Grade 4 A Balanced Literacy Approach Colleen Floryance Alverno College: ED-345
Colleen Floryance Alverno College Floryacm@alverno.edu December 6 th, 2011 Dear Interview Team. I am much honored to have the opportunity for a second interview for the 4 th grade teaching position at your elementary school. Through my education at Alverno College, I feel I have been equipped with knowledge, understanding and dedication to hold a position as a 4 th grade teacher. I have a solid understanding of the theory that supports student learning and instruction. I have presented you with my personal philosophy which is supported by theory. I hope through the attached comprehensive literacy plan, that I have demonstrated strong understanding of theory and how it relates to a three-block framework. I have described in depth the aspects that make up the Reading Workshop block, Writing Workshop block and a Word Study block. These aspects work rigorously together to meet the diverse needs of a 4 th grade classroom. Thank you for your time and consideration in determining the position as the 4 th grade teacher at your elementary school. Sincerely, \ Colleen Floryance
The follow provides you with insight to my own philosophy and how I believe students learn literacy best. It is then supported through the ideas of theorist and theories. I believe that students learn literacy best when learning is student centered instruction meets the diverse needs of individual students there is positive interaction within the classroom (between teacher and students and between students) where everyone is part of a community of learners language and social interaction are used to learn scaffolding is used to guide the student from full support of the teacher to performing tasks independently learning starts off from the more expert other students individual abilities are accounted for and used to create successful learning through the zone of proximal development literacy experiences are connected to prior knowledge. when children are actively involved in the reading process literacy is used in meaningful and authentic ways. My philosophy is based on the constructivist view that teaching should be student centered (Tompkins, 2010). Instruction should be on of students individual needs to provide all students the opportunity to learn at their individual development level. The following information is evidence to support my philosophy and will also support the Three-Block Framework for a fourth grade classroom that I will propose throughout this literacy plan.
In order to meet the needs of individual students at diverse levels, the classroom that is created must involve the teacher and the students. This creates a community of learners in which everyone feels safe and respective (Tompkins, 2010). By creating this community of learners, the teacher and the students are able to accept all ranges of literacy behaviors and plan for optimal learning experiences. Lev Vygotsky s Sociolinguistics theory can be used to meet the individual needs of all students in a classroom. Vygotsky believes that through social interaction learning can take place with utmost potential. He also emphasizes language to be the foundation through which reading and writing are learned. The Sociolinguistic Theory has two main focuses, scaffolding and proximal development. Both which have a foundation that through language and social interaction learning is most effective (Tompkins, 2010). Literacy is learned best when scaffolding and the zone of proximal development are implemented into literacy instruction (Tompkins, 2011). Scaffolding is a mechanism used to support student learning. Teachers must support students learning fully at first, gradually remove that support until students can perform tasks independently. Full support of the teacher is helpful because the teacher is the expert other (ED- 345 PowerPoint). The teacher knows what the student needs to know; and with collaboration of student and teacher, the teacher is able to instruct the student to learn literacy concepts/skills/strategies fully. There also may be times when students learn from other students because one student is the more expert other. Working in groups helps support this idea long with the concepts of learning through language and social interaction.
Scaffolding works properly when the teacher is able to remove the level of scaffold. This happens not by changing the task of the student, but changing the material in which the task is being implemented. For example, having leveled reading books allows all students, no matter their level of reading ability at any given time, to work on the same concept/skills/strategies. This is feasible because when the text is leveled to the individual students abilities, then they are able to read it and work on the concepts/skills/strategies that are being asked of them. If a student is not able to read a text they are concentrating on figuring out what the letters and words say rather than on the particular concept/skill/strategy. There are types of scaffolding methods that can be used to support individual students literacy behaviors. These include external mediator and private speech. External mediators are little reminders that trigger mental processes. These could be objects, physical actions or verbal cues. The goal is to have these temporary mediators go away and behaviors become natural. Private speech includes someone else doing the thinking aloud, which is also known as social externals. The goal is to then exchange social externals for private speech, which is the teacher s voice inside of the students head. The ultimate goal is then for the private speech to turn to private internals; the student hears their own voice in their head being conscious of the behaviors they need to be practicing. These types of scaffolding are evident throughout the 3-Block literacy plan that will be presented later. The zone of proximal development is the point in which students learn at their maximal capability. At this point, students need to be provided with instruction that supports their needs, while given a bit of challenge in order for them to learn something they did not already know.
Another theory that helped develop my philosophy is the Cognitive/Information Processing theory. This theory states learning is a two-way flow of information between what readers and writers know and the letters and words written on the page (Tompkins, 2010). Learning is a process in which information is combined with prior knowledge to create meaning. This means learners are active participants when engaging in reading and writing and have to have this two-way flow in order to create meaning, which essentially is the ultimate goal. The theory also states the following (Tompkins, 2010): Reading and writing are meaning-making processes. Readers interpretations are individualized. Readers and writers are strategic. This list summarizes what was stated before. The two-way flow creates meaning, so reading and writing are meaning-making processes. Since readers and writers have their own prior knowledge, what they bring to the reading or writing is different than someone else who reads the same thing. Readers and writers use strategies to solve problems during the process of reading and writing. The second point in the above list states that reader s interpretations are individualized. This also connects to the Reader s Response theory; every ones interpretation of a reading is going to be slightly different due to the prior knowledge that each person brings to the reading (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001). Through a deeper understanding of theorists and theories I am able to have a deeper understanding of my own philosophy that I can continue to build upon. As I have more experiences and research more, as professional development, my philosophy will evolve which will project how I instruct my students
The rest of this comprehensive literacy plan examines the aspects involved to create an effective three-block literacy workshop. First to be examined are who are the learners; what levels of reader and writers will be seen in a 4 th grade classroom?
RANGES OF READERS AND WRITERS IN A FOURTH GRADE CLASSROOM Knowing students is imperative when planning instruction, specifically for literary instruction. This allows the classroom structure to be student-centered, the foundation in which my philosophy is based on. Instruction can be planned to target all students as a class and also as individuals. Through the Balanced Literacy Approach, knowing the range of reading and writing behaviors in a classroom allows all aspects of the Balanced Literacy Approach to be implemented (which will be discussed later in the plan). The following information has been adapted from Fountas and Pinnell (2001).
RANGES OF READERS An early reader would approximately be at a kindergarten or first grade level. In a fourth grade classroom there may be students that demonstrate understanding at a high first grade level. These students may struggle with some early reading behaviors. A transitional reader, would approximately be a second or third grader, but is also likely to be seen in a fourth grade classroom. This student will have a large vocabulary list in which they are able to recognize automatically. He/she are able to simultaneously use many sources to create meaning while reading. These sources may include letter-sound relationships, meaning and language structure. He/she monitors him/herself while using these sources to make sure they are making sense. Relying on illustrations is omitted, but may gain more information from the illustrations. He/she knows how to read a few different genres. He/she is also able to recognize when they have a problem with words and able to use problem-solving skills/strategies. These skills/strategies may include analysis of letter-sound relationship and visual patterns. He/she is able to read with phrasing and fluent at appropriate levels. Levels suggested for this reader are levels H-M. This includes texts with many lines of print, short chapter books, difficult picture books and a variety of genre. A self-extending reader would approximately be a third or fourth grader. This student uses all sources of information simultaneously in an organized way. He/she is able to read longer texts over many days or weeks. He/she uses illustrations to gain more information as they understand the text. He/she uses skills/strategies to analyze words and is able problem-solve new multisyllable words. By doing so, they are able to read more complex text that allows them to use and learn the reading process. He/she learned it is important to bring his/her own background knowledge to reading and they gain more background knowledge through reading. This student will absorb themselves in readings and connect to characters and events in books. He/she is able to connect prior readings to new readings. Levels suggested for this reader are levels M-R. This includes a wide variety of long and short texts and a variety of genres. An advanced reader would approximately be a fourth, fifth or sixth grader. This student has a solid understanding of words and how they work. He/she is able to use a wide range of wordsolving skills/strategies including analogy to know words, word roots, base words and affixes. Vocabulary is expanded on through the reading that he/se does. Reading is used as a vehicle to learning in content areas. Reading many texts allows the development of preferred topics and authors. Comprehension of text goes behind literal meanings, and is applied to understandings of other areas. He/she is able to read long texts over long periods of time. Levels suggested for this reader are levels R-Y. This includes a variety of texts in different genres and texts for different purposes.
RANGES OF WRITERS A transitional writer would approximately be a second or third grader, but is also likely to be seen in a fourth grade classroom. This student will be able to spell many words conventionally and have near-accurate attempts on many other words. They are able to sustain writings over several days to create longer, complex texts. Pieces may include dialog. Pieces also have beginnings and endings. Ideas may still be unclear. He/she uses flexible strategies to spell unknown words. Student is conscious about developing their spelling and writing skills. Pieces may employ a few different genres. He/she is able to encode written language while writing. Basic punctuation skills and capitalization concepts are in tack. A developing skill is in place to understand how authors use written language to project meaning. Pieces may be longer, but have several ideas instead of one main idea with simple sentence structure. A self-extending writer would approximately be a third or fourth grader. Spelling comes naturally without thought about the process. He/she proof readers for errors and knows how to correct errors. Vocabulary is expended because he/she knows resources to use new words. Information pieces become organized because he/she understandings comparing/contrasting, description, temporal sequence and cause/effect. Ideas become clear and can focus on one topic for a length of pages. Voice starts to evolve into writing. He/she use the writer s craft to improve pieces of work. He/she writes for many different purposes including many different audiences. Writer is able to critique their own pieces and those of others. Pieces may illustrate many genres and complex sentence structure. An advanced writer would approximately be a fourth, fifth or sixth grader. Pieces of writing are carefully edited and writer understands the use of linguistic and social functions of conventional spelling. He/she can write quickly and fluently. Resources such as dictionary, thesaurus, computer spell check and others are used. Vocabulary is ever expanding, including speaking and listening vocabulary and knowledge of common vocabulary used in written pieces. He/she notices commonalities in writer s crafts and apply what they understand to their own pieces. Student can write in many forms including narrative, expressive, informative and poetic and can write in various persons and tenses. Voice is becoming clearer and a sense of audiences is evident. Pieces are of a variety of length, purpose and genre, and use a variety of organization. Knowing where students fall on the continuum of rangers of readers and writers allows teachers to plan for instruction. It provides information as to what the students already know and what they need to know to develop at the higher levels. As it can be seen, if students are at a certain level of the reading range, it is almost inevitable that they are at the same range in their writing. What students know about reading also reflect in their writing. These two areas go hand in hand. Therefore if students can see how writing influences reading and vice versa, they may be better successful in both areas.
THE THREE-BLOCK FRAME WORK A Comprehensive Literacy Plan
Assessment Instruction content should not only come from curriculum, but should come directly from what the students already know and need to know. To find out what the students know, assessment needs to be implemented. Assessment needs to continually be taking place in any classroom setting to drive the instruction. What the children already know and what they need to know plays an important role in what needs to be taught. The vehicle in which to find such data is through assessment. Assessing what students know allows teachers to assess where they are based on the continuum of reading and writing behaviors and essentially guides instruction to meet the diverse needs of all students in a classroom. Pertaining to literacy specifically, assessment needs to be authentic. According to Fountas and Pinnell, assessing literacy in an authentic ways allows student to see the purpose of reading and writing (2001). The purpose here is to assess what students know and are able to do in reading and writing. The goal for students is to become better readers and writers. They need to demonstrate what real readers and writers do. Real readers and writers write with purpose, and so assessment needs to mimic that scenario as well; assessing authentic ways of reading and writing. A writer s notebook can be an authentic way to assess student s progress in writing. This informal assessment focuses on the development of the students writing, their ideas, word choice and literary techniques. The results of this type of assessment will also tell how the students are using the writing process, use of conventions and spelling (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001). In order to analyze these pieces of writing, a scoring guide needs to be developed. This might include the 6-Traits Writing Rubric. This will provide information on what individual students need to work
on to move them through the ranges of reading and writing. These results can ultimately be a factor when grouping students for guided groups. Another assessment that can be evaluated like this would be writing projects. Students choose a piece of writing and make it their best work by going through the writing process and the 6-traits of writing. This will show you what they are able to do own their own and again guide your instruction as to what needs to be taught next for individual students and/or whole group. Reading assessments may include a reading journal. This is where readers respond to texts they are reading independently. This gauges the reader s ability to comprehend texts and will be another factor in grouping students for guided reading. During both reading and writing blocks, observational notes should be taken on specific things students are doing. Notes will include progress of students reading and writing behaviors that will also assist in planning for future instruction, which include forming guided groups. Although these notes should be taken continuously, an especially crucial time to note students reading and writing behavior is during conferences with students. Observational notes should happen throughout the three-block framework. This information needs to be used to plan further instruction in all areas of the framework to meet the diverse needs of the students. Concepts/ Skills/Strategies What needs to be taught is based upon what is found when assessing. It is going to be evident from evaluating assessments, that there is a range of readers and writers. To meet the
individual needs, instruction must teach the concepts, skills and strategies that will help the students move forward in their reading and writing abilities. Specifically for reading, the cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies need to be taught. Cognitive strategies include the reading process (strategies to do before reading, during reading and after reading). Meta-cognitive means knowing how to think about how to think about these concepts/skills/strategies. The goal is for these behaviors to come naturally after students have reached the meta-cognitive stage. Other reading concepts, strategies and skills to teach students include comprehension, word analysis strategies and spelling, self-monitoring, context clues, cross-checking, making connections, predicting, inferring, literary devices and overall, reading for enjoyment. In writing, students need to be taught the forms/types of writing (narrative, persuasive, informative/expository, descriptive), the 6-traits of writing (voice, word choice, sentence fluency, ideas, organization, conventions) and also the writing process (pre-writing/brainstorm, drafting, revising, editing, publishing) while also knowing that there is always an audience and purpose that drives the writing (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001). Since assessment shows where students are, not every student needs to work on the same concepts, skills or strategies at the same time. Through the three-block framework, this can be done very effectively through the different pieces of the Reading Workshop block, the Writing Workshop block and the Language and Word Study block which will be discussed in-depth next.
Instruction The three-block framework rigorously works together to meet the diverse needs of the learners. In both the Reading and Writing Workshop blocks, there is a gradual release of responsibility in each components of the block. Through this students are given full support where the teacher is doing the modeling to student demonstrating their understandings independently. The Word Study block then connects the two areas through the understanding of how words work. These topics will be discussed in-depth subsequent sections. Reading Workshop Block The Reading Workshop Block should be around 60 minutes. During this time, minilessons/book talks, guided reading groups or literature study and independent reading take place. The mini-lesson holds the most support for students. In relation to Vygotsky s levels of support, this is the highest level where the teacher does and the students watch. As we move to guided reading, the teacher is releasing responsibility to the students. The teacher is there to support the learning by having students engage in some of the doing. At the least level of support in a Reading Workshop block, is independent reading. This is where the student demonstrates all they can do independently without support. Because there is a gradual release of responsibility throughout the block, the diverse needs of the learners is meet through mini-lessons, guided reading groups or literature study, and independent reading
Reading Workshop Block: Mini-lesson/Book Talks A mini-lesson in the Reading Workshop block is done in a whole group setting and offers instruction on a concept/skill/strategy that addresses the needs of most students. The mini-lesson is a short focused lesson, but occasionally may be longer due to the content being taught. It allows students to see the application of a concept/sill/strategy, and encourages them to use it in their own independent reading (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001). According to Fountas and Pinnell (2001), there are five guidelines to make mini-lessons effective: 1. Introduce the concept with clear, concrete examples. 2. Be sure to include the rational for the principle so [the] students understand why readers and writers need to be able to do that. 3. Provide opportunity for student interaction. 4. Immediately ask readers to apply their learning to one or two new examples. 5. Reinforce and extent the learning in conferences, sharing sessions, and subsequent mini-lessons. The teacher s role in a mini-lesson is to model the concept/strategies/skill that is being taught. Modeling, according to Vygotsky, the highest level of support a teacher can give and is the most effective way for students to see how to behavior as readers and writers. This also touches on the idea that the students are learning from an expert other. There teachers told is to model how readers and writers think. Here the teacher is using external mediators; she is doing the thinking for the students in hopes that her thinking, through practice, becomes the students own (private internal speech). The role of the teacher is to plan effectively for student engagement and interactive by allowing them to apply their learning of what was modeled. Therefore the student s role in a mini-lesson is to participate, which again is only applicable if
the teacher has planned effectively. The students and the teacher should be situated in an area that is designed for mini-lessons. This may include a rug area where students are seated comfortable on the floor around the teacher who is doing the modeling of a concept/skill/strategy. Materials that may be useful to hand at hand consist of markers, easel, large paper and books. Another aspect that can be done as an alternative to a mini-lesson is a book talk. Here teacher introduces books that may spark their interest. This would include books from an author the students know and love, other books from authors that their books have been read aloud, best sellers, books on certain issues or topics, or introducing new authors, genres etc (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001). Like mini-lessons, these are short summaries and key points about what the students should know about the books and why they may want to read them. Reading Workshop Block: Guided Reading/Literature Circles Because of the range of readers in a classroom, guided reading is another tool to meet the diverse needs of the individual students. Guided reading is planned where groups of students with similar needs are grouped together and then specific instruction is used to scaffold their learning. This is where external mediates and social externals can take place. Students are reinforced of behaviors they need to use as readers. A focused activity or mini-lesson is used to instruct the students on the specific concept/skill/strategy they need to work on. Once again, this information is based off of assessment that has been put into practice. The grouping of students needs to stay flexible. There needs to be the ability to move students in and out of groups based on their specific needs supporting the diverse needs of all learners.
During a guided reading session, the students in each group are reading books that are leveled for their specific reading level. Therefore, the books are targeting the students zone of proximal development. The book is simply enough to read and comprehend, but challenging enough so the students are able to use the concept/skill/strategy they are working towards becoming more internal. Learning at the zone of proximal development allows the student to learn more than they would with the teachers support than independently. The students role is to participate in a discussion the teacher has planned before reading. Afterwards the students are simultaneously reading quietly to themselves focusing on whatever concept/skill/strategy for that time. The role of the teacher in a guided reading group is to instruct to the concept/skill/strategy that these students have been grouped together for. The teacher specifically chooses books that fit the needs for each group of students. This book is a leveled book that supports the specific concept/skill/strategy the students are working on. Discussion on the specific concept/skill/strategy takes place in the beginning. Then the teacher meets with students as they read the book independently and scaffolds their learning as needed. The group may come back together at the end to discuss the use of the concept/skill/strategy that was the target goal and extend their learning through that discussion. The guided reading groups should take place in an area away from the rest of the class. The teacher needs to be able to converse with each student and to the whole group. A round table or half a circle table may work best. This way, the teacher can communicate to each student without disrupting the other students in the group as they read. The teacher also needs to be able to see the rest of the classroom to monitor the rest of the students as well. Materials that
may be helpful to have at hand would include markers, pencils, paper, large paper, leveled books, and anything else needed to support the explanation of the certain concept/skill/strategy. Literature circles are another aspect that may take place during the Reading Workshop block. A literature circle is when the teacher works with groups of students that share similar book topics, authors, genres or specific books. Since student may not all be reading the same book, this group can be a mixture of all reading levels. The students usually choose which books they would like to read. The teacher chooses a variety of books, introduces them, and then allows students to decide what they would like to read. Therefore, the student get to choose, but under the teacher s perimeters. When to meet and how much of the book to read before the next reading, is determined by the students in collaborating with the teacher. The purpose of a literature circle is to construct deeper understanding of what students are reading. Students discuss the book and often respond to teacher prompts. Students see the connections of the books through the specific themes, authors or topics. They get perspectives of other peers which ultimate helps other gain better understanding (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001). This also reflects the view of Vygotsky s Sociolinguistic theory. Learners learn best when they communicate ideas with one another. The main goal of reading anything is for comprehension, and by discussion, comprehension is expanded. This also builds upon Readers Response Theory that each individual brings forth their own understanding of what is being read. Students are bringing their own understanding to the books they are reading, and by sharing those ideas, it opens up the opportunity for other students to learn. This also aids in meet the diverse needs of the learners. The students also gain critical thinking skills, appreciate different literature, develop communication skills, and writing is apply through responses (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001). The teacher is there to help the literature group stay focused and make specific points, but
often student take on the responsibility themselves to facilitate the group. Given students choice and allowing them to foster their own learning supports the idea that learning should be student centered. Reading Workshop Block: Independent Reading While students are not in guided reading or literature study groups, students participate in independent reading. Independent reading is when student independently practice concepts/skills/strategies they have learned through mini-lessons and guided reading sessions. The books are students own selections. This shows the responsibility given all to the students to show what they know without support. These concepts/skills/strategies that the student is able to demonstrate independently, shows that external mediators have translated into private speech or private internal mediators. The students often respond to their reading through a reader s notebook. They are also keeping note of specific ideas they want to discuss at the end of the block where students share what they have been reading. Students prepare for the discussion through the use of the reader s journal or a note taking process. This mirrors the Cognitive Process Theory that there is a two way flow of information between the reading and the text. By taking notes and responding to text, the reader is reflection on that relationship between the text and what the reader brings to the text. At the beginning of the reading block, the teacher may introduce new books, authors, or topics students may be interested in to reading during independent reading. While students are engaged in independent reading, the teacher confers with individual students. The teacher finds
out what the student has been reading and gets a grasp about the book. Then the student and the teacher have a conversation about the book. This may include connections to books the teacher has read or connecting it to something already done in class. The teacher asks genuine questions that shows a passion for reading. It may also be applicable to reinforce a concept/skill/strategy that would benefit the student as a reader. This might include remodeling to guide the student. A note keeping sheet should always be carried around to jot down observations and notes about the students independent reading. These notes will assist in forming guided reading groups for the future. Student can conduct their independent reading in their seats are designated areas around the room such as the classroom library and reading areas. Books should be available for students to access independently if needed. They should have access to any material they may need, including graphic organizers, markers, pencils, papers etc. so they are not to disrupt the teacher in guided reading groups. Student will need to have their reading journals or note taking sheets to respond to their texts. They should know the process and procedures of independent reading. Writing Workshop Block The Writing Workshop Block should be about 60 minutes. During this time minilessons/shared writing, guided writing, and independent writing take place. Just as the Reading Workshop block, the mini-lesson holds the most support for students In relation to Vygotsky s levels of support. As we move to guided reading, the teacher releases responsibility to the students and finally in independent writing, the students whole all the responsibility. In the
Writing Workshop Block, students are learning that effective writing is means for the reader to make meaning of the piece, so teaching the concepts/skills/strategies to do so is the focus. Writing Workshop: Mini-lesson (Shared Writing) A shared writing is a mini-lesson. Hence, it is a short focused lesson on a concept/skill/strategy that most of the class needs more instruction on. In a shared writing, the teacher does the writing while the students participate in evaluation of the piece. The teacher demonstrates her thinking aloud. The students then are encouraged to point out what they noticed the teacher doing. They may discuss this in partners and then come back to response as a whole group. This promotes the use of the concept/skill/strategy to be used in the students writing during independent writing. This mini-lesson happens in the same area as mini-lessons do for reading; in a comfortable area like the rug area. Students are seated on the floor close together. Everyone should be able to view the writing sample which could be on the board or an easel. Materials that could be helpful for this type of lesson would be paper, markers and copies of the selected piece of writing, or a big version of the selected piece. Writing Workshop: Guided Writing Guided writing is worked the same way as guided reading except the focus is on the concepts/skills/strategies need to become a better writer. Groups again are formed based off of
assessments that show certain students need specific focused instruction on a specific concept/skill/strategy. The environment, the set up, and the roles of the students and teacher are all the same as guided reading. The teacher meets with each student making specific points in their writing, and guides to the specific need that the guided writing group is focusing on. If a group is focusing on a part of the 6-traits of writing, then students may bring pieces they have already created and focus specifically on that trait in their piece of writing. The teacher could also supply a piece of writing and then discussion of the specific concept/skill/strategy can take place. Another way of implementing a guided writing group is allowing students to choose which group they would like to participate. This is another example of having the instruction be student centered. Students can be told that there is going to be guided group focusing on a specific type of writing. Students can then choose whether they want to learn more about that type of writing and join the group. Writing Workshop: Independent Writing Independent writing, like independent reading, is again the time where students independently practice the concepts/skills/strategies they learned through shared writing and guided writing groups. Again, this provides evidence that external mediators have been translated into either private speech of private internal mediators. Students may be working on new pieces or looking at previous pieces of writing to make them more effective pieces from new concepts/skills/strategies they have learned. During this
time the teacher is conferencing with students. When conferencing, the teacher needs to find out what the student is working on and see how they are using the concepts/skills/strategies that the student should be focusing on to make the piece more effective. At this point, remodeling may occur, or guiding the student to the understanding of how to achieve a concept/skill/strategy in their piece of writing. Student can be working on independent writing in the seats or designated areas around the room. They should have access to all different types of writing materials. This might include a table or area designed for writing material such as paper, pencils, blank books, markers, colored pencils, crayons, tape, staplers, paper clips and much more. They students need to be accessible to the material so that they are not disrupting the guided writing groups to ask for material. Language & Word Study Block The focus of the Word Study block is to develop students knowledge of how words are built and used. This is the connection that brings the reading and the writing together. If students know how words work, and the skills and strategies of words, then they will become betters readers when decoding words and better writers when putting together words to create meaning. This too reflects the Cognitive/Information Processing theory. Student used what they know about words, and how they work to interpret meaning of the text. They also bring forth prior knowledge to combine with what those words mean to interpret the text, which is used in both reading and writing. During Word Study, teachers needed to deepen the meaning of what
the readers and writers know about how the words work, which will strengthen the students overall comprehension of text with this two-way flow of information that is used. Language & Word Study Block: Interactive Read Aloud The interactive read aloud allows teachers to model what readers and writers do. Again this is an example of an external mediate where the thinking is being done by the teacher. As the teacher is reading, students are noticing how readers use different strategies/skills while they are reading, and how the author uses different concepts/skills/strategies in their writing. These ideas together all contribute to making meaning of the text. Teachers can use interactive read aloud to pinpoint certain concepts/skills/strategies that readers and writers use. The class can have a discussion of these, and are encouraged to try what they are noticing and apply it to their own reading and writing throughout the workshops. The teacher, students and environment have their respective roles. The teacher does the reading. This is important so that the students see what effective reading looks and sounds like. This also allows for any type of book to be read. Because the teacher is doing the reading, it doesn t matter what level the book is. The selections may include, but not limited to, articles, short stories, picture books, poems, and chapter books. A variety of books need to be read because again this is providing the students the opportunity to experience all sorts of literature. The teacher also finds significant points in the selection to pause and discuss ideas. These ideas should focus on the concepts/skills/strategies that the interactive read aloud is focusing on. The student s role is to participate and respond to the book and the concepts/skills/strategies they notice. This activity should take place in the same area as the mini-lessons; so the rug area
again would be perfect. Students are seated on the floor around the teacher so they can all see the selected piece. Another use for interactive read aloud is to bring forth the topic of Social Justice. Reading literature that focuses around such topics, allows students to relate and discuss upon those issues. It is essential that the issues discussed are also connected to the classroom level, the school level, a community level, and a world level. Because there is discussion about such topics, it supports the Sociolinguistic view that learning is more effective when communication is the key. Language & Word Study Block: Modeled/Shared Reading/Writing In the modeled/shared reading/writing part of Word Study, the focus is again on how to becoming better readers and writers by looking at the concepts/skills/strategies that it takes to do so. Shared writing, also part of the Writing Workshop block as previously stated, can also be part of the Word Study block and implemented in the same way. With a modeled/shared reading the teacher reads a text to the students while modeling the thinking that goes along with reading. Student may also be provided with a copy of the text to follow along. Again this takes place in the same area as mini-lessons and interactive read alouds.
Language & Word Study Block: Word Study Word Study has a clear focus of how words actually work. The concepts/skills/strategies that are focused on in Word Study are strategies of solving words, phonemic strategies, visual strategies, morphemic strategies, linking strategies, research strategies, looking at word patterns, decoding, using syllables, spelling, the meaning of words, making words and word sorting (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001). By looking at how words work through these different strategies, student will become better readers and writers during independent reading and writing. These strategies are not just for word study, but can also be touched on during interactive read alouds or modeled/shared reading/writing. However, in the Word Study, you are isolating the words more and looking at how they work. Again, the students should be seated close together in an area where they are comfortable; the rug area again would be perfect. Of course if you have students engage in activities on word study, then those activities can happen around the room in designated areas. Language & Word Study Block: Interactive Edit Focusing on conventions is also part of the Word Study block. An interactive edit is an effective way to accomplish conventions. Here the whole group looks at a short piece of writing (could be one or two sentences or longer) that needs editing for conventions. The conventions should be those that you find through assessment that students need more instruction on. The students may work individual, in partners or as a whole group to edit the piece. A discussion following the editing should take place to discuss the importance of the conventions for readers
and writers. Again, this should take place in a whole group setting, in the area where minilessons take place. Language & Word Study Block: Interactive Vocabulary The interactive vocabulary portion of Word Study focuses on meaning of words. Here students look at word choice, context clues for meaning, word analogies, synonyms, prefixes and suffixes, and the root words (Fountas and Pinnell. 2001). Again, its focus is on the areas that have been found through assessment of student progress that students struggle with. Examples that would be useful interactive vocabulary activities would be having students come up with different words that have similar meaning or more effective meanings (word choice), looking for clues around a word to figure out its meaning, allowing students to create word analogies, play with synonyms and create lists of related words and have students add to those lists.
FLOOR PLAN Library
CLASSROOM DESIGN During designing my classroom I had to keep my philosophy in mind. Since my philosophy is backed up by theory, theory also supports my classroom design. I designed my classroom to be open flowing and easily accessible to all students. The students are centered in the middle of the classroom allowing easy access to the different areas of the room. By having then seated at round tables, I allow the opportunities for communication, which supports Vygotsky s Sociolinguistics theory that learning is effective through social interaction. The main areas of focus are the group meeting center, the reading center, the guided group table and the classroom library. The group meeting area is where my whole group work of the three-block framework would usually take place. I would have the students seated on the rug in the middle of the area and then I would be seated at the front by the wall, which would be filled with posters and boards. If fortunate, I would love to have a SMARTboard at the front of this area on the wall that we could facilitate. Otherwise a chalkboard or white board would be useful as well. This would support the use of student engagement in the varied activities such as mini-lessons, shared writings etc. With having the student s seating on the rug, there is room for movement and repositioning if needed. Some lessons may require moving and grouping students differently for many different reasons; this type of layout ensures flexibility and supports the environment described in my literacy plan. The reading center would provide areas for students to comfortably be seated for independent reading. This center would be equipped with pillows, seating, including bean bag seats, chairs and stuffed animals so that the students feel comfortable and can have a positive experience when engaged in reading. The guided group table will be
used for guided reading/writing groups. This allows for an open flowing arrangement that will promote communication among students and me. This supports the Sociolinguistic Theory in which communication is key to learning. The final area that is essential is the classroom library. This will be a compile of varied leveled books for students to choose from. This will support their independent reading selections and use for other reading activities such as an interactive read aloud. As I introduce new books, I can highlight them in the library so students can easily find them if needed. One major area I want to point out as well is the teacher s desk. Although I am the teacher, I still want this area to feel welcoming and not over powering. For this reason, I put a table next to my desk. This is where I would conference with individual students aside from conferencing with them throughout the room at their seats. I would sit next to them instead of sitting across from them. This supports my philosophy in which I believe the classroom should be student-centered. I believe this will bring a more welcoming and secure feeling to students which will help with the rapport between students and myself; they won t feel threatened.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT As a professional, I will always be assessing my own practice, beliefs and those theories that support them through gaining more experience and insight into other strategies. I also need to reflect on what I need to do in order to strengthen myself of a professional teacher. Through writing this literacy plan, I noticed that I could strengthen three areas. Specifically, the three areas I would like to strengthen would be implementing mini-lessons, implementing guided writing groups and I also feel I need to strengthen my own understanding of how works word. I understand the parameters of a mini-lesson. However, I have never implemented such a lesson. I think I would have a hard time keeping the lesson short, simple and focused. From mini-lessons I have seen and read about, they are really focused and short. I do understand that not all students will grasp the concept/skill/strategy each and every time and that s why guided grouping conferences come into play. In guided writing groups, I understand how it s set up and that students are groups by similar needs. They practice using the craft, strategies and skills that student can then use in their independent writing. They also learn to write in different genres, use the writing process and 6-traits. However, I would like to see and/or read more about specifically how the group is carried out. I am not sure I would be able to implement one if asked to write at this moment. The final area I would like to strengthen is gaining a better understanding of how words work. I was never taught this way about words, so to me it is a little unfamiliar. I need to review the parts of words and the parts of speech so that I can better educate my students. I would like to also explore the ways this knowledge is taught and activities that can support them.
Through professional development, I am being a continual learning, and as a teacher you have to be a continually learner. With more experience and time, there are going to be areas in which you need to develop a stronger understanding of or even find news innovative ways of doing. This all lends itself to professional development and being a lifelong learner.
REFERENCES I.C., Fountas, G. S. Pinnell. (2001). Guiding Readers and Writers. Heinemann G. E. Tompkins (2010). Literacy for the 21th Century: A Balanced Approach (5 th ed.). Pearson Education Inc.