Literacy+Program

Welcome to my literacy plan page. Below you find my philosophy about literacy and how my beliefs will define my classroom. It is very much student centered because the students are the reason the classroom exists. It is their environment to feel safe to explore and grow. Please feel free to visit any of the websites or links to learn more about the strategies that will be used in the classroom and the theories that guided my philosophy.   "Giving students the power and then watching them strive for excellence is an incredible teaching experience" Catherine Doanne.     **__Literacy Plan:__** There is an age old debate on whether you should use phonics to teach students with a drill for skill method or teach by using a holistic approach for gathering meaning. (Baumann, Hoffman, Moon, & Duffy-Hester, 1998). My theory lies somewhere in between using the approach of balanced literacy. I believe that we are creating lifelong readers and writers through a balance of skills and comprehension strategies while using quality literature. I believe that all children have the ability to learn and the need to feel success. This can be accomplished by scaffolding and creating a student centered environment. To create life long readers and writers, we need to get the students to find a love of reading and writing and to believe in their abilities. One way to do this is by finding out what interests the students. By using authentic literature that the students help choose, we can spark an interest that fosters an appreciation of literature and a passion for reading. I believe it is extremely important to be a model for students. Let them see you reading and discuss your favorite books with them. Read alouds allow students to see the expression and excitement that can come from reading. There are many strategies that increase fluency and comprehension but also increase student motivation to read. Readers Theater is a one of those strategies that practices repeated reading to increase fluency but has the added ability to increase student motivation (Tyler & Chard, 2000). Students will lose interest in reading and lose faith in their abilities if they struggle. The zone of proximal development is, “The distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p86). Within the zone of proximal development, we learn how scaffolding can help a student learn without the feeling of failure. Teachers scaffold children’s reading and writing when they model, demonstrate, and guide them. They give less support as the child starts to progress to independence. “Teachers use five levels of support, moving from the greatest to the least as children assume more and more of the responsibility for themselves” (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996). Teachers also need to find a balance between whole group instruction, small group work, and independent work. Peer collaboration, learning centers, and remediation are many ways that teachers can provide different venues for students to learn in. Many people think of reading and writing when they think of literacy. That is a large part of literacy, but there is much more. Literacy surrounds us from the time we are born. Oral language is the foundation for all literacy and the development of oral language starts in infancy when a baby cries to convey meaning. As a child grows, it is important for them to learn to communicate using words and to develop listening skills. Today's society is becoming a digital culture and it is necessary to note the importance of being technologically literate. Literacy instruction should be a balanced approach between phonics and whole language. Tompkins (2006) believes that students should have instruction with authentic reading and writing experiences. This enables students to learn how to use the strategies and skills while they apply what they are learning. I believe that we are creating lifelong readers and writers through a balance of skills and comprehension strategies while using quality literature.
 * __Comments__**

Works Cited: Baumann, J.F., Hoffman, J.V., Moon, J., Duffy-Hester, A.M. (1998). Where are teacher’s voices in the phonics/whole language debate? Results from a survey of U.S. elementary classroom teachers. //The Reading Teacher 51//(8) pp. 636. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (1996). Guided reading: good first teaching all children. Portsmouth: Heinemann. Tompkins, G.E. (2006). Literacy for the 21st century: a balanced approach. Upper saddle river: Pearson. Tyler, B.J.,Chard, D.J. (2000). Using readers theatre to foster fluency in struggling readers: A twist on the repeated reading strategy. //Reading and Writing Quarterly.// 16: 163-168. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind and society: the development of higher mental processes. Cambridge. Harvard press.

__**Classroom Layout:**__ The physical setting of my classroom will be more student centered with the students in small groups at tables. I believe children learn from each other and most learning will occur in these groups. Their will be several learning centers for students to work in while I work with small groups or individuals. The walls will be covered with students' work, daily schedule, birthday board, helper list, word wall, and any posters that are adventageous to learning. The reading center will contain a rug, several chairs, and a large variety of books to choose from. I like the idea of plants on the window ledge for students to care for and watch flourish. My goal is to have a classroom with technology. I love using the interactive whiteboards and believe all students should have access to computers. __**Categories:**__ Print Awareness, The Sounds of Speech, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Informal Assessment, Fluency, Vocabulary, Spelling, Writing, and Comprehension.




 * 1. Flunecy- ** Pikulski and Chard (2005) state, "Fluency is the ability to read orally with speed, accuracy, and proper expression" (NICHD, 2000). Harrris and Hodges (in Samuels, 2002) define fluency as "freedom from word identifiaction problems that might hinder comprehension" (Pilkulski & Chard, 2005).


 * Strategies: **
 * Choral Reading- During this stategy, the teacher and the students read aloud together at the teacher's pace. The teacher is modeling fluent reading while the students practice. The teacher can stop at any time to ask questions or comment on the text.
 * Cloze Reading- The teacher reads aloud to the class while the students read along silently. The teacher omits an important vocabulary or content word every few sentences and the students read it aloud as a class.
 * Echo Reading- The teacher reads aloud modeling fluency and right after a sentence is read aloud by the teacher, the students read it aloud as a class.
 * Partner Reading- Students are paired together ensuring that each pair has a slightly stronger reader. The stronger reader reads first modeling fluency. The less fluent student rads the same text aloud- The stronger student can assist the less fluent reader and offer feedback.
 * Rhythm Walk- The students move along a path of papers that have chunks of a text on them. The student reads the words on the paper aloud as they walk on them.
 * Reader's Theatre- Students reread scripts "practicing" their lines so that they can perform the play using expression and intonation.


 * Research: **
 * Repeated Readings have been proven to increase students' oral reading fluency (Tyler & Chard, 2000). One strategy that practices repeated readings is Readers Theater. Readers Theater is a great way to motivate reluctant readers and gives them a reason to re-read the same passages several times (Tyler & Chard, 2000). Dowhowser (1987 & 1989) states, "Review of relevant research indicated that having the student practice one passage to a predetermined set rate of speed leads to increases in both fluency and comprehension in fresh passages".
 * Another way to help students increase their fluency is by having them read aloud with a model. This allows the students to hear the pace and expression that appropriate for fluent reading (Jan Hasbrouck, 2008). This can be done through several strategies described above; choral reading, cloze reading, echo reading, and partner reading.
 * The Rhythm Walk is another great strategy for the struggling reader. It has the benefit of repeated readings but it also allows the students to get up and moving, This is a great motivator for students who need to get out of their seats and need a reason to re-read the same passage several times. Movement also enhances the brain's capacity to learn (Peebles, 2007).


 * Assessment: **
 * WCPM score- words-correct per-minute. Visit this site to learn more []
 * A checklist developed by Hudson, Lane and Pullen (2005, p. 707) provides a more detailed assessment of a student's prosody:
 * 1) Student placed vocal emphasis on appropriate words.
 * 2) Student's voice tone rose and fell at appropriate points in the text.
 * 3) Student's inflection reflected the punctuation in the text (e.g., voice tone rose near the end of a question).
 * 4) In narrative text with dialogue, student used appropriate vocal tone to represent characters' mental states, such as excitement, sadness, fear, or confidence.
 * 5) Student used punctuation to pause appropriately at phrase boundaries.
 * 6) Student used prepositional phrases to pause appropriately at phrase boundaries.
 * 7) Student used subject-verb divisions to pause appropriately at phrase boundaries.
 * 8) Student used conjunctions to pause appropriately at phrase boundaries.


 * Performance Indicators: **
 * CRB: Use letter-sound correspondence, knowledge of grammar, and overall context to determine meaning.
 * CRK: Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context clues, dictionaries, and other classroom resources.

**Fluency Lesson**
 * References: **
 * Hasbrouck, J. (2008). Developing fluent readers. Reading Rockets.[]
 * Peebles, J. (2007). Incorporating movement with fluency instruction: A motivation for struggling readers. //The Reading Teacher, 60 (6), 578-581.//
 * Tyler, B.J.,Chard, D.J. (2000). Using readers theatre to foster fluency in struggling readers: A twist on the repeated reading strategy. //Reading and Writing Quarterly.// 16: 163-168.




 * 2. Comprehension- **Comprehension is when the reader is able to understand and make meaning of the text they are reading (Zarillo, 2007 pg. 40). Without comprehension, they are just words on a page.


 * Strategies: **
 * Reciprocal Teaching- Students are placed in small groups and learn to become the teacher. First the teacher models what is expected, then helps students learn to guide group discussions using summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. After students know these strategies, they take turns leading a dialogue about what has been read.
 * Visual Imagery- Students use their prior knowledge and experiences to create mental pictures as they read.
 * Inquiry Chart- This is a strategy to be used during reading. The teacher alone or in conjunction with the students pick a topic to discuss. Once the topic is selected, the students form questions about the topic and place them in the four columns at the top. They then complete the rows by filling in what they know and key ideas. The last row is for them to write a short summary.


 * Research: **
 * It is important to establish a purpose for reading. Having students develop their own questions before and during reading sets a purpose for reading and increases comprehension (Helfeldt &b Lalik, 1976). Reciprocal Teaching helps students become actively involved in their comprehension by teaching them to ask questions (Reading Rockets, 2011). Reciprocal Teaching is a way for the teacher to model the strategies: summarizing, predictting, questioning, and clarifying (Palinscar & Brown, 1984).
 * When students construct mental images while reading, it improves their ability to remember what they have read. Creating mental images also helps students construct a relationship between what was read and their own experiences (Gambrell & Jawitz, 1993).
 * Use of the inquiry chart provides teachers with an opportunity to nuture critical thinking through literacy (Hoffman, 1992).
 * Heath (1991) stated, "A critical thinker focuses on the actual process of reflective thinking about thinking while in the very process of expressing one's thought" (Hoffman, 1992).


 * Assessment: **
 * Observe students while they work in their reciprocal teaching groups noting if they are using al the strategies.
 * Students can create drawings to express their mental images.
 * Students can complete an inquiry chart.
 * Performance Indicators: **
 * 3RS2L: Make predicitons, draw conclussions, and make inferences about events and characters.
 * 3LS2A: Identify elements of character, plot, and setting to understand the author's purpose.
 * 3RS3A2: Evaluate the content by identifying important and unimportant details.


 * References: **
 * Brown, A., Palinscar, A. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities. //Cognition Instruction,// 1(2), 117-175.
 * Gambrell, L., Jawitz, P. (1993). Mental imagery, text illustrations, and children's story comprehension and recall. //Reading Research Quarterly., 28 (3), 264-276.//
 * Helfeldt, J., Lalik, R. (1976). Reciprocal student-teacher questioning. //The Reading Teacher, 30 (3), 283-287.//
 * Hoffman, J.V. (1992). Critical reading/thinking across the curriculum:Using I-charts to support learning. //Language Arts,// 69, 121-128.
 * Exemplar: **Click pdf below

**3. Vocabulary-** Vocabulary is a set of words. Zarillo (2007) states that each person has five different vocabularies; listening, speaking, writing, sight, and meaning (pg. 49).
 * Reciprocal Teaching Lesson, Visual Imagery Lesson, and Inquiry Chart Lesson **


 * Strategies: **
 * Frayer Model- The Frayer model is a graphic organizer that helps students build vocabulary. Students take unfamiliar words from their text and use the model to create a definition and analyze the word. The vocabulary word is placed in the center of a paper that is divided into four sections. In one section they define the word and they can use peers and the context around the word in the text to help. In the second section they write characteristics of the word. The third section is where they write examples of the word and in the last section they write non-examples of the word.


 * Research: **
 * Use of the Frayer Model promotes critical thinking and helps them to understand not just define the unfamiliar vocabulary word (Reading Rockets, 2011).
 * "The strategy stresses understanding words within the larger context of a reading selection by requiring students, first, to analyze the items (definition and characteristics) and, second, to synthesize and apply this information by thinking of examples and non-examples" ( []).


 * Assessment: **
 * Students define and generate characteristics of the vocabulary word.
 * Students are able to apply their knowledge of the word by listing examples and non-examples of the word.


 * Performance Indicators: **
 * 3RS1J: Use graphic organizers to record significant details from informational texts.
 * CRK: Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context clues, dictionaries, and other classroom resources.


 * References: **
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 * Exemplar: ** click pdf below


 * Frayer Model Lesson **

Print Awareness
 * 4.Print Awareness- **Print awareness is the ability to understand that written language carries meaning (Texas Education Agency, 2001).

Read Alouds/Shared Book Experiences: Alphabetic Principle: Letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language. Environmental print: The everyday print all around us such as the print on signs, labels, logos, street signs, etc.
 * Strategies: **
 * Teach children the book orientation and directionality. Introduce the front cover, the back cover, author, illustartor, and how to hold a book. Show children how words are read from left to right and top to bottom. They should know that some books have pictures and pages are numbered.
 * Provide many opportunities for children to hear good books, to participate in read aloud activities, and shared book experiences. Using Big Books allows children to become familiar with how print looks on a page.
 * Learn letter names by: Singing songs and reciting rhymes.
 * Learn letter shapes by: Playing with blocks, playing with plastic letters, and playing alphabetic books.
 * Label objects and learning centers in the classroom.


 * Research: **
 * For children to learn how to read, they must understand the concepts of print (Zarillo, 2007).
 * Children need to be able to identify and name letters easily so they can begin to learn letter sounds and spellings (Texas Education Agency, 2002).
 * Print awareness is a childs first knowledge that written language carries meaning (Texas Education Agency, 2001).
 * "Performance on print awareness tasks is a very reliable predictor of their future reading achievement" (Texas Education Agency, 2001).


 * Assessment: **
 * //Concepts About Print// test developed by Marie Clay. The test measures book orientation, directionality, beginning and ending of story, word sequence, and recognition of punctuation and capital letters.
 * Informal assessment and observation by the teacher. A checklist can be used: Book in appropriate position when reading, demonstrates return sweep, and knows where to start reading on the page.


 * Performance Indicators: **
 * ====ELA.PK-01.RE.01-Distinguish between print and pictures.====
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.02 -Recognize the difference between letters and words.
 * ELA.PK.-01`.RE.03- Follow left-to-right and top to bottom direction when reading.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.04- Locate parts of a book.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.05- Recognize and identify letters of the alphabet.

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 * References: **
 * Zarillo, J. (2007). //Are you prepared to teach reading? A practical tool for self-assessment.// New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
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 * <span style="color: #c516a4; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">5. Phonemic Awareness -** Zarillo (2007) states that phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds of English. "Phonemic awareness is the understanding that the sounds of spoken language work together to make words" (Reading Rockets, 2011).


 * Strategies: **
 * Books with word play. These are books with texts that rhyme or use alliteration and/or assonance. The teacher reads the book aloud and then can then ask questions or comments about the rhymes or how all the words begin with "m".
 * Rhyming Games.
 * Alliteration and Tongue Twisters. Alliteration is when two or more words begin with the same consonant sound.
 * Songs and Chants.
 * Direct Teaching: Sound isolation, sound identity, sound categorization, sound blending, sound substitution, sound deletion, sound addition, sound segmentation.


 * Research: **
 * Success in reading has been linked to acquisition of phonemic awareness because phonemic awareness is felt to be the foundation for understanding the sound/symbol relationship (Zarillo, 2007).
 * "Children who cannot hear and work with the phonemes of spoken words will have a difficult time learning how to relate these phonemes to letters when they see them in written words" (Reading Rockets, 2011).


 * Assessment: **
 * Phonological Awareness test- measure students' ability on segmentation, isolation, deletion, substitution, and blending.
 * The Yopp-Singer Test of Phoneme Segmentation- measure a students' ability to orally segment the phonemes in a word in their correct order.
 * DIBELS: Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills- measures phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency with connected text, reading comprehension, and vocabulary.


 * Performance Indicators: **
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.08- Use beginning and ending consonants, as well as vowel sounds, to identify words.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.09 -Recognize the different sounds that make up a word.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.13-Recognize letter-sound correspondence.
 * ELA.PK- 01.RE.14- Recognize that words consist of a combination of sounds.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.15- Identify rhyming words.


 * References: **
 * Zarillo, J. (2007). //Are you prepared to teach reading? A practical tool for self-assessment.// New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
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**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">6. Spelling: ** ** Strategies: **
 * Self Study (1. look at word and say it to yourself, 2. say each letter in the word to yourself, 3. close eyes and spell word to yourself, 4. write the word and check spelling, 5. write the word again).
 * Multisensory techniques
 * visual- look at the word and write it 3 to 4 times
 * visual:use of color- change the color of the crayon used to discriminate vowles.
 * auditory- say the letters as they write them.
 * kinesthetic- using motion. Ex. Writing words in the air with large, exaggerated motions.
 * tactile- this involves touch. Ex. writing words with finger in shaving cream.
 * mental imagery- child closes their eyes and pretends tsee someone write each letter of the word.
 * Word study activities- check out this page!
 * Word Wall
 * WordSorts
 * Writing in journals, writing stories, etc.


 * Research: **
 * Hands-on activities, such as word study activities, motivate students and get them engaged in learning the English spelling system (Williams,C., Phillips-Birdsong, C., Hufnagel, K., Hungler, D., 2009)
 * There is a strong correlation between spelling and writing. If a writer has to focus all their energy on spelling, it distracts from the cognitive resources needed to write (Moats, L.C., 2006).
 * Snow, C. et al. report that "Spelling and reading build and rely on the same mental representation of a word. Knowing the spelling of a word makes the representation of it sturdy and accessible for fluent reading" (Moats, L.C., 2005).


 * Assessment: **
 * In isloation: Spelling test- teacher reads words aloud and children write them.
 * In context: Writing Samples- teachers should collect and analyze samples of student work.


 * Performance Indicators: **
 * ELA.PK-01.WR.04- Write recognizable upper- and lowercase letters in manuscript
 * ====ELA.PK-01.WR.05- Capitalize the first words of sentences, the letter “I,” and proper nouns, such as names, days of the week, and months.====
 * ====ELA.PK-01.WR.07- Spell high-frequency words correctly====


 * References: **
 * Moats, L.C. (2005). How spelling supports reading. American Educator, 12-43.Retrieved August 10, 2011, from [].
 * Williams, C., Phillips-Birdsong, C., Hufnagel, K., Hungler, D. (2009). Word study instruction in the K-2 classroom. The Reading Teacher, 62 (7), 570-578. Retrieved August 10, 2011 from [].
 * Zarillo, J. (2007). //Are you prepared to teach reading? A practical tool for self-assessment.// New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.



**<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">7. Phonics: ** Ability to make the correct association between the sounds and the symbols of language. ** Strategies: **
 * Word Sorts- Children are given a pile of cards with a word written on each. The child sorts the cards according to a shared sound.
 * Word Walls- Used to display words children are using in the classroom. Often includes high frequency words and content area words.
 * Word Banks- As children learn words well enough to recognize in isolation, the teacher prints the word on a card and gives it to the child to keep in a baggie.
 * Making Words- Have children create words from letter cards in the pocket chart. They try to make increasinly longer words.
 * Shared Books- When a teacher uses a Big Book with read aloud, the students can see the words as they are read.
 * Rhymes and chants- When using rhyming and chanting for teaching phonics, it is important they see the words while the chant.
 * Print Sources- Environmental print- label items and centers in the classroom, Name tags, Morning Message, and Word Walls.


 * Research: **
 * Phonics knowledge is a foundation for accurate and fluent word recognition. Developing these skills early on is a big preictor of reading success (Learning First Alliance, 2000).
 * It is important to teach children the strategies, but it is equally important to make sure they know how to apply them in their reading and writing (National Reading Panel, 2000).
 * "Systemic phonics instruction is designed to increase accuracy in decoding word recognition skills, which in turn facilitate comprehension. However, it ia again important to note that fluent and automatic application of phonics skills to text is another critical skill that must be taught and learned to maximize oral reading and reading comprehension" (National Reading Panel, 2000).


 * Assessment: **
 * Decode in Isolation- The child is given a list of words and reads them aloud to the teacher and the teacher writes down what the child says.
 * Decode in Context- Students read aloud to the teacher a part of a story or an informal article. The teacher keeps a record of the child's miscues.
 * Encode in Isolation- The teacher reads words aloud and the child writes them.
 * Encode in Context- The child writes a few sentences and the teacher analyzes the writing focusing on the sound-symbol relationships.
 * DIBELS- Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills- measures phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency with connected text, reading comprehension, and vocabulary.


 * Performance Indicators: **
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.07- Distinguish the difference between vowels and consonants.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.09- Recognize the different sounds that make up a word.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.13- Recognize letter-sound correspondence.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.14- Recognize that words consist of a combination of sounds.
 * ELA.PK-01.RE.15- Identify rhyming words.


 * References: **
 * Learning First Alliance (2000). Teaching the alphabetic code: Phonics and decoding. //The Content of Professional Development.// Retrieved August 11, 2011, from [].
 * National Reading Panel (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Retrieved August 11, 2011, from [].
 * Zarillo, J. (2007). //Are you prepared to teach reading? A practical tool for self-assessment.// New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.