This document summarizes a literacy environment analysis conducted by Melinda Bratton at Walden University. It discusses the importance of teachers getting to know individual student's strengths and needs through reading inventories and assessments. The analysis focused on gaining insights into students' reading motivation and abilities through cognitive and non-cognitive assessments at the beginning of the year. Through this research, the author learned to select texts that are appropriate to students' literacy levels, interests, and backgrounds to best support their learning. Literacy lessons incorporated reading aloud, working in small groups, asking questions to check comprehension, and promoting critical reading and personal responses. The goal is for students to become independent literacy learners.

1. Literacy Environment Analysis
Melinda Bratton
Walden University
Phyllis McCully
EDUC-6706R-4
The Beginning Reader, Pre-K-3

2. Getting to know literacy learners, P-
3
Accomplished reading teachers are
continually updating their ideas about
students’ strengths and needs, and
reading inventory results offer an
opportunity to add rich and detailed
information to a teacher’s conceptions of
individuals students (Afflerbach, 2012).

3. Getting to know literacy learners,
P-3
Analysis: The information that I gained from
the beginning readers allowed me the
insight as to why it is important for the
teacher to get to know the students and
their interests. Through these
assessments it allowed me to understand
the motivation or lack of motivation
students have for reading. Reading
inventories offer rich information from
which we infer students’ reading strengths
and challenges (Afflerbach, 2012).

4. Getting to know literacy learners, P-
3
Through my research I have expanded the
information that I can gain from the beginning of
the year. The cognitive assessments of KRA-L
and the AimsWeb I gained a strong foundational
start. Non-cognitive assessment of observations
and interviews I learned more about my students
interests to help me chose books of interest to
them. The goal of reading is the construction of
meaning, and an assessment that allows us to
better understand the processes by which
student readers construct meaning is valuable
(Afflerbach, 2012).

5. Selecting Texts
• Analysis: Through this research I have
learned that not all text is for all students.
They need to be paired based on the
appropriate text for them on their level. Dr.
Almasi suggests that are several
considerations that I must make before
selecting text, these include readability,
length of the text, and the text structure
(Laureate Education, 2012).

6. Selecting Texts
• Research: Students must be exposed to
various texts. Some examples are
informational, narrative, linguistic, or
semiotic. I have learned what text best
supported the learning styles through
consideration of their literacy levels, their
interests, and family backgrounds.

7. Literacy Lesson: Interactive
Perspective
• Analysis:The ultimate goal of the
interactive perspective is to teach children
how to be literate learners who can
navigate the textual world independently
(Laureate Education, 2011). Giving
students opportunities to practice what
they need the most not only gives them
practice but also gives the teacher a
chance to assess them to see if there is
growth.

8. Literacy Lesson: Interactive
Perspective
• Research:The instructional practices that I will used with
the particular students and texts to meets literacy
objectives in the area of word recognition and
comprehension and to provide opportunities for students
to be strategic and meta-cognitive as follows. I read the
story out loud. It’s up to the teachers to notice how
students are applying their knowledge about text factors,
and to find ways for students to share their
understanding (Tompkins, 2012). I worked with them in
smaller groups introducing new words using direct
instruction when it was appropriate.

9. Literacy Lesson: Critical and
Response Perspectives
• Analysis: I promoted students’ critical reading of the text
and fostered their own personal responses through
practicing of reading Oscar and the Frog. The students
were all able to answer questions over their listening
comprehension of the story. There were also able to
identify with the kitten on the cover and answer who they
thought would grow in this book. Individual children
come with such diverse backgrounds and skills that it is
necessary to discover each child’s reading instruction
needs (Methods of Assessing Cognitive of Early Reading
Development, 2013).

10. Literacy Lesson: Critical and
Response Perspectives
• Research: Critical literacy focuses on
issues of power and promotes reflection,
transformation, and action (Molden, 2007).
Based on the literacy needs and interests
of the students I chose a book called
Oscar and the Frog by Geoff Waring.
Through asking questions I was able to
know if they were comprehending the
material.

11. Feedback from Colleagues and
Family Members of Students
• What insights did you gain about literacy and literacy
instruction from viewing this presentation?
• How might the information presented change your
literacy practices and/or your literacy interactions with
students?
• 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?
• What questions do you have?

12. References
Afflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment, k-
12 (2nd
ed). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Methods of Assessing Cognitive Aspects of Early Reading
Development, (2013). Advancing Research, Improving Education
Reading Resources. www.sedl.org/reading/topics/assessment.html
Molden, K. (2007). Critical literacy, the right answer for the reading
classroom: Strategies to move beyond comprehension for reading
improvement. Reading Improvement, 44(1), 55-56.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Analyzing and Selecting
Texts [Video webcast]. Retrieved from
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id
=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Fty
Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st
century: A balanced
approach (5th
ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon