Literate Environment Analysis

Megan CothranWalden UniversityDr. Phyllis McCully

The Beginning Reader, PreK-3 - EDUC 6706

Literate Environment•Literacy Environment Framework

–Framework for Literacy Instruction (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011)»Three things we need to pay attention to:

1) The students themselves (Learners)a. What do we need to know about our studentsb. Cognitive Assessmentsc. Non-cognitive Assessments

2) The texts that the students are going to be reading (Texts)a. What do we need to understand about how texts are put

togetherb. Literacy Matrix

3) Ourselves and the instructional context (Instructional Practices)a. Most important goal is to have fidelity to our studentsb. We must make critical decisions on their behalf

Getting to Know Literacy LearnersThe better you know your students the better you can connect them with

texts that will impact them in profound ways (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

Cognitive AssessmentsCognitive assessments provide teachers with

the ability to understand each student’s growth and challenges as a reader

(Afflerbach, 2012).

Non-Cognitive AssessmentsNon-cognitive assessments focus on

students’ motivation to read, self-concept, attitude toward reading, and how they feel about themselves as readers (Afflerbach,

2012).

• Reading Inventories

• Running Records

• Dynamic Indicators

of

Basic Early Literacy

Skills (DIBELS)

• Elementary Reading

Attitude Survey (ERAS)

• Interest Inventories

• Me Stew

Getting to Know Literacy Learners (continued)

• Non-Cognitive Assessment– In the video segment, Getting to Know Your Students

(2011), Dr. Almasi states that it is important that teachers get to know who each student is as a person. Therefore, at the beginning of the year I assessed my students’ non-cognitive abilities by using an assessment tool called the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) (McKenna & Kear, 1990). I found that many students (from both high and low groups) enjoy getting a book for present and starting a new book. Both groups also stated that they do not enjoy reading over playing – which was not a surprise! I was surprised; however, that many of my lower readers actually enjoy reading aloud in the class, where many of my higher reading students had mixed-feelings about it.

Getting to Know Literacy Learners (continued)

• Cognitive Assessment– Cognitive assessments provide teachers with the ability to

understand each student’s growth and challenges as a reader (Afflerbach, 2012). One cognitive assessment that I use within my classroom is an oral reading assessment called the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). This is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through sixth grade (University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning, 2013). Through this assessment, I found that many of my lower students struggle with word fluency. Of those who are English Language Learners, many missed past tense and plural words. For those in the higher reading group, I noticed a pattern of missed contraction words. This assessment data helps me to implement differentiate instruction during guided reading and literacy centers.

Selecting TextsOne useful instrument teachers can use when selecting texts is the Literacy Matrix (2011). This is a tool

one can use for analyzing and selecting texts. It assists in instructional decision-making for your students, and making connections across the curriculum (Laureate Education, 2011).

Linguistic

Informational

Semiotic

Narrative

Selecting Texts (continued)

• Implementing the Literacy Matrix (2011)– One of the ideas presented by Dr. Hartman in the video

segment Analyzing and Selecting Text (2011) that influenced me was the Literacy Matrix.  This matrix helps teachers see if they are providing students with a balance of texts (Laureate Education Inc., 2011).  Though I provide my students with a variety of leveled readers during literacy centers, I realized that I was not making sure I provided students with a balanced variety of genres. Now when I checkout leveled reading book, I ensure to include a wide variety of narrative, informational, linguistic, and semiotic texts in order to provide my students with the opportunity to become well-rounded literate learners.

Literacy InstructionThe Framework for Literacy Instruction highlights three

perspectives of literacy learning that are vital to literacy instruction (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011)

1) Interactive Perspective– Focuses on teaching students how to read.

2) Critical Perspective– Focuses on teaching students how to critically examine text.

3) Response Perspective– Focuses on allowing students the opportunity to experience and

respond to text.

Interactive PerspectiveThe ultimate goal of the Interactive Perspective is to teach children

how to be literate learners who can navigate the textual world independently (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

• In order to teacher students to be independent literate learners, we must teach them to be strategic processors by:

– Being metacognitive:• Choosing the most efficient strategies• Using multiple strategies for different text types (i.e. narrative and

informational)• setting purposes, making predictions, visualizing, and making sense of text

– Being reflective and self-regulating• teach children to process texts and to think independently about texts

This perspective can be implemented through Guided Reading so that teachers can focus on specific literacy skills in small groups depending on their individual needs.

Critical PerspectiveThe Critical Perspective provides opportunities for students to think

analytically about a text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

• Students need to examine texts from multiple perspectives• Critically evaluate the text• Judge validity or veracity of texts• Evaluate websites for credibility• Critically view multiple perspectives of texts

– With informational texts, students can dig deep by searching additional resources

– With narrative texts, students can analyze the perspectives of all of the characters in the story

One critical strategy that can be implemented during instruction is having a shared reading time where students can make predictions and ask questions about a read aloud text. This promotes students to think critically about the text and open their minds to perspectives other than their own.

Response PerspectiveThe Response Perspective allows you to provide literacy experiences

that will affect students on personal and emotional levels (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

• Interaction– An interaction with text is like when two billiard balls collide (one being the

reader and the other being the text) they bounce off each other – just as when reader and text interact, their paths change.

• Transaction– If we think of the billiard balls as if they are made of clay, we can better

understand a transaction with a text. For example, if one ball is the reader and one the text, when they collide their paths still change, but there is a dent left where they collided – just as in a transaction, the reader is transformed by the text.

Teachers must provide students with texts that are meaningful to them so that they may make personal connections. Teachers must also allow a variety of appropriate response opportunities for students to make connections and be affected by the presented text.

ReferencesAfflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment, K–12.

Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

McKenna, M.C., & Kear, D. J. (1990). Measuring attitude toward reading: A new tool for teacher. The Reading Teacher, 43(9), 626-639.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Analyzing and selecting texts [Video webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

 Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Changes in literacy education [Video

Webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Critical perspective [Video webcast].

Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Getting to know your students [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

References (continued)

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Responsive perspective [Video webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

 Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategic processing. [Video

Webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning.

(2013). Dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills (dibels). Retrieved from https://dibels.uoregon.edu/market/assessment/dibels