Literate Environment Analysis

By: Kristen LeibyEDUC-6706R

Mrs. Donna Bialach

Getting to Know Literacy Learners

Materials have changed over the past 6,000 years on how literacy is taught from writing with sticks in the sand to using digital books (Laureate Education, 2010b).

“A lack of motivation is at the root of many of the problems we face in teaching” (Edmunds & Bauserman, 2006). “Motivation frequently makes the differences between learning that is temporary and superficial and learning that is permanent and internalized” (Edmunds & Bauserman, 2006).

To assess motivation the “Elementary Reading Attitude Survey” can be used for students especially in the lower elementary grades.

Getting to Know Literacy Learners

All students entering kindergarten at our district are screened in the spring and then complete multiple assessments in the fall and throughout the school year.

One of these assessments is the KRAL, which is the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment in Literacy.

On the KRAL students are asked to rhyme, repeat sentences, and to read a list of letters capital and lowercase to the teacher.

At the completion of kindergarten students are then reassessed on any items of the KRAL they missed in the fall to evaluate their growth over the school year.

Throughout the school year students are assessed using a DRA, which is a developmental reading assessment, where they read a selected text to the teacher for accuracy.

After reading the selection the student must tell the teacher what happened in the story without looking back at the text.

Selecting Texts

Literacy learning is a developing process over the lifetime (Laureate Education Inc.,2010a). Choosing just the right text is key to students learning. The literacy matrix helps differentiate texts from linguistic, more word oriented to semiotic which has pictures to support the words of the text (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a).We also differentiate texts according to the genre which are narrative to informational (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a).Next we label the text as easy or hard on this matrix (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a).

Selecting Texts Students in my classroom all start

reading at the same level and progress according to their DRA testing score.

Books are selected according to the theme we are focusing on for the week and their current reading level.

All students meet with the teacher for small guided reading groups daily and also take a bag book home nightly.

The bag book is returned to school the next day and if the child can read it without any assistance they are able to pick a new book. This program lasts from October until the end of the school year.

The State of Ohio says all kindergarten students at the end of kindergarten should be reading a DRA level 4, as an average all my students will be reading a level 8 or above.

The Interactive Perspective

Shared Reading During shared reading we need to activate prior knowledge, make

predictions, and discuss the title and author of our text (Laureate Education Inc., 2010e).

While reading students will anticipate the predictable parts and the teacher will highlight vocabulary for students to use context clues for understanding (Laureate Education Inc., 2010e).

After the completion of reading students write responses to the text for their age/grade level expectations.

Guided Reading Students read text at their instructional level with a 90-95% accuracy

rate (Laureate Education Inc., 2010d). The teacher provides a summary of the text and sets a purpose for

reading. After reading students answer questions about the text that was read.

The Interactive Perspective

Shared Reading Before I read a book aloud to the class

we have a class discussion of what they think is going to happen in the book according to the title and the pictures we see throughout the book.

While reading we keep making predictions about what is going to happen next and each student must explain why they think this also.

Explaining why helps the student think back in the story and requires comprehension skills for their explanation.

After completion of the story we talk about the characters, the setting, and the problem and solution . At this point students make connections to their everyday lives or the world with the story because all kindergarten students love to share.

Guided Reading During guided reading we always warm

up on a book that we have read previously to get our brains thinking reading.

Next, a new book is introduced where students are given a brief explanation of the book and some vocabulary words are introduced then they must complete a picture walk of the story to try to tell the story from the pictures.

As a group we then read the text alternating pages with each person in the group. After reading it aloud as a group students take the time to read the text to themselves.

After reading the text through a few times we then discuss the text in more detail and students write one to two sentences about the text, then we complete an activity with words from the book.

Critical and Response Perspective

o The critical perspective has students think more deeply about a text and provides them with an opportunity to think analytically and ask “why” questions (Laureate Education Inc., 2010c).oThe response perspective transforms the reader, somehow the reader has changed from reading the text in some way (Laureate Education Inc., 2010f).oIn my classroom we complete a unit on Amelia Bedelia books and students need to listen closely to the words and determine: what did she do and what was she suppose to do instead, this requires them to think deeply about the text.oFor the response perspective students at the beginning of the year are introduced to the book The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper and students are to decide what type of engine they are going to be throughout the year, in hopes that I encourage them as a teacher to never give up and keep trying.

References

Edmunds, Kathryn M. & Bauserman, Kathryn L.. (2006). What teachers can learn about reading motivation through conversations with children. The ReadingTeacher, 59(5), 414-424. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Analyzing and selecting texts. [Webcast]. The beginning reader, PK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Changes in literacy education. [Webcast]. The beginning reader, PK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010c). Critical perspective. [Webcast]. The beginning reader, PK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010d). Interactive perspective guided reading. [Webcast]. The beginning reader, PK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010e). Interactive perspective shared reading. [Webcast]. The beginning reader, PK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010f). Response perspective. [Webcast]. The beginning reader, PK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.