Literacy in a 4th Grade Classroom: A

Comprehensive Literacy Plan

Kirstin White

Alverno College

Spring 2012

Dear Alverno Elementary Interview Team,

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you my literacy plan for a

fourth grade classroom. I am submitting to you my plan, which involves a written

literacy plan, my classroom design and how it supports my written plan, my self-

reflection, and goal setting for myself as an on-going learner in a professional

development setting. Enclosed is the written plan of what I believe literacy

learning is in a theoretical sense, as well as what it should look like in a fourth

grade classroom.

Sincerely,

Kirstin White

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Task A: Philosophy/ Beliefs about Literacy Learning

I believe that an effective teacher of literacy should understand the central

concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines that are being taught.

In addition to this the teacher must understand how to create a balanced literacy

approach for her students. By doing this the teacher is creating learning

experiences that make subject matter meaningful and memorable to all students.

I believe that literacy is learned best in a social setting that encourages social

interaction and collaboration between students and teacher. In addition I believe

that literacy is best learned is a classroom environment that is unthreatening,

safe, unbiased, and welcoming.

I feel that the most effective way to do this is to understand and use

specific theories within a classroom setting. I believe that Vygotsky’s

Sociolinguistic Theory is a theory that can be easily implemented into a classroom

setting, specifically when instructing literacy. It is important for a teacher to

understand that children need to be assessed and provided with literacy materials

that are appropriate to their learning needs. The teacher does so by identifying

the individual student’s Zone of Proximal Development. To do this the teacher

must also understand the Gradual Release of Responsibility. In addition to

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Vygotsky’s Sociolinguistic Theory I believe that Piaget’s Constructivism Theory and

Freire’s Social Justice Theory are exceptional theories in helping children learn

literacy.

I believe that to properly teach literacy to children a teacher must

understand and be able to effectively use Vygotsky’s sociolinguistics and

scaffolding methods. To do this the teacher must be able to work with each

student individually to understand and identify the students Zone of Proximal

Development. This is when the student is being taught on a level that is not too

easy, but not too hard. It is just challenging enough to keep the student engaged.

It is extremely important that while the teacher must use scaffolding, the teacher

also must understand the Gradual Release of Responsibility, or how to remove

the scaffolding.

Scaffolding is an extremely useful tool when teaching balanced literacy, the

teacher must plan various support structures for each students and know when

and how to use those structures, as well as how to remove them at an

appropriate time. Scaffolding is a tool that helps move a student from assisted

performance to independent performance. When using scaffolding the teacher

does not change the task, it is just made easier through assistance from an expert

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other. For example, a teacher will model the thinking that readers do, and

eventually the student will be able to do that thinking on their own. The teacher

uses the gradual release of responsibility to help students become independent in

their learning.

There are different methods that are related to scaffolding, these include

external mediators, private speech and written language, and shared activity.

The teacher and student work together to create external mediators, which are

temporary reminders of what the teacher wants the students to learn. External

mediators are a tool to help trigger student’s mental processes, for example

objects, physical actions, or verbal cues work as guidelines to direct student

thinking.

Private speech and written language is another scaffolding tool that

teachers use to help direct student thinking. The components of private speech

include social external, for example, thinking-aloud or connections that the

teacher makes. Private speech moves from social external or the teacher’s voice,

to private speech, and then to private internal which eventually is the student’s

voice in place of the teacher’s voice. This is a way to direct the teachers guided

instruction into the student’s independent thinking. In the written language

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component of scaffolding the student uses written language to represent the

learning on paper. This is done to enhance student learning and understanding.

For example, the teacher may provide charts for students to take notes on while

reading, or have students reflect on what they have read through a reading

journal.

The final component of scaffolding is shared activity. By participating in a

shared activity students are making genuine connections, participating in

authentic learning activities, and are allowing memory to be shared. Examples of

this include group work, field trips, read alouds, or discussing with a partner a

reflection on a reading. The scaffolding methods are an important tool when

planning and implementing literacy instruction.

I believe that the teacher should remove the scaffolding method by using

the Gradual Release of Responsibility. This is done by providing explicit

instruction that is direct, where the teacher is giving students what they need to

know, and modeling and demonstrating for her students the thinking that she is

doing. The teacher then would move onto shared instruction, this would include

the teacher using student’s thinking to expand on the lesson. To be appropriate

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explicit instruction and shared instruction should be no more than fifteen to

twenty minutes.

After explicit and shared instruction the teacher should gradually release

the responsibility of learning to the children by spending time having students

participate in guided practice and eventually independent practice. During

guided practice the student is working on their own, while the teacher is assisting

as needed. It is important for the teacher to understand and be able to identify

each of her students Zone of Proximal development while working with individual

students, as well as small groups during guided practice. A teacher must be able

to adapt to meet the needs of each child, and does this by using assessment to

determine a lesson that is appropriate for the child. For example, the teacher will

create a task that is not too easy, yet not too hard for the child to complete. In

addition it is important that during guided practice the teacher acts as a coach to

help the student understand the lesson. Once guided practice is no longer

needed, the student will move to independent practice and work on their literacy

concept on their own without the teacher’s assistance.

The Scaffolding Theory highlights that language helps to organize thought

and that student’s use language to learn, as well as to communicate and share

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with others. I feel that as an effective literacy instructor a teacher must

understand this theory and know how to use it within her classroom. I feel that it

is important for students to work together, and interact socially with one another,

in order to learn first on a social level, and then on an individual level. In a

classroom setting, this aspect of the sociolinguistic theory is best presented and

implemented when working in small reading groups, where the students are

allowed to communicate about what they have read, or share personal writing

with peers. By doing this I feel that children will remember best from what was

communicated within the group setting, as well as learn to use their peers as a

resource when and if needed.

Vygotsky found that students are able to accomplish more when they have

help from an adult or expert other rather that what they are able to do on their

own. By using scaffolding in the classroom students will then be able to reach the

greatest level of potential development. I feel that if teachers present literacy

beginning with a challenging book, giving her students the highest level of support

by modeling reading and writing. For example, by reading aloud and writing in

front of students which provides solid demonstrations will gradually lower

support, which includes demonstrations such as, shared reading, or reading books

and writing together. In this area the student would help the teacher but the

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teacher would still be performing most of the instruction. This lower support

would also include interactive reading and writing, as well as guided reading and

writing. The teacher would use this scaffolding method until the student is able

to independently perform reading and writing on their own. I feel that by using

scaffolding to teach literacy to children is very effective and can greatly impact

how successful a child is in learning literacy.

In addition to Vygotsky’s sociolinguistic and scaffolding theory, as well as

understanding how to understand and use the Zone of Proximal Development,

and the gradual release of responsibility, I believe that it is important to

understand and use Piaget’s constructivism theory while teaching literacy. Piaget

believed that children learn by continually interacting with the world around

them, and working to solve the problems that are presented. Piaget believed that

learning occurs through taking action to solve problems. This means that the

Constructivist Theory views a child’s thinking as developing as gradual growth of

knowledge, then intellectual skills, formal skills, and finally logical thinking.

This can be defined as accommodation and assimilation. Assimilation does

not require a great deal of adjustment, through assimilation students add new

information to our background knowledge, or reinterpret experiences so the

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information will fit in with the background knowledge. Accommodation happens

when a child is introduced to new information that conflicts with existing

knowledge, the child with accommodate the new learning in order to ensure that

what is inside their head conforms to what’s in the real world. This means that in

literacy learning students build on their prior background knowledge and

accommodate their thinking to allow for new understandings.

I believe that children and learners are extremely curious, and a teacher

can build on that curiosity to create engaging lessons that assist students in

constructing their own knowledge. If the students are actively engaged in their

learning they will begin to construct knowledge through relating it to what is

already known. Like the sociolinguistic theory the constructivist theory promotes

collaboration between students and teacher. I feel that because of this, students

can learn from each other, and therefore build on their personal knowledge and

gain background knowledge on various literacy topics. I believe that if students

are personally engaged in literacy it will promote not only their level of

motivation, but their success in literacy.

In addition to Vygotsky theory of sociolinguistics and Piaget’s theory’s of

constructivism, I believe that teaching social justice is an important theory to use

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in the classroom, especially in teaching literacy. Freire believed that to have an

effective learning environment the teacher must promote socioeconomic

equality, this helps to lessen boundaries including race, class, ability, language,

appearance, sexuality, and gender. There are many beneficiary aspects of social

justice, for example it promotes respectful relationships among learners, which

creates cooperative group work and diverse group interactions. This helps aid in

effective literacy learning, as well as supports the sociolinguistic and constructivist

theory.

I believe that to be an effective teacher, the instructor must understand

how children learn best, and I personally believe that Vygotsky’s sociolinguistic,

and scaffolding theory as well as a firm understanding of the importance of

teaching in a student’s Zone of Proximal Development, and the use of Piaget’s

constructivism theory, as well as teaching social justice are best used in a

classroom setting. There are many unique ways to implement and use these

theories, to teach children literacy and I believe that incorporating all into each

daily lesson plan is the top way to benefit each and every student.

Task B: Range of Reading and Writing Behaviors

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In a typical fourth grade classroom there are a diverse range of reading and

writing behaviors, and with that a diverse number of students come a diverse

culture of learners. It is important to understand that each student will be at a

different stage in their reading and writing development. In a fourth grade

classroom there will be a range of student development in terms of reading and

writing.

The range of reading and writing behaviors in a fourth grade classroom will

depend on each individual student. This means that in a fourth grade classroom it

is possible for students to range from Emergent readers and writers to Advanced

readers and writers. While there can be a broad range of abilities in terms of

reading and writing in a fourth grade classroom, most students will be at the

range of Self Extending reading and writing, and Advanced reading and writing.

There are unique characteristics of each range, which help the teacher identify

and plan instruction for each student.

Emergent readers are still becoming aware of print, and read orally

matching word by word. In addition to this Emergent readers use meaning and

language in simple texts, and hear sounds in words. Emergent readers can use

information from pictures, and will connect words with names, as well as notice

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and use spaces between words. An Emergent reader will read orally, and match

spoken word to one printed word while reading one or two lines of text. A

reader at this stage will read left to right, recognize a few high frequency words,

know names of some alphabet letters, and read left to right. It is important for a

teacher to support an Emergent reader with simple stories that contain 1-2 lines

of text.

An Emergent writer will write their name from left to right, write alphabet

letters with increasingly accurate letter formation, hear and represent some

consonant sounds at beginning and ends of words. In addition to this an

emergent writer will also label drawings, establish a relationship between print

and pictures, remember message represented with words, write words

phonetically, write a few easy words accurately, and communicate meaning in

drawings. It is important to support and Emergent reader with texts that have

simple labels and sentences with approximated spelling.

After a student masters an Emergent writer stage, they will become Early

writers. An Early writer will demonstrate the ability to write known words

fluently, write left to right across several lines, and write twenty to thirty words

correctly. An Early writer will also use letter-sound and visual information to

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spell words, approximate spelling of words, form almost all letters accurately,

compose two or three sentences about a single idea, and will begin to notice the

author’s craft and use techniques in their own writing. Students at the Early

writer stage will write about familiar topics and ideas, remember messages while

spelling words, consistently use spacing, and reread their writing. To properly

support an Early writer a teacher should provide students with texts that contain

one or more sentences around a single idea of a few pages, with some

conventionally spelled words.

A student who is in the Early reader stage will know names of most

alphabet letters and many letter sound relationships, use letter sound information

along with meaning and language to solve words, read without pointing, read

orally and begin to read silently. In addition to this Early readers’ will read

fluently with phrasing on easy texts and use the punctuation, recognize most easy

high frequency words, check to be sure reading makes sense, sounds right, looks

right, and check one source of information against another to solve problems.

Early readers will use information from pictures as added information while

reading print. A teacher will support a student at the Early reader stage by

providing students with texts that are longer books with high frequency words

and supportive illustrations.

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After students master the Early writer and Early reader stage, the student

will then demonstrate a Transitional writer and Transitional reader stage. A

student who is a Transitional writer will demonstrate the ability to spell many

words conventionally and make near accurate attempts at many more, work on

writing over several days to produce longer, more complex texts, produce pieces

of writing that have dialogue, beginnings, and endings, and develop ideas to some

degree. A Transitional writer will also employ a flexible range of strategies to

spell words, consciously work on their own spelling and writing skills, write in a

few different genres, demonstrate ability to think about ideas while encoding

written language, use basic punctuation and capitalization skills, and continue to

incorporate new understanding about how authors use language to communicate

meaning. A teacher would support a Transitional writer by proving the student

with texts that ate longer with several ideas, with mostly conventional spelling

and punctuation, as well as simple sentence structure.

A Transitional reader will read silently most of the time, have a large core

of known words that are recognized automatically, use multiple sources of

information while reading for meaning, integrate sources of information such as

letter-sound relationships, meaning and language structure. A Transitional reader

will also consistently check to be sure all sources of information fit, will not rely

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on pictures but will notice them to gain additional meaning, understand,

interpret, and use illustrations in informational text, know how to read differently

in various genres, and have flexible ways of problem solving words, which

includes analysis of letter sound relationships and visual patters. Transitional

readers will read with phrasing and fluency at appropriate levels. To support a

Transitional reader a teacher should provide students with texts that contain

many lines of print, and books that are organized into short chapters, as well as a

wider variety of genres, and more difficult picture books.

Once a student reaches mastery of the Transitional writer and Transitional

reader phase, that student will become a Self-Extending writer. It is important for

a teacher to understand that most students in a fourth grade classroom will show

characteristics of Self-Extending writer skills. Self-extending writers will spell

most words quickly without conscious attention to the process, proofread to

locate their own errors, recognize accurate parts of words, use references of

apply principles to correct words, and have ways to expand their writing

vocabularies. Self-Extending writers will understand way to organize

informational writing (for example, compare/contrast, description, temporal

sequence, cause/effect), develop a topic and extend a text over many pages,

develop pieces of writing that have voice, use what they know from reading texts

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to develop writing, recognize and use many aspects of the writer’s craft to

improve the quality of their writing, and write for many different purposes. In

addition to this Self-Extending writers will show a growing sense of the audience

for their writing, and critique their own writing and offer suggestions to other

writers. A teacher should support a Self-Extending writer by providing the

student with texts that contain a variety of genres, conventional use of spelling

and punctuation. Texts that provide more complex sentence structures,

development of ideas in fiction and non-fiction, and use a variety of ways to

organize non-fiction.

A Self-Extending reader will read silently, as well as reading fluently when

reading aloud, use all sources of information flexibly in a smoothly orchestrated

way, sustain reading over texts with many pages, which require reading over

several days or weeks. Self-Extending readers will enjoy illustrations and gain

additional meaning from them as they interpret texts, interpret and use

information from a wide variety of visual aids in expository texts, analyze words in

flexible ways and make excellent attempts at new multisyllable words, and

connect texts with previous texts read. As a Self-Extending reader reads they

have systems for learning more about the reading process as they read so that

they build skills simply by encountering many different kinds of texts with a

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variety of new words, and are in continuous process of building background

knowledge and realize that they need to bring their knowledge to their reading.

Self-Extending readers will become absorbed in books and begin to identify with

characters in books and see themselves in the events of a story. A teacher will

support Self-Extending readers by providing students with texts that contain a

wide variety of long and short texts, as well as a variety of genres.

Once students achieve mastery of Self-Extending reading and writing skills,

they proceed to the Advanced writer and Advanced reader stage. Like the Self-

Extending range, most children in a fourth grade classroom will demonstrate

characteristics from an advanced writer and advanced reader stage. Advanced

writers will demonstrate an understanding of linguistic and social functions on

conventional spelling and produce products that are carefully edited, write almost

all words quickly, accurately, and fluently, use dictionary, thesaurus, computer

spell check and other text resources, as well as understand organization plans for

these resources. Advanced writers will also demonstrate the ability to control a

large body of known words that constantly expands, demonstrate a large

speaking and listening vocabulary as well as knowledge of vocabulary that is used

often in written pieces, notice many aspects of the writers craft in texts they read

and apply their knowledge to their own writing, critically analyze their own

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writing and that of others, and write for a variety of functions in terms of

narrative, expressive, informative, and poetic. It is common for Advanced writers

to write in various persons’ and tenses, write for different audiences, and write

about a wide range of topics beyond the present time, known settings, and

personal experiences. A teacher shows support of an Advanced writer by

providing a variety of texts that are made of long and short compositions, a wide

variety of purpose and genre, literary quality in fiction and poetry, and a variety of

ways to organize informational text.

Advanced readers will demonstrate the ability to read silently, and read

fluently when reading aloud, effectively use their understandings of how words

work, employ a wide range of word solving strategies, including analogy to known

words, word roots, base words, and affixes, acquire new vocabulary through

reading, use reading as a tool for learning in content areas, and constantly

develop new strategies and new knowledge of texts as they encounter greater

variety. A student who is an Advanced reader will develop favorite topics and

authors that form that basis of lifelong reading preferences, actively work to

connect texts for greater understanding and finer interpretations of text,

consistently go beyond the text read to form their own interpretations and apply

understandings in other areas, and sustain interest and understanding over long

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texts read over long periods of time. Advanced writers tend to notice and

comment on aspects of the writers craft, and read to explore themselves as well

as philosophical and social issues. A teacher provides support of an advanced

reader by providing a wide range of texts with a variety of genre and for a range

of purposes.

As children read in a fourth grade classroom they are working to sustain

reading and expand meaning. In sustaining reading the student is solving words,

monitoring and correcting, searching for and using information, summarizing,

maintaining fluency, and adjusting to different types of reading. When student is

is processing reading in terms of expanding meaning they are predicting, making

connections that are personal, worldly, and to the text, inferring, synthesizing,

analyzing, and critiquing.

In a fourth grade classroom there will consistently be a diverse range of

development in terms of learners. As a teacher of literacy it is important to

understand the characteristics of each reading and writing stage, and how to best

teach a student who demonstrates those characteristics. It is also important to

understand that many students will be demonstrating characteristics from a few

different stages at one time. As a teacher of literacy in a fourth grade classroom it

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is important to understand that there will be students demonstrating many of the

previously listed range of reading and writing behaviors.

Task C: The Role of the Teacher

The teacher plays an extremely predominate role in developing an effective

literacy learning environment for her students, as well as planning optimal

instructional experiences that address the diverse needs of students in a fourth

grade classroom. Throughout this portion of my plan I will highlight how I will

identify those diverse needs, and how I plan to address them in my literacy

learning environment. I will address student needs using assessment, various

concepts and strategies, and explicit instruction.

Assessment:

To understand how to best teach my students I will use a variation of

literacy assessments. Each assessment will help me to plan for literacy instruction

in my classroom and to differentiate instruction as needed. As a teacher of

literacy in a fourth grade classroom I will use a variety of continuous assessments,

these assessments include performance assessments, assessing comprehension,

amount, kind of, and quality of reading. In addition to this I will use continuous

writing assessments, which include the use of rubrics, spelling, frequently used

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words, developmental spelling analysis, writing records, writing checklists,

amount and type of writing, and a literacy portfolio.

To properly assess students in their reading development I will use a

various number of assessment strategies. I will use a number of authentic

assessments, these assessments will be continual, will help to form my teaching,

will be integrated into the curriculum, will be developmentally and culturally

appropriate, incorporate self-evaluation, and invite students to actively

collaborate. I feel that when students are part of the assessment process they are

invested in their own success, are inspired by the progress they have made, and

are focused on their future learning goals.

Specific assessments I will use to assess and evaluate student reading

include running records, conferencing with students using benchmark books, and

assessing student fluency. The running record is a tool used to analyze student’s

oral reading for processing strategies. Running records can be taken on any text

that a student is reading. While assessing the student the teacher will perform

the coding and analysis while the child reads, and later reflect on the child

performance, looking for patterns. Running records help to assess reading

behaviors and helps to identify books that will be appropriate for the student’s

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reading level. Running records should be administered about three times

throughout the year, specifically at the beginning, middle, and ending of the year.

Another way I will assess student development will be through the use of

conferences with benchmark books. This assessment is administered using short

stories, and short texts. To administer the assessment a student will be invited to

have a pre-conference in which I will introduce the text and give directions to the

students to then read the text silently, and write a response. After this is

complete the student will then have a short conference with the teacher to

discuss the reading and response. After the initial conference, the student and

teacher will have a follow-up session where the student’s written response and

text will be discussed, the student will then read orally while the teacher code’s

the reading behavior for analysis. This assessment is designed to show student

reading behaviors, accuracy, reading levels, and comprehension. Conferences

with benchmark books should be administered three to four times throughout

the school year.

Assessing student fluency requires students to use language systems, and is

not necessarily at a fast pace. Fluency is evidence to the teacher that the reader

is accessing the deeper meaning of the text; and is associated with rate, accuracy,

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and scores on comprehension tests. To properly assess a student’s fluency it is

essential that the student have a text that is appropriate for their reading level,

meaning the student can read the text with 90-100% accuracy. Measuring a

student’s fluency can be administered anytime that the teacher listens to a

student read aloud. A tool that can be used when measuring fluency is to provide

students with a rubric that is written in words that are appropriate for the

student, for the student to reflect on their own fluency. Running records,

conferences with benchmark books, and assessing student fluency are three

assessments that I will use throughout my literacy instruction as a teacher of

reading in a fourth grade classroom.

Another important aspect of assessment of literacy is assessing student

writing. It is important to assess student writing to focus on the conventions of

writing: grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, organization and

development of idea’s the writer’s craft in terms of voice, word choice, use of

language, and the student’s interests and attitudes towards writing. To assess

student writing I will use rubrics, take writing records, and keep a literacy

portfolio.

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Rubrics are used to assess student writing by assessing content and

conventions. To assess content means to assess the organization of the text and

aspects of the writers craft; while assessing conventions means to assess spelling,

punctuation, sentence structure, capitalization, punctuation, ect. Rubrics help to

develop insights into the process of writing, and what specifically will be assessed

on various student writing examples. Assessing student writing with rubrics

should take place three times a year, specifically in the beginning, middle, and

end of the year.

A different writing assessment tool I will use in a fourth grade classroom

will be to take writing records. I will do this as an integrated part of my writing

program by encouraging the use of writer’s notebooks to assess student progress.

This helps to show how students are collecting and expanding on ideas, how

language is used, literary techniques, genres, creative ideas, and how students

develop their ideas into writing projects. In addition, depending on how often

student use writer’s notebook, the writer’s notebooks helps to demonstrate the

amount of writing that students are producing.

Once students have written in their writers notebooks, they will create

various writing projects. These projects will be stored in final draft forms along

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with drafts of previous writing stages. Writing projects help to assess the final

draft for content and conventions, but the evolution of student’s writing offers

assessment data, revision strategies, and provides an idea of what the student

knows about spelling and other conventions.

The literacy portfolio is an additional tool that I will use to assess student

writing. I will use the portfolio to present student work over time, to

demonstrate the student’s writing progress. Student work will be collected at

various times throughout the year, and filed into the student portfolio. It is

important that students be part of the portfolio selection process. A literacy

portfolio helps to assess a range of writing projects over time, the level of writing

the student is able to do, highlight student growth and progress, and

demonstrates the student’s ability to use knowledge in content areas. The literacy

portfolio also helps to encourage self-reflection by asking the student to write

rationale’s for their portfolio selections, for example, why a writing example was

chosen and reflections on growth as a writer. I feel that using literacy portfolios

as an assessment tool will help me to understand my student’s developments as a

writer, and therefore plan appropriate writing instruction.

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Literacy assessments are an extremely important tool in helping a teacher

to understand a student’s developmental level in reading and writing.

Assessments also help to form instruction, by giving the teacher an idea of where

her students are in their learning needs. In addition to this assessments tell the

teacher if the teaching is effective to student learning.

Concepts/strategies:

To have an effective literacy program for fourth grade students, there are

many different concepts and strategies in both reading and writing that must be

addressed. In a fourth grade classroom students will be developing reading

concepts and strategies that include learning the many purposes of reading and

writing, and learning to read in the fullest sense by developing decoding skills.

This means that fourth grade students will learn the concepts of reading

voluntarily and often, to have confidence as readers, read to improve their lives,

collect books and refer to them.

In addition to developing concepts and strategies in reading, fourth grade

students must also develop writing concepts and strategies. Writing concepts and

strategies include learning to write in the fullest sense, meaning that students will

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develop in writing voluntarily and often, write in a wide variety of genres, use

writing as a tool of thinking, communicate on personal and professional levels,

and draw literary knowledge as a resource for writing.

In reading specific concepts and strategies include teaching students to

have confidence in themselves as readers, present themselves as readers to

others, read to become informed on a wide range of topics, and read to improve

their lives. Additional concepts and strategies include, reading to have satisfying

and rewarding vicarious experiences, reading to expand their world beyond here

and now, collect books and refer to favorites multiple times, and recommend

books to others. Students will also work to talk with others about what they have

read, know authors and illustrators, genre’s, and styles, develop preferences and

constantly expand them, reflect on their own reading, make connections between

and among things they have read, and think critically about what has been read.

In addition to learning the previously listed concepts and strategies, students will

work on strategies that are appropriate for their developmental reading level.

Students will work to broaden their writing abilities by developing in the

functions of mature writing. Students will develop in writing purposes, including

informational, advice, or instructing others. Students will develop the strategy of

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writing free flowing ideas, and expressive writing, poetic writing in terms of using

written language as art, and blending functions as students create unique pieces

of writing.

Additional writing strategies include, writing for an audience. As student

develop strategies in writing for an audience they will learn to write for many

different audiences, writing for self, writing to the teacher, for a variety of

readers, or for a public only the student can imagine. Students will also develop

concepts and strategies in terms of writing in different genres. This is a critical

skill that writers develop; it is the ability to determine the appropriate form to

write their ideas. Genre’s a fourth grade student will develop in include

functional writing, narrative writing, informational writing and poetic writing.

In addition to developing concepts and strategies in reading and writing an

intermediate fourth grade student an effective literacy program fosters active

responsible learning. This helps students begin to use literacy as a tool that gives

them power to find the information they need to express their opinions, and if

needed take positions. In addition to this a child at a fourth grade level can be

independent, which means they can take part in managing their own learning,

and following their own interests.

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Students are continuing to develop cognitively when in fourth grade, and

because of this they are beginning to be able to move from concrete to abstract

thinking, have developed an egocentric perspective to a social perspective. Also,

a fourth grade student will move from narrowly defined ideas about time and

space to a more complex understanding. Fourth grade students will also

develop a more complex understanding of human motivation, and move from

simple concepts to higher order thinking. Because of this cognitive development

students are able to further develop and expand literacy concepts and strategies.

Instruction:

To create an effective literacy program, I believe that it is best to present

literacy in a three block framework. This helps to manage time effectively while

also helping students to expand their reading and writing capabilities. In addition

to this a three block framework helps students to develop in depth knowledge in

the literacy content areas. There are many different ways to promote literacy

learning each with a unique purpose to enhance students learning.

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The components of balanced literacy instruction help to facilitate the

development of the literacy concepts, skills and strategies. The components of a

balanced literacy program in terms of reading include interactive read aloud,

shared reading, guided reading, literature circles, and independent reading.

The purpose of interactive read alouds in a fourth grade classroom allows

students to experience a variety of quality texts in different genres. In an

interactive read aloud the teacher reads and the students listen. While

conducting an effective interactive read aloud the teacher pauses at significant

points to ask students for comments and allow time for brief discussions. During

an interactive read aloud the teacher share’s her own thinking to demonstrate

how experienced readers engaged with and think about texts as they read on

their own. An interactive read aloud involves students by engaging them in

stories, and gives an opportunity for students to discuss a variety of high quality

genres. While conducting an interactive read aloud the teacher should be

showing her enthusiasm for literature, which helps to create lifelong readers.

Another component of balanced literacy instruction is shared reading. In a

shared reading both the teacher and student have a copy of the same text or the

text is visible to all students. The students follow along while the teacher reads

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the text aloud, and may invite students to join in or to take over the reading on

occasion. Shared reading instruction helps students become more familiar with

the details of print and helps students to comprehend texts that are beyond their

current ability on an individual level. Shared reading also helps students to

develop in text word analysis and punctuation. It is best to teach shared reading

using short dramatic stories or poems, and can enhance student confidence.

Guided reading is another important component of balanced literacy

instruction. Guided reading is instructed in small groups for students who are

reading the same text. The group reads at the same reading level, demonstrate

similar reading behaviors, and share similar instructional needs. Guided reading

groups are temporary and change as students are assessed. During a guided

reading session a text is selected by the teacher and the students read it silently

and independently. While students usually read silently, on occasion individual

students will be chosen to read orally at regular intervals; which are followed by a

brief teacher-student conference. Teaching points in guided reading instruction

depend on student needs, and helps to develop student processing system for

reading increasingly challenging texts.

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Another component of a balanced literacy program is the use of literature

circles. When using literature circles as a form of instruction the teacher and

students set up assigned reading tasks and agree on meeting times. Students will

engage in in-depth discussions about texts they have read. During a literature

circle the teacher is generally with the group for discussion, while the students

take turns facilitating the discussion. Literature circles helps students to develop

in finding a deeper appreciation and understanding of literary texts, as well as

developing personal responses. Literature circles can be conducted in small

groups as well as whole class instruction and provides teaching through routines

for discussion, demonstration, summarizing, and devising various response.

When students participate in literature circles they will collaborate on decisions

about texts and meeting times, read the text prior to meetings, engage in group

discussions, take turns in facilitating the group, and participate in longer projects

related to literature.

The final component in the reading portion of a balanced literacy program

is independent reading. During independent reading time students

independently read a variety of texts and prepare the occasional written

response. The teacher will provide daily mini-lessons and confer with students to

help support and assess reading and to create future instruction. Individual

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reading is often followed by sharing and evaluation. Independent reading focuses

on developing individual reader’s tastes and interests and to broaden student

experiences in a variety of texts. A teacher uses independent reading as an

opportunity to teach through book talks, minilessons, conferring, and sharing with

students. While participating in independent reading students will read silently,

provide written responses, and discuss books with the teacher and peers.

The second essential component of a balanced literacy program is writing

instruction. Writing instruction in a fourth grade classroom consists of shared

writing, guided writing, independent writing, and word study. During a shared

writing lesson the teacher will share the task of writing to help students expand

literacy understanding. Throughout a shared writing activity the teacher and

students work together to first discuss and then to compose a common text

related to an experience they have had or something they are studying. The

teacher writes during this activity usually displaying the message on an easel,

chalkboard, or overhead.

Guided writing is the second component in the writing instruction portion

of a balanced literacy program. During guided writing the teacher works with

small, temporary groups of students to provide explicit teaching based on student

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needs. Groups can be formed by the teacher based on student needs, or by

students who are identifying their specific writing challenges. Throughout guided

writing the teacher explicitly and efficiently works with students to teach the

writers craft, strategies, and skills. The main focus of guided writing is to develop

student’s understanding of the writing process, develop writing skills, and

strategies. Guided writing also enhances student development in writing clear

communication, how to write in different genres, and to use technology to

produce writing.

The third component in writing instruction is independent writing. A

teacher introduces independent writing by providing a minilessons based on the

needs of the writers. During the lesson students will engage in the writing

process, using a writer’s notebook, or drafting, revising, editing, or publishing a

piece of work. During independent writing topics can be self-selected or

assigned, and the teacher confers with individual students to support writing and

address needs. An independent writing session allows time for students to confer

with their peers and is usually followed by group sharing and evaluation.

Independent writing helps students to understand what writers do and how they

make a place for writing in their lives. It also helps students to develop and

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understanding of the writing process, skills and strategies, writing in different

genres, and use technology to produce writing.

Word study is used in literacy instruction to help student learn the rules

and principles of phonics and spelling. An approach to integrating word study

into literacy instruction can be done by presenting a mini lesson on spelling or

phonics, asking students to apply the minilessons by manipulating letters or

words, sharing and discussing words and how they work, and introducing a

systematic way of studying spelling words. Word studies also help students to

share and discuss words and how they work, and helps to introduce a systematic

way to study spelling. The teacher presents a word study in a five day cycle, each

day focusing on a particular spelling pattern, rule, or concept. Each day a

minilessons is presented with a clear statement that is highly focused. Students

are invited to create examples of words that will illustrate each principle taught.

An effective teacher of literacy understands how important a balanced

literacy approach helps to create an appropriate literacy learning environment. It

is important to include each component of instruction to fully support student

development in reading and writing. This is done through interactive read aloud;

shared reading mini-lessons/shared writing mini-lessons; guided reading/guided

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writing; literature circles; independent reading/independent writing; and word

study.

Task II: Classroom Design

In the above picture, is an example of my classroom design. This design

supports my literacy beliefs in relation to the sociolinguistic theory,

constructivism theory, social justice, and the way that I plan to teach concepts

and strategies, assess students, and instruct literacy. My design displays many

specific areas that I will highlight further to demonstrate my classroom design.

Community Meeting Area:

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The community meeting area will be a meeting place where the whole class

can learn as a large group. This will be an open space with a carpet, cushions for

students to sit on, chairs to be arranged in a circle, ect. There will be a place for

books to be displayed. The meeting area will also contain easels, a white board,

and dry erase markers so charts or visual aids can be made during mini lessons

and large group instruction.

Small Group Meeting Area:

The small group meeting area will be two areas where small groups can

meet for literature circles, guided reading, guided writing or any other small

group task. These areas are positioned near the classroom library, leveled books,

word study area, and writing supply area for easy access to materials. In addition

to this there will be two small group work area’s so multiple groups can work at

one time.

Conferring Area:

The conferring area will be an area where the teacher can work with

individual students, and students can work with one another. Most of the time I

will confer with students at their own desks, but a space designated to just

conferring will take place in a corner of the community meeting area. Students

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will know and understand that if they need to talk with another student during a

silent work time, that this will be the area they will go to for conferencing to

speak in a soft voice as they work together.

Library:

The library will contain most of the classroom collection of books. The

books will be displayed attractively and there will be several comfortable chairs

and cushions that the student can sit on during independent reading times.

Books will be labeled and organized so students know which books are available

to them at all times.

Leveled Books:

Leveled books will be contained in the small group meeting area, close to

the classroom library. These books will be clearly labeled for guided reading in

various containers that students will be able to select and read independently.

The leveled book area will also contain short stories and articles that students will

be able to read. There will be an area of leveled books that are appropriate for

student use and guided reading, and an area of leveled books that are available

just to the teacher.

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Technology Area:

The technology area will contain computers for student use. There will be a

specific routine for computer use, and will be an area where students can work

independently or in partners.

Social Studies Area:

In the social studies area there will be a display of maps, photographs, and

different kinds of charts that students can use as resources in social studies

development. In addition to this the social studies area will contain various books

and software related to literacy that will be stored on labeled storage boxes for

easy student access.

Science and Mathematics Area:

The science and mathematics area will contain resources including

magnifying glasses, measuring devices, thermometers, and other inquiry tools. In

addition to this the area will include hands on mathematics materials, math

books, and science books will also be stored in labeled boxes for easy access. The

second small group meeting area will be in the mathematics and science area so

small groups can work in the area.

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Writing Supply Area:

The writing supply area will contain a variety of materials that are easily

accessible to students. Some materials that I will have in the writing supply area

include: various sizes and kinds of writing paper, correction tape, pens, pencils,

colored pencils, markers, and crayons, dictionaries and thesauruses, scissors, glue

sticks, tape, and rulers. These supplies will be available in labeled containers for

easy access.

Word Study Area:

The word study area will be an area for storage of student word study

notebooks, letter clusters and word manipulative, dictionaries, thesaurus, wall

displays and interactive wall charts. Materials should be stored in an organized

manner, and there should be enough supplies to use in both the writing supply

area and word study area simultaneously.

Student Work Area:

The student work area will be the student’s home space. This space will be

where the student can sit and work independently or in small groups. Each

student will have a desk with individual storage spaces for various materials, such

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as reader’s notebooks, writer’s notebooks, writing folders, and books that are

currently being read.

The design supports the sociolinguistic theory by encouraging social

interaction among students, small groups, and conference areas. In addition it

provides a large group meeting area. Students will be encouraged to develop on

a social level, then on an individual level and will have multiple opportunities to

learn in a social environment.

Along with supporting Vygotsky’s sociolinguistic theory, my classroom

design supports Piaget’s constructivist theory by arranging the classroom to

provide students with work area’s to support specific academic development,

making lessons more engaging. The design also supports collaboration through

student interaction by having student independent work area’s close to one

another, small group meeting areas, and a large group meeting area. This design

will help students learn from one another, build on their personal knowledge, and

gain background knowledge in various topics of literacy, which will help create

student success.

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In addition to supporting the sociolinguistic theory, and the constructivist

theory, my classroom design also supports the theory of social justice. By creating

an effective learning environment I am helping to promote respectful

relationships among learners, by providing cooperative group work areas and

diverse group interactions. In addition to this I will promote socioeconomic

equality, and equality among race, gender, ability, class, language, appearance,

and sexuality. By creating a positive classroom community and displaying an

appropriate classroom design I will be promoting social justice within my

classroom.

The classroom design is a direct reflection of my theory in how to teach

literacy, which is influenced by the sociolinguistic, constructivist, and social justice

theories. It demonstrates my connections to classroom practice for teaching

literacy, and enforces how I will teach the concepts and strategies of literacy,

literacy instruction, and assess student development.

Task III: Self Reflection and Goal Setting:

As an ongoing learner, and future teacher of literacy I am always creating

goals for myself as a future educator. Three goals I have identified with through

designing this literacy plan include, investigating how to work with students at

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different literacy levels at the same time, deepen my understanding of the

assessment process, and developing in my understanding of the social justice

theory.

I have the goal of investigating how to work with students at multiple

learning levels because I feel that as a teacher of literacy this is an important tool

that teachers must have. Teachers must know how to differentiate instruction,

and this is a tool that can be used in large group instruction in terms of teaching

children in their zone of proximal development.

The second goal I have determined for myself is the goal of deepening my

understanding of the best ways to assess my students. I feel that I currently

understand how assessments are useful, but I would like to further deepen my

understanding of the different types of assessments and which assessments work

best for different literacy activities.

The third goal I have set for myself as an ongoing learner is the goal of

understanding the social justice theory. I feel that I understand the basics of the

social justice theory, but would like to further my understanding of how to

present it in my classroom, and how to introduce it to my future students.

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My literacy plan is a direct reflection of my beliefs about how to teach

literacy. I feel that this plan best describes how I would implement literacy

instruction in a fourth grade classroom to a diverse number of learners, in a

diverse setting. This plan demonstrates my explicit beliefs, and a demonstration

of how this plan would be put into practice. Thank you for taking the time to view

my plan, and I hope to be considered as a candidate at Alverno Elementary.

Sincerely,

Kirstin White

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Reference

Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2001). Guiding readers and writers: teaching

comprehension,genre,and content literacy. portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21th century: a balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston,

MA: Pearson.

The reading process: what do we want out students to know and be able to do? (2012) Robin

Gleason.

Guided reading, literature circles (2012) Robin Gleason.

Clay. (1985)Reading strategies of good readers. (Reprinted from course handout).

Fountas & Pinnell (2012)Three block framework. (Reprinted from course handout).

Fountas & Pinnell (2012). Changing characteristics of readers over time. In The primary literacy

video collection. (Reprinted from course handout).

Heinemann (2005). Guided reading skillful teacher principles for teaching strategies (reprinted

from course handout).

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