Literacy Observation The classroom for my practicum is very centered around literacy.

There are many posters on the walls directing learning about various things. Some posters list rules for the class, morals, or reading time. There are charts that are used every day, such as the calendar and day counting chart. There are uses of print that are only referenced when needed, such as colors illustrated with cats, the alphabet high above the board, and months with birthdays. Literacy involvement is even included in the childrens name tags, which include an alphabet list and reference pictures. I often see the students referencing the alphabet list, their name tags, but not the color pictures or rules. I do not recall the teacher alluding to these latter print objects either. Perhaps they are just visual reminders for when necessary. I would say that these posters could be ridded of, but the teacher may know that their presence is actually necessary. She particularly has the rules for reading posted largely and out front in clear view. I suppose she believes it is very important for students to have a visual reminder of the proper ways to read to self, with partners, or aloud. The first activity of the day, after morning work, is reading time. Reading time is ninety minutes. The children are split into two main literacy groups based on reading assessments given in kindergarten. The higher reading group, Betas, is split into two subgroup reading levels. Personal books are chosen for the children according to their level of literacy and growth. The main objective right now for Betas is comprehension. Majority of the students do great with fluency and word recognition. However, simple mistakes are made from reading too fast. The other group is Puppies. These children also have a selection of books that match their level of reading and their main objectives are fluency and comprehension. The interesting thing is the Puppies have been more capable of explaining their story to me or answering comprehension questions than the Betas. The readings for the Betas are a lot more difficult (sometimes third

grade level), but I believe the lack of comprehension is due to students rushing through the reading because of their great fluency. Perhaps emphasizing the importance of pausing at punctuation and reflecting on the reading after one or two paragraphs will help the Betas to slow down and truly read. Reading time is organized by a principle called The Daily Five. The theory is to have each child complete each of five literacy tasks that research claims increases literacy: read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, work on writing, and word work. The teacher has the children alternate each day so that each has completed all five tasks by the end of the week. For the first half of reading time, Betas go with a reading aid and Puppies stay in the classroom. In the classroom, the teacher gives a brief grammar lesson then assigns the children their task for the day. The reading carpet is the main area with ample space and the books, but the whole classroom is utilized as reading space so that children can hear and be content. Writing is done at the desk and the teacher works with the children to make corrections. In some units, the stories are put up on the story board for viewing. There is a special table for listening to reading on tapes and the children usually are in pairs. Throughout this reading period, the teacher calls students individually to check reading progress. Then all the children are brought back together and they complete word work by writing their words in their notebook in patterns (all vowels red; first letter- first and second letter- first, second and third letter, etc.). Then Betas and Puppies switch between the main class and reading aid, and then the same routine is carried out. The Daily Five technique allows children to be fully engaged in their learning and gain the experience necessary to gain good literacy skills. They learn to be independent as well as work together to become better readers. The children get the opportunity to read (the best way to get better at reading) and hear higher level readers read. On a two-hour delay day, Betas and

Puppies were combined for reading time. In this case, partners for the read to someone choice included a child from Betas and a child from Puppies. The child from the lower level reading read his story to the higher level reader. The higher level reader helped the other reader identify unknown words. This seemed to be effective and I would like to see this mixed collaboration more often. Growth could result from the higher level child helping the lower level child as well as from the lower level child listening to the higher level child read. The children working together and actually reading instead of doing worksheets improves reading. Levels of reading are marked by letters in the alphabet starting at A. We are able to see progress through the year from the letter level where each child began and where they are now. Literacy is also incorporated in the rest of the day. For a daily activity, my teacher uses a poster board, calendar, place value counting chart, and weather chart. A student helper tells what day it is then each day they add one to the place value counting chart to mark how many days of school have passed and how many are left. This blends mathematics and literacy together, which is effective and intentional. The student helper describes the day and any special activity, and then the teacher writes it on the poster. After writing what the student narrates, the class corrects the intentional written mistakes together. Sometime the teacher uses a system in which she asks the students to close their eyes and show on their fingers what they think a correct answer is. (For instance, How many errors are there? Children hold up _ number of fingers. Or Thumbs up for capital letter, down for lower case.) This allows all the children to participate in a controlled manner. They learn to trust their own answers and learn in an honest way. Next the children read the objectives for the day, which are also written on the poster. The teacher also introduces each unit for the day with a story. Before the story the teacher either asks what the students already know about the subject or what predictions they can make

or explains a few things about the subject. She also asks questions throughout the story, drawing attention to pictures, new words and conclusions. Literacy is also enhanced in activities when the children read the directions together, explain artwork to the class, or discuss answers with groups. Finally, each day is closed with a fun read-aloud that is very interactive and often includes repetitive parts that the children can say. I believe my teacher does a great job of directing reading time as well as integrating literacy into the other aspects of the day. The children are engaged in every aspect of their learning. The literacy lessons are student centered and every activity is intentional, including some form of literacy involvement. This is effective teaching.