Creating a Literate

Environment for

Young Children

Pamela GuerraWalden University

Cindee EastonMATH-6706R-2 The Beginning Reader, PreK-3

August 10, 2011

Step 1- Getting to know your students

• The first day of school and every day there after it

is important for teachers to learn what their

students CAN do (McGill-Franzen, 2006).

• I plan to send the parents an informational survey

to learn what literacy habits their children already

have to build upon.

• During the first few weeks I plan to meet with

students and take notes on what they know so I

can plan literacy activities accordingly.

• McGill-Franzen (2006) contends that kindergarten teachers must have reliable assessment tools to know what emerging readers can do.

• The classroom must become a community that is conducive to learning. Students need responsibilities, opportunities, engagement, instruction, encouragement, choice, time and assessment (Tompkins, 2010).

• There are many ways to assess students

abilities. Within my classroom I will be using

the Benchmark Assessment System (Fountas

and Pinnell, 2007).

• This system has assessments on

reading, fluency, sight

words, comprehension, phonological

awareness, phonics, and vocabulary.

Step 2- Selecting Texts

• I was more intentional with selecting texts for

my students. I pulled books and put them

together based upon “themes”.

• I made sure to include informational text too.

• I used my students interests to guide my

selection of texts and ensured there was a

variety of linguistic, semiotic, narrative and

informational.

• Hartman (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a)

encourages plotting where books fall on the

Literacy Matrix.

• Through careful plotting of text a teacher

ensures that books are balanced and fit with

instructional goals.

Narrative Linguistic

Text

Informational Linguistic

Text

Narrative Semiotic Text

Informational Semiotic Text

Framework for Literacy Instruction

Learners

Affective and cognitive aspects of

literacy learning

Texts

Text structures, types, genres, and

difficulty levels matched to literacy

learners and literacy goals and objectives

Instructional Practices

Developmentally appropriate research-

based practices used with appropriate

texts to facilitate affective and cognitive

aspects of literacy development in all

learners

Interactive Perspective

Reading and writing accurately,

fluently, and with comprehension

Being strategic and metacognitive

readers and writers

Use a variety of informal and formal

assessments to determine areas of

strength and need in literacy

development.

Determine texts of the appropriate types

and levels of difficulty to meet literacy

goals and objectives for students.

Use instructional methods that address

the cognitive and affective needs of

students and the demands of the

particular text.

Promote students’ independent use of

reading strategies and skills.

Critical Perspective

Judging, evaluating, and thinking

critically about text

Find out about ideas, issues, and

problems that matter to students.

Understand the learner as a unique

individual.

Select texts that provide opportunities for

students to judge, evaluate, and think

critically.

Foster a critical stance by teaching

students how to judge, evaluate, and

think critically about texts.

Response Perspective

Reading, reacting, and responding to

text in a variety of meaningful ways

Find out about students’ interests and

identities.

Understand what matters to students and

who they are as individuals.

Select texts that connect to students’

identities and/or interests and that have

the potential to evoke an emotional or

personal response.

Provide opportunities for students to

read, react, and formulate a personal

response to text.

Walden University. (2011). Framework for Literacy Instruction. August, 10, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/37910/CRSWUPSYC62053502436/Framework_for_Literacy_Instruction_03-10.doc.

Step 3- Interactive Perspective

• Students are encouraged to use multiple

strategies to read and comprehend text.

• Students are risk takers.

• Students share when they do not understand

information shared by the author.

• Almasi (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c)

contends that students need to become

metacognitive about their learning and be

responsible for it.

• The main goal of the interactive perspective is

for students to become literate learners that can

navigate the world independently (Laureate

Education, Inc., 2010c).

Step 4- Critical and Response

Perspectives

• Students evaluate why a text was written.

• Students evaluate whether information is

factual.

• Students are changed by what they have

learned in the text.

• Students are engaged in meaningful

discussions using higher level thinking skills.

• Critical perspective encourages students to

become empowered and transform the world

(Tompkins, 2010).

• Almasi (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b)

contends that transactional theory occurs in the

response perspective. Students are forever

changed by the texts they read.

Resources• McGill-Franzen, A. (2006). Kindergarten literacy: Matching assessment and instruction in kindergarten. New York, NY:

Scholastic Teaching Resources.

• Fountas, I.C., & Pinnell, G.S. (2008) Benchmark assessment system. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

• Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

• Laureate Education, Inc. (2010a). Program 9: Analyzing and selecting text. [Webcast]. The Beginning Reader, PreK-3.

Baltimore, MD. Author.

• Laureate Education, Inc. (2010b). Program 18: Response perspective. [Webcast]. The Beginning Reader, PreK-3.

Baltimore, MD. Author.

• Laureate Education, Inc. (2010c). Program 11: Strategic processing. [Webcast]. The Beginning Reader, PreK-3.

Baltimore, MD. Author.

• Walden University. (2011). Framework for Literacy Instruction. August, 10, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/37910/CRSWUPSYC62053502436/Framework_for_Literacy_Instruction_03-10.doc.

Thank you for viewing. I am need of your

feedback to the following questions.

• What insights did you gain about literacy and literacy instruction from viewing this presentation?

• How might information presented change your literacy practices and/or your literacy interactions with students?

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

• What questions do you have?