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Kaitlyn Smith
ENGL 414
Childrens Lit.
Comprehensive Literacy Plan
5/1/14

What is your vision for childrens literature and its role in your elementary school
classroom?


Governing Principles:

Literature must play a large role in the lives of children both inside and
outside of the classroom. Creating a positive feeling about reading in the classroom
makes children more likely to read on their own for pleasure. Childrens literature
should be used in every possible way in the classroom and should be used in every
subject in some way. Children can benefit from reading multiple types of texts
throughout the day.
Something that I want to be known very well in my classroom is that
everyone makes mistakes, and it is okay to be wrong. Children should be
comfortable enough in the classroom to respond and discuss freely without feeling
self-conscious or worried they might be judged for being wrong about something. I
hope to create a classroom environment that enables students to share their
thoughts, ideas, and questions openly and learn from their mistakes.
Students should also understand that reading is important. Not only should
they understand its importance, but they should also grow to love and enjoy
reading. Students should have a positive attitude about reading both inside and
outside of the classroom.


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Class Activities:

Childrens literature will be a part of the daily routine in my classroom. There will be
time during the day, probably about fifteen minutes long if possible, that allows
students to simply sit somewhere comfortable in the classroom and read whatever
they would like. They will not be allowed to do any other work or do anything
except read. The teacher will read as well, to set an example for students.
Students will also be encouraged to read when they have completed all of
their assignments and have free time. Having an incentive system to encourage
reading is one way to get students excited to read. Students often work well when
they know there is a reward for their hard work.
One program called Accelerated Reader provides tests for books that
students read that test comprehension and gives them points based on how well
they score on the test. Requiring each student to reach a reasonable amount of
points (the number of points required will be different for each student and
specifically fitted to their reading level) will give them a reason to read and
comprehend the texts they read. If students reach their point level at the end of a
grading period, such as six or nine weeks, they will receive some sort of reward for
their reading.
Finding a type of literature that each child likes and helping them find it is a
way to help encourage students to enjoy reading. If students can find texts they
enjoy, they are much more likely to read in their free time or just for fun. Students
also enjoy when their teacher reads to them. Although it is not reasonable and
probably would not happen, I would really enjoy reading a book with my class and
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having time to read and discuss every day for a short period of time. In an ideal
situation, there would be fifteen to twenty minutes a day for students to hear the
teacher read and model good reading and fluency.
The teachers attitude about reading can influence students in a great way. If
children see adults around them reading, including their teacher, they are more
likely to read in their spare time. The attitudes about reading children are exposed
to influence their attitudes. A teacher should be a positive influence for students and
encourage them to read things they enjoy.
I plan to use poetry in my classroom in multiple ways. I believe that
introducing children to poetry at an early age and helping inspire them to enjoy
poetry is a great way to use it in a classroom. One way I could do this would be to
read the children a poem at the beginning of each day. They will most likely be
short, funny, and silly poems that make kids laugh and catch their attention. I also
plan to have children write their own poems and understand the importance of
poetry in our world.
Another classroom activity that I think is very beneficial for all members of
the class is having students share books they have read in some way with their
peers. Whether this be book talks or book reports, the students often find interest in
and are inspired to read books other children recommend to them. Requiring
children to share and discuss the books they have read helps them fully understand
and reflect on the book and really know why they did or didnt like it. These
activities benefit the entire class, and I hope to use student interest to spark more
student interest in literature.
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Classroom Set up:

The set up of a classroom and the numbers of books in it greatly affects the
attitudes of students about reading. In my classroom, I plan to have as many books
of different kinds available for my children to read. At the beginning of the school
year, or at any point in the year for that matter, I will have students fill out an
information sheet that tells me their interests and hobbies or kinds of books they
enjoy reading so that I am able to find books for my classroom library that cater to
each students interests.
In my classroom, I hope to have enough space to create a place where
students can get comfortable to read. I would like to have comfortable chairs and a
carpet of some sort so that students can sit wherever they feel most comfortable to
read during the free reading period of the day, or during any other free time they
may have to read.
It is important to find books that students enjoy reading so that they dont
become discouraged and have a negative attitude about reading. I plan to have a
particular place in my classroom designated to be the classroom library with
multiple bookshelves and many, many books. There will be books of every genre
and kind so that students can easily find a book that interests them. It may take
many years to acquire all the books I hope to have, but someday Ill get there.
In a first grade classroom, there will be students on many different reading
levels. Some will only be able to read lower-level picture books, while others will be
able to read full chapter book series. It is important to me that I provide books of
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many levels in my classroom library so that all students can find books that they are
able to read independently and that they enjoy.
Children will be allowed to freely use any books they please in the classroom
library. There will be a check out system, much like a real library, where students
must write down the books they check out and they days they borrowed them and
returned them. This will give me a way to attempt to keep track of my books.
If children mistreat books in the classroom library, the first and automatic
response would be to not allow them to use the library any more. However, I think
that some other sort of punishment would be more beneficial. If students arent
allowed to use the classroom library, they are much less likely to read and will have
much more limited access to books they may enjoy.


Teacher/Parent Relations:

One easy way to gain parent support in the classroom is to always keep them
informed and involved. Parents should be aware of the books their child reads at
school both as a part of curriculum and for fun. Staying in contact with parents and
keeping them up to date on their students reading activities is an important aspect
of positive influence on a childs attitudes about reading. Student performance is
significantly improved with parent involvement.
Parents of my students will be encouraged to read to their student every day,
or have their student read to them. Involving parents in the learning of their
children is always beneficial. Another reason to stay connected and communicating
with parents is to help recommend books to them for their child. Many parents
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wont be as familiar with childrens literature as I will be as a teacher, so this could
always help them help their child and encourage them to read.

Integrating Literature Into Other Subjects:

I plan to integrate literature into every possible aspect of my classroom.
Using books or poems to introduce lessons or connecting them to a topic the class is
studying is a great way to integrate literature into the classroom. For certain units,
we could read novels related to our studies. This may mean the teacher reads it to
the whole class, or that the class reads it individually outside of school or in free
time and discusses it together.
Using literature can help connect reading to many subjects, particularly
history. Historical fiction novels are usually very popular for children, and give them
a glance of the life through someone of that time periods eyes. This helps them
understand and solidify concepts they are learning in other subjects and put it into
perspective.


Resources:

There are endless resources related to education, and to childrens literature
in particular. With the Internet, lesson plans and ideas can be shared by teachers
around the world. The options are endless, and teachers can find inspiration for
almost anything on the web. It is important to take advantage of useful resources
such as the vast amount of information on the Internet.
There is one website that I have already used even though I am not yet a
teacher, that I have found very beneficial and could use in the future as well.
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Teachers Pay Teachers is a website where teachers can upload lesson plans,
activities, worksheets, and ideas for teaching that they have used and enjoyed in
their classrooms. Many of these items are free, but some you must pay a small fee
for. Regardless, this website is full of millions of ideas for every grade level and
subject from teachers that want to share their ideas.
Another very useful resource that I plan to take advantage of is other
teachers. More experienced teachers are usually willing to share their experiences
and expertise with new teachers. Even when I have become an experienced veteran
teacher, I can always use ideas from and communicate with other teachers to better
my teaching of literature, as well as other subjects.
Being able to effectively use resources is an important part of being a
teacher. No one person has all the ideas in the world, so sharing ideas with other
teachers and learning from them is very important whether it be a co-worker or a
teacher across the world sharing their work online. Taking advantage of the
resources available can greatly improve the quality of a teacher.


*This Literacy Plan is for a first grade class.