• Course Introduction

        • Time: 6 hours
        • Free Certificate
        This reading course covers concepts that prospective teachers should be proficient in to effectively teach general reading and comprehension skills. To prepare students for the general reading exam for teachers, this course considers how identifying key ideas and details can help determine meaning in a text, how to recognize the varying structure of texts, and the role of information in shaping the ideas of a text passage. Throughout the course, we will review strategies for taking the reading exam to help students succeed in the exam. By the end of this course, your students should be able to use these skills to better comprehend and examine a text passage.

        • Course Syllabus

          First, read the course syllabus. Then, enroll in the course by clicking "Enroll me". Click Unit 1 to read its introduction and learning outcomes. You will then see the learning materials and instructions on how to use them.

        • Unit 1: Identifying Key Ideas and Details

          Unit 1 covers the first reading competency: knowledge of key ideas and details based on text selections. This unit asks you to identify textual evidence by examining supporting points, details, and how an author presents their purpose. These identifications allow the reader to better connect direct and implied ideas to an author's conclusions.

          In this unit, you'll also learn strategies for using your exam time effectively and annotating the readings you encounter. These strategies will help you manage the test and understand the types of questions you can expect on the exam.

          Completing this unit should take you approximately 2 hours.

        • Unit 2: Outlining the Craft and Structure of Texts

          This unit covers the second reading competency: recognizing and evaluating the craft and structure of texts. This unit asks you to consider how authors use words, phrases, and organization to create meaning in a text. By examining these elements, you'll be able to identify the author's purpose and major claims and how the context of their details affects the text's meaning.

          In this unit, you'll learn strategies for interpreting meaning and consider how language choices influence a text. You'll also look at the role tone plays in texts and the different ways a text may be organized.

          Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour.

        • Unit 3: How Information Shapes Ideas

          This unit explains the third reading competency: understanding the integration of information and ideas. This section considers how content is shaped by format and evidence and how different authors may approach similar topics in unique ways. This section steps back and looks at the "bigger picture" of a text and asks you to question why authors make choices about support and how they write in conversation with one another.

          In this unit, you'll learn how to review pieces of evidence in a text to better understand an author's purpose. You'll also identify conversations between authors and synthesize those conversations. You'll practice another test-taking strategy at the end of this unit: recognizing question types.

          Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour.


        • Course Feedback Survey

          Please take a few minutes to give us feedback about this course. We appreciate your feedback, whether you completed the whole course or even just a few resources. Your feedback will help us make our courses better, and we use your feedback each time we make updates to our courses.

          If you come across any urgent problems, email contact@saylor.org.

        • Certificate Final Exam

          Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

          To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.

          Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.