READING METHODS

Day 2

Quick Write:

Review the vignette of Ms. Janusz’s classroom in Tompkins (pp. 1-3).

What is your reaction to the classroom environment created by Ms. Janusz?

Do you remember your kindergarten and/or first grade classroom?

Can you remember a moment when you first read to someone?

Do you remember any difficulties you faced in learning to read?

What were your favorite books as a child? What does the term literacy mean to you?

Literacy Concept Maps

Brainstorm the concept of literacy.

With a partner create a semantic map/thinking map that captures your ideas, knowledge and beliefs about the concept of literacy.

Brainstorming

Based on your own experiences, what do you consider to be the characteristics of effective literacy teachers?

Compare and contrast your brainstormed ideas to the eight principles listed in Chapter 1.

Developing a Theory of Literacy Learning  “You may be thinking, “Why do I

care about theories? Just show me what to do!”

Creating a Literacy Word Wall Review Tompkins, Chapter 1 & identify

key literacy terms/concepts. Record terms/concepts on index cards. Alphabetize! Post on classroom wall.

It is important to learn about theories because even if you think you don’t care about or need them,

what you do in your future classrooms will be directly

influenced by what you believe about how children learn to read – and that is your theory of literacy

learning” (Lenski & Nierstheimer 17-18).

How Theory Can Inform Practice

“When you become a teacher, you’ll be making lightning-quick decisions throughout your day. You’ll be making decisions about

what to teach, how to teach, and how to respond to students. Each of these decisions will be based on your beliefs about teaching, your instincts as a teacher, and the theories that you have generated about teaching & learning. […] Because of the complexity of learning, teachers use their experiences, beliefs, observations, and knowledge to

develop their own personal learning theories, which in turn shape the decisions they make

in the classroom.” (Lenski & Nierstheimer 13).

Learning Theories

Thorndike (1913): the theory of

connectionism responses are

associated with stimuli during repeated learning attempts

See Also…• Pavlov:

Classical conditioning• Skinner (1953)

Behavior Management

Measurable behavioral objectives

Behavior modification

Positive reinforcement

Behaviorist Theories Terms Associated with Behaviorism…

A combination of three theories: cognitive, constructivist and sociocultural theories;

Constructivism: learners do not merely

respond to stimulus, but rather acquire knowledge actively

Knowledge is socially constructed and created by the individual

Dewey: Experience is the

foundation of learning

Piaget: Learners assimilate

new information within existing knowledge structures, accommodate knowledge structures to new situations, and move between assimilation and accommodation.

Vygotsky: ZPD

Social ConstructivismSNames Associated with Social Constructivism…

Bottom-Up Theory of Reading Skills are taught first, rather than during

natural engagement with whole texts.

Like…playing the piano by learning notes and keys before songs.

Definition: Teaching reading using the progression of letters, sounds, words, and sentences before meaning.

What it’s NOT: Teaching reading using books or stories as a context for learning about letters and sounds.

Psycholinguistic Theory of Reading[Top Down Theory] Reading is primarily a meaning-making

enterprise that requires readers to engage with whole texts first, before learning about the parts.

Like…watching a whole baseball game before learning all of the rules.

Definition: Readers act on written language with the primary purpose of making sense.

What it’s NOT: Learning all the rules of phonics before being given a chance to read whole books.

Transactional Theory of Reading Readers construct meaning from the text based

on prior knowledge and experiences within the context of the reading.

Like…buying a car! When you buy a car you bring your own preferences, past experiences, and social knowledge to the process of selecting a car.

Definition: Acknowledging the contributions of the reader, the text, and the social context of reading events.

What it’s NOT: Teaching sounds and letters in isolation. Demanding one right meaning of text.

Critical Literacy Theory

During reading, readers don’t just construct meaning from print, they go beyond making meaning to analyzing text and forming judgments.

Like…reflecting on a conversation by considering the meaning surrounding the words of the conversations.

Definition: Examining texts and their relationships to society.

What it’s NOT: Looking at surface meanings.

Early Readers

Interpretive Readers [Transitional]

Critical Readers [Independent & Fluent]

Distinguishing Between Literacy Theories! Filling out worksheets Writing in journals Discussing a story Participating in literature circles Learning the sounds of letters in isolation Choral reading Acting out a story Discussing the social implications of a story or book Writing an editorial letter to a newspaper Creating a painting that evolved from a story you read Memorizing rules of phonics Analyzing a political cartoon Listening to books on tape while following along with text Writing poetry about feelings evoked from a book Using flashcards to learn new words Making up a puppet show version of The Three Bears Reading early reading texts and retelling the stories Writing out definitions of vocabulary words Chanting the long and short sounds of the vowels

Scenario 1

Mrs. Wilson’s Grade 2 class is busy working on an Author Study of Tomi DiPaola. One group of students is listening to the story Strega Nona and discussing the narrative structure in preparation for writing their own version of the story. Another group of students is practicing a choral reading to share with the class. Students in a third group are writing their own letters from the character, Strega Nona. The fourth group of students is completing various activities at a learning center, including “Bingo” and “Concentration” using words from the story.

Mrs. Wilson believes that providing students with a variety of reading & writing activities within a balanced literacy program best supports the growth of each student.

Scenario 2

Students in Mr. Dodgson’s Grade 1 class are busy completing worksheets in which they practice matching pictures with initial consonants. Mr. Dodgson follows a carefully planned sequence for introducing letters & sounds in order to develop his students’ understanding of phonics. When reading Big Books during shared reading time, Mr. Dodgson encourages his students to identify letters and their corresponding sounds; after reading they create lists of word families. Mr. Dodgson believes that students need to know all their letters and sounds before they can begin to read whole words and texts.

Scenario 3

Students in Mrs. Bagley’s 4th Grade classroom have been collecting newspaper articles for their integrated unit: an environmental study exploring the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park and other efforts to increase the grey wolf population. Some of their activities include: reading and researching the grey wolf online and at the library; creating & administering surveys about people’s attitudes towards reintroduction efforts; literature circle discussions of the Jack London classics White Fang and Call of the Wild; and writing articles for a class newsletter. Students add new words to the class thematic Word Wall and use these words in their daily writing.

A Balanced Literacy Program includes…

READING: Interactive Read-Aloud Shared Reading Guided Reading Independent Reading

WRITING: Shared Writing Interactive Writing Guided Writing/Writer’s Workshop Independent Writing

LISTENING

SPEAKING

Something to Consider…

How can Literacy Theories help you

plan instruction?

How can Literacy Theories help you plan instruction?

Tompkins, Chapter 1: Becoming an Effective Teacher of Reading

Discuss:

What is “literacy”?

What does it mean to be “literate”?

Tompkins identifies 7 principles that describe what effective teachers do.

Putting Reading First Booklet What do the authors emphasize in this

booklet about early literacy?

How do the suggestions fit with the different Literacy Theories?

What are the major elements of a literacy program in grades K-3? Grades 4-6…? And above?