UCSD Teacher Education Program
TEP 132 - PAL/America Reads
Brief Overview


Students who enroll in this 2 unit upper division Teacher Education Program class focus their efforts on helping young children (grades K-3) with reading. Class sessions and course readings address the topic from various practical perspectives. TEP 132 students are clustered at school sites. This facilitates car pooling and allows for a focused, well-supported project.
Students make a 40 volunteer hour per quarter commitment so the children involved will develop stable, long term relationships with their PAL America Reads tutors.
**Eligible work-study students are paid for any work at the site over and above the course requirements.

Course Organization:

A weekly 1 hour class is held. Instructional, assessment, and questioning techniques are modeled in the context of lessons that PAL America Reads tutors might do with their students. Weekly readings and weekly activities at school sites are also discussed. Students maintain journals in order to further reflect on their field experiences. Guest speakers from various school sites and local experts in literacy share their perspectives on occasion, as well.
Additionally, a service - learning mini grant has allowed the program to develop an in-house library of several hundred children’s literature books. These books are available to students on a check out basis and are integral to tutoring sessions. At some sites the PAL America Reads tutors also work with the cross-age reading buddy program at the school.

Course Requirements:

The course requirements include:
*active participation in weekly class sessions
*maintaining a journal
*completing all assigned readings
*working with children on a regular basis at the school

Course Emphases:

PAL America Reads mentors concentrate their efforts in helping young children to:
*read with comprehension
*read and write as a form of communication
*increase exposure to quality children’s literature
*cultivate a love of reading


contact: Caren Holtzman 619/534-1685 or choltzman@ucsd.edu

See the TEP 132 Syllabus