D668 opens the literacy strand of the B.S. Elementary Education program at Western Governors University.
WGU describes it as a course that deepens knowledge of language acquisition and increasingly complex literacy concepts, exploring the science of reading and writing, evaluating diverse resources and using purposeful oral, written and digital communication.
It is a curriculum course rather than a methods course, so the emphasis is on what is taught and why, with the later methods courses covering how. Students often struggle with the technical vocabulary of reading instruction and with explaining how each component builds on the last.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Course | D668, Elementary Literacy Curriculum |
| Level | Undergraduate |
| Program | B.S. Elementary Education (3 CUs) |
| Subject area | Literacy curriculum, science of reading |
| Typical work | Analyzing standards, literacy elements and resources |
What D668 Covers
| Competency (summarized) | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Analyze elementary literacy standards and resources | Read standards closely and judge how materials address them |
| Analyze literacy elements critical for communication | Understand reading, writing, speaking and listening as connected |
| Analyze concepts and structures in writing | Explain how writing skills develop |
| Analyze phonological awareness, phonics, word analysis, fluency and comprehension | Show how each strengthens literacy development |
| Describe key features of texts across genres | Recognize how narrative, informational and other texts differ |
Key Concepts Explained
How the Components Fit Together
Phonological awareness is hearing and working with the sounds in spoken words. Phonics links those sounds to letters. Word analysis helps readers tackle longer words. Fluency is accurate, expressive reading at a good pace, and comprehension is making meaning. Strength in the early parts supports the later ones.
Example: A pupil reads "ship" as "sip". The teacher notes the digraph "sh" as a phonics gap, not a comprehension problem, and plans short practice sorting words with "sh" and "s". Diagnosing which component is weak points to the right fix.
Standards and Resources
A good resource matches the standard in content and demand. Check the level of text, the skill practiced and whether it suits learners with different needs.
Text Genres
Different genres have different features, such as characters and plot in stories and headings and diagrams in informational text. Explicit teaching of these helps comprehension.
The Components of Literacy at a Glance
A reference table like this is useful when you analyze standards or explain a learner's needs.
| Component | Focus | Quick check |
|---|---|---|
| Phonological awareness | Sounds in spoken language, such as rhymes and syllables | Can the child clap syllables or say the first sound? |
| Phonics | Links between sounds and letters | Can the child read and spell regular words? |
| Word analysis | Prefixes, suffixes, roots and syllable patterns | Can the child break down a longer word? |
| Fluency | Accuracy, pace and expression | Does reading sound smooth and natural? |
| Comprehension | Making meaning from text | Can the child retell and answer questions? |
The course also includes writing development: handwriting and spelling, sentence construction, and the structures of narrative, opinion and informational writing. Show in your answers that reading and writing support each other. For example, spelling practice reinforces phonics knowledge, and writing about a text deepens comprehension.
Typical Work and How to Approach It
| Type of work | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Standards analysis | Reading standards accurately | Break each standard into the skill and the text type |
| Resource evaluation | Judging alignment | Use clear criteria and justify each rating |
| Literacy element explanation | Subject knowledge | Use correct terms with an example |
| Curriculum component design | Planning | Sequence skills from simpler to harder |
Where Students Get Stuck
- Mixing phonological awareness and phonics. The first is about sounds only; the second connects sounds to print.
- Vague resource evaluation. Say exactly what aligns and what does not.
- Weak writing coverage. The course includes writing development, not only reading.
- Skipping research. Link choices to the science of reading as taught in the course.
Study Tips for D668
- Make a one-page map of the five components with a pupil example for each.
- Practice identifying which component an error shows.
- Annotate a real standard until each word has meaning.
- Write evaluation criteria before you review any resource.
Final Checklist Before You Submit
- Literacy terms are defined correctly and used consistently.
- Standards are quoted and unpacked.
- Each resource judgment has a reason.
- Reading and writing are both covered.
- Examples refer to a named grade level.
- Supports for diverse learners are specific.
Check that you have not confused phonological awareness with phonics. It is the most frequent terminology slip in this subject.
How We Help with D668
Send the task instructions, grade level, standards and rubric. A writer can explain the terminology with examples, edit your analysis, or produce a model evaluation for study. For broader help see our education assignment help guide.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The science of reading and writing, literacy standards and resources, phonological awareness, phonics, word analysis, fluency, comprehension and text genres.
D677 is the graduate (MAT) version of the same subject. D668 is the undergraduate course.
The B.S. Elementary Education program guide lists 3 CUs.
Mostly curriculum content. Methods are covered in the Early Literacy Methods and Elementary Literacy Methods courses.
A body of research on how children learn to read, emphasizing explicit, systematic teaching of sounds, words and meaning.
No. We tutor, edit and model; the work you submit must be yours.