2. Creating a Literate Classroom
Environment
The goal of literacy instruction is to teach students to be
strategic, capable readers and writers who can navigate
the textual world independently (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2010b).
Teachers integrate their foundational knowledge, effective
instructional strategies and methods, materials, and
appropriate use of assessments in order to create a
literate environment in the classroom (Standards 2010
Committee, 2010).
3. Components of Creating a
Literate Classroom Environment
Getting to Know Students as Literacy Learners
Selecting Texts
Teaching the Interactive Perspective
Teaching the Response and Critical
Perspectives
5. Getting to Know Students as
Literacy Learners
Assessment in the literacy classroom is an
important tool that teachers use in planning
appropriate, effective instruction for their
students.
It is crucial for teachers to assess both cognitive
aspects and noncognitive aspects of students’
literacy learning so they have a deep
understanding of their students as literate
individuals (Afflerbach, 2012).
6. Getting to Know Students as
Literacy Learners
Cognitive Aspects of Literacy
Learning
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Sight Word Recognition
Vocabulary Knowledge
Fluency
Comprehension
Noncognitive Aspects of Literacy
Learning
Motivation
Self-concept as Reader
Attitudes towards Reading
Reader Interests
Reader Attributions
7. Getting to Know Students as
Literacy Learners
Assessing Cognitive Aspects
Reading Inventories
Running Records
Questioning
Portfolio Assessment
Performance Assessment
Assessing Noncognitive Aspects
Student Surveys regarding:
Motivation to read
Self-concept as reader
Attitudes towards
reading and literacy
Questioning/Dialogue
8. Getting to Know Students as
Literacy Learners
Learning about the cognitive and noncognitive
aspects of literacy learning, as well as how to
assess both, has helped me to create a more
literate environment in my classroom. The insights
I have gained through assessing all aspects of my
students' literacy learning have allowed me to plan
more individualized, appropriate, and effective
literacy instruction for my students that will
hopefully foster in them both literacy skills and
positive attitudes towards literacy.
10. Selecting Texts
Teachers must consider the following when analyzing texts to
use for instruction:
Genre (to ensure a balance of narrative and informational texts in
literacy instruction)
Readability
Content Complexity
Vocabulary
Students’ Background Knowledge
Mode of relaying story or information (Linguistic or Visual)
(Laureate Education Inc., 2010)
11. Selecting Texts
Though I have always analyzed the texts that I use in my
literacy instruction, I now have more tools to use in my
analysis. I consider more than a text’s readability and content
when selecting appropriate and engaging texts to use with
my students. Dr. Hartman’s “literacy matrix” has helped me
to ensure that I am using a balance of texts in regards to
genre, text features, and modes by which authors relay their
story or information, whether it be linguistically or visually
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Also, I take into account my
students’ interests, as well as their background knowledge
when selecting texts to use in my literacy instruction. This
has helped me to create a literate classroom environment.
13. Teaching the Interactive
Perspective
The goal of teaching the interactive perspective is to
teach students to become strategic readers and writers
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c).
The interactive perspective is centered on the Five Pillars
of Literacy: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary,
fluency, and comprehension (Laureate Education Inc.,
2010d).
The interactive perspective teaches students how and
when to use the reading strategies they learn to
successfully read a text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c).
14. Teaching the Interactive
Perspective
I integrate the interactive perspective into my literacy
instruction daily. I do this by implementing different
instructional strategies, such as guided reading,
interactive read-alouds, and word ladders (Tompkins,
2010). Teaching the interactive perspective contributes
to creating a literate environment for my students in
that I provide my students with the skills and strategies
necessary for them to successfully read and
comprehend texts, and also teach them when and how
to use those skills to overcome obstacles they may
encounter in their reading.
16. Teaching the Critical and
Response Perspectives
The critical perspective teaches students to
read texts from multiple perspectives, analyze
texts, and make judgments about texts’ reliability
and validity (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).
The response perspective teaches students to
make emotional connections with texts and
gives them the ability to respond to texts in a
variety of ways (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).
17. Teaching the Critical and
Response Perspectives
I incorporate the critical perspective of literacy in my
literacy instruction in order to teach my students how to
analyze and evaluate texts. I do this by employing a
variety of instructional strategies, such as journals,
questioning the author, interactive read-alouds to
model asking questions while reading, and K-W-L
charts to encourage questioning while reading
(Tompkins, 2010). Teaching the critical perspective is
an essential component in creating a literate
environment that encourages students to be active,
critical readers, which is an important skill that they will
need beyond the classroom walls.
18. Teaching the Critical and
Response Perspectives
I apply many instructional strategies in my literacy
instruction that support my teaching of the response
perspective. These strategies include reading logs,
book reports, grand conversations and activities, such
as discussions and reflections, after interactive read-
alouds (Tompkins, 2010). In teaching the response
perspective, I create a more literate environment in
which students have the opportunity to reflect upon
texts they read, make connections with texts, and
respond to texts in a variety of ways.
19. References
Afflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment k-12. Newark,
Delaware: International Reading Association.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Analyzing and Selecting Texts
[Videowebcast].https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portalframeset.jsp
tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&rl%2Fwebap%2Fblackboar %2Fexecut
%2Flaunche%3Ftype%3DCourse26i%3D_2099672_1%26url%3D
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010b). Critical Perspective [Video
webcast]. https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecut
%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2652479_1%26url%3D
20. References contd.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010c). Interactive Perspective:
StrategicProcessiong [Video webcast]. https://class.waldenu.edu
webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url%2Fwebapp
%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftyp%3DCourse%26i
%3D_2652479_1%26url%3D
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010d). The Beginning Reader [Video
webcast].The Beginning Reader Retrieved from https:class.waldenu.edu
webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
Standards 2010 Committee. (2010). Standards for reading professionals---revised
2010. Retrieved from http://www.reading.orgGeneral/CurrentResearch
Standards
Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. (p. 6).
Boston,MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
