2. Today many teachers are asked to answer the
simple question: “What makes an effective
literate environment?”
This presentation will be showing you all the
components that I believe make up an effective
literate environment that all types of learners
inside a classroom.
I believe with getting to know your
learners, selecting appropriate texts, and using
the 3 perspectives of literacy:
interactive, critical, and responsive any classroom
can be a perfect literate environment.
4. As a teacher, it so important to know what kind of literacy learners make-
up the dynamic of students that you teach.
To help create a literate environment friendly for every type of reader a
great research-based strategy that works is: Conversations with your
Students. Having informal conversations with your students allow for you
to get an understanding of their attitudes towards reading, what books
they dislike/like, and this can help you to build lessons that are fun for
every individual student.
In the video, “Literacy Autobiographies”, the educators in the video talk
about the experiences that shape a literate person make up their literacy
autobiography. (Laureate Education Inc, 2008). With now doing research
on Conversations with Students; when you partake in this research-based
strategy you are working with a children to create a positive experience
for them to become a literate person; which in turn helps you to learn
what type of literacy learners you have in your classroom.
Reference: Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). The beginning reader. Baltimore: Literacy
Autobiographies. Retrieved from
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6489352&Survey=1&47=9844846&ClientNodeID=984650&co
ursenav=1&bhcp=1.
6. When selecting texts for a classroom, there are many components that a
teacher needs to think about. A teacher needs to think about the
group/selection of students who are going to be reading the text, the reading
capabilities of everyone in the group, and also the needs that students may
have when it comes to their reading development.
In the video, “Analyzing and Selecting Text”, Dr. Douglas Hartman explains the
Literacy Matrix as a tool that helps teachers choose books that fall into four
categories: narrative, informational, linguistic, and semiotic. (Laureate
Education Inc, 2008).
The research-based strategy of using the Literacy Matrix helps with selecting
books that are appropriate for every child in the classroom because its makes
sure that all the text in the classroom and that are being taught are different.
Children need a variety of text in their textual lineage and with using the
matrix it helps build a strong, literate environment.
Reference: Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). The beginning reader. Baltimore:
Analyzing and Selecting Text. Retrieved from
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6489352&Survey=1&47=9844846&ClientNodeID=
984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.
8. Using the interactive perspective is so important in creating a strong literate
environment. The interactive perspective involves students in their reading
experience as well as in their learning of next texts.
To help get students involved using the interactive perspective teachers may
use:
oPicture walks of books
oSmall lessons with students that have them interacting in some way with
the book.
oWorksheets/ or homemade activities where students build on what they
have learned through a text.
Using the story, “Tonight on Titanic” by Mary Pope Osborne, from the Magic
Tree House Book Series, I was able to create an interactive perspective
literacy lesson that focused on keeping the students engaged with the story.
Using examples of partner reading, shared reading, as well as individual
reading, the students were engaged throughout the entire lesson; showing
the importance of the interactive perspective of a literate environment.
Reference: Osborne, Pope, Mary. (1999). Magic Tree House Book Series. Tonight on
Titanic.
10. Using the critical and response perspectives, I was able to create a lesson that I felt
would fit in perfect with a effective, literate environment. Using the text, “Tonight
on Titantic” by Mary Pope Osborne, this time instead of using the interactive
perspective, students had to use the critical perspective where they examined the
text more closely, then used the response perspective where they responded to
the text they were reading.
In the video, “Critical Response”, Dr. Janice Almasi explains that children can
examine texts from multiple perspectives. (Laureate Education Inc, 2008). With this
said, using both of the critical and response perspectives is crucial in creating a
literature environment that benefits advanced readers, average
readers, benchmark readers, struggling readers, and lastly, transitional readers.
For a student to be able to take a text they have read and to examine it thoroughly
is giving that child the gift of knowing the importance of the “message” behind a
text. After a child has examined a text, it is important for them to respond to their
texts. This response can be done in while group with thumbs up/thumbs down, it
can be done with think-pair-share and sharing with a partner, or it can be done
with responses in their journals that are collected by the teacher.
Reference: Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). The beginning reader. Baltimore: Critical
perspective. Retrieved from
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6489352&Survey=1&47=9844846&ClientNodeID=984650&co
ursenav=1&bhcp=1.
