Literate Environment Analysis Presentation

Valerie ReeseInstructor: Martha Moore

EDUC 6706The Beginning Reader PreK-3

Three Fundamental Parts of a Literate Environment

• Getting to Know Literacy Learners• Selecting Texts• Perspectives: Interactive, Critical,

and Response

Getting to Know Literacy Learners

Understanding your literacy learners from cognitive and noncognitive aspects is crucial to providing effective literacy instruction. The more you know about your students, the better you will be able to connect to them (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.c). As educators, we must assess regularly to gain knowledge regarding students’ reading levels, strategies, background knowledge, and skill competencies in order to plan appropriate instruction (Tompkins, 2010).

Getting to Know Literacy Learners Cognitive

Assessment • In order to develop a general understanding of

the student’s basic reading skills, I issued the DIBELS Next assessment (Dynamic Group Measure, 2012). The results from the assessment portrayed all three students at benchmark level. Student A scored the highest percentage of accuracy; student B scored next to the highest percentage of accuracy, and student C scored the lowest percentage regarding accuracy. However, he remained within benchmark range. The data suggested all three students were ready to begin a 2.1 reading level literacy lesson.

Getting to Know Literacy Learners Noncognitive

Assessment• Research states that the noncognitive aspect of reading

proficiency has been overlooked in the process of literacy (McKenna & Kear, 1990).

• Noncognitive aspects of a reader include “the other” characteristics besides basic reading skills (cognitive). There are five noncognitive reader characteristics that contribute to reading success: motivation, self-concept, attitudes, interest, attributions (Afflerbach, 2012). Therefore, a student’s attitude and perception towards reading can affect his or her performance (McKenna & Kear, 1990).

• I administered the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) to my students (McKenna & Kear, 1990). The results were beneficial in providing me with additional information that helped create a learning environment that was differentiated to compliment the varying abilities and interests.

Selecting Texts

“What readers know and do during reading has a tremendous impact on how well they comprehend, but comprehension involves more than just reader factors: It involves text factors” (Tompkins, 2010, pg. 290). These text factors include genre, text structures, and text features (Tompkins, 2010). Selecting developmentally appropriate texts from all genres is imperative.

Selecting Texts Continued

The literacy matrix helps expose students to a variety of texts. The literacy matrix is a useful tool that should be considered when deciding what text is appropriate for your students. According to the matrix, texts are either linguistic, semiotic, narrative, or informational (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.a).

Interactive, Critical, and Response Perspectives

The goal of the interactive perspective is for students to strategically process and think about the text. Strategic processing involves being metacognitive about choosing the most efficient strategy to use (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.d).

Interactive Strategies Used:

•Make predictions

•Reflection ~ stop when something does not make sense

•Storyboards ~ visualize story sequence and retell the events in order

Interactive, Critical, and Response Perspectives

• The critical perspective deals with being able to critically examine and evaluate a text from multiple perspectives including making judgments regarding validity (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.b.).

• Examining a text critically raises questions such as: * who created the text* what is the author’s perspective* was the author female or male

The students will be encouraged to think about their own background and how the text has influenced their perspectives.

Critical Strategies Used:• visualize, predict, and retell key details in a story• interactive read-alouds • rate the character

These provide support for students to construct their meaning and connect at a higher level (Durand, Howell, Schumacher & Sutton, 2008).

Continued

Interactive, Critical, and Response Perspectives

“Reader response is a written or verbal response that encourages students to explore thoughts and feelings about a text” (Durand, Howell, Schumacher & Sutton, 2008, pg. 25).

Examples include:• conversation amongst peers• journaling• dramatic response• quiet time for thought

A text transforms a student in that it changes their views, opinions, or feelings about a topic (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.e.)

In conclusion, “the goal for literacy instruction is to ensure that all students achieve their full literacy potential” (Tompkins, 2010, pg. 5).

Students must enjoy reading to become lifelong learners (Tompkins, 2010).

ReferencesAfflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment, K-12 (2nd ed.).

Newark, DE: International reading association.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.

Dynamic Measure Group. (2012). Dibels next. Retrieved from http://dibels.org/dibelsnext.html

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.a). Analyzing and selecting text. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.b). Critical perspective. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.c). Getting to know your students. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.d). Interactive perspective. Strategic processing.. [Videofile]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.e). Response Perspective. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

McKenna, M. C., & Kear, D. J. (1990). Measuring attitude toward reading: A new tool for teachers. The Reading Teacher, 43(9), 626--639.

Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.