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LITERACY INSTRUCTION

Literacy is an engaging and important life-skill, and one that is integral to our success as

informed and engaged members of society. I believe that my role as an educator is to build

literacy capability in my students, which goes beyond teaching the skills involved with reading,

writing, and speaking. My role is to spark an interest and engagement with literature that will

inspire my students to appreciate and enjoy a life-long love of reading. In my project “Ideal

Literacy Classroom”, I describe in detail how I engage my students in learning the mechanics of

print while also instilling an appreciation for the art of literature. The literacy experience in my

classroom is supported by multi-sensory and meaningful literacy experiences exhibited through a

lens of Universal Design for Learning: multiple means of representation, multiple means of

expression, multiple means of engagement, and multiple means of assessment (Brand and

Dalton, 2012).

Instilling an enjoyment of and intrinsic motivation for reading is a primary objective in

my teaching practice. Student motivation in reading, as researched by Edmunds and Bauserman

(2006) is influenced by their intrinsic motivation, their environment, and the role of

models/collaborators (teachers, parents, and peers). My students are supported by a predictable

routine in direct instruction of key skills, which is followed by independent work time and

collaborative learning opportunities to practice, explore, and reinforce these skills. Nestled

within these components are opportunities for students to enjoy literature through read alouds,

colorful story books, listening stations, dramatic play activities, and literacy games.

In my classroom, I provide my students with opportunities to engage with literature

through relevant and engaging texts, music, and play that mirror complement the world in which

they participate (Hall, 2008). Students find value in reading comprehension strategies (e.g.,
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retelling, predicting, finding details, and organizing text) when they have authentic opportunities

to practice these skills through hands-on activities, art, and drama through cooperative learning

centers. In addition, we focus heavily on phonics with the support of our district curriculum. As

new phonics patterns are introduced through direct instruction, we practice listening for these

sounds, recognizing them in text, and writing them through targeted spelling practice and writing

activities. It is through this practice that I am able to check with students for understanding, and

differentiate practice opportunities as needed. In particular, struggling students are provided

additional listening and speaking opportunities to enhance phonemic awareness (Edelen-Smith,

1997), and then are guided toward identifying these sounds in print and in writing. Weekly

spelling words mirror the phonics pattern, and are assigned as homework. I have found this to

meet a valuable purpose, as parents have a view into the reading and writing skills that are being

taught during the school day.

Both summative and formative assessments are delivered throughout the school year, and the

outputs from these assessments are used to inform my day-to-day practice with my students.

Formative assessments such as conferring, listening in, observing, examining student work

samples, charting student thinking, and taking note of student reflections are utilized daily

(Miller, 2008). This authentic information provides a glimpse of how students are responding to

the information delivered in class, and allows me to personalize my teaching strategies to meet

the needs of my students. On a weekly basis, I review weekly phonics patterns through

clipboard checks, spelling assessments, and fluency passages. These data are tracked through the

gradebook where I can see trends in progress of key elements of phonics instruction and fluency

progress.

My objective as an educator is to support students in developing the skills and motivation

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necessary to enjoy all that literacy has to offer. Through phonics, writing, spelling, and

comprehension activities that engage students in a meaningful way, my students are active

participants in their study of literacy.

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REFERENCES

Brand, Susan M., Dalton, Elizabeth M., (2012) Universal Design for Learning: Cognitive Theory

into Practice for Facilitating Comprehension in Early Literacy. Forum on Public Policy

Online, v2012 n1. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ979433 on November 21,

2014.

Edmunds, K. M., & Bauserman, K. L., (2006). What teachers can learn about reading motivation

through conversations with children. The Reading Teacher, 59 (5), 414-424.

Edelen-Smith, P. How Now Brown Cow: Phoneme Awareness Activities for Collaborative

Classrooms. Intervention in School and Clinic. 33(2). 103-111.

Ferreiro, Emilia. (1991) Literacy Acquisition and the Representation of Language. In Early

Literacy: A Constructivist foundation for whole language. Kamii, C. Manning, M and

Manning, G. (Eds). National Education Association.

Hall, Nigel. (2008) Literacy, Play, and the Authentic Experience. In K.A.Roskos & J.F. Christie

(Eds.), Play and Literacy in Early Childhood: Research from Multiple Perspectives (pp.

169-184)

Miller, Debbie (2008), Teaching with Intention. Portsmouth,NH: Stenhouse Publishers.