Reflection

I came in to Theories and Strategies for Developing Literacy unsure of how to provide students support with what I view as one of the greatest tasks of elementary education – learning to read. I had not realized that as adults we have internalized but do not openly perform and model the strategies and skills required for fluency and comprehension. It is the teacher's role to pinpoint and articulate these methods, modeling them to students and giving the students ample opportunities for practice. Through the use of minilessons students are introduced to a variety of decoding, fluency, and comprehension techniques that they can then practice, internalize, and decide what works best for them. Minilessons aim to decrease the teacher led classroom that once predominated the educational landscape. In lieu of teacher dominated instruction students are spending more time on their own work and thought processes, more time reading, and more time writing. Less teacher instruction fosters collaboration on the part of the students making them active participants in their own education. I did not know about the strong push towards student choice, but it struck a chord with me and I would like to know how to implement it in other content areas as well. Choice imparts responsibility as the student chooses their own books, their own writing, and finds in time their own interests. It is the teacher's role to facilitate student's comprehension skills, fluency, and vocabulary.

After taking Theories and Strategies for Developing Literacy and reading Tompkin's Literacy for the 21^st Century: A Balanced Approach my literacy goals have become much more cohesive and inclusive of all students. Creating literate students that can read and write and recognize the many needs of both, such as communication, information, or enjoyment is still my overall goal. However, I have realized that the path to the end goal is different for each student. The roadblocks that each student will have to cross are going to vary greatly. Through this class I now know how to assist children in clearing these barriers. Through assessment and observation I can pinpoint the areas that a student struggles and include lessons and activities teaching strategies to help students in their trouble areas. Differentiation allows me to help groups of students that are having similar problems, allowing students to get the exact help that they need, not a blanket solution that will help some and bore others.

With the strategies and skills needed to teach children literacy my personal goal for the future is to be flexible. Despite all of the plans and best practices in textbooks and in my head, I have to do what works for my students at that given time. When something is not going as planned and the students are not getting what they need, I have many new strategies, skills, and approaches to adopt. My goal is to have the malleability, ingenuity, and determination that makes a teacher not just a good teacher, but a great teacher. 

Classroom Layout

My Dream Classroom, via the classroom builder at classroom.4teachers.org

 While some aspects of the elementary grades classroom look as they always have, there are several key changes that I will implement as a teacher. Less focus is spent on teacher lecture time, therefore the classroom is not wholly positioned to point to the front of the classroom. I would like small group work to occur frequently and without transition time, therefore desks that have been placed into blocks of four desks conveniently form a group. Checking in with each table to ensure that they are understanding a concept moves much faster than moving desk by desk. This arrangement also allows for peer scaffolding.

The after classroom allows students to focus on the educational material, such as the globe. 

One of the key components of classroom layout is making the area feel productive yet warm and inviting. Loud colors, posters on every wall, and glaring fluorescent lighting caused me to have headaches and become easily distracted in my own education. It is interesting to note that we choose not to decorate our homes, offices, restaurants, or other buildings in the way that we see many elementary classrooms. My goal as a teacher is to create a bright, inviting, and comfortable classroom that cuts down on distractions and visual overstimulation. Natural colors and fibers, plants, and covered organizers can create an atmosphere that is exciting and enthusiastic, not anxious and hectic. Bulletin boards and word walls will consist of information that is created and utilized by students. To enhance the 'classroom community' environment I plan to take pictures of the students reading, working in groups, giving presentations, etc, and display them in frames around the classroom. At the end of each year I will have an album of my students, as well as a great way for students to see how much they have progressed!

This is a very organized and accessible classroom library.

The classroom library and read aloud area is going to be an area that is used often and I would like for it to be the highlight of the classroom. Children can choose from hundreds of titles, each color coded according to reading level. Children will get to choose their 'book of the month' and write a short review of the book to go in our 'Book of the month' bookcase that will display their selections on bookstands to build interest and tell others of the books they enjoyed the most. The library/read aloud area offers many places for students to sit comfortably while they read or listen and the students can choose what lighting works best for them with the window over the sofa providing lots of light and the smaller lamps in the corner providing softer lighting.

Guided reading area area via Reading Resource

The guided reading area will feature six seats for the students and a seat for myself. Each group will have a storage area for their differentiated readings and lessons. This will make guided reading transitions smoother than if these materials were left at the students desks. The guided reading area is set away from the computer area and classroom library to avoid disruptions from students at other literacy centers as well as to provide the students at guided reading with a sense of privacy. The teacher's chair at the guided reading table is set slightly higher and faces the rest of the class to allow for an unblocked view of the entire classroom to ensure students are on task. The teacher desk provides an area for grading and lesson planning before and after school as well as during planning time. Two accordion files labeled 'To be graded' and 'To pass back' allow me to easily slip students completed work folders into the files to grade at my desk or at home. 

My layout puts the focus less on the teacher and more on small group work. Several theorists such as Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner, Bandura, and Chomsky consider much of the learning process a social process (Tracy & Morrow, 2006). Creating opportunities for students to synthesize and discuss ideas, share opinions, and teach other will further their learning process more than a teacher ever could by lecturing for that same amount of time. By properly balancing whole class instruction, small group instruction, and individual work and consistently monitoring the needs and wants of the class, instruction can meet all students instead of the student having to meet the instruction.

References

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

Tracy, D., & Morrow, L. (2006). Lenses on reading: An introduction to theories and models. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Fourth Grade Literacy Schedule

Ms. Jones' 4^th Grade Daily Schedule

• 7:40 – 8:00 School starts. DOL/Morning meeting (Roll, lunch count)
• 8:00 – 9:25 Math
• 9:25 – 9:30 Restroom break
• 9:30 – 10:00 Special areas (art, computer, music)
• 10:00 – 11:00 Guided reading + centers
  • Center 1: Guided reading with teacher. (20 minutes)
    • Guided Reading schedule:
      • Discussion/APK
      • Minilesson
      • Guided reading
      • Implementation of strategy or skill taught in minilesson
  • Center 2: Vocabulary/Spelling games or worksheets (20 minutes)
  • Center 3: Reading skills and comprehension (making inferences, fact vs opinion, etc) (20 minutes)
• 11:00 – 11:20 Lunch
• 11:20 – 11:40 Recess
• 11:40 – 12:00 Read Aloud
• 12:00 – 1:00 Writing Workshop/Journaling
  • Writer's Workshop schedule:
    • Minilesson
    • Writing (30 - 40 minutes)
    • Conferencing/sharing
• 1:00 – 1:10 Restroom break
• 1:10 – 2:10 Science/Social Studies (day rotation)
• 2:10 – 2:15 Homework folders and clean up
• 2:15 – 2:40 SSR (Fridays – Book discussion group)
• 2:40 Dismissal

Rationale

Literacy instruction will begin each day with guided reading and center time. Students will receive 20 minutes of small group instructional time from the teacher. Each group will have their own specific text that correlates to their guided reading ability. “At the heart of the learning process is the child’s ability to use a gradient of difficulty in texts by which he can pull himself up by his bootstraps: texts which allow him to practice and develop the full range of strategies which he does control, and by problem-solving new challenges, reach out beyond his present control.” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2010), guided reading provides the means to offer children challenging texts. Students will learn fluency and comprehension strategies in minilessons and then get the chance to use the strategies themselves while reading the text. Centers will focus on areas of student weakness, with groups receiving their specific reading level or activities. The vocabulary station will feature activities such as finding and using multiple meanings of words, homophone, antonym, synonym, and homonym games, word sorts, exploring figurative meanings, as well as word-study activities. The reading skills and comprehension center will focus on strengthening students comprehension strategies (as well as test taking strategies) by having the students focus on short passages and using comprehension activities and skills such as inferencing, text connections, questioning the author, visualizing, setting a purpose, determining importance, and many more.

Following their break the students will get a chance to unwind and listen to a slightly above reading level book during read aloud time. Read aloud also offers the teacher opportunities for modeling strategies and think alouds. Read Alouds benefit students by hearing more complex text in context and allowing students that may be struggling with fluency to work on comprehension skills such as visualizing. After the read aloud students participate in 'writer's workshop'. Writer's workshop will begin the school year with assigned topics with more choice and less rules slowly given over time. This will orientate the fourth grader from the more structured third grade to the larger amount of writing freedom they are allowed in the fifth grade. Minilessons in writing will be taught at the beginning of the lesson and writing for that day should utilize the strategy used. Individual conferencing will be conducted at a designated time for each student following the drafting step. This will allow the teacher to focus on a students writing and offer individualized and differentiated goals and instruction. Designated conference times also provides students with a deadline. At the end of writer's workshop students that have reached the 'publishing' stage can share their works in the 'author's chair'. Journaling will provide a break in between writer's workshop assignments and allow for more 'free write' time. During journaling the student will spend the hour writing from their choice of several prompts and can write as much as they want without having to prewrite, edit, or publish. 

For the last thirty minutes of the day all students will participate in sustained silent reading (SSR) with a book of their choice. This practice builds intrinsic motivation by providing the student with choice as well as fostering the students personal vocabulary, interests, and educational goals. It is important for the teacher to spend this time on reading to model reading behavior and also provides the teacher an opportunity to share and introduce books to the class on book discussion Friday. On Fridays students will be able to talk about the books that they have read or been reading in small groups. This will help other students choose books that appeal to them as well as provide students an opportunity to reflect and critique the books that they have read.

References

Fountas, G. S., & Pinnell, I. C. (2010). Research base for guided reading as an instructional approach. Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/guidedreading

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

Resources:

Center Activities From the Florida Center for Reading Research   

Bloom's Taxonomy Cards for Guided Reading Instruction

SSR Time Signs from Teach123

Read Aloud Lesson Plan - Poppy

Poppy by AVI

Chapter 18 – The Battle

Read Aloud

Standards:

RL 4.6: Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated.

RL 4.3. Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

Objective: The student will compose a two page narrative from Mr. Ocax's first person perspective.

Materials:

• Poppy by AVI

• Pencil

• Paper

• Editing pen

Procedures:

1. TTW ask the students what has happened so far in the book.
2. TTW introduce the term point-of-view.
   1. Point-of-view: The perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a narrative or presents information.
   2. First person point-of-view: A story told by a character using the pronoun I or we.
   3. Third-person point-of-view: A story told by a narrator that uses the pronouns he, she, or it but never I or we.
3. TTW ask whose point-of-view AVI is telling Poppy from.
   1. Her own? That would be first person and would include 'I', is I used? Let's listen and see.
   2. The author? How does he know what Poppy thinks?
4. TTW read chapter 18, 'The Battle'
5. TTW ask, “What does sneer mean again?” (pg. 143).
6. TTW say, “It looks like 'I' or 'we' is not used in the book, but the narrator is definitely telling the story from Poppy's perspective.”
7. TTW stop at the page of 146 and have the class close their eyes and ask, “Anonymous vote: Who do you think will win the battle? Mr. Ocax? Poppy? I'm not sure who will win, but it looks like Mr. Ocax is bigger and stronger, but I really want Poppy to win and help her family. Let's keep reading and see if our predictions are right.”
8. TTW stop on page 149 and say, “When Poppy is telling herself to “Let go!” I really can visualize and imagine how she felt, has anyone ever crashed their bike but couldn't let go of the handlebars? I imagine Poppy having that same feeling.”
9. TTW ask the students if anyone knows what 'ignominiously' means and respond, “I didn't either. I wrote the word down on a post it that I keep next to me while reading and looked the word up in my dictionary after. It means 'disgracefully, or dishonorably'.”
10. At the end of the chapter, TTW ask, “were your predictions right? I was really shocked that Mr. Ocax died, I thought maybe they could work out their problems. What did you guys think?”
    1. Students will discuss their predictions and what they thought of the chapter.
11. TTW introduce the Mr. Ocax perspective assignment.
    1. “Now that you know what happens to Mr. Ocax, I want us to get acquainted with different points of view by putting ourselves in Mr. Ocax's shoes (or talons). You are going to write a story from the point of view of Mr. Ocax. I want you to write in first person, meaning that you will use 'I' and it will be told as if you are Mr. Ocax. You can write about the whole story or choose a specific scene. Either way, it will need to be at least two pages. Maybe he was an evil mastermind, or maybe he was just very misunderstood! Be sure that it follows a similar sequence of events as the book. Get started on your paper by using your favorite brainstorming method to put yourself in character. Then we'll get started on our rough drafts.”
12. TSW go to their desks and begin the prewriting stage of their Mr. Ocax point of view narrative.
13. TTW hand out the point-of-view paper rubric.
14. TSW write the rough draft of their narrative. 
15. The students will form writing workshop groups to proofread and share rough drafts. Students will continue work on their draft and submit their final paper on the following day. 

Assessment:

Formative:

1. Comprehension gauged during discussion though teacher observations.

Summative:

1. Rubric for Mr. Ocax point-of-view paper will be given to students and papers will be scored according to rubric.

References:

AVI. (2005). Poppy. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Guided Reading Lesson Plan - Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Chapter 8 - The TV Star

Guided Reading

Standards:

RL 4:

1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

RF 4:

3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

a. Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. 

a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Objective: The student will compose a summary of chapter 8 of the book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing using the someone/wanted/but/so then strategy.

Materials:

• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (6)
• Chart Paper
• Flip chart markers
• Someone/wanted/but/so then worksheets (6)
• Pencils (6)

Teachers note: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a Q level text for the 'on grade level' group. Inferences, providing textual evidence, and creating text connections are featured in this lesson, with the main focus of the lesson on summarizing. Each chapter provides a 'Someone/wanted/but/so then' scenario. The end of book focus will be on sequencing with students mapping out the order of the book.

Procedures:

Before the Reading:

1. TTW introduce the chapter by initiating a small group discussion.
   1. “What has happened so far in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing?” (APK)
      1. The last thing they might mention is that Peter got a latch on his door, TTW ask if the students think that will keep Fudge out of trouble.
   2. “This chapter is called 'The TV Star' can anyone make an inference about what might happen in this chapter?”
      1. TTW write down several inferences for the students to remember while reading.
   3. “What do we know about Peter's father so far in the book?”
      1. Possible answers: He works a lot, not around much.
      2. T: “Exactly. So far in the story it has really only been Peter and his mother trying to keep Fudge's crazy antics under control. In the next two chapters though, Fudge and Peter will be watched by their father when their mother goes out of town.”
2. TTW introduce the “Somebody...Wanted...But...So then” chart. This establishes purpose for reading.

During the reading:

3. TSW read quietly Chapter 8 of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, stopping at page 90.
4. TTW observe the students reading, providing help as students read.
5. TTW ask the students once they reach page 90 what they think the 'Somebody' is and what they 'wanted'.
6. TTW ask the student at page 90 what they infer the 'But' will be.
   1. Anticipated answer: Fudge will misbehave in some way.
   2. TTW write the student responses on chart paper.
7. TSW read quietly the rest of chapter 8
8. TTW listen to student reading, providing support.

After the reading:

9. TSW complete the Somebody... chart.
10. TTW lead a discussion about the chapter inferences.
    1. TTW ask: Did the students predict the chapter correctly? If so, where did they realize they were correct in the text? If not, where did they realize their predictions were incorrect? (Supporting with textual evidence)
11. TTW lead a discussion reviewing the Somebody... chart.
    1. What did the students put for their answers? At what point in the text did you find the information? (Textual evidence)
    2. TSW identify pieces of the text that they realized their inference was supported or unsupported.
    3. “What have you noticed about the 'So then' part of our charts?”
       1. Anticipated answer: Peter always solves the problem. (Text-to-text connection)
    4. “Do you think it's right that Peter always has to help the adults with Fudge? If you were Peter would you do the same? Or do you sometimes have to do the same thing Peter has to do with your younger siblings?” (Text-to-self connection)

Assessment:

1. Formative assessment:
   1. Observe students comprehension assessment through recall ability.
   2. Fluency assessment through quiet reading of the chapter.
   3. In-reading comprehension assessment through mid-chapter inference check and summary questions.
2. Summative assessment:
   1. 'Someone' worksheet graded for completion and checked for understanding.

References:

Blume, J. (1972). Tales of a fourth grade nothing. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Griffin, S., & Appel, K. (n.d.). Guided reading: Lesson plans, tips, and strategies for guided reading. Retrieved from http://www.readingresource.net/guidedreading.html

Philosophy of Teaching: Literacy

I developed a love for reading and writing at an early age from a very supportive family that assisted in my literary development. Reading came easily to me and I could get absorbed in what I was reading, and my reading habit was supported by my mother and father purchasing books and taking me to the library frequently. I now realize how lucky I was to have the support and mutual interest that fostered my growth as a lifelong reader. I know that many students struggle to read and write fluently and that this can hinder their ability to enjoy reading and reading may be a frustrating and stressful endeavor to them. As a teacher I will strive to develop student's reading fluency so that they can develop an interest in reading and writing. Through the use of literary strategy and sound pedagogy I plan to help students grow in their own individual ways and foster their unique reading and writing talents.

I plan to keep up on the newest research on how to facilitate learning by researching methods that may feel outdated or are not working in my classroom. Lev Vygotsky's theory of Zone of Proximal Development, however, will begin as my basis for lesson differentiation and scaffolding (Tracy & Morrow, 2006). Hovering in the zone of proximal development between independence and frustration happens naturally for some students as the curriculum becomes more difficult, but for all students a teacher must assess where the child is and where they can then go from there. The Zone of Proximal Development allows me as a teacher to assess where a student currently is, where I want them to be, and how I can get a student to where I want them to be from using what they currently know. By continuing to work in the ZPD by properly differentiating class work and presenting to students work that is not too easy or too hard, I can best develop and refine the greatest amount of skills in the short school year that we have together.

I would like students to advance to the best of their ability, but I know I have to combat feelings of frustration and stress that can occur in the learning process. These feelings can be prevented by implementing the approach of balanced literacy instruction. The balanced literacy approach allows students several benefits. While some students may do best with inquiry learning, group projects, or teacher focused lessons, no one method is best for all students. In the balanced literacy approach the teacher introduces a concept with a short instructional lesson (often called a minilesson) and then gradually moves control of the learning process from the teacher to the learner (Tompkins, 2010). This provides students with the benefits of teacher modeling as well as independent practice within a short frame of time, as skills are best practiced just after they are taught and observed. 

My last, but most important belief is to keep the education process fun for the learner by providing choice, recognizing them as a unique individual in the classroom community and planning lessons that incorporate shared experiences. With the use of guided instruction and peer instruction it is crucial to establish a “community of learners” where students learn from the teacher but also from other students (Tompkins, 2010). To create a strong sense of community in the classroom it is vital to emphasize and teach responsibility, friendship, and conflict resolution. It is important that all of the students see themselves as learners, contributors, and beneficiaries of the classroom community. As Bandura proposes in the socio-cultural theory of learning, teachers can incorporate a student's culture and in turn allow the child to feel better understood and for the other students to understand and appreciate the student as a unique member of the community (Tracy & Morrow, 2006).

I believe that students can enhance their visualization and comprehension of a story by choosing stories that provide strong text-to-self, text-to-world, or text-to-text connections. Giving students a choice in book selection can allow students to choose texts that they feel they may have a connection with, giving them a degree of freedom and responsibility. I'm a strong believer in the role of sustained silent reading as a way for a teacher to foster student's intrinsic interest in reading (Tompkins, 2010, p. 226). Along with incorporating children's unique cultural experiences, children can form a stronger community by having shared experiences, which can provide entertainment, but also give children prior knowledge before reading a similarly themed book or writing in a journal. When students might not be able to make a text connection, it is important that a teacher try to establish one by introducing an element of the story to share with the class, whether it is a tangible item, supporting text, or an authentic experience. 

I believe that it is most important for a student to make a connection to their reading and writing and in that connection to see its usefulness in their own lives. Writing allows a student to use their imagination to create their own world and characters, or to express their thoughts or feelings, or to communicate with others. It is important for these young authors to view their written work as viable and publishing children's work and having them read other published student work has become incredibly easy thanks to student publishing websites.

By making learning a social process through the incorporation of teacher and student modeling, guided instruction, group learning, and treating the classroom as a community I am hoping to move from the role of a teacher into the role of a knowledgeable facilitator.

References

Tracy, D., & Morrow, L. (2006). Lenses on reading: An introduction to theories and models. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

 

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