This presentation summarizes the presenter's learning from a study of beginning reading instruction at Walden University. The presenter learned to assess students' cognitive and non-cognitive reading skills. They gained insight into using different text types, including informational texts, to develop students' comprehension and vocabulary. The presenter applied strategies for developing metacognition and strategic processing, such as teaching synonyms. They also learned to use critical and response perspectives to have students analyze characters and respond to texts. The goal is to support students' literacy development through meaningful assessment and selection of engaging, informative texts.

1. Literate Environment Analysis Presentation
By
Oluseyi Ngozi-Nwankwo
Beginning Reading (Prek-3)
Walden University
June 2013

2. Introduction
This presentation is a summary of the ideas I got and put into practice during my study of the Beginning Reader (Pre
K-3) at the Walden University
I Getting to Know Literacy Learners, P–3
• Analysis -In week 2, I listened to people give their autobiographies on how they began to read, this was really motivating
especially for the speaker that said her teacher noticed she couldn’t read because she was not able to see well. I also
learnt about and applied the observation and oral reading assessment to check their cognitive skill and the elementary
reading attitude survey to assess their non-cognitive skill, now in class, I am able to improve my students reading skills
by encouraging them to red out while I listen, I try to implement this at least once a week for each group. I listened to
them read and we correct the mispronunciations. Also with the ERAS, I continually encourage my students to read at
home, I give them books and recommend online story books for them to read and they can come and tell me what they
learnt from the story.
Research
Reading Inventories, video webcast by Laureate International and Measuring attitude towards reading by McKenna, Micheal C and
Kear Dennis.
II. Selecting Texts
• Analysis. In week 3, I learnt about different text structures, I learnt about the different type of text which are narrative,
semiotic, informational and linguistic text. I also learnt that informational text should be given to kids at the earlieat time,
before now, I had not seen the need for informational text but now I know that kids as early as grade 3 needs to be able
to analyse text that gives them education and information about their society as it aids them to become aware of their
environment. I also learnt that having text which are semiotic that is text with pictures that help explain the story will make
it easier for students to improve their comprehension, vocabulary skills.
• Research One text that changed my thoughts this week is
• Neil K. Duke (2004). The case for Informational text. Educational Leadership and the Laureate Education, Inc.
(Producer). (2010). Evaluating Text[Video webcast]. In The Beginning Reader, K-12. Retrieved from:

3. https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps
%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1959547_1%26url%3D
III. Literacy Lesson: Interactive Perspective
• Analysis In week five I learnt about metacognition and strategic processing. In this lesson I learnt how to teach kids to
think and process information to understand word recognition and be able to use it when reading and writing text. I
applied this by preparing a lesson plan for my students to understand synonyms and I modeled synonym like a twin, I
showed two pictures of boys that look alike, though they are different persons, they have common features, I also started
the game of find the circle the difference in two pictures that look alike. I worked with them as a whole class, we read a
comprehension passage from the textbook and we were able to brainstorm the meaning of key words and what other
word will be a twin to the word to have the same meaning. My kids enjoyed the game, all they need to remember when
they see the word synonym is to remember a twin or look alike.
• Research Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008b). Virtual field experience: strategic processing [DVD]. The
Beginning Reader. Baltimore: Author, this video showed a teacher teaching the students about word recognition
“schema’’.
IV. Literacy Lesson: Critical and Response Perspectives
• Analysis In this week, I applied the critical and response perspective. The critical perspective teaches about how to
improve students literacy by giving them text and teaching them to think about the text critically, analyse the characters in
the book, question the authors message and give their comments on the message being passed across by the author, in
the critical perspective, kids should be able to say the author’s name talk about each character and give their personal
opinion on the various characters. In the response perspective, teachers should give students time to think about a text
and respond to it, they should be able to say if the text makes them happy or sad. In this week application, I used a text
that talked about family and caring and my students were able to analyse the text and talk about who they thought was
the most important character in the text.
Research
Molden, K. (2007). Critical literacy, the right answer for the reading classroom: Strategies to move beyond
comprehension for reading improvement. Reading Improvement, 44(1), 50–56.

4. Durand, C., Howell, R., Schumacher, L. A., & Sutton, J. (2008). Using interactive read-alouds and reader response to
shape students' concept of care. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 36(1), 22–29.
• In this text, I learnt it is important to use text that teach students about care for family, the environment and other people.
I have learnt that most of the text we give our students should be informational text that also teach them to express the
emotion of care.
Give your feedback answering these questions.
• 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?