Creating a Literate Environment

Creating a Literate

EnvironmentBy: Rodnicka HillEDUC-6706G-4

The Beginning Reader, PreK-3Instructor: Dr. Martha Moore

“Learning to read and write is critical to a child’s success in school and later in life. One of the best predictors of whether a child will function competently in school and go on to contribute actively in our increasingly literate society is the level to which the child progresses in reading and writing” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).

Cognitive Aspects of Learning

Assessment of the cognitive aspects of literacy affords teachers the opportunity to make instructional decisions.

•Cognitive Assessment Tools Include:

– Running Records

– Observation

– Anecdotal Records

– Informal Reading Inventories

– Checklists

•Teachers:

– determine students’ reading levels

– monitor student progress

– diagnose students’ strengths and weaknesses

Non-Cognitive Aspects of Learning

Successful readers possess positive attitudes towards reading; they see reading as something worth doing. Students who learn to read but choose not to after they

leave school have failed to realize the full value of reading (Afflerbach, 2007).

•According to Afflerbach (2012), there are 5 Basic Non-Cognitive Characteristics that contribute to reading success:–A student’s motivation towards reading–A reader’s self-concept–A reader’s attitude–A reader’s interest–A reader’s attributions

Non-Cognitive Aspects of Learning

• Non-Cognitive Assessment Tools Include:

-Reading Interest Inventory

-Motivation to Read Profile

-Reading Self-Concept Scale

Getting to Know Literacy Learners (PreK-3)

Through observation of student reading, I was able to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses regarding literacy.

• According to Tompkins (2010), there are 5 Pillars of Reading Instruction:

-Phonemic Awareness -Phonics -Vocabulary -Fluency -Comprehension


• Everyone has experiences that shape how they see each other as literate beings (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010e). These experiences may be recorded as literacy autobiographies.

• Everyone has a literacy autobiography that has shaped their willingness and ability to learn.

• Literacy autobiographies are important because they provide background knowledge and insight into one’s learning experiences, both positive and negative.

An effective teacher understands the need to reach the whole student. Becoming aware of students’ cultural background is important.

In addition, things that interest the child are essential.

•In getting to know students, selecting appropriate text will enhance a student’s motivation to read. Students are more likely to read books based on topics they find of interest. Through this research practice, I became familiar with various tools that will help me gather data and gain important insights about my students literacy development, both cognitively and non-cognitively.

•Throughout this course, I learned of many assessments that allow teachers to gather data, oral reading assessments and “Me Stew.”


Non-Cognitive Assessment

“Me Stew”

1.Give the students a paper bag and let them take it home.2.At home, the students choose a few items that they love and are very important to them.3.These items have to fit inside the paper bag.4.The students bring their bags to school the next day.5.They share their bags and the student and teacher talk about why these items are important to the students .6.The teacher can then take this information and find books that are of interest to that particular child.

(Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).


“Comprehension is the goal of reading;

it’s the reason people read. Students must

understand what they’re reading to learn from the

experience, they must make sense of the words

in text to maintain interest; and they must enjoy reading to become

life long readers” (Tompkins, 2010).

Framework for Literacy Instruction

LearnersAffective and cognitive aspects of literacy learning

TextsText structures, types, genres, and difficulty levels matched to literacy learners and literacy goals and objectives

Instructional PracticesDevelopmentally appropriate research-based practices used with appropriate texts to facilitate affective and cognitive aspects of literacy development in all learners

Interactive PerspectiveReading and writing accurately, fluently, and with comprehensionBeing strategic and metacognitive readers and writers

Use a variety of informal and formal assessments to determine areas of strength and need in literacy development.

Determine texts of the appropriate types and levels of difficulty to meet literacy goals and objectives for students.

Use instructional methods that address the cognitive and affective needs of students and the demands of the particular text.Promote students' independent use of reading strategies and skills.

Critical PerspectiveJudging, evaluating, and thinking critically about text

Find out about ideas, issues, and problems that matter to students.Understand the learner as a unique individual.

Select texts that provide opportunities for students to judge, evaluate, and think critically.

Foster a critical stance by teaching students how to judge, evaluate, and think critically about texts.

Response PerspectiveReading, reacting, and responding to text in a variety of meaningful ways

Find out about students' interests and identities.Understand what matters to students and who they are as individuals.

Select texts that connect to students' identities and/or interests and that have the potential to evoke an emotional or personal response.

Provide opportunities for students to read, react, and formulate a personal response to text.

Selecting Texts

Teachers must choose engaging text that appeal to students’ identities; cultural, community, gender,

developmental(Laureate Education

Inc., 2010a).

Selecting Texts

• When selecting texts for classroom instruction, it is important keep student needs and interests in mind, as well lesson objectives and how we as teachers will achieve those goals (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a).

• Using the Literacy Matrix, I was able to select appropriate text for each of the outlined lesson objectives.

• There are 5 Dimensions of Difficulty that must be addressed before texts is selected:

-Readability -Text Length -Text Structure -Size of Print -Visual Supports

Selecting Texts

• After assessing students, cognitively and non-cognitively, I selected the following text to promote literacy and enhance the lesson: -Cavemice #3: Help, I’m in Hot Lava! by: Geronimo Stilton -Italy by: National Geographic Kids Magazine -Stopping a Toppling Tower by: Mary Kay Carson -Welcome to Italy by: Meredith Costain and Paul Collins

• The selected texts were used to supplement the Scott Foresman Reading Street Program. These texts were engaging for students. They met all literacy goals established for the lesson. The texts also provided motivation for students as they learned of a different culture. In addition, the textual structures were properly aligned with the Literacy Matrix.

Literacy matrix:

The literacy matrix is a two digital construct for analyzing and selecting texts (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).

Nar

rativ

e

Informational

Linguistic

Semiotic

Properly using the Literacy Matrix(1)Text with no illustrations at all tells a story that is linguistic and narrative (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).

(2)Text that is made up of only pictures is semiotic and narrative (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).

Selecting Texts

According to Allington, R. (2005),The Five Pillars of Effective Reading

Instruction are:(1) Phonemic awareness

(2) Phonics(3) Fluency

(4) Vocabulary(5)Comprehension

To teach students to become

critical thinkers, we must guide them through the

strategies in order to independently navigate

text (Laureate Education Inc.,

2010d).

Literacy Lesson: “Interactive Perspective”

The goal of the Interactive Perspective of literacy instruction is not only to teach students how to read, but how to become

strategic processors as well (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c).

Activities for The Interactive Perspective:

•Word Recognition Activities

•Comprehension Activities (Answering Questions, Story Maps, Diagrams)

•Read-Aloud Activities

•Reader’s Theatre

•Choral Reading/Partner Reading

When we examine a text critically,

we begin to think more deeply

about a text and that is vitally important

(Laureate Education, Inc., 2010d).

Literacy Lesson: Critical Perspective

The critical perspective teaches students how to examine a text, think critically about it, and judge that text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010d). The ability to think critically about text is essential (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010d). The students will be involved in examining who created the text, what perspective the author might have had, what ethnicity, race, gender, or social status the author might have had and how you can tell, etc.

Activities for The Critical Perspective:

•Author’s Chair

•Open-Mind Portraits

•Question-Answer Relationship Activities

Literacy Lesson: Critical & Response Perspectives

The Response Perspective gives students the opportunity to experience and respond to text (Laureate Education Inc., 2010e). During this perspective, students identify how the story makes the reader feel. The reader connects their feelings with feelings associated with the text by relating to personal experiences.

Activities for The Response Perspective:•Think-Pair-Share Activities•Jot Notes•Journal writing

– Drawing pictures– Connection stems– Multi-sensory approaches

References

• Afflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment, K–12 (2nd ed). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

• Allington, R. L. (2005). The other five “pillars” of effective reading instruction. Reading Today, 22 (6), 3. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org

• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Engaging text. Baltimore, MD: Author.

• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Perspectives of literacy education. Baltimore, MD: Author.

• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010c). Critical perspective. Baltimore, MD: Author.

• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010d). Response perspective. Baltimore, MD: Author.

• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010e). Getting to know your students. Baltimore, MD: Author.

• Molden, K. (2007). Critical literacy, the right answer for the reading classroom: Strategies to move beyond comprehension for reading improvement. Reading Improvement, 44(1), 50-56.

• Reading Horizons. The five pillars of literacy. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.readinghorizons.com/research/five-pillars.aspx

• Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (Custom ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Creating a Literate Environment

Education

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