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Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment.  Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

During this semester, I was able to conduct a Global Read-In at Holy Spirit Academy in New Castle. Makayla and I read The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac, a book based on a traditional Cherokee story. After asking intentional questions, we had the students create moral-based stories of their own. This was a great opportunity to shed a positive light on Indiginous culture to a young group of children. Students must be exposed to cultures and ethnicities of all kinds to develop an appreciation for human variation. Culturally-inclusive interactive read alouds display a more accurate representation of different populations. As a future teacher, I want to involve families of different ethnicities in Global Read-Ins. They will be able to communicate personal and meaningful information better than myself. Our class textbook All Children Read, mentions that “the 2010 census revealed a growing diversity in American classrooms in almost all parts of the country” (Temple p.30). Learning about different customs and beliefs can create for a more inclusive learning environment.

Citation: Temple, T. et al. (2018). All children read: Teaching for literacy in today’s diverse classrooms (p 30). Pearson.

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Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

During my three week practicum at Union Elementary School, my second grade students were exposed to different genres every week through their basal readings. In the first two weeks, the students read a lighthearted fictional story titled The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg. For week three, the students read the biograph The Dog That Dug for Dinosaurs by Shirley Raye Redmond (see artifact below). Children benefit from reading stories with different genres, perspectives, and purposes. Scholastic.com is a great resource for teachers and families, as it categorizes books by age, category, and language. This website also provides activities and printable worksheets, making reading more interactive. As a teacher, I want my students to view reading as not only enjoyable, but as a resource to explore the world in a way that would not be possible without books.

Website Link: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/kid-friendly-guide-to-new-reading-genres.html

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Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

At Union Elementary School, I lead a small guided reading activity using the Scholastic News story titled Jellyfish or Plastic Bag? In this story, students learned about what to do with a plastic bag, along with the consequences that follow when they are not recycled. Throughout the reading, I had students follow along with their fingers to assure that they were engaged the whole time. When we approached a bolded word, I had them ponder the meaning of the word by looking at the context. Looking up the definition of words we do not know can be very time consuming. If the students are able to decipher the meaning using the context in surrounding sentences, then they will not have to pause to look up the definition every time. Eventually, as Jennifer Serravallo states, “...we want [students] to eventually outgrow those strategies” when they become automatic (Serravallo p.9). Eventually, students will no longer need to use their fingers as a guide and will understand the words in bold. Strategies lead students towards success.

Citation: Serravallo, Jennifer. The Reading Strategies Book : Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers, p.9. Heinemann, 2015.

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The assessment should involve multiple perspectives and sources of data.

During this semester, I was able to observe a DRA via YouTube (see artifact below) and produce two mini lessons alongside Emma H. We were able to identify reading and comprehension miscues during a one-on-one testing setting. Although DRAs can help teachers gage their students’ understanding, they must view how the student reads in a more natural setting. In the article Taking Another Look At (Listen To) Shari, Alan Flurkey mentions how “...’mistakes’ aren’t really mistakes; they are merely phenomena that occur in most any act of reading” (Flurkey, p.11). Miscues do not just diminish one day, despite how advanced a person is at reading. In the future, I want to assure that I am assessing my students’ reading and literacy in a more holistic manner. To do so, I will observe my students’ reading outside of a standardized testing environment.

Citation: Flurkey, Alan. “Taking Another Look at (Listen To) Shari.” Primary Voices K-6, vol. 3, no. 4, 1995, p.11.
Article Link: https://learn.westminster.edu/content/enforced/25869-ECE_341_01_Spring_2021_WC/Week%207%20Flurkey%20listen%20to%20Shari.pdf

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Families must be involved as active, essential participants in the assessment (and literacy learning) process.

As an assignment for our ECE 341 class, I created a family survey and letter. In the letter, I gave a quick summary about who I was and established the literacy goals I planned to achieve with the class. In the survey, I asked parents to gage what literacy-based activities their children were experiencing outside of the classroom. Although students learn an immense amount of information at school, the learning should not stop at home. Literacy is involved in every aspect of life. Rif.org is a wonderful website that teachers can use to inform parents on how to guide their child’s literacy development at home. This website provides animated read alouds, activities, and other resources. Providing parents with websites and other easily accessible tools can help grow their confidence in playing an active role in their child’s education. I plan on establishing a strong connection with families by increasing communication, which can then increase involvement drastically.

Website Link: https://www.rif.org/literacy-central/collections/reading-activities-parents-and-caregivers

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Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

One of my second grade students at Union Elementary wrote poems about nature, life experiences, and loss. With the help of her father, she was able to produce a poetry book of her own titled “Brave Girl” (as seen in the artifact below). This book brought that student purpose; she was able to express her feelings in such a unique and personable way. Reading texts that vary in structure and purpose teaches us new ways to communicate with one another. I believe that students should be well-versed in spoken, written, and visual language because all aspects are a part of everyday life. As stated in the article Comprehension at the Core,  “Only [children] can turn what they hear, see, read, and talk about into knowledge by thinking deeply and expansively” (Harvey 433). In my future classroom, I want to give my students a vast amount of literary tools to express themselves, whether it be poetry, persuasive pieces, informational passages, etc. I will do this by reading several different genres, enhancing their vocabulary through meaningful lesson planning, and giving them opportunities to explore reading that fits their personal preferences.

Citation: Harvey, Stephanie, and Anne Goudvis. Comprehension At The Core. Mar. 2013.
Article Link: https://learn.westminster.edu/content/enforced/25869-ECE_341_01_Spring_2021_WC/week%201%20Harvey%20Comprehension%20Core.pdf