Philosophy of Literacy
Written June 2013
Over the past 3 semesters I have learned so much about literacy, from my collaborating teacher, my professors, as well as my students. I learned so many strategies that I can implement in my classroom in order to be a more effective literacy teacher. Many of these strategies deal with the 8 pillars of literacy. Some of the 8 pillars I especially like are balanced and comprehensive instruction, a lot of reading and writing, integrating social studies, skills explicitly taught (gradual release), and a wide variety of materials as well as formats for instruction.
When I look at literacy, I look at it through data. I think that data is one of the largest driving factors. I must know my students’ data in order to know what they need more work on and what I can give enrichment on. I need to know if they are making adequate progress and if not, what can I change in order to help them.
I believe that in order for students to get better at reading and like reading, they must do it A LOT! I want my students to choose books that they like and are interested in. They actually do not even need to be books, if my students choose newspapers, magazines, graphic novels, or other types of reading material – at least they are reading and being exposed to text!
Read-alouds are something that I find vital to helping my students love literature and I feel that it can change the mood of the entire day. I want to read books that are above their reading levels in order to expose them to some well written literature and help their comprehension. By reading to students everyday they are exposed to new words and new concepts. They are taken to a different world for a few minutes a day and are just able to focus on having fun.
Something I want to focus more on next year is picking appropriate books for each skill I am teaching as well as increasing the rigor in my questioning and in tasks. I also want to create literacy centers (structures) that are challenging yet fun for my students. I need to work on guided reading and how they whole process works.
Over the past 3 semesters I have learned so much about literacy, from my collaborating teacher, my professors, as well as my students. I learned so many strategies that I can implement in my classroom in order to be a more effective literacy teacher. Many of these strategies deal with the 8 pillars of literacy. Some of the 8 pillars I especially like are balanced and comprehensive instruction, a lot of reading and writing, integrating social studies, skills explicitly taught (gradual release), and a wide variety of materials as well as formats for instruction.
When I look at literacy, I look at it through data. I think that data is one of the largest driving factors. I must know my students’ data in order to know what they need more work on and what I can give enrichment on. I need to know if they are making adequate progress and if not, what can I change in order to help them.
I believe that in order for students to get better at reading and like reading, they must do it A LOT! I want my students to choose books that they like and are interested in. They actually do not even need to be books, if my students choose newspapers, magazines, graphic novels, or other types of reading material – at least they are reading and being exposed to text!
Read-alouds are something that I find vital to helping my students love literature and I feel that it can change the mood of the entire day. I want to read books that are above their reading levels in order to expose them to some well written literature and help their comprehension. By reading to students everyday they are exposed to new words and new concepts. They are taken to a different world for a few minutes a day and are just able to focus on having fun.
Something I want to focus more on next year is picking appropriate books for each skill I am teaching as well as increasing the rigor in my questioning and in tasks. I also want to create literacy centers (structures) that are challenging yet fun for my students. I need to work on guided reading and how they whole process works.