Elementary Education

The elementary education program at NNU leads to certification in grades K-5. Through coursework and field placements in schools, Elementary Education majors gain knowledge, skills, and dispositions in four vital areas: planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities. The program culminates in a year-long internship that integrates methods courses with K-5 classroom experience. Interns work in one of four partnership schools with a group of several NNU interns. During the year interns work side-by-side with a master teacher to gain expertise in managing a classroom and applying best practices in their teaching. They develop and teach an interdisciplinary unit, plan and teach daily lessons in reading, math, and other subject areas. Interns learn various forms of assessment and use them to diagnose needs and monitor student learning. They work with a struggling reader to improve literacy skills in identified areas of need. The internship year provides the opportunity to demonstrate over time competencies related to each strand of NNU's conceptual framework. NNU faculty supervisors are readily available in the schools to provide ongoing coaching and support.

Required Education Courses in the Elementary Education Program:
*EDUC1100 Introduction to Teaching (1)
EDUC2110 Educational Psychology (3)
EDUC2250 Cultural Diversity in Education (2)
EDUC2750 Technology in the Classroom (2)
*EDUC2960 Field Experience (1)
EDUC3000 Mathematics Lab for Elementary Teachers (2)
EDUC3150 Education of Exceptional Children (3)
EDUC3240 Classroom Management in Elementary Classrooms (3)
*EDUC3250 Fundamentals of Reading (3)
*EDUC3260 Content Literacy in Elementary Classrooms (3)
EDUC3310 Teaching the Bilingual/Bicultural Child (1)
*EDUC3920 Foundations of Education (2)
*EDUC4420 Methods of Instruction for the Elementary School (9)
*EDUC4440 Elementary Internship I (2)
*EDUC4450 Elementary Internship II (12)
*EDUC4460 Assessment and Intervention in Reading (3)
*EDUC4810 Elementary School Start-Up (1)
One course selected from:
ARDE3330 Teaching Art in the Elementary School (3)
KINE3380 Teaching Physical Education in the Elementary School (2)
*Courses must be taken at Northwest Nazarene University