2. Analysis
As literacy educators, if we have the best interest of
our students at heart, it is important that we get to know
them. We should know find out about their likes and
dislikes and make an effort to learn about those things
that are important to them. Knowing our students helps
us to better serve them and enable them to become
successful readers. I can create a literate environment
by ensuring that I take the time to get to know all of my
learners.
3. We do not teach topics, texts, or subjects, but students.
If we want them to become successful readers, we must get
to know their interests, motivation, what they love, what
background knowledge, they have, and look at their
identity as readers, writers, listeners, speakers, and
visualizers (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).
4. Alphabet Soup Activity
• Allow students to pick any five letters of the alphabet.
• Use the letters and write five things that best describe
them.
• Then, using the letters, write five things that they like to
do.
• Also, using the letters, think about and write five things
that they do not like to do.
• Put their alphabets and information in their soup dish
and serve (present to the class!) As the year
progresses, add letters to their alphabet soup (new
information).
5. I created the Alphabet Soup Activity from an activity that
Dr. Almasi described in her video as “Me Stew.” This activity
was instrumental to learning valuable information about my
students. According to Dr. Almasi, an activity like this one can:
• Promote effective, small group interaction.
• Provide awesome student/teacher collaboration.
• Extend students’ thinking (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2010b).
6. I can create a literate environment by knowing my students
interests, values and beliefs, and selecting the texts that match
their interests, values, and beliefs. I can utilize the literacy
matrix to determine how a particular text works with my
students and how it may or may not fit into their goals as
readers and my goals for them as a literacy educator.
7. Research
As a literacy educator, it is important to be able to analyze and
select the appropriate texts for my students. Dr. Douglas
Hartman introduces a tool, the literacy matrix, that provides a
balanced or full representation of the types of materials that
students are engaging in (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).
9. Learners
Affective and cognitive
aspects of literacy
learning
Texts
Text structures, types,
genres, and difficulty
levels matched to
literacy learners and
literacy goals and
objectives
Instructional
Practices
Developmentally
appropriate research-
based practices used
with appropriate texts
to facilitate affective
and cognitive aspects
of literacy
development in all
learners
Interactive Perspective
Reading and writing
accurately, fluently, and
with comprehension
Being strategic and
metacognitive readers and
writers
Use a variety of
informal and formal
assessments to
determine areas of
strength and need in
literacy development.
Determine texts of the
appropriate types and
levels of difficulty to
meet literacy goals and
objectives for
students.
Use instructional
methods that address
the cognitive and
affective needs of
students and the
demands of the
particular text.
Promote students’
independent use of
reading strategies and
skills.
10. Analysis
As a literacy educator, I can create a literate
environment by first teaching my students
how to read. Also, I can aid my students in
becoming successful text processors so that
they can become critical thinkers and
independent learners.
11. Research
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, Inc., 2010a).
12. Learners
Affective and cognitive
aspects of literacy learning
Texts
Text structures, types,
genres, and difficulty levels
matched to literacy
learners and literacy goals
and objectives
Instructional Practices
Developmentally
appropriate research-based
practices used with
appropriate texts to
facilitate affective and
cognitive aspects of literacy
development in all learners
Critical Perspective
Judging, evaluating, and
thinking critically about
text
Find out about ideas,
issues, and problems that
matter to students.
Understand the learner as
a unique individual.
Select texts that provide
opportunities for students
to judge, evaluate, and
think critically.
Foster a critical stance by
teaching students how to
judge, evaluate, and think
critically about texts.
Response Perspective
Reading, reacting, and
responding to text in a
variety of meaningful ways
Find out about students’
interests and identities.
Understand what matters
to students and who they
are as individuals.
Select texts that connect to
students’identities and/or
interests and that have the
potential to evoke an
emotional or personal
response.
Provide opportunities for
students to read, react, and
formulate a personal
response to text.
13. Analysis: Critical and Response Perspective
I can create a literate environment by ensuring
that my students are actively apply reading strategies when
they read. Also, I can create a literate environment
by allowing my students to investigate, question and
inquire about the text, including the author, offer
different perspectives , and share with others.
14. Research: Critical and Response Perspective
Being able to look at text and examine it from
multiple perspectives enables one to think critically about
it, to evaluate it, and make judgments about the validity
or veracity of that text, which means we were looking at
believability (Laureate Education, Inc. 2010a)
15. Laureate Education. Inc. (Producer). (2010a). Literacy autobiographies.
[Video Webcast]. The Beginning Reader, Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Author
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010a). Analyzing and selecting texts.
[Video Webcast]. The Beginner Reader, Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Author
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010b). Getting to know your students.
[Video Webcast]. The Beginner Reader, Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Author
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010a). Interactive perspective:
Strategic processing. [Video Webcast]. The Beginning Reader, Pre-K.
Baltimore, MD: Author
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010a). The critical perspective.
[Video Webcast]. The Beginning Reader, Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Author
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010b). The response perspective.
[Video Webcast]. The Beginning Reader, Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Author
