Task 3: Literacy Strategies

Objective: To observe literacy strategies in action over 4 weeks.

Procedure
 This task is intended to be implemented over the four weeks.
 For this task student should:
 record examples of practices and/or strategies that they observe- e.g phonics, guided reading,
Sustained Silent Reading, graded readers, literate-rich, print-rich environment,
 take photos and/or video recordings (if the school and the MST give permission)
 ask questions about and reflect on best practice observed

Before the Observation

Pre TP classes

• Discuss/review any relevant content from Learning to Read and Write, Section 2 “Readers & Writers
in the Making” pp27-99
• Neuman, S., Copple, C. and Bredcamp, S. (2000). Learning to Read and Write. Washington:
National Association for the Education of Young Children.
• (Neuman, Copple & Bredcamp, 2000, 56)

In the school

 Explain the task to your MST so she can try to highlight and include some of the strategies/aspects
you may need to consider
 Decide what time(s) each day you will conduct this observation.
 See if you can find out what the teacher plans to do each day by studying his/her plans, and/or talking with
them.

After the Observation - Reflection

Choose 3 best practices you observed during your time in school. Reflect on
these and consider why you could implement these in a UAE primary classroom
in the future. Explain how these practices will affect student learning and
reading levels in a primary class.
 LITERACY STRATEGIES

Observe your MST’s classroom and general practices you see around the school. Discuss
the areas below in context of what you observe in school and support with a photo and a
reference to reading when possible.

Describe the classroom environment.

My classroom was full of printer environment, the teacher sticks the students work in the world,
there is an area for reading because student read 15 minutes before the class starts. Also, we
have a bag show with student’s name, in the corner there is four computers, and there is for
groups for student. The teacher focusses on stick some quotes for students to read it and feel
confident. This classroom the students learn the basic subjects like English, math, science
Arabic and history.
 Consider how the class is a print rich environment. What print can you see around the
room? (labels, captions, flashcards, headings, rules, instructions, timetable, flash cards,
etc) For each one you mention insert pictures and state the purpose of each one.

Quotes
The teacher like to past some quotes to motivate the students.

Time table
It’s help the teacher and students to know the subject
and the time.

Is there a variety of books and genres in the class? Mention some. How are they
displayed?

Yes, there was a book and English stories Novels, action book. There is an area to read the
book and it is a small bookshelf.
Describe the reading area in your classroom.

There is a sofa and in a corner the bookshelf with some books the student can sit on the sofa
and reading the book and break time or after finish activity.

Does the teacher read to the children? How often? How does she motivate them to read?

Yes, the teacher reads to the children then listen but not a book, surely it once a
week but she helps the student if they need her to read something. She motivates
them to read before the class starts in 15 minutes, because it’s make them
confidence and prepare for the lesson.
Describe the reading approaches have you observed? Where do the children sit? How does
the teacher encourage participation?

Read aloud Shared reading Guided reading Independent reading

They sit in the The student raises They sit on the carpet and And each lesson during
groups and the their hand who wants the teacher gives for the reading time the
teacher starts from students the same book and teacher ask one child to
to read, and they sit in
the first to student they start reading the whole come and read a part of
to read the parts their place, also they class sit on their place and a story and she assist
then moving to get more points when read quietly. them, and it is a system
another student, she they read more. for the school to put it
motivate them by on their file.
giving a point to
their home color.

Consider how the teacher reminds children of any concepts of print when reading? (left-to-
right, top to bottom, punctuation, author, illustrator, etc)

The teacher before she starts reading a book, she asks one student to point the title, or she ask
them about the author name. And she starts reading the book and while she read she ask the
student, from where we start, and some time she make a mistake and she listen if the students
knows the mistake.
 How does the teacher teach phonics and word attack skills to children? Describe a phonics
lesson you observed and mention how the children are scaffolded to recognise the word
and get the meaning.

• My teacher gives children plenty of practice before moving on. child will read short, easy
books, containing the letter sounds or words she's working on. And she listens to your child
read daily. Also, she let the students Read aloud. Choose books on topics that excite your child,
and read with gusto, using different voices for the characters.

What comprehension strategies are the children learning/using?

She always repeats the information, and write it on the board so the students can to see it, but
when some students didn’t understand the information the teacher let the students take
together to share the answer.
Ask your teacher about special reading events carried out in the school - e.g ‘Book
Character Day’, DEAR Time, Book Fairs, ‘Extreme Reading’ competitions etc.

It was a festival book, the students bring their

favorite book and they wear a costume related to
the book, it was so fun and it was so many
custom different nationalities. And they do it
every year in the second semester for grade one
to five.

Describe some types of writing activities or the method the teacher uses for writing – e.g
emergent writing, copy writing, dictations, etc

I was Introduce to lessons about writing, the first one is writing a letter the second one is writing
a story. Also, my teacher always from the first day of the week she gives the students a paper
to write what they do in the weekend, also when she writes something on the board they copy
it and their book.