First Grade Literacy Plan

8/4/2019 First Grade Literacy Plan

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/first-grade-literacy-plan 1/25

First Grade LiteracyPlanMolly Rozga

Molly Rozga

ED 325 A

Spring 2010



First Grade Literacy Plan M. Rozga

2

Philosophy Statement

“If we are going to teach reading and writing well, our classrooms must be filled with our students’

voices and their lives (A Place for Reading and Writing).”

While I am aware that my beliefs fit certain educational theories, I don’t believe that a

philosophical statement is concrete. My beliefs on what the best way to teach reading and writing may

be perfect for one classroom at a specific moment in time, but it may need to be altered for the next

group of students that I have the pleasure of instructing. While these are my preferences, I owe it to my

students to be flexible and accommodating to what they need.

I believe that students will best learn literacy skills through small group instruction. This will

allow for development of a small community within the classroom for students to thrive from. They will

be able to give and receive assistance from each other and the instructor.

My belief in small group instruction correlates to the three different student-centered theories,

constructivism, sociolinguistics and cognitive/information processing (Class presentations). I think that

because they are student centered, having a smaller student to teacher ratio would allow the teacher to

be able to focus on 8 children instead of 24. By having more of the teacher’s attention, students would

receive more support from teacher and the small community of learners.

I believe students should be able to read and write about events, special and commonplace, that

help describe who they are. I believe students should be able to share their work within their small

group or entire classroom.

My ideas regarding students ability to share their lives with their classmates aligns most with

sociolinguistics. One of the tenets of sociolinguistics is the idea of authenticity of activities (Tomkins, pg.9). By allowing students to create literary pieces about their lives, either fiction-esque stories or non

fiction factual documents, and then sharing these with the class or small group create an authentic

authoring experience. Depending on the availability of parents and helpers, the students could possibly

make something or share in the cultural experience. By developing a student’s appreciation for other

cultures, I would be fostering a culturally responsive classroom (in class presentations).

I believe students should be exposed to a variety of literary genres and traditional literature

from across the world. Opening the minds of young children to poetry, lyrical writing, performance

scripts and illustrated novels can allow them to see a variety of storytelling methods. By exposing the

children to cultures from across America and across the globe, we can focus on the importance of different virtues and different ways of life. The more children are exposed to difference and similarity,

the more hope there is for breaking down some barriers.

Having a library in the classroom, varied by genre, cultural content, and skill level, I am

supporting sociolinguistics. In the more specific area of cultural responsiveness, the role of the teacher is

to supply diverse literature (class presentations). The role of environment, in critical literacy, is to be

thought provoking through a diverse classroom library (class presentations.)




3

I believe students should be able to fluently use a variety of strategies to help them help

themselves, becoming more independent and confident and their skills increase. When students are

able to successfully use strategies in one subject area, they may be able to apply them in other subject

areas.

Cognitive and information processing theories stress the importance of having strategiesavailable to students (Tomkins, pg. 12). The teacher would model strategies and help students discover

when the use of a particular strategy is appropriate. Being able to use cues from a sentence, picture or

diagram, could help a student in reading comprehension as well as math, science and social studies.

Some skills that are learned in one subject area, may help students become better students.

I believe that an educator should be able to see the potential in every student. This will help to

foster a positive relationship within a classroom and help through some of the challenging moments.

While my last belief statement can seem hokey and idealistic, I find that there really is no time

to take something for granted. Even on the most difficult day, with the most challenging student you

are learning something new, be it patience, understanding or new strategies. Knowing that each child

that enters my room can help me learn something new is invaluable. For me, it sheds a new light on

how to handle the not so ordinary.

Range of Behaviors

Knowing an appropriate range of behaviors for the readers and writers in my classroom is

essential to what I do on a day to day basis. While we will use formal assessments to gauge readiness

for advancement, it is the range of behaviors that guides how lessons are scaffolded. Students may be

very comfortable writing words that are familiar, but struggle with newer vocabulary words. Knowing

that you want the students to be able to make phrases, and eventually sentences, they will need to

build their knowledge base and put some strategies to use when they are having trouble. The range of

behaviors can be used as a guide to demonstrate where the children have been, are now, and where

they are going.

Within a first grade classroom, you would expect to see some of the following range of reading

behaviors of a transitional reader:

Knows most letter sound

Uses picture and some initial consonants to figure out words

Predicts from pictures

Still relies on memorization of story

Recognizes some sight words






5

o Making connections

o Visualizing

o Questioning

o Monitoring comprehension

o Determining importance of text

Because children learn things at their own pace, some students may enter the classroom at an

advanced beginning reader and some students may still be struggling as an emergent reader. The range

of behaviors can also be used to see if a child might be between, how close they might be to the next

level. You would be able to scaffold instruction to build upon skills that are underdeveloped.

As we move into the range of writing behaviors, we will see first graders in the transitional stage

of the writing continuum. We will see characteristics such as:

Interchanges upper and lower case letters

Begins to write phrases

Begins to develop sentence approximations

Expands the use of phonetic spelling

Generates own ideas for writing

Begins to read own writing

Begins to use spacing between words

As we continue working through the first grade curriculum, we will see the children displaying

more characteristics of a developing writer:

Uses beginning, middle and ending sounds more

Writes recognizable short sentences

Begins to spell some words correctly

Shows accuracy in reading own writing

Uses lower case letters appropriately

Begins to use capitalization and punctuation

Uses verb tenses correctly most of the time

Uses grammar correctly most of the time




6

As students progress towards the end of their first grade year, students may start exhibiting

traits of the beginning writer:

Begins to organize ideas with a planning form

Writes short sentences, using some descriptive words

Writes about observations and experiences

Begins to use conversation in writing

Begins to respond to own writing

Uses punctuation and capitalization most of the time

Spells most words correctly

Similar to the reading range of behaviors, students may exhibit some traits of an emergent

writer, while others may be beginning and advanced beginning writers. The important part of knowing

the ranges of behaviors, is that is can be used to guide students into higher levels of writing abilities. If

a child is struggling with one particular skill, you can focus on that and try to build other skills while

working the challenging areas.

All in all the reading and writing continuums, and ranges of behaviors can help you design

lessons, reading and writing groups, and longer term goals for classroom development. The range of

behaviors can help to scaffold behaviors that students are comfortable and confident with, with

behaviors that students may be struggling with. It can also help you focus lessons so the large group

works on skills that will improve all of their writing and reading. Knowing what your students can do,

and where their current knowledge will take them, is at the very heart of meaningful teaching.

Role of the Teacher

Creating a Community of Learners

The role of the teacher is creating a community of learners within the classroom. To the

sociolinguistic theorists, this means providing culturally responsive teaching, celebrating approximations

and nurturing risk. In my classroom, diversity will be treated like a diamond. The more facets that a

diamond has the more it will sparkle. The differences among my students will serve as a way for us to

each sparkle, bringing new points of view into discussions. Being culturally responsive means

showcasing books about other places, customs, and traditional stories from around the world. One of




7

the other key components to my community of learners is creating a risk-free environment that

nurtures risk. From the first moment on the first day of school, we will actively work on defining our

work ethic and what it means to be a learner in my classroom. I am not the all knowing dispenser of

knowledge. We will work together to achieve the learning goals. We will celebrate each other when we

are close to being correct, as we will when we are correct. Half steps are necessary, and may help other

students get to see the big picture.

The physical environment plays a large role in creating my community of learners. My students

will sit in small groups, with their desks turned toward each other. To motivate one another to success

is a component of constructivism. This allows for my students to get to know each other and feel

comfortable asking each other for help. Each group member will be responsible for classroom duties

also, this will help the students feel more ownership of the classroom. We will have a carpeted area

with a chair for the reader so the students can have more practice with reading fluency. Because their

classmates will be reading to the students, I will explicitly go through the expectations of the audience

and the reader, contributing to the community of learners.

Addressing Diverse Needs

To address the diverse needs of any group of students, a successful teacher will have strategies

and instructional modes to support the needs of the students. The goal by the end of the year is that

the children leave the classroom knowing more than when they came in, and my belief that every child

can be taught supports that. I will try every thing I know, and find more ways, to make sure that my

students leave my classroom knowing more and doing more than when they came in.

Assessments

Assessments are an integral part of what we do as professional educators. If we do not know

what the child knows, how can we teach to each child’s zone of proximal development? Through

various formal and informal reading and writing assessments we can ensure that we are teaching within

the zone of proximal development. With knowing that each child has the capacity to learn, Vygotsky

believes we just need to find where to begin – the zone of proximal development – so that the students

have some understanding but are misusing or confusing some what they are learning. Within the next

three charts, you will see formal reading assessments, formal writing assessments, and a few informal

assessment strategies that I will use in my classroom.




8

Formal

Reading

Assessments

Description Literacy BehaviorsWhen Data is

Gathered

How

Assessment

Informs

Instruction

Concepts of

Print

This assessment

tests for pre-

reading and early

reading skills

needed to

advance their

own reading

levels.

Basics about

books

Where the frontof the book is

Directionality

Return sweep

One-to-One

correspondence

Finding one letter,

or two letters

Finding one word

or two words

Finding beginning

and ending lettersin a words

This assessment

is typically done

at the end of the

kindergarten

year, or as

needed by

teacher or

administration.

By collecting and

analyzing thisdata, you are able

to see which

students are

having trouble

with some of the

physical aspects

of reading,

making the one-

to-one

correspondence

or reading left to

right and top tobottom.

Letter

Identification

This assessment

allows the

students to show

their ability to

identify letters

and letter sounds.

Letter recognition

Including two

versions of

lower case a

(a,a) and lower

case g (g,g)

Making correct

letter sounds for

the visualrepresentation of

letters

This assessment

is typically done

at the end of

kindergarten,

twice in first

grade (at the end

of each

semester), or as

needed byteacher or

administration.

This assessment

allows an

educator to see

which letters

have been

mastered, in

either name or

sound, so more

time can be spent

with the morechallenging

letters (that have

multiple sounds).

Phonemic

Awareness

This assessment

is given to

students orally.

This assess

student

understanding of various aspects of

letter and word

sounds.

Rhyming words

Recognition

Application

Approximation

Phoneme Isolation Blending

Segmenting

This assessment

is typically done

at the end of

kindergarten,

twice in first

grade (at the end

of eachsemester), or as

needed by

teacher or

administration.

These are skills

that will help a

student sound

out words that

are unfamiliar to

them. If students

are struggling

with these

behaviors,additional work

with these during

word work will

improve student

independence

during reading.




9

Word Test

In this

assessment, the

student reads as

many words from

a list as possible.

High Frequency

Vocabluary

Environmental

Print

Familiar words

This assessment

is typically done

at the end of

kindergarten,

twice in first

grade (at the end

of each

semester), or as

needed by

teacher or

administration.

This assessment

can help guide

how much word

work is needed

for particular

students. If a

group of students

is struggling to

read high

frequency words,

you have some

focus for small

group and

individual

instruction.

Running Record

For this

assessment, the

child reads to the

assessor from a

preselected book.

The assessor

notes when

words are

correct, and

when words are

incorrect,

missing, oradded. The

assessor also

checks for

comprehension.

This can be with

or without

guidance.

Reading fluency

Comprehension

This assessment

is typically done

at the end of

kindergarten,

twice in first

grade (at the end

of each

semester), or asneeded by

teacher or

administration.

Data from this

assessment

allows theinstructor to

know why errors

are being made

(syntax, meaning

or visual). These

errors can be

corrected with

small group or

individual

practice with

specific

strategies. It alsogives the

instructor an

insight into who

can process the

words into a

story and create

meaning by

retelling certain

aspects of the

story.




10

Formal Writing

AssessmentsDescription

Literacy

Behaviors

When Data is

Gathered

How

Assessment

Informs

Instruction

Writing

Vocabulary

The student is

given a specific

amount of time

and instructed to

write as many

words as they

know.

High Frequency

Vocabluary

Environmental

Print

Familiar words

Beginning and

Ending

Consonants

Vowel Patterns

This assessment

is typically done

at the end of

kindergarten,

twice in first

grade (at the end

of each semester),

or as needed by

teacher or

administration.

This assessment

allows theinstructor to see

which skills need

more practice. It

also gives the

instructor some

insight into

whether word

work is meeting

the needs of the

students, or if

certain aspects

should bestressed more.

Hearing and

Recording Sound

The students are

given 1 to 2

sentences orally

and asked to

write them down.

Beginning and

Ending

Consonants

Vowel Patterns

Phonemic

Awareness

Translating

sounds into

written words

This assessment

is typically done

at the end of

kindergarten,

twice in first

grade (at the end

of each semester),

or as needed by

teacher or

administration.

This assessment

allows students

to process words

differently than if

they were

reading. The

students know

the words

verbally and use

them in everyday

life, this is to see

how they can

translate those

words into

written language.

The data from

this assessment

allows the

instructor to

gauge student

understanding

strategies for

determining the

beginning and

ending

consonants and

strategies to

determine vowel

patterns.




11

Writing Sample

The students aregiven a prompt.

They produce a

written sample

with

corresponding

illustration.

Ideas

Organization Voice

Word Choice

Sentence

Fluency

Conventions

This assessment

is typically done

at the end of

kindergarten,

twice in first

grade (at the end

of each semester),

or as needed by

teacher or

administration.

The data from

this assessment

will help guide

writing mini-

lessons. You will

be able to see

which of the 6

traits the

students are

doing well in, and

which of the

traits the

students struggle

with. You can

also use this data

to help focus

revisions of

writing.

Informal

AssessmentsDescription

Literacy

Behaviors

When Data is

Gathered

How

Assessment

Informs

Instruction

Checklists

This assessment

method uses a list

of skills or facts

the instructor

wants the

students to

display.

Varies based on

lesson objectives

Data is gatheredduring lesson or

independent

practice, then

recorded as

necessary.

The instructor is

easily able to

check off what

students know or

can do. This

allows the teacher

to have

immediate

intervention

should the

material need to

be explained

again or in a

different way.

Anecdotal Records

Teacher keeps

notes in anotebook or on

sticky notes.

These notes are

generally about

specific events:

questions from

students, reading

or writing

Varies based on

lesson objectives

Data is gathered

during lesson or

independent

practice, then

recorded as

necessary.

If a lot of students

have the samequestions about

the activity, then

perhaps

instructions

should be

rephrased or

altered to meet

the needs of the




12

activities, etc. students. This

assessment aids

the instructor is

reflecting on

strengths or

struggles of

lessons and

activities.

Student

Observations

Monitoring

literacy behaviors

in a systematic

way.

Varies based on

lesson objectives

Data is gathered

during lesson or

independent

practice, then

recorded as

necessary.

The instructor

observes the

behaviors being

used by the

students during a

work time. The

instructor uses

the observations

of student

behaviors tomake decisions

about lessons and

activities.

Assessment of student literacy behaviors allows teachers to teach to the child’s zone of proximal

development. This is a characteristic of the sociolinguistic theories, specifically Vygotsky. With the

added use of informal assessment strategies, you are able to gauge quickly whether the students have

understood the lesson objectives, and how to plan for better instruction in the future, which aligns with

the ninth Wisconsin Standard for Teacher Development and Licensure.

Content and Strategies

To teach literacy is to teach the Language Arts Communication System. Within the system there

are input communication systems that we are exposed to from birth – Listening, Reading, and Viewing

Intelligently, and output communication systems that we learn as we grow – Speaking, Writing and

Visually Representing. Once students come to school, they are able to talk, see , look, and write. In the

first grade, we are refining those skills so that the students are active listeners and watchers, making

that conscious decision to listen and watch with intent to learn. In the first grade, students also

continue their ability to read and write, learning specific objectives and strategies to make their skills

stronger. Using strategies to help solve reading and writing challenges comes from the cognitive and

information processing theorists. Finally, the students are working on speaking, including reading aloud




13

fluently, and visually representing themselves, through writing and illustrations, while building skills that

will serve them well into their academic lives.

The next two charts display reading content and strategies and writing content and strategies.

Reading Content and Strategy SignificanceSynopsis or Specific

Example

Genre Study

By knowing what kind of

writing you are reading, you

know what kind of details to

expect.

Knowing whether you are

reading a nonfiction book or

a fairy tale, can help you

look for specific details. If

you are reading about a

science experiment, you

know you need a hypothesis,

data and a conclusion. If youare fairy tale, you know you

should find a bad guy and a

good guy, a damsel in

distress, and maybe some

magic or feats of strength.

Phonemic

Awareness/Phonics/Spelling

Looking at the letters and

sounds that make up a word

can increase a child’s ability

to try to figure out wordsthat they are not familiar

with.

When introducing the

spelling words for the week,

take time to recognize each

sound of each word and the

letters that compose the

sounds. There should also

be practice with spelling theword, sounding it out,

finding a rhyming word, and

seeing an illustration or

photo of the object the word

represents.

Vocabulary

By increasing a child’svocabulary, you can expose

them to new consonant and

vowel patterns, synonyms

for less exciting words, andmore words that he/she is

able to read.

For certain stories or

lessons, content or subject

specific vocabulary may

need to be looked at and

studied. This could be done

is the same style as the

weekly word work, or just abrief direct approach,

depending on the needs of

the students.

Comprehension – Predicting

By using information from

the text, the students can

make predictions about

what might happen next.

You can check to see if the

students comprehend the

text by asking what might

happen next. If you are




14

This reinforces what has

been read to this point

within a story.

reading a story about a

tropical vacation, and the

students predict that it will

snow

Comprehension – Inferring

By using details from the

text, students can learn

things without having them

stated explicitly.

After reading passage rich

with details, you could ask

the students to infer what is

going on. For example, you

read about a little girl who

has tears running down her

face, the children could infer

that she is crying. This

makes sure that the children

have understood the details.

Comprehension – Setting a Purpose

By setting a purpose for

reading, you know if you arereading to share information

or just for the fun of reading.

This helps you know how

much of the details are

important and how in depth

you read.

By knowing the purpose of

the reading, you can

determine how in depth

comprehension should be. If the students will be asked to

teach something to their

classmates, they will need to

focus more attention to the

reading. If students are

simply reading for fun, they

will not need to concentrate

as much on knowing all the

specific details.

Comprehension – Retelling

Retelling a story or series of

events to another person

can reinforce the important

parts of the text.

Having the students retell a

particular set of events or

part of a story, you are ableto gauge who has been able

to comprehend that section

of text. If reading a

nonfiction book about what

happens when a volcano

explodes, the students

should be able to put the

events into the proper order

when retelling (first you see

the cloud of ash and smoke,

then the lava starts to flow).

Comprehension – Questioning

Having the students ask

themselves which parts they

understand and which they

don’t, can focus their re-

reading, to make sure they

comprehend the text in its

entirety.

This comprehensionstrategy can be used by the

students when they are

reading independently.

Before they turn a page, the

students should ask

themselves if they have

understood what they have




15

just read. If they answer no,

then the students should

know that they are expected

to reread that page or

passage.

Comprehension – Monitoring

By using this meta-cognitive

strategy, the students are

constantly aware of what

they understand and how to

find ways to help

themselves.

By making students aware

that comprehension is the

goal for reading, they should

be aware of how they can

find ways to help themselves

understand more of what

they are reading. If a

student understands what

they are reading, then they

will continue. Once a

student is not

understanding, they should

have strategies that they arecomfortable using to help

them.

Comprehension – Visualization

Using this strategy, the

student would take in the

details of the text they are

reading, and make a mental

picture of what is

happening. It allows the

students to check their

understanding with what is

being read in a visual way.

Students can use this

strategy to build a mental

image while they are

reading or being read to.

For example, as the author

describes a setting, the

students can use the details

of the building and scenery

to “see” where a story takes

place.

Comprehension – Connecting

When students connect

reading to themselves,

another story or the world

correctly, they have taken

the story and searched their

mental file cabinet for

another example of aspecific feeling, event, or

personal story.

When reading a story,

students are able to share

when they had the same

feeling as the character in

the story, or how they

celebrate holidays. Students

can also use connecting

strategies as a bridge to

comparing and contrasting

two stories (Charlotte’s Web

and Mrs. Spider’s Web).

Students can also start connecting nonfiction to the

world around them. For

example, if reading about

how plants grow, some

students may have stories

about watching their

gardens grow.






17

brainstorming, prewriting,

drafting, making revisions and

editing. It is important that the

children understand that

writing is sometimes a process

that can take a while.

start one day by brainstorming

possible ideas for our writing,

or brainstorming from a

prompt. Each day, during the

literacy block, we would work

on the next steps until we were

able to publish or present our

work to the class.

Six Traits – Ideas

Writing samples should have a

main idea and contain relevant

details. (6 Trait Writing

Handout)

Having students work on

brainstorming and outlining

will help them select ideas for a

specific writing task.

Six Traits – Organization

Writing samples should have

an introduction and conclusion,

and follow a logical sequence.

(6 Trait Writing Handout)

By teaching the students to

create an outline before they

begin writing, will help them

figure out a logical sequence,

with an introduction and

conclusion.

Six Traits – Voice

Writing samples should be

individualistic and expressive.


Students will be encouraged to

use language that expresses

who they are as a writer. They

will also be shown how

punctuation can change the

way their document is read.

Six Traits – Word Choice

Students should choose

interesting, natural and precise

language. (6 Trait WritingHandout)

As interest in words develops

in the students of my

classroom, we will begin

looking at synonyms to

enhance our writing. We will

look adding more visual details(The sweater is nice. Vs. The

sweater was the blue of Lake

Michigan on a summer day.)

Six Traits – Sentence Fluency

Students should choose varied

sentence structure. (6 Trait

Writing Handout)

Working with sentence

structure, students will be able

to see how authors use

different sentences to keep the

reader reading.

Six Traits – Conventions

The writing should show that

the student is developing in the

areas of grammar, spelling,

capitalization, and punctuation.


While conventions will be

stressed, it is the last of the six

traits that the students will

work on during writing

projects. We can do this with a

series of prompts. Check to

make sure that all of your

sentences start with a capital

letter. Check to make sure that

all of your sentences end with a

punctuation mark (period,




18

exclamation or question mark).

By teaching students about the flow within the Language Arts Communication System, you can

improve all of their literacy skills. I can improve my writing by being a good reader. I can improve my

speaking by being a good listener. Having strategies and patience, a teacher can teach all of their

students to be excellent communicators. By having content strategies, you are better able to address

the diverse needs of your classroom. These strategies are part of the cognitive and information

processing theories.

Instruction

Teaching balanced literacy, I will use a format developed by Vygotsky (with similar models

presented by other theorists), which has a gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student. The

process starts with explicit instruction through modeled reading and writing. The next step in this

process moves into shared reading and writing experiences, where the teacher is doing the action and

the student is making some contributions. In guided reading and writing lessons, the students are doing

the action and are supported by contributions from the teacher. The final phase in this process is

independent reading and writing. In this last stage, students are able to practice and apply strategies

that were being taught in modeled, shared and guided lessons.

The next series of charts displays a more in depth understanding of these instructional

strategies, along with the impact on the roles of the teacher, students and environment. Please refer to

the reading instruction chart and the writing instruction chart.

Reading

InstructionDescription

Impact on

Teacher

Impact on

Students

Impact on

Environment

Interactive Read

Aloud

The teacher reads

a book aloud, with

the children seated

around. The

objective of the

lesson should bematched by the

genre of the

literature

(objective and

story should be a

good fit). The

teacher models

Teacher selects a

book that is a

good fit for the

objective.

The teacher

should model thekind of thinking

that the students

should be

engaged in.

The teacher

should practice

the lesson, when

Students observe

the modeled

fluent reader.

Students join in

the conversation

when promptedby teacher.

Students will get

practice with

lesson objective.

Students will

practice active

listening, making

The physical

environment of

the classroom

should contain a

carpeted area,

lots of highquality books

with a variety of

genres.

The atmosphere

of the classroom

should be risk-

free for the




19

fluent reading,

stopping at certain

points to question

the students.

stops will be

taken and what “I

language” will beused.

the decision to be

involved in the

learning process.

community of

learners to

practice with

lesson objectives

and sharing in

the discussion.

Shared Reading

The teacher reads

aloud from a

sophisticated

picture book with

repetitive

language, so the

students can join

in the reading.

The book and

objective should

be a good fit.

Shared reading

also works with

making the voice

to print match by

having the teacher

point to each word

as it is read.

The teacher

should practice

the lesson, when

stops will be

taken and what “I

language” will be

used.

The teacher will

need to slow

down, to

explicitly teachliteracy

strategies and

concepts.

The teacher

models what

good readers do.

Students observe

the modeled

fluent reader,

and join in the

reading process.

Students join in

the conversation

when prompted

by teacher.

Students will get

practice with

lesson objective.

Students will

practice active

listening, making

the decision to be

involved in the

learning process.

The physical

environment of

the classroom

should contain a

carpeted area,

lots of high

quality books

with a variety of

genres.

The atmosphere

of the classroom

should be risk-free for the

community of

learners to

practice with

lesson objectives

and sharing in

the discussion.

Guided Reading

The teacher works

with a small group

on a particular

story/text. The

objectives and thestory/text should

be a good fit. Go

over the objectives

and strategies with

the students, and

access prior

knowledge. The

students

participate in a

story walk and a

strategy reminder.

The students readto themselves in a

quiet voice. The

students then

participate in a

discussion of the

text and

objectives.

The teacher

selects a text that

addresses a

specific need of

the students.The teacher

needs to prepare

ahead of time

and practice.

Because the

teacher is

working with a

small group, the

teacher must be

able to

coordinate

activities for allthe students

during this small

group time.

The teacher

should use this

time to work on

word-solving

The student

needs to

participate in the

process of

acquiring

background

knowledge and

story walk.

The student

should enjoy the

story, readingindependently in

a whisper voice.

The physical

environment of

the classroom

should contain a

table for smallgroup work

(generally a

kidney table),

leveled materials

for reading

groups, and

center materials

for students not

in reading group.

The atmosphere

of the classroom

should be risk-free for the

community of

learners to

practice with

lesson objectives

and sharing in

the discussion.






21

be taught how to

teach themselves

to be good

writers.

Shared Writing

The teacher

directs thethinking about the

writing process for

the students but

invites their input

for content and

composition. This

kind of writing

generally follows a

group experience.

Writing is

consistently

negotiated into

standard English

or written

precisely as the

student says it.

The teacher

reviews the skillsthat were

practiced in the

modeled writing

experience.

The teacher does

all of the writing.

The teacher

should think

aloud and model

physical writing

(spacing,

capitalization,punctuation).

The teacher

directs student

thinking and

invites input.

The student is

an active

participant,

listening and

speaking as

needed.

The student is

engaged in the

activity.

The student

offers

suggestionswhen it is

appropriate to

do so.

The physical

environment of the classroom

should contain an

overhead

projector or

document

camera, chart

paper and chart

stand, and a

central space for

the children to be

able to see.

The atmosphere of the classroom

should be risk-

free for the

community of

learners.

Guided Writing

The teacher works

with a small group

of students that

need work with a

specific skill based

on an assessment

of student writing.

These sessions

should be short.

The teacher

groups students

based on a

specific need.The teacher

provides

coached and

guided practice

with an element

of writing with

structured

writing activities.

The teacher

gives

constructive

feedback forstudent

development.

The student

should read

their ownwriting.

The student will

make revisions

based on self

assessment and

instructor

feedback.

The student will

edit and peer

edit different

pieces of

writing.

The physical

environment of

the classroom

should contain a

table for small

group work

(generally akidney table), and

center activities

for students not

participating in

small group.

The atmosphere

of the classroom

should be risk-

free for the

community of

learners to

practice withlesson objectives

and

revising/editing

processes.

Independent

Writing

The students write

in response to a

prompt. This is

The teacher

provides a

prompt for the

Students should

be effective in

their use of time.

The physical

environment of

the classroom




22

the time to apply

and practice

strategies and

skills that have

been the focus of

instruction.

Depending on

instructions, this

could be any part

of the writing

process from

brainstorming to

drafting to making

a final copy.

students to write

to.

The teacher

allows enough

time (too much

or too little could

be problematic).

The teacher is

available to

answer

questions.

Students should

practice with

strategies to

respond to the

prompt in an

effective way.

Students should

be actively

engaged in the

writing process.

should contain

space for the

students to work

independently,

lots of

environmental

print and

dictionaries.

The atmosphere

of the classroom

should be risk-

free for the

community of

learners to write

independently

based on

individual needs.

These instructional methods have been developed by Vygotsky, a sociolinguistic theorist, and

have been used more often since their introduction. With the teacher gradually releasing

responsibilities onto the students, it enhances the atmosphere of community of learners by supporting

the students as they are ready to take on more responsibility. Because it is essential that all students

are learning, I will still use some small group and individual instruction to support the students who are

not quite ready for guided or independent practice. When students feel supported in instruction, they

are more often ready to take risks and make approximations in the classroom.

Classroom Design

The physical space that makes up the classroom is as important as instructional design. The

layout of the classroom can support classroom management efforts, and instructional modes. The

layout of my classroom is compatible with my philosophy of literacy education because it supports small

groups working together (collaboration is an element of sociolinguistics), and Vygotsky’s scaffolding of

instruction by gradually releasing responsibility.

Allow me to take you on a tour of my classroom, please see design on the next page for

reference. When you walk through the door of my classroom, you can see the student desks arranged

in groups of four or five, depending on class size. Having the desks grouped together promotes the

sociolinguistic ideal of collaboration, but the space permits giving students independent work areas

based on the day’s activities. The projector has been placed behind all of the students, so that I can




23

keep an eye on all the students, managing behavior and making anecdotal notes or filling a checklist

during instruction, making good use of informal assessment strategies. There is a TV mounted in the

corner of the classroom so that we can watch videos related to literacy instruction, such as an author

describing the writing process or Reading Rainbow videos that model fluent student reading.

Next to the student work space, is the teacher desk and computer, along with several storage

and shelving units. It is important that I be in close proximity to working students so that they are able

to seek out assistance when they have exhausted their strategies, a component of cognitive/information

processing theories. This also promotes effective classroom management strategies.

On the other side of the door is our modeled and shared instruction area, sociolinguistic

instructional methods. The students can sit around the instructor on the carpeted area. We can use the

easel to display large books, or chart paper for writing activities. There is a book stand in close proximityso the teacher can keep the reading materials close to the instructional area.

In the back of the classroom, away from the door, is a small group instruction area. This area

will work to support the sociolinguistic instructional methods of shared and guided writing and reading.

By having a small group area, you can scaffold lessons to skills that each small group needs more

practice with. There are two shelving units behind the instructional area so that the teacher can have all

the materials available and organized for effective lessons.

Opposite the small group area, is an independent reading area. Allotting time for independent

reading gives students the opportunity to practice the strategies that were presented in instruction,

following cognitive/information processing theory suggestions. This area contains a diverse library of

different genres and levels. It is also a culturally diverse library supporting my culturally responsive

classroom environment.

Finally, there are two student computers in the classroom. These computers help support the

diverse needs of the students in my classroom by building skills with struggling learners and challenging

learners that have mastered some of the literacy concepts. The computers also give the students a

place to work on publishing their writing. With technology assisting me in my teaching of each child’s

zone of proximal development, I have another way to give students practice with key literacy objectives.

The impact of effective classroom design shows up in nearly all areas of my work as a teacher.

The design allows me to use Vygotsky’s gradual release of responsibility, progressing from modeled to




24

shared then guided and finally to independent. The design incorporates specific instructional areas that

support the various instructional methods that I want to use for literacy development. The design of the

classroom also plays an important role in classroom management, with my back never turned toward

my students. The specific design of my classroom is compatible with my philosophy of a sociolinguistic

and constructivist classroom. There are also significant elements that support the cognitive/information

processing theories of my belief statement.

Self Reflection and Goal Setting

Putting this document together has helped me realize three goals that I would like to work on

within the next year of my career development. I would like to focus on Wisconsin Standards for

Teacher Development and Licensure 3, 5, and 10. Standard 3 addresses my desire to learn more about

serving students with diverse needs, and strategies that support more students. Standard 5 addresses

classroom management and knowing that no 2 groups of students are the same; I feel that having a

broad basis of management techniques will allow me to focus more energy on instruction. Standard 10

speaks to my desire to involve the school and community in the learning process of my students. By

working toward these goals, I can improve my effectiveness as a teacher.

Standard 3 says “The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and

the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils,

including those with disabilities and exceptionalities.” While my course content thus far has provided

many strategies to working with students with diverse needs, I feel I should be better versed in

strategies that support any disabilities or exceptionalities. My schedule next fall contains ED 396,

Introduction to the Exceptional Learner, and I hope that this class with introduce me to resources I can

use to support the diverse needs of my future students. All students have the capacity to learn, and I

just need to determine the most effective methods and strategies for the students in my classroom.

“The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a

learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and

self-motivation,” is the basis of Standard 5. As shown in my classroom design and creating a community

of learners, I place a high priority of being an effective classroom manager. Because of the differences in

each group of students, the strategies that manage a classroom effectively one year, may not be

sufficient for the next group of students. Just like I would tailor learning experiences to the needs of the

students, I would like to have a lot of strategies to manage different behaviors within my classroom.



Documents

First Grade Literacy Plan