, reading fluency, vocabulary and oral language ability in reading comprehension are highlighted.

This unit aims to provide pre-service teachers with the foundational understanding of language and literacy concepts and developmental and learning processes that are necessary for learning to teach literacy skills.

2026 10

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  • Semester 1Online Scheduled
  • ACU Term 2Online Unscheduled
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 1Multi-mode, Multi-mode Indigenous

Prerequisites

Nil

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Evaluate students’ language development, with refe...

Learning Outcome 01

Evaluate students’ language development, with reference to theories and milestones.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC9, GC11

Analyse instructional techniques and resources usi...

Learning Outcome 02

Analyse instructional techniques and resources using knowledge of how children learn to read and write.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC7, GC8

Analyse oral and written language using knowledge ...

Learning Outcome 03

Analyse oral and written language using knowledge of phonology, morphology, phonemic awareness, phonics, syntax and vocabulary.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC7

Apply literacy and language knowledge to developme...

Learning Outcome 04

Apply literacy and language knowledge to development of personal literacy skills and the ability to adjust their use for different audiences and purposes.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC11

Content

Topics will include:

·        Introduction to language

·        Foundations of Grammar: parts of speech, sentence construction, beyond sentence-level

·        Phonology

·        Vocabulary and morphology

·        Orthography

·        Language development

·        Differences between written and oral language

·        Acquiring foundational skills in word reading

·        Typical and atypical reading development

·        Spelling development

·        Linguistic diversity in Australia

Assessment strategy and rationale

The Foundations of Literacy unit builds foundational knowledge and skills regarding oral and written language learning and development. The assessment tasks and their weightings allow preservice teachers to progressively demonstrate consolidation of knowledge and achievement against the unit learning outcomes.  

The unit commences with a formative online literacy quiz designed to provide diagnostic information about students’ personal literacy skills that will be used to support teaching and learning across the unit. Assessment Task 1 is a written assessment focusing on the ability to identify the linguistic features of language samples. Students will submit the task progressively so that they can apply feedback from their first text analysis to the analysis of subsequent language samples, including written texts and learning materials. Assessment task 2, the examination, assesses pre-service teachers’ application of knowledge and understanding of literacy and language. 

The assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development of content knowledge and personal literacy skills, to prepare pre-service teachers for later pedagogical content knowledge units. 

To pass this unit, pre-service teachers are required to complete all assessment tasks and achieve a passing grade of 50% overall. 

Overview of assessments

Hurdle Task: Online Literacy Quiz Complete a for...

Hurdle Task: Online Literacy Quiz

Complete a formative online literacy quiz aligned to the testing framework for LaNTITE: Literacy. 

Weighting

Pass/Fail

Learning Outcomes LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC11
Standards APST(GA)1.1, APST(GA)1.2

Assessment Task 1: Written Assessment: Analysis o...

Assessment Task 1: Written Assessment: Analysis of Texts

Prepare three text analyses that identify their features and suitability for given students and purposes.

Analyses will be submitted in two parts: (1) ONE text analysis must be submitted for formal feedback purposes (20%); and (2) TWO additional text analyses should be included alongside a revision of the first analysis showing use of provided feedback (40%). 

Weighting

60%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC10, GC11
Standards APST(GA)1.1, APST(GA)1.2, APST(GA)3.6, APST(GA)5.4, 2.4.1

Assessment Task 2: Examination Complete a two-ho...

Assessment Task 2: Examination

Complete a two-hour examination assessing understanding of language and literacy development, including application of this knowledge.

Weighting

40%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11
Standards APST(GA)1.1, APST(GA)1.2, APST(GA)1.4, APST(GA)3.6, APST(GA)5.4, 4.2.3

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

The learning and teaching strategy for this unit is based on explicit teaching approaches that are supported by research evidence. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, pre-service teachers need to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments. This includes regular attendance and participation in tutorials.

In line with the chosen learning and teaching strategy, this unit includes frequent reviews of previous learning, explicit delivery of new content, worked examples, guided and independent practice, and frequent feedback. Knowledge will be applied to text analysis and learning tasks in order to develop analytical and evaluation skills. The learning and teaching strategy is achieved through a range of learning activities such as reading, reflection, weekly self-assessment quizzes, discussion of case studies, collaborative tutorial activities, and engagement with webinars, podcasts and video resources.

Representative texts and references

Recommended Texts and References

Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Relevant State and Territory curriculum documents

Recommended References

Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (2001). Text talk: Capturing the benefits of read-aloud experiences for young children. The Reading Teacher, 55(1), 10-20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20205005

Brown, A. (2014). Pronunciation and phonetics: A practical guide for English language teachers. Routledge.

Cabell, S. Q., Neuman, S. B., & Terry, N. P. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook on the science of early literacy. The Guilford Press.

Carlisle, J.F., & Kearns, D.M. (2017). Learning to read morphologically complex words. In K. Cain, D.L. Compton, & R.K. Parrila (Eds.), Theories of reading development (pp. 191–214). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.

Gatlin, B., & Wanzek, J. (2015). Relations Among Children's Use of Dialect and Literacy Skills: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 58(4), 1306–1318. https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-14-0311

Hulme, C., Nash, H. M., Gooch, D., Lervåg, A., & Snowling, M. J. (2015). The foundations of literacy development in children at familial risk of dyslexia. Psychological science, 26(12), 1877-1886.

Kearns, D. M., Lyon, C., Zagata, E., Stalega, M., & Kelley, S. (2022). Teaching syllable division to facilitate polysyllabic word reading: Current research and possible alternatives. The Reading League Journal, May/June 2022, 14–22.

Malcolm, I. G., Koningsberg, P., & Collard, G. (2020). Aboriginal English and responsive pedagogy in Australian Education. TESOL in Context, 29, 61-93. https://doi.org/10.21153/tesol2020vol29no1art1422

McLeod, S., & McCormack, J. (Eds.). (2015). Introduction to speech, language and literacy. Oxford University Press.

Melby-Lervåg, M., Lyster, S.-A. H., & Hulme, C. (2012). Phonological skills and their role in learning to read: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 138(2), 322–352. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026744

Nagy, W. E., & Townsend, D. (2012). Words as tools: Learning academic vocabulary as language acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(1), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1002/RRQ.011

Nation, K. (2019). Children’s reading difficulties, language, and reflections on the Simple View of Reading. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, 24, 47-73. doi: 10.1080/19404158.2019.1609272

Nation, K., Dawson, N. J., & Hsiao, Y. (2022). Book language and its implications for children’s language, literacy and development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 31, 375-380. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214221103264

Owens, R.E. (2020). Language development: An introduction, Global edition. (9th ed). Pearson Education

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