Foundations of Early Literacy Instruction (11763.2)

Please note these are the 2027 details for this unit
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Foundations of Early Literacy Instruction
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
Online self-paced
Online real-time
 Bruce, Canberra
UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Education
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Teacher Education Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit provides preservice teachers with the foundational knowledge to teach reading, writing and spelling in the early years of school. The unit will focus on the six keys to reading instruction, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and oral language and how to teach and assess them. Students will learn about a range of theoretical perspectives on reading. The unit will focus on explicit and systematic instruction of phonics, writing and spelling. Students will learn how adults can promote early literacy skills through oral language and print conventions.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify and articulate a range of theoretical perspectives on literacy learning;
2. Understand the roles adults play in children's literacy development, and oral language as a foundation for literacy success;
3. Investigate the importance of using a variety of texts as part of an effective literacy program, including multimodal versions of these texts;
4. Explain the six keys to reading success (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and oral language) and how they can be taught, monitored and assessed; and
5. Plan and evaluate learning experiences for early reading, writing and spelling.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Prerequisites

Must have completed 12 credit points in a primary initial teacher education or early childhood education course.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

9871 English Literacy for Educators

Assumed knowledge

Students of Bachelor of Early Childhood (Birth to Five) (EDB001) are assumed to have completed Oral Language and Literacy in the Early Years (12003).
Availability for enrolment in 2027 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Mrs Julia Davies-Duff
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 Online self-paced Mrs Julia Davies-Duff
2026 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 1 16 February 2026 Online real-time Mrs Julia Davies-Duff
2026 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 08 June 2026 Online self-paced Mrs Amarylise Bessey
2027 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 15 February 2027 On-campus Mrs Julia Davies-Duff
2027 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 1 15 February 2027 Online real-time Mrs Julia Davies-Duff
2027 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 15 February 2027 Online self-paced Mrs Julia Davies-Duff
2027 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 07 June 2027 Online self-paced Mrs Amarylise Bessey
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bring Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. 

Wheldall, K., Wheldall, R., & Buckingham, J/ (Eds.). (2023). Effective instruction in reading and spelling. MRU Press.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

 

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section. Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

When developing your lesson plans, it is encouraged that you are using your skills in lesson planning and design to create engaging and rich lesson resources. Using materials from commercial sites such as TPT, Twinkl, Sparkle Box etc. is not desirable in this unit. If you adapt resources from commercial sites and sources, please note this in your lesson planning and resource development.

Special assessment requirements

An aggregrate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit. 

All assessment items MUST be attempted and submitted.

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Education (ADE) as a prescribed authority for investigation.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

Hours breakdown

30 hours lectures and tutorial-linked activities

60 hours reading and tutorial-linked activities preparation

60 hours assessment preparation

Participation requirements

There is a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. Active engagement in all modules enhances your learning and is strongly advised. Unless specifically stated in the unit outline, there is no mandatory attendance requirement. However, you are strongly encouraged to engage with, and complete, timetabled activities as they allow you to consider 'real time' questions to develop your understanding for the relevant assessment tasks.

Successful engagement with all learning activities in this accredited Initial Teacher Education course is necessary to demonstrate that you have met the Graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011).

Your participation in study activities will enhance your understanding of the unit content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses.  Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.

As a unit of study offered in self-paced mode, attendance at scheduled sessions is not a mandatory requirement of this unit. Students who enrol in this ‘self-paced study' option (in lieu of tutorials) effectively have no tutorials to attend. There is, however, a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. With this in mind, we encourage and expect students to actively participate in all module activities to enhance their learning opportunities.

Required IT skills

Competence with word processing and presentation software, and working knowledge of Canvas is expected. 

In-unit costs

None

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

This unit is built upon evidence-based research and theories of reading and writing. There are active researchers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out.

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