2. Getting to Know Literacy Learners Materials have changed over the past 6,000 years on how literacy is taught from writing with sticks in the sand to using digital books (Laureate Education, 2010b). “A lack of motivation is at the root of many of the problems we face in teaching” (Edmunds & Bauserman, 2006). “Motivation frequently makes the differences between learning that is temporary and superficial and learning that is permanent and internalized” (Edmunds & Bauserman, 2006). To assess motivation the “Elementary Reading Attitude Survey” can be used for students especially in the lower elementary grades.
3. Getting to Know Literacy Learners All students entering kindergarten at our district are screened in the spring and then complete multiple assessments in the fall and throughout the school year. One of these assessments is the KRAL, which is the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment in Literacy. On the KRAL students are asked to rhyme, repeat sentences, and to read a list of letters capital and lowercase to the teacher. At the completion of kindergarten students are then reassessed on any items of the KRAL they missed in the fall to evaluate their growth over the school year. Throughout the school year students are assessed using a DRA, which is a developmental reading assessment, where they read a selected text to the teacher for accuracy. After reading the selection the student must tell the teacher what happened in the story without looking back at the text.
4.
5. Choosing just the right text is key to students learning.
6. The literacy matrix helps differentiate texts from linguistic, more word oriented to semiotic which has pictures to support the words of the text (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a).
7. We also differentiate texts according to the genre which are narrative to informational (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a).
8.
9.
10. While reading students will anticipate the predictable parts and the teacher will highlight vocabulary for students to use context clues for understanding (Laureate Education Inc., 2010e).
15. The response perspective transforms the reader, somehow the reader has changed from reading the text in some way (Laureate Education Inc., 2010f).
16. In my classroom we complete a unit on Amelia Bedelia books and students need to listen closely to the words and determine: what did she do and what was she suppose to do instead, this requires them to think deeply about the text.
