This clinical course provides preparation for teaching literacy and critical thinking in the middle and secondary grades. The focus is on planning, selecting, and using research -based strategies for reading and writing instruction, assessment, and evaluation of student study skills also are emphasized. This will include application of a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate a variety of texts. Strategies for teaching linguistically and culturally diverse students will be explored. In addition, state and national standards in reading and language arts will be used to construct units and lessons.

This course is the first of a two semester practicum sequence in which students gain meaningful work experience and apply knowledge from previous coursework. The student works with a school-based literacy team to conduct a needs-assessment, prepares guidelines for selection of materials, develops a 2-year plan consistent with current research, and conducts in-service training. This course follows the K-12 academic calendar.

This culminating experience is the second semester of a two course, practicum sequence in which students gain meaningful work experience and apply knowledge from previous coursework. This capstone course builds upon the previous practicum, refines understanding and requires the learner to apply the essential competencies of a reading specialist and to evaluate his or her performance and progress. This course follows the K-12 academic calendar.

This clinical course is the culminating experience in the plan of study towards NH teacher certification. The culminating teaching experience meets the state standards for certification. The course gives students an opportunity to be mentored in their field of certification by experienced teachers and to practice the variety of methods and strategies that they have studied in their education program. Students have the opportunity to share their experiences, beliefs and best practices with other students during the culminating experience. Students enrolled in this course may be at different stages of acquiring the 360-400 minimum hours of clinical experience. Full admission to the post-baccalaureate teacher certification program and completion of all program requirements required. This is the final course in the student's plan of study. The student must complete all New Hampshire Department of Education test requirements and receive approval from Field Placement Faculty prior to registering for this course.