My Literacy Belief System By: Roberta Lattin

“The word theory simply refers to the set of understandings that a teacher holds and believes about how children learn. Everything teachers do in the classroom proceeds from this set of beliefs and understandings, whether they are conscious of it or not. That is why just about every study of instruction shows that the one factor that makes a difference is the teacher. Developing a coherent theory takes years and is never truly finished because teachers are always learning more” (Pinnell, 2006, p. 78).

Developing My Literacy Belief System As a kindergarten teacher it is my responsibility to ensure that each of my students become literate, lifelong learners. However, the challenge to create and implement differentiated reading instruction that will successfully meet each child’s individual needs is a little daunting. I feel that their instruction needs to be as unique as they are in order to effectively help them develop and flourish in my care. This year I decided to look within myself to discover my literacy beliefs; in order to deliver authentic, meaningful reading instruction to my students. It took me fourteen years of observations, trial & error instruction, analyzing data, and research to develop my literacy belief system. I believe if I use my literacy belief system to lead instruction, rather than follow a scripted program, I will be able to effectively teach my students to read.

My Literacy Beliefs I need to create a literacy-rich environment that promotes community, collaboration, and motivation. I need to provide my students ample time to read each day. I need to allow my students the opportunity to self-select books. I need to provide time for my students to discuss and respond to their reading. I need to ensure that my students are reading “just right” texts.

My Literacy Beliefs (cont.) I need to provide my students with explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. I need to model reading strategies through daily read aloud. I need to implement authentic, ongoing assessments in order to inform and differentiate instruction. I need to make reading relevant for my students. I need to integrate technology in my reading instruction.

I need to create a literacy-rich environment that promotes community, collaboration, and motivation. I believe a classroom library should include: numerous texts at various reading levels; books of several different genres; children’s dictionaries and encyclopedias; books from diverse cultures; signs to remind children to make connections while they are reading; and beanbag chairs, stuffed animals, sticky pads, and pencils. Gambrell (1996) proposes, “motivation and reading development are fostered when children are immersed in a book-rich environment” (p. 17). She also believes, “children must have high-quality books and other reading materials available to support them in becoming motivated, engaged readers”(p. 21).

I need to provide my students ample time to read each day. I believe my students should have at least 10 minutes of uninterrupted, independent reading, as well as, guided reading instruction each day. I believe each table in my classroom should have a bucket filled with leveled readers for my students to read while they are waiting to move on to the next task. Serafini (2001) states, “we learn to read by reading” therefore, teachers must “provide large amounts of time for students to interact with literature” (p. 11). Calkins (2010) explains, “kids who are given more time to read do better” (p. 7).

I need to allow my students the opportunity to self-select books. I believe that in order to keep my students motivated and engaged in reading I should allow them the opportunity to self-select books that interest them. Metsala, Sweet, & Guthrie (1996) explain, “Teachers and researchers agree that motivation is central to literacy development” (p. 660). Gambrell (1996) found, “students who were allowed and encouraged to choose their own reading material expended more effort in learning and understanding the material” (p. 21). Calkins (2010) states, “Learners need opportunities to read high- interest, accessible books of their own choosing” (p. 13).

I believe that students need many opportunities to talk and write in response to texts that they read. Slavin, Lake, Chambers, Cheung, & Davis (2009) explore the importance of “cooperative learning in which students work in small groups to help one another master reading skills and in which the success of the team depends on the individual learning of each team member” (p. 1453). I need to provide time for my students to discuss and respond to their reading.

I need to ensure that my students are reading “just right” texts. I believe it is critical that students choose books that they can read. They should be self-selecting books that are “just right” or on their reading level. Teachers should provide books that are at a child’s zone of proximal development. Calkins (2010) cautions, “For readers to flourish, they need to be reading texts with which they can be successful, which means texts they can read with something like 96% or more accuracy, fluency, and comprehension” (p. 8).

I need to provide my students with explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. I believe it is critical to implement direct instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension every day through whole group and small group instruction. Gambrell, Malloy, & Mazzoni (2011) believe that teachers should, “provide students with scaffolded instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension to promote independent reading” (p. 22).

I need to model reading strategies through daily read aloud. I believe that it is important to model reading strategies for my students each day during read aloud. This is also a great time to teach book and print concepts to children. Miller (2002) explains, “Reading aloud motivates kids to want to learn to read, extends their oral language, and gives them opportunities to connect new information to what they already know” (p. 29). Serafini (2001) shares that reading aloud “is the primary experience I provide for bringing children and literature together and inviting children into the world of literature” (p. 56).

I need to implement authentic, ongoing assessments in order to inform and differentiate instruction. I believe it is important to implement authentic, ongoing assessments through daily observations and conversations with my students in order to differentiate instruction to meet each child’s individual needs. Miller (2002) assesses her students by “looking closely at children’s responses, conferring, listening carefully, and taking notes about what they have to say throughout the day” (p. 101). Pinnell (2006) states, “The true goal of assessment is accomplished every day in schools in which teachers systematically use assessment to inform their teaching. This kind of assessment rests on careful analysis of the strategies and knowledge that are required and on students' own strengths” (p. 80).

I need to integrate technology in my reading instruction. I believe that it is imperative to teach my students about technology because we have become global learners. Malloy & Gambrell (2006) explain, “as educators, we need to commit to preparing students for their technological journey to the future” (p. 484). Malloy & Gambrell (2006) believe, “searching and comprehending online text is an unavoidable literacy and an approachable one. These skills can help to prepare students as they strive to become fully literate adults in a technological age” (p. 482).

I need to make reading relevant for my students. I believe that my students will be more motivated to read if they are able to make text-to-self connections and are able to see literacy as a means to understanding the world around them. Gambrell, Hughes, Calvert, Malloy, & Igo (2011) found that “the authentic literacy tasks of reading books, exchanging letters, and engaging in small group discussions are viable tools for creating a learning context that reflects student accountability to community, content, and critical thinking” (p. 251).

References Calkins, L. (2010). A guide to the reading workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Gambrell, L. B. (1996). Creating classroom cultures that foster reading motivation. The Reading Teacher, 50(1), Gambrell, L. B., Hughes, E. M., Calvert, L., Malloy, J. A., & Igo, B. (2011). Authentic reading, writing, and discussion: An exploratory study of a pen pal project. The Elementary School Journal,112(2), Gambrell, L. B., Malloy, J. A., & Mazzoni, S. A. (2011). Evidence-based best practices in comprehensive literacy instruction. In L. Morrow, & L. Gambrell (4th Ed.), Best practices in literacy (pp ). New York: Guilford Press. Metsala, J. L., Sweet, A. P., & Guthrie, J. T. (1996). National reading research center. The Reading Teacher, 49(8), Miller, D. (2002). Reading with meaning: Teaching comprehension in the primary grades. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers. Pinnell, G. S. (2006). Distinguished educator: Every child a reader: What one teacher can do. The Reading Teacher, 80(4), Serafini, F. (2001). The reading workshop creating space for readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Slavin, R. E., Lake, C., Chambers, B., Cheung, A., & Davis, S. (2009). Effective reading programs for the elementary grades: A best-evidence synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 79(4),