2. Getting to know my literacy learners I take a lot of time to get to know my students as readers, writers and listeners. Use cognitive and noncognitive assessments to help me gain an in-depth knowledge of my literacy learners. Dr. Peter Afflerbach states, it is imperative that effective educators are adept at administering and interrupting information and can then use it for instructional purposes (Laureate Education Inc., 2010) Discover and nurture my students interests by finding out what motivates them as readers. I create many opportunities to get to know my students. Support their literacy autobiography. Dr. Janet Almasi discusses that by getting to know your students it is easier to plan instruction (Laureate Education Inc., 2010)
3. Selecting Texts Literacy Matrix – assists in balancing texts from narrative to informational and linguistic (word oriented) to semiotic (messages through pictures). The matrix also helps me to see if my literature choices fit with my goals (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a). I know my students as well as the variety of reading materials available. I meet with the Library/media specialist and Language Arts Resource Teacher (LART) regularly. Use informational texts in my classroom to support narrative stories. Dr. Susan Neuman is an advocate for introducing informational texts to young readers (Laureate Education Inc., 2010b) . Be enthusiastic! Dr. Richard Vacca (2003) states the thing that sets literature based classrooms apart from traditional classrooms is that the teachers are enthusiastic about children’s literature.
4. Interactive Perspective Teaching students how to read I use a selection of assessments to determine areas of strengths and areas students need to work on. Actively teach students to be strategic readers and writers using the skills and strategies they will need to become successful lifelong readers. Model ‘what good readers do’ and use creative ideas to help students build up their repertoire of strategies Differentiation of instruction is essential to scaffold student learning. Initially supported in their instruction, students develop and are able to be metacognitive in using strategies independently. Dr. Katherine Stahl (2004) discusses that children who practice strategies such as predicting, summarizing and questioning will habituate them and transfer them to other appropriate settings independently.
