EUN640 Understanding Reading and Writing Difficulties
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | EUN640 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | LCN632, EUZ640 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $578 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,216 |
| International unit fee | $4,344 |
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | EUN640 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LCN632, EUZ640 |
| Coordinator: | Haley Tancredi | h.tancredi@qut.edu.au |
Overview
Learning to read and write with clarity and efficiency is essential for participation in modern society. However, approximately 20% of children experience ongoing reading and writing difficulties, resulting in academic underachievement, early school leaving, and unemployment. High-quality early reading and writing instruction and targeted, evidence-based supports are essential to ensure all learners can develop reading and writing competence. This unit provides opportunities for educators to build their knowledge of the teaching of reading and writing, with a focus on strategies to support learners who experience persistent difficulties. Evidence-based methods of collecting and using student data, explicit teaching strategies and adjustments will be explored, enabling educators to feel better equipped to teach reading and writing, as well as to identify and address difficulties in the learning process.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the key elements that are critical in the development of reading and writing and the different types of reading and writing difficulties (CLO 1.1).
- Develop the ability to interpret a student’s reading and/or writing profile, and apply this knowledge to support learners who experience persistent reading and/or writing difficulties (CLO 2.1, 2.2, 3.1).
- Correctly identify explicit teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (CLO 2.1, 2.2, 3.1).
- Communicate the design of adjustments for students with reading and writing difficulties to practitioners (CLO 2.4)
Content
This unit will cover the following topics:
- An overview of the science of learning to read and write, including an understanding of the language and writing systems, and the different types of reading and writing difficulties and disability (ULO 1).
- Approaches to assessment and data collection that support educators to identify learners with reading and writing difficulties and understand learners’ strengths and difficulties to inform explicit teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments (ULO 2).
- Evidence-based explicit teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments for learners with reading and writing difficulties (ULO 3).
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- Lectorials facilitated by the Unit Coordinator and invited subject experts and guest speakers
- Weekly readings
- Re-cap workshops to prepare for assessment
- Authentic assessment tasks designed to support real-world application of unit content
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
In this unit, formative and summative feedback will be provided as follows:
- A developmental approach to assessment has been applied in this unit with Assessment 1 informing Assessment 2.
- Formative feedback will be provided by way of an assessment discussion forum, through weekly lectorials, and re-cap workshops.
- Peer feedback will take place through group collaborative activities in lectorials
- Extensive feedback provided by means of written comments on each of the two summative assessment items.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessment items in this unit: an analytical essay and a problem solving task. Both assignments are designed for you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of learners experiencing reading and writing difficulties and your ability to apply evidence-based strategies to support these learners in real-world contexts.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Analytical Essay
Describe the key elements that are critical in the development of reading and writing for all students, often termed the “Big Six” (Konza, 2014). Draw on the scientific evidence to identify and discuss the difficulties that learners may experience in each of these components of the reading/writing process.
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs - 1.1, 2.1, 2.2
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Assessment: Problem Solving Task
A set of learner scenarios will be provided to you. Choose three scenarios. Demonstrate your understanding of reading and writing difficulties by interpreting learners’ presenting characteristics and describing the breakdown/s that are taking place in the reading/writing process for each of the learners in your chosen scenarios. Then, select and discuss the types of explicit teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments that will support these learners with reference to the scientific evidence.
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs - 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 3.1
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
The following resource materials will be used throughout this unit.
Resource Materials
Other
Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19, 5–51. doi:10.1177/1529100618772271
Additional prescribed and recommended readings will be available via QUT Readings.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with general participation in this unit. Workplace Health and Safety protocols associated with computer use will apply.
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Online
| Unit code: | EUN640 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LCN632, EUZ640 |
Overview
Learning to read and write with clarity and efficiency is essential for participation in modern society. However, approximately 20% of children experience ongoing reading and writing difficulties, resulting in academic underachievement, early school leaving, and unemployment. High-quality early reading and writing instruction and targeted, evidence-based supports are essential to ensure all learners can develop reading and writing competence. This unit provides opportunities for educators to build their knowledge of the teaching of reading and writing, with a focus on strategies to support learners who experience persistent difficulties. Evidence-based methods of collecting and using student data, explicit teaching strategies and adjustments will be explored, enabling educators to feel better equipped to teach reading and writing, as well as to identify and address difficulties in the learning process.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the key elements that are critical in the development of reading and writing and the different types of reading and writing difficulties (CLO 1.1).
- Develop the ability to interpret a student’s reading and/or writing profile, and apply this knowledge to support learners who experience persistent reading and/or writing difficulties (CLO 2.1, 2.2, 3.1).
- Correctly identify explicit teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (CLO 2.1, 2.2, 3.1).
- Communicate the design of adjustments for students with reading and writing difficulties to practitioners (CLO 2.4)
Content
This unit will cover the following topics:
- An overview of the science of learning to read and write, including an understanding of the language and writing systems, and the different types of reading and writing difficulties and disability (ULO 1).
- Approaches to assessment and data collection that support educators to identify learners with reading and writing difficulties and understand learners’ strengths and difficulties to inform explicit teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments (ULO 2).
- Evidence-based explicit teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments for learners with reading and writing difficulties (ULO 3).
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- Lectorials facilitated by the Unit Coordinator and invited subject experts and guest speakers
- Weekly readings
- Re-cap workshops to prepare for assessment
- Authentic assessment tasks designed to support real-world application of unit content
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
In this unit, formative and summative feedback will be provided as follows:
- A developmental approach to assessment has been applied in this unit with Assessment 1 informing Assessment 2.
- Formative feedback will be provided by way of an assessment discussion forum, through weekly lectorials, and re-cap workshops.
- Peer feedback will take place through group collaborative activities in lectorials
- Extensive feedback provided by means of written comments on each of the two summative assessment items.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessment items in this unit: an analytical essay and a problem solving task. Both assignments are designed for you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of learners experiencing reading and writing difficulties and your ability to apply evidence-based strategies to support these learners in real-world contexts.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Analytical Essay
Describe the key elements that are critical in the development of reading and writing for all students, often termed the “Big Six” (Konza, 2014). Draw on the scientific evidence to identify and discuss the difficulties that learners may experience in each of these components of the reading/writing process.
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs - 1.1, 2.1, 2.2
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Assessment: Problem Solving Task
A set of learner scenarios will be provided to you. Choose three scenarios. Demonstrate your understanding of reading and writing difficulties by interpreting learners’ presenting characteristics and describing the breakdown/s that are taking place in the reading/writing process for each of the learners in your chosen scenarios. Then, select and discuss the types of explicit teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments that will support these learners with reference to the scientific evidence.
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs - 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 3.1
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
The following resource materials will be used throughout this unit.
Resource Materials
Other
Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19, 5–51. doi:10.1177/1529100618772271
Additional prescribed and recommended readings will be available via QUT Readings.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with general participation in this unit. Workplace Health and Safety protocols associated with computer use will apply.