12/14/2013 10:34:00 PM

LITERACY ACTION PLAN

Cultivating Literacy
Understanding the complexities of spoken and written word development to
provide all children the opportunity to become successful readers and writers.
Writing and reading are complex and individualized
processes. Sociocultural theory states that childrens success
in literacy is contingent upon biological, familial, cultural and
institutional resources. In addition, socio-cultural interactions
strongly influence childrens language development.
Students are most successful when interactions between their
native language and their second language are synthesized, as
literacy development in a students first language can apply to
development in their second language as well. Dual language
immersion is also essential for students to maintain their
personal identities.
Second Language Acquisition
Who is the 21
st
Century
Learner?
Problem Solver
Global Citizen
Collaborative
Digitally Literate
Critical Thinker
Creative
Curious


Language and literacy are essential to growing children
as these fundamental skills form the basis for
communication and learning. Language and literacy skills
provide children access to a world of knowledge and gives
them know how and skill to navigate it.

Unique
Students in the 21
st
century will benefit from having
access to resources and tools that enable them to locate and
acquire information more efficiently and quickly than ever
before. They will also learn from teachers who are highly
qualified and knowledgeable about how students learn, and
utilize best practices in instruction. However, the challenge is
ensuring equitable access to these resources, providing
culturally relevant instruction to meet the needs of a diverse
student body and addressing complex and multi-faceted
literacy demands in a standards driven education system.
Culturally and linguistically diverse
children need explicit instruction in
knowledge-based competencies, vocabulary
and academic language demands in order to
bridge cultural divides. In addition, in order to
foster a lasting and positive relationship with
literacy accessing these students background
knowledge and conceptual understanding is
essential.
Creating lessons and
activities that accomplish appropriate
learning objectives for all students is
achieved by scaffolded and
sheltered instruction. Sheltered
instruction offers a variety of
assessments and activities ensure that
all students can participate and
demonstrate their understanding.
Planning multiple entry points for
students with a variety of leaning
needs creates a positive and inclusive
environment where all students can
be successful.
It is also important to honor
and recognize diversity, and to
provide students
opportunities to share
their personal funds of
knowledge with their
peers. Building bridges to
connect students home
life to school can be
accomplished by providing
multiple and varied
opportunities for caregivers to
become a part of school culture, by
using home-school notebooks, or
using technology like classroom
websites and blogs to ensure that
caregivers can be engaged in their
students work.
Cultivating the Successes of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
That all our
knowledge begins with
experience there can be
no doubt (Kant , 1781)
(Kant , 1781)

Over the summer, I mentored two Karen-Burmese
students at the Ithaca City School Districts Summer
Academy. I created a series of linguistically appropriate
integrated science and literacy mini-lessons about the
weather. The rich learning experience was inspiring as I
learned about the students unique backgrounds and
experiences. I also was able to experiment with finding
creative and interesting ways to approach literacy
instruction, and got great experience planning and adapting
instruction to match the students needs. Within the larger
classroom context I was exposed to a diverse range of
needs and proficiencies that helped me to develop
perspective on differentiation.
Summer 2013 Field Experience
July 2013: Engaging Karen-Burmese students
in a pre-reading vocabulary strategy


(Continued)

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My Classroom

Print rich
Visual and written cues
Reflective of the
students
Conducive to whole
class, small group and
individual instruction
Computers
Games



Multitude of tools for students to
write with and ON!
Students will be exposed to a
variety of literature. They will
be encouraged to share and
recommend books to each
other.
As well as a variety of fiction
and non-fiction students own
writing will be displayed
throughout the classroom.
Students will also be expected
to interact with text and
information digitally as well.
Programs like Reading-A-Z
and game-based learning like
Imagine Learning will be
structured into students daily
routine.
In Our Class We
1. Use kind words, and kind bodies
2. Ask for help
3. Look and listen when someone is speaking
4. Take turns
5. Follow directions
6. Make sure everyones voice is heard
7. Respect each other, ourselves and the planet
An Example of Classroom Guidelines to Create an Inclusive, Safe, Supportive and
Communal Context for Language and Literacy Development.
Embracing Culture It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and
there is strength (Angelou , N.D)
In our class we will honor and celebrate diversity. Student interests and culture will be reflected on the walls of our
classroom, as well as information about cultures from around the world. To the best of our ability we will find windows
and bridges into the world outside of our classroom.




Stages of Readers
A Balanced Approach

Precommunicative
Semi-Phonetic
Phonetic
Transitional
Correct
Emergent
Early
Transitional
Self-Extending
Advanced

Stages of Writers
A balanced approach to reading focuses on the
explicit instruction of varied skills and strategies, and
integrates reading into other subject areas. Reading a
variety of genres and formats everyday is another essential
pieces. In addition, reading to with and by students in
formats such as read a-louds, shared reading and guided
reading scaffolds the reading process for students. As
students develop their skills, it is important to encourage
and foster independent reading by making time for this
activity throughout the day, and helping students find just
right books helps students to become persistent and avid
readers.
As with reading, a balanced approach to
writing is based on instruction of skills and strategies
(Phonemic awareness, concrete words, letter names
and sounds) as well as the implementation of various
modalities for children to experience writing. I will
support emergent writers by modeling writing,
engaging students in guided practice and designing
time for students to practice writing independently.
Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum
Social Studies: Writing personal histories, perspective pieces, writing
mini-plays (history in action!), creating an informational tour guide
Math: Writing math problems for a class-made workbook. Creating a
book of math strategies (written by students).
Art: Drawing a picture with words. Use descriptive language to describe
an art piece.
Physical Education: Personal health journals, making posters to
promote healthy habits
Science: Writing songs about science, writing about science
experiences on a class blog, writing in a science journal/notebook.

The Reading Process is
Complex & Multifaceted
Students recognizing letters & sounds,
directionality of text, sequence of sounds
and syllables
The building blocks of reading
are . . .
Vocabulary
Print Concepts
Phonemic awareness
Concrete words
Letter names and sounds
DESIRE and PURPOSE for
reading
Activities to construct the foundation!
Exposure to a variety of texts, read-alouds, think-
alouds, spelling and phonics instruction guided
reading. . .

Words! Words! Words!
Knowing the meaning of words is
fundamental to reading
comprehension and fluency.
Vocabulary is best developed through
context and experience. Teaching
vocabulary should be approached by a
combination of reading and meaning
making strategies (context clues &
morphemes).
Vocabulary should be developed
through ALL stages of development
(k-12 and beyond!).

Cracking the Code
Understanding the lexical elements of the English language helps
students to determine meaning. Knowing morphemes (prefixes,
suffixes and roots) high frequency words, and sight words help
students to understand new words.
Glimpse of Strategies: Word Walls, Games, Reading, and Songs!

Word Wizards (strategies to find meaning)
Use words you know
Rhyme to figure out spelling patterns
Recognize common prefixes and suffixes
Use context
Recognize letter patterns
Strategies to Develop Vocabulary
Word displays
Pantomiming vocabulary
Promoting dictionary use
Readers theatre
Personal dictionaries
Picture walks
New word fortune tellers
Vocabulary development stimulates and strengthens writing
skills. Knowing content specific vocabulary is essential to
understanding core concepts. A broad vocabulary helps students
to become better speakers and listeners as well!



Is understanding meaning, and thinking
and responding to a text.
Comprehension
Student
understanding is
influenced by
Text structures/genres
Background knowledge
Familiarity with a variety of
ways text is organized
Ability to identify words
quickly
Non-Fiction Texts
Sequence
Compare Contrast
Cause and effect
Problem and Solution

VS.
Fiction
Characters
Setting
Problem
Attempts to resolve
Resolution
Teaching about text structure increases comprehension, improves
text-driven processing and reading performance. Knowing how a text
is organized helps students follow the ideas presented in a text and
recall the information.
Pre-Reading
Activate background
knowledge
Develops conceptual base
Connects text to prior
learning
Sets purpose for reading
Examples:
Picture walks
Book commercials
Music
Role play
Art
Examining paralinguistic
features
Making predictions
During Reading
Support and organize
conceptual picture
Enabling students to
construct meaning with
text
Scaffolding
understanding
Monitoring
comprehension
Examples:
Effective questioning
Think- aloud
Act out the text
K-W-L organizers
Story maps
Inquiry charts
Jigsaw protocol
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Informational Text
Tips:
Identifying key
features
(glossary, table
of contents)
Identifying
structure
Organize
information with
graphic
organizers
Common Core Reading Anchor Snapshots
Common Core State Standards aim to provide each student with the skills necessary to meet college and work expectations by engaging students in
rigorous content and knowledge application through high-order thinking skills. The Common Core Standards are aligned with 10 College and Career
Readiness Anchor Standards; they describe expectations for students writing, reading, speaking, listening and language. (McLaughlin & Overturf ,
2013 )
Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 1: Reading Closely and Citing Textual Evidence expects students to
identify key details, make inferences, and cite textual evidence to support their reasoning.
In Action: Read-Head-Said Graphic Organizer. Students use a graphic organizer to help facilitate documenting the key
details, inferences and corresponding textual evidence; column headings in the organizer are labeled What I Read,
What Is in My Head and What the Text Said.

Common Core Reading Anchor 2: Determining Central Ideas and Themes is focused on student ability to determine
the central themes and ideas from a text, summarize key details in a text and analyze the development of ideas and
themes within a text.
In Action: S-T-O-R-Y is an acronym that students can use to help them visualize the parts of a story: setting, talking
characters, oops! A Problem, attempts to resolve the problem and Y-yes, the problem is solved.

Common Core Reading Anchor 3: Individual, Event and Idea Development asks students to analyze individuals,
events and ideas interact throughout a text.
In Action: Students may use a character, trait and quote map to describe the traits of a character and provide quotations
from the text that illustrate the trait.

Common Core Anchor Standard #4: Meaning of Words and Phrase expects students to be able to interpret words and
phrases, determine connotative meaning, figurative meanings and analyze how word choices shapes meaning and tone.
In Action: Picturing Metaphors and Similes: Students illustrate metaphors and similes in a text than discuss how using
figurative language as a literary device helps to make the writing more descriptive.

Common Core Reading Anchor 5: Structure of texts asks students to analyze text structures and to relate parts of a
text to a whole (i.e. relating a chapter of a book contributes to the meaning of the book as a whole).
In Action: Students use a sequence chains to place items from a text in chronological order. This strategy works well for
organizing information from biographies or historical accounts.

Common Core Reading Anchor 6: Point of View is for students to understand that authors and texts present different
positions depending on the purpose and outlook. Students are expected to analyze and interpret point of view to determine
the message and credibility of the text.
In Action: Students re write the story from a different point of view.

Common Core Reading Anchor 7: Diverse Media and Formats centers on students abilities to examine informational
texts presented in various formats and medias (internet, magazines, graphs, audio, video), assess the credibility of the source,
and synthesize information from these sources to conduct research.
In Action: With guided instruction students would engage in a scavenger hunt where they find and information using the
Internet, books, magazines, pictures, videos clips and radio programs to answer a research question.

Common Core Reading Anchor 8: Opinions, Reasons and Evidence is focused on students ability to understand rhetoric by
evaluating and delineating the validity of the reasoning and adequacy of claims presented in a text.
In Action: In order to support and facilitate my student development of this standard, the class would read a variety of texts
(picture books, magazines) where the author illustrates their opinion and supports their opinions with details and evidence.
Students would write an opinion piece of their own to demonstrate understanding.

Common Core Reading Anchor 9: Compare/Contrast Themes and Topics centers on students ability to examine similar
themes throughout multiple (2+) texts, and to contrast the different approaches/perspective of the texts.
In Action: In order to facilitate student understanding students would read two texts that share a theme, students would
identify main characters, experiences and outcome and than compare the two texts using a graphic organizer (ex: Venn
diagram).
Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 10: Text Complexity requires that students are able read and understand
complex texts; complex meaning that they require the student to make inferences from textual evidence, understand content
specific vocabulary, analyze tables and graphs etc. Students must be able to read these literary or informational texts
independently.
In Action: Facilitating students ability to read and understand complex text requires them to synthesize their knowledge of
other reading strategies. In order to develop students ability to comprehend complex texts, I would select anchor texts
(both literary and informational) and use small group guided reading instruction as well as integrating Reading Anchor
Standards 1-9 into a daily classroom routine.

Prewriting
Drafting
Revise Edit
Publish
What is Fluency?
The ability to read most words in context quickly
and accurately with appropriate expression.
Facilitated by
Modeling fluent and
expressive reading
Providing opportunities
for students to read out
loud
Choral reading
The Writing Process

Writers Workshop
Writers workshop is an opportunity for students to become comfortable
and competent in the writing process. Through a series of mini lessons
students work on writing, editing, revising and sharing their written
artifacts. Students take ownership of their writing with the end goal
creating a published piece of writing in which they been actively
engaged in every step of the process.
Activities:
Authors Chair: Children have an opportunity to share their writing
with their peers to receive feedback
Peer Editing: Children share work with a partner and they each use
special colored pens to highlight spelling, punctuation, grammatical
errors.

Ways we may write poetry, narrative texts, post cards, letters, how-to guides, field journals,
opinion essays, informational essays. . . .

Brainstorming to Get Creative Juices
Flowing:
Descriptive words for a poem
Questions or topics for a letter
Possible positions for opinion essays


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Assessment

Formative: Checks student understanding, instructional efficacy to guide future
instruction. I.e. targeted observations, entry and exit tickets, student reflections,
graphic organizers
Summative: Snapshot of learning at a specific point in time. I.e. spelling tests, pre
and post unit assessments, final essays
Informal: Accurate and purposeful analysis of student work. I.e. Writing samples,
collections of student work
Authentic: Purposeful, contextual, student structured tasks. I.e. Literacy circle
discussions, writing letters, blogging.
A synthesis of
appropriate forms of
assessment will be used
to collect and analyze
data on student growth
and performance.
Educating for Democracy, Diversity & Social Justice
Acquiring literacy is an empowering process, enabling millions to enjoy access to knowledge and
information which broadens horizons, increases opportunities and creates alternatives for building a
better life. (Annan, N.D)

In order to ensure the success of all students I believe in creating lasting partnerships with the students family, and
providing the child with the tools that will empower them to be successful lifelong learners. I will strive to create a
myriad of opportunities for parents and families to become involved within my classroom culture. In addition I
believe that high expectations, a firm belief in childrens capabilities and purposeful, meaningful and reflective
instruction are key to helping all students realize their potential.


Angelou , M. (N.D). Do One Thing Quotes for a Better World. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from Do
One Thing: www.doonething.org/quotes/literacy-quotes.htm
Annan, K. (N.D). Do One Thing Quotes for a Better World . Retrieved December 2013, from Do One
Thing : doonething.org/quotes/literacy-quotes.htm
Kant , I. (1781). The Critique of Pure Reason . Retrieved December 2013, from :
www.marxists.org/reference/subject/ethics/kant/reason/critique-of-pure-reason.htm
McLaughlin, M., & Overturf , B. (2013 ). The Common Core Teaching K-5 Students to Meet the Reading
Standards . Newark, DE: International Reading Association .


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