Handbook : Unit informationEdith Cowan University

School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

• Unit Title

  Language and Literacy Birth to 5 Years

• Unit Code

  LAN6120

• Year

  2019

• Enrolment Period

  1

• Version

  1

• Credit Points

  15

• Full Year Unit

  N

• Mode of Delivery

  On Campus
  Online

• Unit Coordinator

  Mrs Sandra PARSONS

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Description

This unit focuses on language and literacy education and learning for children birth to age five years. It gives emphasis to the knowledge, skills and understandings of beginning to foundation literacy and the practices and pedagogy important to its learning and development. Students are required to think critically as they engage with the theoretical and research base of early childhood language and literacy and as they consider the planning and assessment of young children’s language and literacy learning and development. Additionally, the unit highlights the diverse nature of young language and literacy learners with an emphasis on children from cultural and linguistic diverse backgrounds. The notion of the culturally competent educator is emphasised as they work with all families and in different cultural contexts.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate specialised knowledge of the skills and understandings that comprise beginning to foundation literacy and that are important in learning to read and write.
2. Utilise practices and pedagogy specifically relevant to young children's language and literacy learning and development.
3. Critically analyse relevant theory and current literature to articulate a set of language and literacy teaching and learning principles that are relevant to children aged birth to 5.
4. Demonstrate a high level of understanding of the diverse nature of children and how best to cater for the language and literacy development of children from multicultural backgrounds including those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
5. Design differentiated language and literacy learning and assessment plans for a diverse group of children aged birth to 5 years.
6. Synthesise a number of strategies to assist families to support children in literary learning.

Unit Content

1. Definitions and theoretical perspectives of language and literacy learning and development.
2. The Early Years Learning Framework, The Kindergarten Guidelines, the Australian Curriculum Foundation level and the National Quality Standard.
3. The knowledge, skills and understandings that comprise beginning to foundation literacy.
4. Play and literacy.
5. Children's literature.
6. Key practices, experiences and strategies for planning and assessment of young children's language and literacy learning.
7. Diversity: cultural and linguistic diversity, including English as an additional language or dialect.
8. Strategies for working with families to support children's language and literacy learning.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU Blackboard.

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences through ECU Blackboard as well as additional ECU learning technologies.

Additional Learning Experience Information

A combination of lectures, workshops, guest speakers, videos, required readings and group and individually assigned work are used to achieve the unit outcomes. Students are required to become independent learners, who can adapt to the roles of practitioner or learner as they contribute to workshops as competent team members.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities and/or online activities including discussion boards is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit plan may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

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