Response to Reading, Chapter 1 Tompkins: “Becoming an Effective Literacy Teacher”

Directions: There is no requirement of length to these responses; only that you show a conscious
effort to read and reflect on the material. Please respond to the following prompts:

Describe the characteristics of a community of learners.

A community of learners will practice safety and hold each other to high expectations. They
will practice safety, respect, and responsibility towards and with others and other things.
Collaboration will be used to enhance classroom climate and student achievement. Students
are allowed to make choice and take an active part in what they learn about. A community of
learners will also be supported by their families and their community.

Explain the balanced approach to instruction.

A balanced approach to instruction combines guided practice, collaborative learning,

independent work, and explicit instruction. This approach combines reading and writing with
speaking and deals with the fab 5. Overall it is a more well-rounded and comprehensive
approach to instruction that focuses on advancing student’s skill in many different areas.

Describe how to scaffold students’ reading and writing.

Scaffolding student’s learning can look different for every student and at every subject. It
is done by breaking down the content into smaller sections so that it is easier to learn. It can
involve demonstrations or guiding questions, anything to help the student learn better. Another
way you can scaffold a lesson is by modeling. One form of this is called think-aloud and it
allows the student’s to see the teacher’s train of thought and adopt their strategies for problem
solving. The different levels are modeling, sharing, interacting, guiding, and finally independent.
The end goal is to be able to move from modeling through the levels to get to the independent
stage where students can do the work themselves.

Explain how and why teachers differentiate instruction.

Teachers differentiate instruction so that they can better meet their students where they
are in their learning. Differentiating instruction can be something as simple as picking out
different leveled books for different students based on how well or how they learn. It can also be
as intensive as writing a new lesson plan because someone is unable to complete the original (it
usually don’t come to this). As well as changing the content, teachers can also change the final
product or how to get there for their students.

Describe how teachers link instruction and assessment.

Teachers have a four step cycle for linking instruction and assessment. One, planning a
lesson that fits the student’s learning levels and abilities. Two, monitoring students to see what
may need to be changed to better meet student’s needs. Three, evaluating student
achievement on their final product and during the process. Four, reflecting on their instruction
and figuring out way to make it better/more effective for the students.