Literacy Philosophy

Marissa Griffin
Literacy Philosophy
Southern Oregon University

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Literacy in the classroom is important for child development and growth. As a future
teacher I want to create a part of the classroom dedicated just for reading. If I could help students
at an early age to love reading it will give them a larger vocabulary and they will have more
knowledge from the books that they read. Since I want to start my teaching career in a lowincome area I feel that giving students time to read and creating a love for reading is crucial
because they are likely to have less than half of the vocabulary than more affluent children. By
motivating and helping students find books that they are interested could make an impact on how
the student feels about reading and writing.
I want to build a balanced approach towards reading and writing for all my students. For
instance, I want to have a variety of ways students can read and write independently, with a
partner, or in groups. When students are in groups I want students to answer guided questions as
well as open-ended questions that would reflect their thoughts and opinions about the reading.
This allows students to gain ideas for their writing by listening to other students in the class share
their thoughts. Also, I feel that it is important for students to work in groups and receive
feedback from one another. Students may have less stress and anxiety about assessments when
other students are giving them feedback before they turn in their final product. Sometimes
placing younger students in groups encourages them to talk about their own reading and writing
without the teacher correcting them. For example, during my literacy observation in the
kindergarten classroom I observed that students were drawing and writing about their own ideas
and sharing them with peers around them without the teacher enforcing it. I want to incorporate a
type of indirect sharing where students feel more motivated or passionate to share with others.
This relates to a constructivism approach by creating my classroom to be more student-centered
through collaboration.

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One idea that I want to take from the book Reading Magic is the importance for teachers
to stop and ask questions to check if the student understands what they are reading. In my past
experience in school I had to participate in popcorn readings. This was a strategy that my
teachers would use to have different students read aloud to the class. I feel that I could read
aloud, but not completely understand what I was reading. Students may be passed on to the next
grade level if they are capable of reading the text but not truly understanding it. I have a better
understanding about read alouds from this class and this is something that I want to bring into
my own classroom no matter what grade level I teach. One of my favorite parts of this class was
being read to and having fifteen minutes before class to read to myself. I feel that I have found a
new appreciation for the books that I chose than I did when I was younger. The writing activity
that I want to do with my future students is giving them a word and having the students make
different words using only the letters that are in the word that is provided. I thought of multiple
benefits while participating in this activity such as self-awareness, indirect competition, and
building on students vocabulary words.
Some materials that I will take away from this class and incorporate in my future
classroom are Readers Theater, word posters, and journals. My favorite activity we did this term
was a literacy strategy called Readers Theater. I feel that Readers Theater is an artistic way to
include younger students who enjoy using their imagination and acting out stories. Another
material that I will bring into my classroom is the word posters and word maps. I enjoyed doing
these activities for my group members read alouds. These types of activities can allow students
to use their background knowledge to understand new vocabulary words. I want my students to
have the opportunity to write in journals as well. Journals are a way students can express
themselves. Interacting with parents, students and teachers through reading journals can create an

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enjoyable way to discuss reading and writing with everyone involved. If most parents are willing
to participate I want to create reading journals as a homework assignment. Also, I really like the
idea of the double entry journals after reading as an in class assignment. Students will be given
the chance to write down their predictions and reasoning which teaches them comprehension
skills.
I want to use many different forms of informal assessments before I give my students a
formal assessment. In my practicum setting in a fifth grade classroom, the teacher checked for
student understanding only through different worksheets and short group conferences with the
teacher. I feel that being organized and planning ahead could increase more informal assessments
for students. More conferences with students and teachers can help teachers observe every
student and check for understanding. Another way I would use a informal assessment is by
observing students in activities, discussions, and during worksheets and writing notes to figure
out a different way to teacher the information to the students who might be struggling. Some
ways that would be considered a formal assessment without creating stress and anxiety for my
students is using a rubric. I think using a rubric could help match up each students understanding
with the goals that they should be achieving.
Reading and writing are essential for students to learn because it is used in every subject
and everyday life. Using the strategies that I have learned I feel that I have a better understanding
on how to make literacy more exciting and motivating for students. I did not like reading or
writing myself and only one teacher changed that. I want to make a difference for the students
who take a little longer to find the love and appreciation for reading and writing.