This document summarizes key points from a course on literacy education. It discusses the importance of understanding students' backgrounds, interests and motivations. Effective classrooms are based on dedication to both the literacy program and students. A variety of formal and informal assessments can provide insights into students' cognitive and non-cognitive needs. Selecting appropriate texts requires considering factors like reading level, interest and text type. Literacy lessons should teach strategies for different goals and text types using an interactive perspective that helps students independently navigate texts. The critical and response perspectives encourage examining multiple viewpoints and responding through activities like journaling.

1. Literate Environment
Analysis
By: Alicia Hansen
Instructor: Dr. Bernice Gregory
Course: EDUC-6706 The Beginning Reader PreK-3

2. Getting to know Literacy Learners
This course has taught me the importance of learning about each student beyond
their academics. If I want to be a successful teacher I have to look at their motivation,
interests, and dislikes.I have learned that “motivation can contribute to the increased
reading that in turn contributes to increased reading achievement” (Afflerbach, 2012,
pg. 177).
 The design of an effective literacy classroom is one based on dedication to the
literacy program as well as dedication to the students (Laureate Education Inc, 2010a).
The more particular I can be about what students need to be learning, the more
opportunity I have to develop their needs through instruction (Paul & Elder, 2007).
This requires me to get to know each student, especially in terms of culture and
language background.

3. Getting to know Literacy
Learners, continued…
 Each person has a literacy autobiography, whether it be a positive or
negative one. Their autobiography is a tool into why they are the way they
are in reference to literacy. All people have experiences that shape how
they see each other as literate beings (Laureate Education Inc., 2010b).
 While learning about research practice I acquired different forms of
assessment. One being the cognitive, which is
DIBELS, Fountas&Pinnell, and any other formal reading assessment. The
other is non-cognitive, this one focuses on the students personal
interests, motivators, and dislikes/likes. Examples of a non-cognitive test
would be the Motivation to Read Profile (MRP) and the Elementary
Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS).

4. Selecting Texts
Selecting texts is significant to a student’s
ability to comprehend and become achieving
literacy learners. In order to make appropriate
selections we have to use the literacy matrix
described by Dr. Hartman and take in account
text factors, interest, and the multiple
dimensions of difficulty (Laureate Education
Inc, 2010c).
There is a critical point in a child’s reading
development where they go from learning to
read to reading to learn (Laureate Education
Inc., 2010c). This is why we as educators have
to set our students up successfully by selecting
the very best texts that will meet the individual
students needs.

5. “If motivation is treated as secondary
to the acquisition of basic reading
skills, we risk creating classrooms
filled with children who can read but
choose not to” (Johnson & Blair, 2003,
pg. 183).
The literacy matrix serves as a way
to provide motivation of reading
through a variety of texts. Students
must be exposed to varied including
digital and printed, informational and
narrative, no pictures and pictures. I
was able to use what I had learned
along with the matrix to select
appropriate texts for a group of
students. I considered their literacy
levels, interests, readability and their
family backgrounds when selecting
texts.
Semiotic
Literacy Matrix
Linguistic
N
A
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R
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T
I
V
E
I
N
F
O
R
M
A
T
I
O
N
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Selecting Text continued…

6. Literacy Lesson: Interactive Perspective
 “The ultimate goal of the interactive perspective is to teach
children how to be literate learners who navigate the textual world
independently” (Laureate Education Inc, 2010d).
 It is important for students to become metacognitive in their strategic
use. By keeping an interactive perspective in mind, a teacher must focus
the lesson toward explicit learning objectives, or goals, and emphasize
important literary elements throughout.
As we are teaching students how to read, it is essential to teach
appropriate strategies for different literacy goals. Take for example, how
you would approach a narrative text versus an informational text. With narrative you would be focusing
on plot, climax, settings, and main characters. With an informational text you would use text features that
include headings, sub-titles, pictures, graphs, and so forth to understand the text. Even though teaching
concepts of phonemic awareness and print is essential for success with reading, students must also have
experience with navigating different texts (Laureate Education Inc., 2010d).

7. Literacy Lesson:
Interactive Perspective
“Reading is a complex process of understanding written text. Readers interpret meaning in a way that’s
appropriate to the type of text they are reading and their purpose” (Tompkins, 2013, pg. 4). This process of
understanding text takes on many shapes and sizes. The lesson I taught focusing on students’strategic
processing and metacognition through reading strategies was insightful and influential for the students and
myself. Using the knowledge obtained from the last few weeks of class, I structured my lesson to meet their
textual needs, interest, and level of reading to adequately and effectively instruct them.
Activities to use to reinforce the interactive perspective:
Word Walls
Word Sorts
K-W-L Chart
Grand Conversations

8. Literacy Lesson:
Critical and Response Perspectives
 The critical and responsive perspectives go hand in hand with one another.
If students are to respond to questions by the author, the teacher, and/or
ones they are asking internally, then they need to acquire the ability to think
critically about a text. “Critical literacy is a way of thinking and a way of
being that challenges texts as life, as we know it. It promotes reflection,
transformation, and action” (Molden, 2007, pg. 50)
 Being able to look at the text and examine it from multiple perspectives
enables one to think critically about it, to be able to evaluate the text and
also be able to make judgments about the validity or veracity of that text
(believability) (Laureate Education Inc., 2010e).

9. Critical and Response Perspective
continued…
 Critical Response:
 Teaches students how to critically examine, judge, and evaluate text
 Who created the text
 What perspective might the author have
 Was the author female or male
 What was the role of race, ethnicity, or social status
 Response Perspective
 Allows students opportunity to experience and respond
 Reader’s lived experiences are of primary importance
 Methods for responding:
 Journaling
 Dramatic Response
 Artistic Response
 Multi-sensory experiences
 Quiet time

10. Critical and Response Perspective
continued…
 “Literacy learning for young children grows mainly out of
experiencing in functional and meaningful texts”
(StLabbo&Teale, 2004). This was my purpose for the text I
chose for a lesson I did focusing on the critical and response
perspectives. The text was humorous and engaging while
conveying a message of caring for yourself and embracing
your uniqueness. A Bad Case of the Stripes also encouraged
the readers to have an equal relationship in the message and
distribution of text (Molden, 2007).
 Students who successfully implement this perspective are
engaged life long learners who respect the power of text
(Laureate Education Inc., 2010f).

11. References
Afflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment, K–12 (2nd ed). Newark, DE:
International Reading Association.
Johnson D. & Blair A. (2003). The Importance and Use of Student Self-Selected Literature to
Reading Engagement in an Elementary Reading Curriculum. Scholarworks. Retrieved from
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1155&context=reading_horiz
Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2010a). Changes in Literacy Education. [Webcast]. The
beginning reader, PreK-3. Baltimore: MD. Author.
Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2010b)Getting to know your students. [Webcast]. The beginning
reader, PreK-3. Baltimore: MD. Author.
Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2010c). Analyzing and Selecting Text. [Webcast]. The beginning
reader, PreK-3. Baltimore: MD. Author.
Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2010d).Interactive Perspective: Strategic Processing. [Webcast].
The beginning reader, PreK-3. Baltimore: MD. Author.
Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2010e). Critical Perspective. [Webcast]. The beginning reader,
PreK-3. Baltimore: MD. Author

12. Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2010f). Response Perspective. [Webcast]. The
beginning reader, PreK-3. Baltimore: MD. Author
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.
Paul R. & Elder L. (2007). Consquestial Validity: Using Assessment to Drive
Instruction. Foundation for Critical Thinking. Retrieved from
http://www.criticalthinking.org/files/White%20PaperAssessmentSept2007.pdf
Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.).
Boston:Allyn& Bacon.