2. 1. The Learner
2. Text Selection
3. Literacy Perspectives
• Interactive
• Critical
• Response
To Create a Literate Environment
a Teacher Must Consider:
4. Literate Children:
1. Started reading very early in life
2. Have had experiences with print and the world (prior
knowledge)
3. Have developed oral language
4. Are active participants in learning
5. Were read to as small children
6. Interact with responsive adults about text
7. Talk about books with others
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Perspectives on early literacy [Video file]. Retrieved from [https://class.waldenu.edu]
Getting to Know Literacy Learners
5. Getting to Know Literacy Learners
To begin understanding the whole learner, teachers should look at
cognitive and noncognitive aspects of literacy development for
each student
Cognitive Aspects
• Reading Level
• Fluency
• Comprehension
• High Frequency Words
• Spelling and Writing
Noncognitive Aspects
• Interests
• Learning Styles
• Values
• Self- Concept
• Attitudes
Afflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment, K-12. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
6. Getting to Know Literacy Learners
Assessing cognitive and noncognitive aspects helps the teacher
determine the needs of each student and enables them to connect
students with texts that will have an impact on their learning and
desire to read. These are some assessments that can be used.
Cognitive Assessments
• Reading Inventories
• Sight Word Assessment
• Running Record
• Developmental Reading
Assessment (DRA)
• Dynamic Indicators of
Basic Early Literacy
(DIBELS
Noncognitive Assessments
• Elementary Reading
Attitude Survey (ERAS)
• Interest Survey
• Literacy Biographies
• Conferences
Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.).
Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
7. Getting to Know Literacy Learners
How I Got to Know my Learners
Through a Reading Inventory (cognitive assessment) I was able to
determine that some students were:
• Having trouble decoding words
• Confusing short and long vowel sounds
• Guessing unfamiliar and familiar words based on the first
letter of a word
• Not fully comprehending the text
The assessment results demonstrated a need for more instruction
in decoding strategies, reinforcement lessons of vowel sound
identification strategies, and support in using comprehension
strategies.
Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
8. Getting to Know Literacy Learners
How I Got to Know my Learners
Through the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (noncognitive
assessment) I was able to determine how my students value reading
and how they view themselves as readers. While many students
indicated that they enjoy reading and view themselves as good
readers, there were some students who indicated they:
• Do not like any kind of reading
• Do not enjoy reading fiction
• Do not like to read at home
• Do not feel they are good readers
Further conversation was needed with some children to
understand the reasons behind their answers. Through these
conversations I was able to identify ways to increase motivation
through text selection.
McKenna, M. C., & Kear, D.J. (1990). Measuring attitude toward reading: A new tool for teachers. The Reading Teacher, 43(9),
626-639.
10. Selecting Text
One important factor
to consider when
choosing text for
instruction is genre or
type. One tool that is
useful in selecting text
is the Literacy Matrix.
By mapping text on
the matrix, teachers
can monitor the type
of text they are using.
Camp, D. (2000). It takes two: Teaching with twin texts of fact and fiction. The Reading Teacher, 53(5), 400-408.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010a). Analyzing and selecting text [Video file]. Retrieved from [https://class.waldenu.edu]
Linguistic (word oriented)
Semiotic (picture oriented)
InformationalNarrative
11. Selecting Text
Another factor to consider when choosing text is the level of
difficulty. Teachers should consider:
• Readability
Sentence Length
Number of Syllables
Concept Density (some words related to subject may be too difficult)
• Text Length
• Text Structure
Informational
Descriptive
Cause/Effect
Problem/Solution
Compare/Contrast
Poetry
• Size of Print
• Visual Support (pictures and diagrams)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010a). Analyzing and selecting text [Video file]. Retrieved from [https://class.waldenu.edu]
12. Selecting Text
How I Selected Text for my Students
I chose text based on the needs of students. From the reading inventory I gave to
students I was able to determine what difficulty level text each student needed.
Based on the student interest surveys I conducted I determined a high interest in
informational texts with real photographs. Using the data from my assessments I
selected the following texts to use with several students during guided reading
for a unit on oceans:
Pebblego
(http://www.pebblego.co
m) is an online
informational text for
young children.
Informational
and Narrative
Text
Informational and
Semiotic Text
Semiotic and
Narrative Text
14. Interactive Perspective
GOAL: To help students become independent
strategic readers and writers
Instruction is
threaded through
the five pillars of
reading instruction
and tied to writing:
1. Phonemic Awareness
2. Phonics
3. Fluency
4. Comprehension
5. Vocabulary
6. Writing
Five Pillars + Writing
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Interactive perspective: Strategic Processing [Video file]. Retrieved from[https://class.waldenu.edu]
15. Interactive Perspective
Through the Interactive Perspective Students Learn to
become Strategic and Metacognitive while Reading by:
• Choosing the best and most effective strategy for the
text
• Using different strategies for narrative and informational
text
• Setting a purpose for text
• Reflecting
• Self Regulating
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Interactive perspective: Strategic Processing [Video file]. Retrieved from[https://class.waldenu.edu]
16. Interactive Perspective
How I Taught the Interactive Perspective
• Through Reading Inventories and Sight Word Assessments
students showed a need in reinforcement in discerning between
short vowel sounds and long vowel combinations in words and
reading comprehensions skills.
• Using words from the text Ocean Life, Students worked on
sight word skills using short and long vowel words in a sorting
activity.
• Using the text Ocean Life, students practiced the visual imagery
strategy in which they create a mental image of a sentence and
determined whether or not it made sense. They monitored their
use of the strategy by placing a sticky note in the book at points
where the strategy was used.
18. Critical and Response Perspectives
Critical Goals – Students will:
•: Examine text from multiple perspectives
• Think critically about text
• Evaluate text
• Judge text validity
• Judge text veracity
Response Goals – Students will:
• Learn from text in a personal and emotional way
• Connect with text in a personal and emotional way
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Response perspective [Video file]. Retrieved from[https://class.waldenu.edu]
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Critical Perspective[Video file]. Retrieved from[https://class.waldenu.edu]
19. Critical and Response Perspectives
How I Taught the Critical and Response Perspectives
• Students were taught how to use the subtext strategy in which
the reader interprets the thoughts and feelings of the
characters in the story.
• Students used the strategy to infer the feelings and
thoughts of the characters in the book Tough Boris. This
book was chosen because it includes little text and very
expressive pictures.
• Students recorded their reflections of the characters in their
response journal
• This activity was effective because it allowed students to
engage in an experience applicable to real life.
Clyde, J. A. (2003). Stepping inside the story world: The subtext strategy – a tool for connecting and comprehending. The Reading Teacher,
57(2), 150-160.
20. Feedback:
1. What insights did you gain about literacy and literacy
instruction from viewing this presentation?
2. How might the information presented change your
literacy practices and/or your literacy interactions with
students?
3. 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?
4. What questions do you have?
