1. Creating a Literate Environment Presentation created by: Allison Bennett

3. Selecting appropriate texts.

4. Implementation of interactive perspective practices.

6. Creating a literate environment involves…getting to know each learner. Research-based Practice/s Implemented As I sought to get to know three literacy learners from my class better, I gave both cognitive and non-cognitive assessments. I conducted a cognitive reading assessment, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Sopris West Educational Services, 2003), that provided me with information on reading fluency. Through this assessment, I learned that although all three students met the state goal with regards to speed and accuracy, they struggled with reading expression. I also gave a non-cognitive assessment, the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna & Kear, 1990, pg. 630-635), to assess the reading motivation of each student. Through this survey, I learned that two of the three students disliked reading aloud in front of others.

7. Creating a literate environment involves…getting to know each learner. How did this help me create a literate environment? The cognitive assessment showed that the three students struggled with reading expression. This could partly explain why they do not seem to love reading. When reading expression is lacking, it is hard to find humor and other emotions in texts. I am now providing more opportunities for my students to practice reading expression. I am continuing to model reading expression. However, now we are having discussions about the importance of expression and strategies readers use to be expressive. The non-cognitive, motivation assessment showed that reading aloud in front of a group of their peers is stressful for two of the students. Therefore, I have implemented other strategies for listening as they read. Currently, they are reading aloud as I walk around and listen in. Sometimes, they are reading into their whisper phones as I monitor and make notations.

8. Creating a literate environment involves…selecting appropriate texts. Research/Information Due to lack of background knowledge, increase in text difficulty, and lack of content knowledge, we often see the reading level of many students fall when they get to fourth grade. Dr. Susan Neuman (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b) recommends that informational texts are critical in the early years if we wish to avoid what is known as the fourth grade slump.

10. Linguistic (words) vs. semiotic (pictures)

12. text without pictures, text with pictures only, and text with words and pictures

15. being strategic and metacognitive readers and writersAccording to an article Clarifying Differences Between Reading Skills and Reading Strategies(Afflerbach, Pearson, & Paris, 2008, p.368), “Being strategic allows the reader to examine the strategy, to monitor its effectiveness, and to revise goals or means if necessary.”

19. Creating a literate environment involves…implementation of critical and response perspective practices. Research/Information According to an article on critical literacy (Molden, 2007, p.50), critical literacy “encourages readers to be active participants in the reading process: to question, to dispute, and to examine power relations.” By encouraging critical literacy, students will leave our classroom with a necessary life skill: the ability to be an independent thinker. Dr. Janice Almasi (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c) shares that the response perspective takes students beyond merely interacting with text to having a transaction with text. When students collide with text in this manner, they have life changing experiences.

23. References Afflerbach, P. (2007). Understanding and using reading assessment, K-12. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Afflerbach, P., Pearson, P. D., & Paris, S. G. (2008). Clarifying differences between reading skills and reading strategies. The Reading Teacher, 61(5), 364–373. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Analyzing and Selecting Text. [DVD]. The beginning reader, PreK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Informational Text in the Early Years. [DVD]. The beginning reader, PreK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010c). Response Perspective. [DVD]. The beginning reader, PreK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010d). Response Perspective: Reading-Writing Connection. [DVD]. The beginning reader, PreK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author. McKenna, M. C., & Kear, D. J. (1990). Measuring attitude toward reading: A new tool for teachers. The Reading Teacher, 43(9), 626–639. 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. SoprisWest Educational Services. (2003). Dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills 6thedition. Longmont, CO.