Literate Environment Analysis

Literate Environment Analysis 

By analyzing the research-based literacy practice that I conducted through this course, I gained many valuable insights about how to create a literate teaching and learning environment. It not only enables me to get to know more about my literacy learners but also  how to select appropriate texts, include interactive, critical and response perspective in my literacy instruction. Moreover, I gain insightful feedback from my supportive colleagues by sharing my presentation with them.  

I Getting to Know Literacy Learners, P–3 

  By taking the time to get to know your student, his interests, providing a safe learning environment, building a relationship with him and finding ways to motivate him, you will put him on the path to becoming a successful reader (Afflerbach, 2012).  As to get to the ability of my students about comprehending and organizing the sequence of stories, I conducted activities about story mapping and recount plan writing with them. These assessments serve as great help for me to know about the interests of my students and who need additional support as well. In addition, I found out it is essential to provide visual aids (e.g. table, poster, chart) to help students outline the stories and address the key components in retelling stories or creating stories. I also learned that it is critical to use a variety ways to keep the record of students. Excellent teachers use multiple assessments such as observations, running records, samples of student work, and student conferences (International Reading Association, 2000).

II.   Selecting Texts

The topic that we have learnt was about how to express ourselves. We explored different ways cultures express themselves in different forms of art. Students learnt about the similarities and differences between cultures by reading different genres of books, matching images to cultures, tasting different foods and student presentations. Lattimer (2003) explain reading comprehension strategy in this way: students need to think about “what to expect from a text, how to approach it and what to take away from it” (Pp .12). As students were asking to portray their own culture’s traditions and celebrations, they need to have the opportunities to read a variety of books and listen to teachers read books aloud. Through exposure to a variety of books about celebrations and traditions, students were able to activate their background knowledge and build up their understanding that people from different cultures have different and similar ideas and values. When students are familiar with the genres, organizational patterns, and literacy devices in books they are reading, they are better able to create those text factors in their own writing (Buss&Karnowski, 2002). 

III. Literacy Lesson: Interactive Perspective

According to the Interactive Perspective from the Framework for Literacy Instruction, it is essential to use a variety of informal and formal assessments to determine areas of strength and need in literacy development of students as to educate them to be strategic and metacognitive readers and writers. The book that I read with students was stone soup. I found out that it is very important to active their background knowledge, encourage them to predict what happen next and generate their ideas for an alternative beginning/middle/ending. They were very engaged in sharing their favorite soups and used the picture cards to make predictions about the story. Students have both general and specific background knowledge (Branuner & Lewis, 2006). Peterson and Eeds (2007) explain that in grand conversations, students share their personal responses and tell what they liked about the texts. In addition, when teacher read aloud, they model what good readers do and how good readers use reading strategies (Cappellini, 2005) to make interactions with the texts and make meaningful connections with their real life practice.

IV. Literacy Lesson: Critical and Response Perspectives

The critical and response perspectives encourage students to think deeper into the texts they are reading and begin to explore how texts affects their lives (Laureate Education, n.d.). These two perspectives are essential for literacy instructions as they provide students the opportunities to share their feelings and thoughts about texts and make connections.

I read a book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud and David Messing to my new comers as to help them learn about how to express themselves in positive ways and get involved in the new environment smoothly. Through the “bucket filling” activities, students are encouraged to express their feelings and understanding when they filled a bucket or they experienced “bucket dipping”. It offered me opportunities to make connection to the PYP learner profile as to motivate my students to be critical thinkers and communicators and show their empathy to others. Moreover, students would be able to learn how to express feelings, thoughts and ideas in words and actions, and listen to others.

V. Feedback from Colleagues and Family Members of Students

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

   

           One insight that I gained about literacy and literacy instruction from view this presentation is that students’ literacy would be much enhanced through “hands-on” experience, which provides students with an enjoyable learning environment where students feel comfortable to share their feelings and thoughts about the text. Another insight that I gained is that include interactive perspective into teaching practice by encouraging students to generate their ideas for an alternative beginning/middle/ending of a story. This helps students extend their vocabulary and become critical thinkers.

   

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

   

  I would like to make the print story into “hand-on “activities as much as I can since living it is much better than just reading it .Besides, the “hands-on “activities help students to build up social interaction skills, through acting out and team working.

• 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?

   

       I think if you can provide students with the leveled books related to central idea of what we are learning which are slightly above their level for independent reading, which would be a very supportive way to help reinforce students’ reading skill by applying the knowledge they have just acquired.

• What questions do you have?

       Very often, young learners went talking far off the topic; do you have some effective ways to direct young learners to make a meaningful connection to the text? Or you will not confine their thinking within the topic?

   

Reference:

Afflerbach, P. (2007). Understanding and using reading assessment, K-12. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Buss, K., &Karnowski, L.(2000). Reading and writing literacy genres. Newark, DE: International reading Association.

Cappellini, M. (2005) Balancing Reading and Language Learning: A. Resource for Teaching English Language Learners, K–5 York, ME: Stenhouse

        International Reading Association. (2000). Excellent reading teachers: A position statement of the International Reading Association. Retrieved from http://www.reading.org/downloads/positions/ps1041_excellent.pdf

Lattimer, H. (2003). Thinking through genre. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

          Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Critical perspective. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu