The Literacy And The Classroom Environment

A literacy rich environment is essential for any emerging reader. Emerging literacy reflects "children's natural growth and awareness of print in the environment" (Genisio & Drecktrah, 1999, p. 227) and therefore the environment has to contain suffient enough manifestations of this print and other literacy material presented in an attractive way without overwhelming the child. "Clearly, literacy-rich environments are of value. They allow children to practice literacy behaviours and language in ways that make sense to them" (Roskos & Neuman, 1994, p. 264).

As a future teacher of a fast-changing generation that searches restlessly for new interests, I believe that old and new must meet to keep the basic values of a balanced literacy. Focusing on prior knowledge, collaborating with colleagues, peers, families, and community, creating connections with our surrounding, and empowering students’ learning style throughout the process of gaining knowledge of reading and writing. Foremost, my personal philosophy of teaching literacy is based on constructivism and sociolinguistic, where hands on experience and guidance are priority in an informational world. To facilitate a child’s acquisition of literacy skills , as I plan for literacy instruction for my future classroom, I will take into consideration

“The more you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” This is how Dr. Seuss thought of reading, and I think of it in much the same way. Literacy is everywhere and influences us every day, therefore, it plays a major part in each of our lives. I believe that reading is an interactive activity in which learning happens, or as Clay (2001) defines it, “…a message-getting, problem-solving activity” (p. 1). Reading is the process through which one reads information and from doing so, constructs meaning about the material. The more exposure and practice one has with reading, the more knowledge one gains. In this paper, I will begin by discussing my own personal educational philosophy, then continue by stating and explaining four of my beliefs about the reading process and the research that is found to support each of them before sharing the remaining questions I have about literacy. I am an existentialist, and a strong supporter of a balanced literacy approach. My beliefs about literacy come from these foundations and perspectives that I embrace. For students to be successful in their literacy development, I believe that identity acceptance in the classroom is crucial, instruction for all students must be differentiated, direct and explicit instruction is at times necessary, and vocabulary is a significant component in the ‘Big Five’ of children’s literacy development.

It can be said that literacy is hated by many and loved by few, and I would attest to the fact that it’s hated, if I was still the little kid back in elementary school, but even so, literacy is so much more, it opens doors, encourages change, and Inspires many. You see, like a majority of the kids I Knew growing up, I hated English class with a passion, I despised the very thought about writing a paper. But in fourth grade something changed, something in that particular 4th grade class lit a fire that has yet to be extinguished.

In every school across America, effective practices of reading instruction are being discussed. Calkins (2012) suggests that over 85% of students being tested on grade level literacy standards are non-proficient. Research suggests that students, who are unable to read proficiently by third grade, are not predicted to ever learn to read or have successful lives when they reach adulthood (Martinez, 2008). For these reasons, it is important that districts implement literacy models and instructional reforms that have been well researched and shown to be successful. The instructional reform method of Balanced Literacy is being used throughout the country to meet the challenging standards of the Common Core. Teachers will need

As a teacher, it is important that you develop your own personal beliefs about writing and reading instruction because your beliefs will be the foundation for your instruction. Your beliefs about writing and reading will help you to determine the goals that you set, the instructional techniques that you decide to use in your classroom, and the organization of your classroom. Your beliefs about reading and writing will also help you to determine the materials that you decide to use, the writing and reading behaviors that you expect each of your student’s to show, and the standards that you are going to use to evaluate each of your students.

Today Students of Mrs.Mcmanus's literacy class observed the seventh-grade students of Mrs. Holyoak’s gym class in the annex gym. Luke Cahill reports that as soon as the seventh graders entered the room you could tell that the group was a high-energy one. Right away there were to boy pushing each other around in a playful manner which also gave of the mood. The class began with a warm-up that included adding and multiplying numbers that were shot from fingers and then whoever got the answer first would run to the next corner of the gym. This warm-up lead to a very loud atmosphere where kids were flying all over the room from corner to corner screaming out answers to the math problems that appeared on their fingers. Although most of the students

Young children imitate what they see adults do in society. On such thing is reading. Children will take up any form of literature and pretend that they are reading. To enhance and cater for this behaviour parents and teachers can:

Throughout my first year as a middle school Language Arts teacher, I have developed a theoretical understanding of what I believe are the necessary components to providing a meaningful and generative environment in which students develop and expand literacy skills. The teaching of literacy needs to include a balance of reading, writing, speaking and listening activities, and needs to be a social endeavor that provides a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all diverse learners. My teaching strategies, beliefs and personality that I bring to my classroom can be characterized as a blend of two types of philosophical theories: social constructivism and relational teaching and

As a class we should all be able to show and share our excitement for reading. Student’s can read in multiple ways like reading aloud, buddy reading, or having students read on their own. This helps to promote and show student’s multiple ways to engage in meaningful reading. Having literature circles is one way I think lets students read books and discuss it with small groups. This gives each student the opportunity to express his or her opinions, ideas, and predictions. I have to provide time for practice and allow students to write about their interest. Showing the students examples of different writing styles and my own writings are good ways to introduce students to writing and show strategies that work when writing. Having a daily journal for students to write in is positive and lets the students be creative. By doing this I can look at student’s journals and respond to their entries. This also lets me evaluate what style the student is using and which ones the student could work on. Incorporating writing in different subjects is a good way to show students that writing goes along with everything you do in everyday life. One way to do this is having students participate in current events that are relevant to current issues around the world and write small summaries on them. This is something I did in sixth grade and to this day I still read about current events. Writing should be a fun way for

Everybody has a moment that puts their life into perspective; a moment where everything just clicks, but sometimes that moment can open up more questions than answers. A person’s life can depend a lot on their surroundings, but regardless of the circumstances they’re in, it is up to them to decide how it will affect them. One event could affect each person differently in such a way that there is an indeterminate amount of possibilities in one person’s life, and they will have to be the ones to take it upon themselves to decide. My moment made me decide to learn new languages, to learn about cultures, to communicate. I wanted to live in a world where there would be no hassle in traveling, no language barriers, and no discrimination.

Literacy is defined as being literate, that is, being able to read and write in a language. My personal experience with literacy began at an early age, at the age of 4 when I began to sit and read words and letters in the back of my mother’s car. Soon enough, she would bring me a magazine called “Majed” which, in the 90’s, was a popular magazine. With this, I began even more interested in reading and writing and reviewed every word in the magazine associated with each of the short pictured stories. It was the first memory I deeply recall of literacy and it was what laid the foundation for my personal love of reading and writing. The methodology used for this is an interview. There are three interviews which are analyzed and brought together in the form of a narrative. This narrative serves to better explain the emotions and thoughts that the interviewees had about the idea of literacy.

Creating a literacy-rich environment is one of the key elements of supporting children’s literacy development. Literacy-rich classrooms tend to look quite different than the traditional classroom, covered in pre-made posters and arranged with individual desks in rows, and instead, allow for teachers to design their classrooms with their students’ needs in mind. According to an article on the Sadlier School’s blog, all elements in a classroom must be meaningful, intentional, purposeful, and engaging when creating a literacy-rich classroom. This means that classroom design is created in a way that it provides frequent opportunities to be exposed to text via environmental print, instruction, and hands-on learning as well as encouraging communication and collaboration (Sadlier School, 2017).

Literacy pedagogies have a developing and complex history in education, intertwined with social and cultural change and evolution. Each change has paved a new path for more significant approaches and strategies, which cater to diverse learners allowing them to create meaning and communicate more effectively. These literacy pedagogies brought out by the changes in education have both strengths and weaknesses. As such, educators need to explore and understand the four knowledge processes portrayed by Kalantzis, Cope, Chan and Dalley-Trim; didactic, authentic, functional, and critical literacy approach (2016), to be able to consider how they can influence teaching and learning so they are able to make informed decisions with regards to their students’ literacy learning. Teaching is becoming increasingly complex; this is particularly evident in the area of literacy. This paper will explore the four literacy pedagogies, their limitations and their strengths, and how they have impacted literacy learning within the Australian educational context.

My philosophy of literacy is centered on providing a learning environment rich in authentic literature, instruction that is engaging, fun, and balanced, collaborative, and also involving families in the child’s education. My ultimate goal of literacy instruction is to help children become lifelong readers and writers by providing the skills necessary to comprehend, construct, and make meaning of text, speak, and write. (Torgesen, 2002). According to the National Reading Panel, there are five essential components that must be taught in effective reading programs: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. (Reading Horizons). According to Konza (2014), reading instruction should be changed to six foundational reading elements, adding oral language and early literacy. I also believe that early literacy should be