LITERATE ENVIRONMENT

ANALYSIS

Bethany Scanlon

EDUC-6706R-8 The Beginning Reader, PreK-3

Instructor Dr. Bernice Gregory

October, 2011

GETTING TO KNOW MY LITERACY LEARNERS“THE SECRET OF EDUCATION IS RESPECTING THE PUPIL”.

-RALPH WALDO EMERSON

As a teacher, I use both cognitive and

noncognitive assessments to gather evidence of student learning and

interests. I then evaluate the outcomes and use the

data to guide my instructional decisions

(Stiggins, 2005).

GETTING TO KNOW MY LITERACY LEARNERS (CONTINUED)

Examples of Cognitive Assessments: Dynamic Indicators of

Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)

Developmental Reading Assessment

Student Work Samples

Running Records Reading Inventories

Examples of Noncognitive Assessments: Student Interviews McKenna & Kear’s

(1990) Elementary Reading Attitudes Survey

Student Journals Classroom

Observations

GETTING TO KNOW LITERACY LEARNERS: RESEARCH: ANALYSIS

In order to provide appropriate instruction, it is important that I am aware of the different reading skills and strategies my students

possess (Afflerbach, 2007).

To assess my students “cognitive” reading development, I administered what Fountas and Pinnell (1998), refer to this as “shorthand observation”. I chose to perform a reading inventory in the form of a running record.  This assessment allowed me to efficiently validate the students' reading levels, check their fluency, and find weaknesses in comprehension. I also collected a writing sample that allowed me to see what developmental stage of writing each student was in. Both gave me great insight into each child’s abilities and unique academic behaviors.

GETTING TO KNOW LITERACY LEARNERS: RESEARCH: ANALYSIS

(CONTINUED)

Conducting these assessments gave me the opportunity to evaluate a group of students with abilities that I typically do not work with. I combined the data that I obtained from the DIBELS and past DRA’s, with my observations and information from the running record assessment.

Doing this allowed me to make proper instructional decisions about future lessons that I would use with these young learners. I was able to review the groups strengths and weaknesses and design activities that met them at their own instructional level.

GETTING TO KNOW LITERACY LEARNERS: RESEARCH: ANALYSIS (CONTINUED)

If teachers have an “awareness” of who their students are, then they can address insecurities and encourage student success (Laureate Education

Inc., 2010a).

To assess the “other” or the “noncognitive”, I chose to do an activity in which I filled a backpack with 6 items that represented me as an individual and my personal interests. I shared a little bit about each item, and then asked the students to consider what they would include in their backpack. The students and I conversed as they drew pictures and wrote simple sentences describing their interests, beliefs, concerns and even fears. Students enjoyed having the time to talk about themselves and appeared to be very comfortable doing so.

Having this type of information is crucial to understanding the learner as a whole. Having this knowledge, allows me to make better decisions on how to make my lessons more exciting and meaningful and effective.

SELECTING TEXTS:CONSIDERING THE LITERACY MATRIX

“We have a responsibility as teachers to provide students with

a wide range of literacy experiences that demonstrate the ways we read and write” (Castek,

Bevan-Mangelson and Goldstone ,2006).

The “Literacy Matrix” is a tool that should be used to analyze and determine the appropriateness of a text (Laureate Education Inc., 2010b)

Teachers should provide students with texts that can be placed in each quadrant of the matrix

Other factors to consider: Length Readability Vocabulary Format (sentences and

print)(Laureate Education Inc., 2010)

More pictures

More Words

SELECTING TEXTS FOR BEGINNING READERS :PUMPKIN THEME

It's Pumpkin Time, by Zoe Hall Pumpkin, Pumpkin, by M. Hillert The Pumpkin Patch, by Elizabeth King The Biggest Pumpkin Ever, by S. Kroll I Was a Pumpkin, by Marci McGowan(www.marcias-lesson-links.com) The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin: Teacher Tube

SELECTING TEXTS FOR BEGINNING READERS :PUMPKIN THEME (CONTINUED)Why did I choose these texts?• Students are highly motivated by the subject and exploration

of the seasonal theme• The books allow students to identify and learn about

different “text factors” (Tompkins, 2010). • The books are semiotic (developmentally appropriate) and

use pictures to promote understanding • Both the narrative and the informational activate

background knowledge • The books are appropriate for each student because the

books coincide with their current, cognitive development. • The books are engaging, use familiar sentence structures

and incorporate simple, sight words and descriptive pictures.

• The books and online texts encourage students to “interact with text” participate in discussion and make personal inferences (Castek, Bevan-Mangelson and Goldstone ,2006) .

LITERACY LESSON:INTERACTIVE PERSPECTIVE

The goal of the interactive perspective is to help students become good, independent, strategic learners (Laureate Education Inc.,2010c).

Examples of Interactive Perspective Teaching Methods: Read Aloud Guided Reading K-W-L Charts Grand Conversations Word Walls

I encouraged my students to strengthen their metacognition or “think about their thinking” by creating a word recognition and reading comprehension lesson using poem “Pumpkin Pumpkin”(www.canTeach.ca)and the book “It’s Pumpkin Time” by Zoe Hall. Students participated in “spelling cheerleading” in order to learn sight words found in the poem. According to Rogers (1999 pg. 110) a strategy and approach like this “integrates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities that aid in retention and understanding” and can truly benefit struggling readers. Students completed KWL charts to help them retain and recall the information they read. Doing this activity helped them map their thinking” and increased reading comprehension.

LITERACY LESSON:CRITICAL AND RESPONSE PERSPECTIVE

We need to provide our students with experiences that allow them to be “transformed” by text (Laureate Education

Inc., 2010c).Examples of Critical & Response Perspective Teaching Methods:Journaling Hot Seat Open-Mind Portraits Questioning the Author Grand ConversationTo encourage my students to deepen their thinking ,I created a lesson in which my students had to identify different character’s emotions and point of views. Each student had to complete what Tompkins (2010 pg. 449) refers to as an “Open Mind Portrait” using the book “Voices in the Park” by Anthony Browne (1998). This strategy that allowed my students to activate both “critical thinking” and critical reading” skills, while evaluating the text. During this activity, I observed the students evaluating the text and reasoning with their understanding. They discussed their ideas, as they reviewed the text, drew their pictures and wrote descriptions.

LITERACY LESSON:CRITICAL AND RESPONSE PERSPECTIVE (CONTINUED)

To reinforce the “Response” perspective ,I had to find a book that my students could relate to and discuss their “text-to-self” connection (Tompkins, 2010).This is why I chose to use the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst (1987). I chose this book because the theme is easy to comprehend and is one that all three students could share a similar prior experience. Each student was required to draw a picture and write a few sentences describing their bad day, edit the work and share their story with their peers. This activity allowed students to genuinely “transact” and respond to the text in a meaningful way (Laureate Education Inc.,2010d).This responsive strategy was exciting for the students! It was evident that it strengthened their overall comprehension and their ability to recall the important details of the story.

FEEDBACK FROM COLLEAGUES AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF STUDENTS

Would you please take a few moments, and respond to the following questions?1. What insights did you gain about literacy

and literacy instruction from viewing my presentation?

2. How might the information presented change your literacy practices and/or your literacy actions with students?

3. In what ways can I support you in the literacy development of your students or children? How might you support me in my work with students or your children?

4. What questions do you have?THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!

REFERENCESAfflerbach, P. (2007). Understanding and using reading assessment, K–12. Newark, DE: International Reading AssociationCastek, J., Bevans-Mangelson, J., & Goldstone, B. (2006). Reading adventures online:

Five ways to introduce the new literacies of the Internet through children’s literature. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 714–728.

Fountas, I. C., & Pinell, G. S (1998). Word matters: teaching phonics and spelling in the reading/writing classroom. Portsmith, NH: Heinemann.

Hillert, M.(Author), & Shutz, S. (Photographer). (2005). Pumpkin, pumpkin. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.starfall.com/n/fiction- nonfiction/pumpkin/load.htm?f

Hall, Z. (1999). It's pumpkin time. (pp. 1-40). Scholastic Paperbacks.King, E. (1996). The pumpkin patch. (pp. 1-40). Puffin.Kroll, S. (1993). The biggest pumpkin ever. (pp. 1-32). Cartwheel Books.Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a) Getting to Know Your Students.[Webcast]. Baltimore, MD: Dr. Janice Almasi. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b) Analyzing and Selecting Text.

[Webcast]. Baltimore, MD: Dr. Douglas Hartman & Dr. Janice Almasi.Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010c). Perspectives on Literacy Learning. [Webcast]. The Beginning Reader. Baltimore, MD: Author.Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010d). Response Perspective [Webcast]. The Beginning Reader (PreK-3). Baltimore, MD.Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010e). Critical Perspective [Webcast]. The Beginning Reader

(PreK-3). Baltimore, MD.Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b) Reading Inventories.

[Webcast]. Baltimore, MD: Dr. Peter Afflerbach. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010c). Virtual field experience: Strategic

processing. [Webcast]. The Beginning Reader. Baltimore, MD: AuthorMcGowan, M. (1999). I was a pumpkin. Marcia's Lesson Link.

Retrieved from http://www.marcias-lesson-links.comMcKenna, M. C., & Kear, D. J. (1990). Measuring Attitude toward Reading: A New Tool for Teachers. Reading Teacher, 43(9), 626-39. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.).Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.