Walden University 6706R-2 Fall Semester

1. Creating a Literate
Environment
Analysis Presentation
Created & Presented by:
Donna Franklin
Walden University

2. Getting to know Literacy Learners
• Each student in a classroom
possesses different reading skills
and strategies. It is not only
beneficial but critical that we
understand the skills and effort our
students put into reading. One way
we can do this is through
assessment. Assessment “helps us
understand and appreciate the
diverse growth that students
experience and the reading
challenges they face” (Afflerbach, 2012, p.
27).

3. Getting to know Literacy Learners
Research Based Practices Implemented
• Getting to know my students allows me to see what kind
of world they live in (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a)
• Determining my students reading strengths and
weaknesses along with their likes and dislikes, cultural
and family background allows me to choose or suggest
appropriate text.
• In my own classroom I create a literate environment by
assessing my readers using a variety of methods. A
few examples are:
– The Elementary Reading Attitude Survey- “The Garfield
Test” (McKenna & Kear, 1990)
– Self- made Reading Interest Surveys
– Running Records
– Concept About Print (Tompkins, 2010, p. 113)
– Literacy Skills Assessments found at
http://mockingbirdimagery.com/ (most appropriate for
Preschool/ Kindergarten age children) (Edmunds, 2012)

4. Selecting Texts
• Selecting the correct text for
students requires being in tune with
student needs, abilities, and
interests while creating just enough
“success and failure, soaring and
stumbling, clarity and confusion” to
challenge the student to grow
(Stenner, 1999, p. 5). The classroom
library, small and whole group
instruction, guided reading, centers,
and read aloud book sharing are all
wonderful times to share the
various types of text available.

5. Selecting Texts
• Using the Literacy Matrix presented by Dr. Douglas Hartman
allowed me to gain balance in the texts I use in my classroom.
Linguistic- more
word oriented
Hard
Informational-
Narrative- learning text/ could be
telling a story technology based
Semiotic-
Easy communicating text in
other ways than words
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b)

6. Selecting Texts
Research Based Practices Implemented
• The Literacy Matrix helps me plan
literature units which include a balance of
different types of text and new literacies .
• Using the 3rd dimension of text difficulty is
important. I wanted my students to feel
challenged by what they were reading, but
not frustrated. The Matrix helped create a
balance in my classroom.
• I was able to identify where books fell on
the Matrix in order to match texts to
students and students to texts.
• Understanding the type and difficulty of
text helped me to set and meet student
literacy goals.
(Laureate Education Inc., 2010b)

7. • Interactive Perspective-
reading/writing accurately, fluently, and with
comprehension
– Use a variety of assessments to determine
student strengths/needs
– Identify appropriate level text, that meets
student goals
– Select instructional methods that promote
independent practice of reading skills and
strategies (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c)

8. Literacy Lesson Using Interactive Perspective
• I chose to work with “Tyler” a second grade
student, with a unit focus on the holiday of
Thanksgiving. This unit of study fit perfect since
it fell during the month of November and also
aligned with the South Carolina literacy standards.
• My main focus for this lesson was word study,
using a list of vocabulary words I selected from
the text Squanto’s Journey (2001).
• Second grade students are familiar with a
dictionary, so Tyler was asked to define half of the
words using a dictionary and I provided the other
definitions.
• I asked Tyler to make personal connections with
the holiday traditions in his own family and those
of the Pilgrims.
• I also observed and assessed informally Tyler’s
comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, and fluency.

9. • Critical Perspective-thinking critically
about text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c)
– Identify problems, issues, or interests that
are important to students
– Select texts that allow students to think
critically
– Provide opportunities for students to
challenge text (model, question, lead)

10. • Response Perspective-reacting
and responding to text in a variety of ways
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c)
– Discover students’ interests (what
matters to my students)
– Select texts that connect with students,
and evokes a personal/emotional response
– Provide an opportunity for students to
THINK about the text (formulate a
personal response

11. Literacy Lesson Using Critical & Response
Perspectives
• This lesson was designed for third grade students,
with a focus on acceptance and tolerance.
• I chose to focus on appreciating differences, since
most if not all of my students live very culturally
sheltered lives, meaning that most have little to no
experience with other cultures, languages, or food.
• The text selection for this lesson is The Sandwich
Swap (2010) by, Rania Al Abdullah.
• Before I read the story aloud we discussed the
two words acceptance and tolerance, along with
the sentence strip “Try it you might like it”. This
was a fun way to get my students excited about
the book.
(Continued on the next slide)

12. Literacy Lesson Using Critical & Response
Perspectives (cont.)
Response Starters:
• During the read aloud, I stopped to ask my *I could see, taste, feel,
students “thinking questions”. I encouraged hear, smell...
them to write their feelings and thoughts on *I felt _______when
sticky notes. _________ because
________.
*I understand how
• After the story, students wrote in their ______ felt because I
response journals. __________.
*I was surprised when
__________ because
• I used response starters, compiled from a ___________.
list created by Danille Mahoney (2010). *I'm guessing that . . .
Students used their sticky notes as reminders
of their feelings during the book.
• Journal entries were NOT for a grade, but I
did take the time to respond to each journal
entry.

13. How did these areas help me create a
literate environment?
• Getting to know my learners: I honored their individuality,
strengths, weaknesses, prior knowledge and personal likes
and dislikes. I saw students more engaged in small group
instruction, since the texts I chose, fit them specifically
rather than being a one size fits all story.
• Selecting text in the classroom: Understanding the
difference and importance of including a variety of text in
the classroom, I was able to expose my students to more
informational text. Most of my students enjoyed reading
informational text and even requested that we read more. I
still have a few students who prefer reading semiotic text.
One solution I found that worked in my classroom was to
print smaller excerpts from the book and paste pictures or
clipart with each selection, making my own “picture” book.
(Continue on the next slide)

14. How did these areas help me create a
literate environment? (cont.)
• Interactive Perspective: Modeling correct use of a skill or
strategy was new to me. In the past, I would explain the
skill and expect students to use it properly. Through
modeling for my students, I discovered fewer questions
were being asked and more of my students were ready to
work independently.
• Critical and Response Perspectives: Most of my students
enjoyed stepping into the feelings and emotions of either
the author or the characters in the story. I found my
students became more thoughtful not only when reading and
responding but also in their own writing.

15. References:
• Al Abdullah, R. (2010). The sandwich swap. New York: Scholastic Inc.
• Afflerbach, P., Pearson, P. D., & Paris, S. G. (2008). Clarifying differences between reading skills and
reading strategies. Reading Teacher, 61(5), 364–373
• Afflerbach, P. (2012). Understanding and using reading assessment k-12. (2nd ed.). Newark, DE:
International Reading Association.
• Bruchac, J., & Shed, G. (2001). Squanto's journey, the story of the first thanksgiving. Harcourt Children's
Books.
• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Analyzing and selecting text [DVD]. Foundations of
Reading and Literacy. The Beginning Reader, PreK-3.
• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Getting to know your students [DVD]. Foundations
of Reading and Literacy. The Beginning Reader, PreK-3.
• Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010c). Perspectives on literacy learning. [Video webcast]. The
Beginning Reader, PreK-3.
• Mahoney, D. (2010, September 14). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2010/09/reading-and-critical-thinking-stop-and-think-then-
jot
• McKenna, M. C., & Kear, D. J. (1990, May). www.professorgarfield.org. Retrieved from
http://www.professorgarfield.org/parents_teachers/printables/pdfs/reading/readingsurvey.pdf
• Stenner, J. (1999). Matching students to text: The targeted reader. New York: Scholastic Center of Literacy
and Learning.
• Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st centaury a balanced approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.