The document discusses the importance of creating an enriched literacy environment for early learners by utilizing assessments and diverse reading materials. It emphasizes the necessity of matching texts to students' interests and reading levels while incorporating various instructional strategies to engage students. Finally, it highlights the role of critical thinking in literacy development and the need for teachers to select appropriate texts and learning activities that foster motivation and comprehension.

1. Submitted by:
Charisse Robinson

2. Submitted to:
Dr. Lin Carver – EDUC 6706 Beginning Reader
PreK-3
Walden University

3.  “the ability to use reading and writing for a
variety of tasks at school and outside of
school” (Tompkins, 2010).
 Peter Afflerback (2007) describes reading as a
dynamic, strategic, and goal-oriented
process.

4.  Research supports the following for an
enriched literacy classroom:
 Print-Rich Environment
 Charts that support literacy
 Functional print used for classroom
communication
 Classroom libraries (variety of genres)
 Displaying of student writing

5. Literacy Enriched Environment

6.  Assessing and getting to know my students is
a critical component in gathering data in
order to select appropriate texts, plan
effective instruction, motivate my students to
read for enjoyment, and provide books that
match students’ personal interest.

8.  In getting to know my students and foster an
effective and enriched literature environment,
I administered assessments for both
noncognitive and cognitive factors.

9.  Reading inventories provide us as
teachers with valuable information
about our students’ literacy
interests, as well as their reading
performance and growth
(Afflerbach, (2007).
•Motivation to Read Profile
•Elementary Reading Attitude Survey
•Teacher-created reading inventories

10.  DIBELS created by Dr. Roland  DIBELS has helped me to
Good and Dr. Ruth Kaminski
(2005) (Dynamic Indicators of monitor my students
Basic Early Literacy Skills). DIBELS reading progress
is a set of procedures and especially my students
measures for assessing the
acquisition of early literacy skills reading
from K-6th grade. The seven progress, especially for
measures DIBELS is comprised of
are:
my students who are
reading below grade
◦ Phonemic Awareness level. In addition, I can
◦ Alphabetic Principle use DIBELS data to plan
◦ Accuracy and drive my literacy
◦ Fluency with connected text
instruction.
◦ Reading Comprehension
◦ DIBELS
Vocabulary Benefits of using DIBELS

11.  TRC (Text Reading and  TRC has been
Comprehension). TRC
beneficial in helping
assesses a students ability
to read with
me with crucial data on
comprehension. my students reading
levels, word accuracy,
and comprehension of
text.
TRC Benefits of Using TRC

12.  Selecting the appropriate texts for students is
important in having an effective literacy program
and supporting a rich literacy environment.
Motivation to read is an important factor in
enhancing students’ love of reading. I learned
selecting books that match students’ personal
interests is just as important as selecting texts that
match students’ reading levels. In addition, I
found the Literacy Matrix, presented by Dr.
Hartman (2008) to be very critical and useful in
creating a balance when selecting and using
various texts.

13. Dr. Hartman’s Literacy Matrix is divided in four
quadrants consisting of: Linguistic, Semiotic,
Narrative, and Informational

14.  Dr. Janice Almasi (2008) adds another important
dimension to the Literacy Matrix emphasizing
that teachers must also take into account the
difficulty of the text too. In examining the
difficulty of text teachers must look at the
readability (sentence length, number of syllables,
the text’s length, structure (informational,
descriptive, cause/effect, problem/solution,
compare/contrast, poetic) its use of connective
words or signal words, the size of print, and the
visual support (Laureate Education, Inc.).

15.  Learning activities should be relevant and meaningful and
students should be engaged throughout the learning process.
Teaching in an urban school district can be challenging. Far
too often students come to school with little to no prior
knowledge and experiences. Another important factor to add
to this mix is the fact that a lot of students also enter with
very low motivation for learning and reading. To combat
this, I work to provide learning activities that are authentic in
nature; learning actively engages the learner; students are
given opportunities to construct and reflect on their learning
in various ways. For example, guided reading, interactive
read-alouds, word study/vocabulary foldables, interactive
writing, inquiry/investigation, graphic organizers, literature
circles, drama, and reflective journals. Etc.

16.  The goal of the Interactive Perspective of
literacy is not only to teach students how to
read, but how to become strategic processors
as well (Laureate Education, Inc.).

17.  In reflecting on my literacy program, I
realized that I employ more Interactive
activities. Teaching students to think
critically about a text can be challenging. I
do provide activities in which students are
required to think critically, evaluate, and
respond to the text; however, there is room
for me to provide many more activities on the
higher-end of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

18.  I require students to make inferences and
draw conclusions. Students are asked to
evaluate a text, make connections, and
provide support for their reasoning. In
responding to text, students respond in
journals, create “thick-questions”, respond to
various stance questions, and use graphic
organizers.

19.  The critical perspective teachers students to
examine a text, think critically about it, and
judge that text (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2010b). In the Critical Perspective students
are required to look at a text through a
different perspective. Students look beyond
the text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

21.  Afflerbach, P. (2007). Understanding and using reading assessment, K-12.
Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
 Good, R., & Kaminski, r. (2005). Dynamic indicators of basic early literach
skills (6th ed.). Eugene, OR: Institute for the Development of Educational
Achievement.
 Gunning, T.J. (2005). Creating literacy: Instruction for all students.
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
 Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Analyzing and selecting texts
[DVD]. The beginner reader Prek-3. Baltimore, MD: Author
 Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer) (2009). Critical perspective.
Baltimore, MD: Author
 Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Perspectives on
Literacy Learning [Webcast]. The beginning reader, Prek-3. Baltimore, MD:
Author