1. Literate Environment Analysis
By Kimberly Dunne
Walden University
EDUC 6706: The Beginning Reader PreK-3
Instructor: Jean Morrison

2. Creating a Literate
Environment
Literacy is a process that begins in infancy and continues into
adulthood, if not throughout life (Tompkins, 2010, p. 11).
Getting to Know Literacy Learners
Selecting Texts
Literacy Lesson: Interactive Perspective
Literacy Lesson: Critical and Response
Perspective

3. I. Getting to Know Literacy Learners
Initially, teachers can get to know their
students strengths and areas in need of
improvement through formal and informal
reading assessments.
 Cognitive Assessments (i.e. Developmental Reading
Assessment) identifies students’ independent, instructional,
and frustration reading abilities (Afflerbach, 2012). This
information is used to design lessons that meet the specific
needs of students within a diverse classroom.
 Noncognitive Assessments (i.e Interest Inventories,
Motivation to Read Profile) provide educators with
information about students’ attitudes towards reading, their
likes and dislikes, and special interest areas that will aide
when selecting texts for a variety of students.

4. I. Getting to Know Literacy Learners
(cont.)
 “Teachers who make use of reading inventories are given
an assortment of information about their students’ literacy
likes and dislikes, as well as reading performance and
growth” (Afflerbach, 2012)
 It is the educator’s responsibility to ensure that the literacy
environment fosters a student’s growth in their literacy
skills (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).
 “Assessment that helps us understand and appreciate the
diverse growth that students experience and the reading
challenges they face must be a priority in the classroom”
(Afflerbach, 2012).

5. II. Selecting Texts
It is essential to choose appropriate texts to use within the
classroom for instruction as well as independent reading. The
right text helps students’ to grasp what is being presented and
read. Students eventually shift from learning to read to
reading to learn. In order to gain and construct meaning from
text, it must meet the interest and instructional levels of the
students.
The Literacy Matrix is a useful tool to use when selecting text
for lessons and individual students:
Linguistic (words)
Narrative Informational
Semiotic (pictures)

6. II. Selecting Text (cont.)
 Research shows that students who are
exposed to a selection of texts at an early age
will show development at a more rapid rate
in obtaining literacy skills (Tompkins, 2010).
 When selecting text, teachers must consider
length, readability, and structure to ensure
that it is appropriate and accessible to a
group of learners (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b)

7. III. Interactive Perspective of
Literacy
 Teaches students how to read and be strategic
processors of information.
 Goal is to improve students’ metacognitive skills, or
how they think about what they are reading (Tompkins,
2010).
 Students must be taught comprehension strategies as
well as basic reading and decoding skills in order to
become well-rounded and successful readers.
 Strategic processing consists of:
Phonics
Phonemic Awareness
Fluency
Comprehension
Vocabulary

8. III. Interactive Perspective of Literacy
(cont.)
*Activity #1: Used the informational text, Oil Spill! (Berger, 1994), to
demonstrate to students how to use post-it notes to record their thinking
about the text. Modeled how to record wonderings, reactions, and any
other thoughts/questions about the text in order to monitor how they
were thinking about what they were reading.
*Activity #2: Students independently read the narrative text, Oliver and
the Oil Spill (Chandrasekhar, 1991), to practice decoding and fluency skills
as well as record their thinking on post-it notes. Students were
individually selected to read aloud a page or two to check for word
accuracy and understanding.
*Activity #3: Web exploration of National Geographic Kids site to
research additional information on oil spills and their effects on wildlife.
Students were given the opportunity to view videos, photos, and text.
The text-speech feature was enabled so that the students could access
fully access the content.

9. IV.Critical and Response Perspective of
Literacy
 The purpose of critical perspective of literacy learning
is to challenge students to think deeply about they
read. Students learn to apply critical thinking to
validate the text (Laureate Education Inc., 2011c).
 The purpose of the response perspective of literacy
learning is to allow students the opportunity to
interact and transact with the text to actively engage
with the reading experience (Laureate Education Inc., 2010c).
 Response to text can take many forms such as
journaling, dramatic reenactment, and art.

10. IV.Critical and Response Perspective of Literacy
(cont.)
*Activity #1: Students revisited a familiar text from the previous week,
Oliver and the Oil Spill. While reading the text, they completed a
Bookmark activity and choose an interesting and confusing part, an
important word in the text, and text feature that helped them understand
the book better. They had the chance to share with their bookmarks and
thinking with their peers.
*Activity #2: Students used the text, Oliver and the Oil Spill, to
determine Theme. The 6 themes that second graders closely study were
presented and reviewed. The students worked collaboratively to
determine one(s) was contained in the text. They had to provide
examples from the story to support their decisions.
*Activity #3: Students returned to the National Geographic website to
explore children’s blogs about oil spills. They had the chance to respond
to a blog.

11. References
Afflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment, K–12 (2nd ed).
Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Berger, M. (1994). Oil spill. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Chandrasekhar, A. (1991). Oliver and the oil spill. Kansas City, MO: Landmark Editions,
Inc.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Getting to know your students. The
Beginning Reader Prek-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Analyzing and selecting text. The
Beginning Reader Prek-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011c). Critical and response perspective. The
Beginning Reader Prek-3. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.).
Boston: Allyn & Bacon.