In the 21st-century, I believe that literacy also entails digital and technological proficiency, that is, one’s ability to locate, evaluate and compose information through various digital platforms or using digital technology. As technologies continue to break down barriers between communities, the ability to communicate and interact with others is increasingly fundamental to being an engaged global citizen. The “Videos for Teaching and Reviewing Figurative Language” resource is a great example of how I might incorporate technology into language lessons, not only to differentiate instruction but also to engage students with relevant media.

As an educator, I believe it is of the utmost importance that I am providing high-quality, balanced reading and writing instruction to all of my students. In an effort to ensure that no students are left behind, I am conscious of research and resource such as “Catch Them Before They Fall: Identification and Assessment to Prevent Reading Failure in Young Children” by Joseph K. Torgensen. This article in particular highlights helpful assessment processes and tools, focusing upon early identification and prevention of reading failure in the early stages of literacy development.

The teacher guide that contributed the most to my understanding of the complexities of literacy education is The Balanced Literacy Diet Website, created by OISE. The Balanced Literacy Diet is a framework that presents the various literacy concepts within the metaphor of a healthy diet so that educators can better understand how to structure their lessons to meet the needs of students at every stage of literacy development. For instance, we all learn that to grow, certain food groups should be consumed daily. For literacy, these “food groups” include vocabulary, phonemic awareness, reading fluency, writing conventions and many others. Each “food group” represents a building block within the reading and writing pyramids - visuals of the print and language-related skills and abilities required to achieve literacy.

I have found the four stages of literacy development to be incredibly informative; depicted as pie charts, these stages highlight how the “nutritional needs” of learners change as literacy develops. As an educator, I frequently refer to these stages when planning to ensure that the necessary literacy components receive appropriate attention in class. For instance, when working in a Kindergarten classroom, I reviewed the Stage 0 and 1 charts; I found that although I should primarily focus on phonemic awareness, developing oral language and vocabulary skills is also especially important during these early stages. Consequently, I chose to integrate more direct teaching of vocabulary words into our read-aloud, singing and learning centres.

Finally, this resource offers multitudes of strategies and activities for making each “food group” appealing to students. The website provides “recipes” (lesson plans) organized by food groups and grades to make finding relevant lesson plans simple and accessible. Overall, this guide is comprehensive and would support any educator – experienced or not – to improve the effectiveness of their literacy program.

Literacy Concepts: Phonemic Awareness

Literacy Concepts: Letter-Sounds & Phonics, Writing Conventions and Phonemic Awareness

Literacy Concepts: Vocabulary and Writing Processes & Strategies

Literacy Concepts: Spelling & Word Study and Vocabulary

Literacy Concepts: Oral Language, Media Literacy and Critical Literacy

Literacy Concepts: Writing Conventions, Spelling & Word Study, and Reading Comprehension Strategies

Literacy Concepts: Reading Fluency & Expression, Critical Literacy, Oral Language

Literacy Concepts: Motivation for Literacy, Reading Comprehension Strategies, Writing Processes & Strategies and Oral Language

(Purchased from Nelson Educators: https://school.nelson.com/casi-reading-assessment/).

Literacy Concepts: Reading Comprehension Strategies, Writing Conventions, Writing Strategies and Critical Literacy