Master of Science in Education, Walden University
EDUC 6705: Reading and Literacy Today
14:53:50 GMT -05:00
, Literacy is the key that unlocks the door to full participation in life (Cooper, 2006) hence, it should be that
gift that all teachers strive to give their students. As teachers we a part of our students’ learning processes
as we seek to work with them, not on them. Studies indicate that about 15 percent of the variations among
children in reading achievement at the end of the school year is attributable to factors that relate to the
skill and effectiveness of the teacher (Reutzel, & Cooter, (2019). Thus, the teacher makes a difference in
the classroom. There are seven pillars that are identified for effective literacy instruction. They are
Teacher Knowledge, Assessment, Evidence-based practice, Response to Intervention, Motivation and
Engagement, Technology and New Literacies, and Family and Community Connection.
The teacher’s knowledge is crucial as it determines the quality of instruction offered to students.
Therefore, teachers must know the subject that they teach. Continuous research and that of Education
Trust (2008) Achievement in America, researchers and policymakers alike have argued that improved
teacher knowledge is our best hope in closing the achievement gap. As soon as a child enters school, the
teacher’s influence is immediately seen on the child’s academic growth. Often, parents will comment to
me “Miss, I am trying to help Sam with this and he keeps saying, teacher says..” This, I regularly share
with colleagues to remind myself and others that our influence is great and if the wrong concept is taught
a student will embrace this misconception. I recall having a grade 1 student in my class and when
administering the grade 1 Individual Learning Profile and doing letter-sound knowledge, there were many
“bu, pu, du”. Subsequently, for teachers to teach reading and writing, we must be knowledgeable about
reading and writing and how students develop reading and writing skills.
The primary reason for assessing students is to assist you in planning instructional activities and
experiences that you will need to provide to help learners continue to improve their literacy development.
According to Afflerbach, (2001) & Flippo (2003), classroom assessment refers to the observations, record
keeping, and ongoing performance measures that a teacher uses to gather information about each students
reading progress. Therefore, literacy assessment is not given at the end of a unit or separated from
ongoing daily instructional activities. Assessment should take place every time a student reads, writes,
speaks, listens, or views something. Whenever assessment becomes ongoing it becomes natural, expected,
and effective. For example, a child is given a task to write a story about a trip to visit family members can
be assessed to see the students’ ability to organize ideas, express self and use the various conventions of
language. Assessment must be based on goals and a collaborative approach is at times taken with the
design as we consider questions such as: what do we want students to do? how will we know if they are
learning to do it? Reading and writing occur every day in our classrooms, thus, reading assessments
happen before, during, and after instruction has taken place.
14:53:50 GMT -05:00
EDUC 6705: Reading and Literacy Today
14:53:50 GMT -05:00
, Literacy is the key that unlocks the door to full participation in life (Cooper, 2006) hence, it should be that
gift that all teachers strive to give their students. As teachers we a part of our students’ learning processes
as we seek to work with them, not on them. Studies indicate that about 15 percent of the variations among
children in reading achievement at the end of the school year is attributable to factors that relate to the
skill and effectiveness of the teacher (Reutzel, & Cooter, (2019). Thus, the teacher makes a difference in
the classroom. There are seven pillars that are identified for effective literacy instruction. They are
Teacher Knowledge, Assessment, Evidence-based practice, Response to Intervention, Motivation and
Engagement, Technology and New Literacies, and Family and Community Connection.
The teacher’s knowledge is crucial as it determines the quality of instruction offered to students.
Therefore, teachers must know the subject that they teach. Continuous research and that of Education
Trust (2008) Achievement in America, researchers and policymakers alike have argued that improved
teacher knowledge is our best hope in closing the achievement gap. As soon as a child enters school, the
teacher’s influence is immediately seen on the child’s academic growth. Often, parents will comment to
me “Miss, I am trying to help Sam with this and he keeps saying, teacher says..” This, I regularly share
with colleagues to remind myself and others that our influence is great and if the wrong concept is taught
a student will embrace this misconception. I recall having a grade 1 student in my class and when
administering the grade 1 Individual Learning Profile and doing letter-sound knowledge, there were many
“bu, pu, du”. Subsequently, for teachers to teach reading and writing, we must be knowledgeable about
reading and writing and how students develop reading and writing skills.
The primary reason for assessing students is to assist you in planning instructional activities and
experiences that you will need to provide to help learners continue to improve their literacy development.
According to Afflerbach, (2001) & Flippo (2003), classroom assessment refers to the observations, record
keeping, and ongoing performance measures that a teacher uses to gather information about each students
reading progress. Therefore, literacy assessment is not given at the end of a unit or separated from
ongoing daily instructional activities. Assessment should take place every time a student reads, writes,
speaks, listens, or views something. Whenever assessment becomes ongoing it becomes natural, expected,
and effective. For example, a child is given a task to write a story about a trip to visit family members can
be assessed to see the students’ ability to organize ideas, express self and use the various conventions of
language. Assessment must be based on goals and a collaborative approach is at times taken with the
design as we consider questions such as: what do we want students to do? how will we know if they are
learning to do it? Reading and writing occur every day in our classrooms, thus, reading assessments
happen before, during, and after instruction has taken place.
14:53:50 GMT -05:00
