Literate Environment AnalysisLaRae McRaeWalden UniversityDr. MooreEduc 6706 The Beginning Reader pk-3

Creating a literate environment

Getting to know Literacy Learners

Selecting texts

Literacy Lesson: Interactive Perspective

Literacy Lesson: Critical and Response Perspective

Getting to know your literacy learners

Knowing our students through their identity as a reader, their background knowledge, their attitudes, skills, and motivation is a major part of being an effective reading teacher

(Laureate Education, 2013)

Getting to know Literacy Learners: Analysis

Incorporating a variety of assessment tools has helped me get to know my students on a personal literacy level.

I used two assessments to understand my students cognitive and non-cognitive abilities.

Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna and Kear, 1990)

DIBELS Assessment

DIBELS AssessmentCognitive assessment

Using this analysis tool, I was able to measure my students fluency and to regularly monitor my students development and growth of their reading skills. This tool also allowed me to place my students into the correct fluency guided reading groups

Elementary Reading Attitude SurveyNon-Cognitive Assessment

This analysis tool provided me with data in regards to my students attitude and interest in reading.

Research

This framework helped me in creating a literate environment. It is a great tool to use when planning.

Framework for Literacy Instruction

Selecting Texts Selecting texts for students

is very important. Texts should allow students the opportunity to connect to a larger idea.

According to research, students who are exposed to a variety of texts at an early age tend to show growth at a quicker rate in obtaining needed literacy skills.

(Tompkins, 2010)

The literacy Matrix This tool can be used to ensure

you are using a variety of text in your classroom.

The more exposure students have to different text the better they get at knowing how to approach and comprehend text

For example: narrative and informational text must be comprehended differently.

Literacy Lesson: Interactive Perspective

As I analyzed the interactive perspective, I noticed that this perspective focuses on teaching students how to read. During my reading lesson my students had to define and use the prefix un- and make inferences. My students were given the opportunity to see and use this prefix in context. My students were also introduced to a strategy that that will allow them to examine the validity of their thinking.

Instructional activities for the interactive perspective Choral reading Guided reading Interactive read alouds Word walls KWL Charts

Interactive Perspective Research

According to Dr. Almasi, while we are teaching students to read, it is also important to teach them to be strategic thinkers and processors of the text. (Laureate Education, n.d.)

This means we must teach our students to be reflective and think about their thinking

Literacy Lesson: Critical and Response perspectives

Students are engaged in the critical perspective when they evaluate and critically judge information in a text. This allows students to think more deeply about the text.

Students engage in the response perspective when they respond to the text. Teachers must provide an experience for students to engage in a text that not only transforms the child but their identity as well.

Critical and Response Perspective Analysis

Through a lesson on Thurgood Marshall my students used the subtext strategy and were able to clearly and accurately identify and evaluate problems raised. They were also able to accurately interpret evidence and critically respond to text using connections stems.

Ways to engage students in critical thinking and reflecting Discussions Subtext strategy Connection Stems Response Journals Quiet time

Research on the Critical Perspective

According to Dr. Almasi, the critical perspective is imperative and by providing students with opportunities to question text critically we provide them with the tools to arrive at a more thoughtful understanding of the text.

Research on the Response Perspective

According to Dr. Almasi, the key element to any response is that it should reflect the readers experience with the text . Providing space for students’ responses gives them voice, it empowers them, and it motivates them.

“What good is it to teach children to read if once they learn, they never want to do it?” Illiteracy is hard enough to overcome, but aliteracy is even harder.

Dr. Almasi

References Clyde, J. A. (2003). Stepping inside the story world: The subtext strategy—a tool for connecting and

comprehending. The Reading Teacher, 57(2), 150–160. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Analyzing and Selecting text. [Webcast]. The

Beginning Reader, PreK-3. Baltimore, MD: author. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Changes in Literacy Education. [Webcast].

The Beginning Reader, PreK-3. Baltimore ,MD: author. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010c). Critical Perspective. [Webcast]. The

Beginning Reader, PreK-3. Baltimore ,MD: author. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010d). Interactive Perspective: Strategic Processing.

[Webcast]. The Beginning Reader, PreK-3. Baltimore, MD: author. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010e). Response Perspective. [Webcast]. The

Beginning Reader, PreK-3. 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. Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed). Boston: Allyn &

Bacon.