The document discusses creating a literate environment for early readers. It describes using cognitive and non-cognitive assessments, such as Aimsweb and an elementary reading attitude survey, to evaluate students' reading levels and preferences. A variety of texts, including fiction, non-fiction, and online texts, are selected based on these assessments. Literacy lessons incorporate vocabulary, comprehension, critical thinking, and personal response activities centered around the narrative text "Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me." The goal is to promote literacy and create a welcoming classroom that encourages exploration.

1. Creating a Literate
Environment
April Wheatley
The Beginning Reader, P-3

2. I. Getting to Know
Literacy Learners
A. Cognitive Assessments
B. Non-cognitive Assessments

3. Cognitive Assessment:
Aimsweb
 Aimsweb is a progress monitoring system that
assesses fluency and comprehension levels of
individual students.
 By determining the fluency and comprehension
levels of the students, I can determine which stage
of reading development in which they are
performing (Tompkins, 2010).

4. Non-cognitive Assessment:
Elementary Reading Attitude Survey
 In order to determine reading preferences and
general attitudes toward reading, I administered the
Elementary Reading Attitude Survey.
 By determining students preferences, I can develop
lessons that heighten interest amongst the students,
therefore increasing student motivation to read
(Clark and Foster, 2005).

5. II. Selecting Texts
 Selecting appropriate texts is an important
part of developing a literate environment.
A. Non-fiction texts
B. Narrative texts
C. Online texts

6. Non-fiction Texts
 It is important to begin non-fiction reading in the
early years in order to introduce vital components
that make up nonfiction texts (Laureate Education,
Inc., 2014b).
 For my students, I chose a text that I felt was on
their reading level and provided them with
opportunities to explore headings and diagrams.
 The students will read What Makes Day and Night?
By Franklyn M. Brantley.

7. Narrative Texts
 Narrative texts open up a world of opportunity for
writing and other creative outlets.
 For this type of text, I chose Papa, Please Get the
Moon for Me, by Eric Carle.
 This text is of an appropriate level of difficulty for
the readers I am instructing because of its large
print and easy readability (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2014b).

8. Online Text
 Online texts engage students in the use of
technology while reading.
 For an online text, I chose Beautiful Moon by Dawn
Jeffers. This is a longer text that incorporates a
higher use of singletons, or new words repeated
only once in the text, and will be used as a read
aloud (Laureate Education, Inc., 2014a).

9. III. Literacy Lesson:
Interactive Perspective
 In order to meet the ideas of an
interactive perspective, I chose to
incorporate vocabulary and
comprehension through use of the
narrative text by Eric Carle.

10. Comprehension
 In order to assess comprehension, students will
formulate questions related to the text.
 For example: How far is the moon from Earth?
 This will help them to remember details and
construct new knowledge (Educational Resources
Information Center, 2000).

11. Vocabulary
 In order to assess vocabulary, students will assist
the teacher in adding unfamiliar words to a word
wall.
 For example: sliver, disappeared
 The word wall will serve as a reminder of new
vocabulary meanings, as well as spelling of the new
words (Tompkins, 2010).

12. IV. Literacy Lesson:
Critical and Response Perspectives
 By incorporating activities that activate the critical
and response perspective, I will provide students
with more rigorous and meaningful experiences
that will enhance their reading. We will continue
with the Eric Carle text for these areas as well.
A. Critical Perspective
B. Response Perspective

13. Critical Perspective
 Tompkins describes his Sketch to Stretch method as
a way to elaborate on how the story relates to the
students, rather than just summarizing a character
or event (Tompkins, 2010). I used this method for
my students because I thought they could all relate
to various aspects of the story, such as family and
wanting things that are sometimes out of reach.
 This activity required the students to not only
understand what happened, but to relate the story
to an overall theme.

14. Response Perspective
 The response portion of the lesson involved
students going a step further and developing a
paragraph that compared the event to something
from their personal experience.
 By each student being able to bring about a personal
connection to the story, they were able to each
develop unique meaning that related to personal
experiences or qualities (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2014c).

15. A Literate Environment
 Through implementation of these ideals, I believe I have
created a literate environment that:
 promotes high self-esteem amongst students
 increases motivation
 develops personal identities
 helps students recognize differences amongst each other
 encourages respect towards one another
 fosters curiosity related to differences in culture

16. With all these things considered,
the classroom can serve as a
welcoming place that
encourages exploration and
discovery.

17. References
Clark, C. & Foster, A. (2005). Children’s and young people’s reading habits and preferences: The who, what,
why, where, and when. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED541603.pdf
Educational Resources Information Center. (2000). Strategic processing of text. Retrieved
from http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e599.html
Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.).
Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2014a). Analyzing and selecting texts. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard
%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4857785_1%26url%3D
Laureate Education (Producer). (2014b). Informational text in the early years. [Video
file]. Retrieved from
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard
%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4857785_1%26url%3D
Laureate Education (Producer). (2014c). Response perspective. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard
%2Fexecute