Kaitlin Rossi

C&T 898

Learning Outcome 3: Professional Leadership

For Learning Outcome 3: Professional Leadership I selected a literacy toolbox

that was created in C&T 841 and updated in C&T 843. In C&T 841: Early Intervention in
Reading Practicum, I administered literacy assessments to a beginning reader and
analyzed the results. I selected a struggling reader at my school to meet with for 14 weeks
and work on specific reading skills that needed improvement. After working with this
student for several weeks I created a Literacy Toolbox that encompasses all that we
worked on together. In C&T 842 and 843, I was able to expand and add more information
and details to my literacy toolbox website. Specifically, I focused on addressing how
specific literacy tools impact striving readers and writers. In my updated literacy toolbox
my tabs and overall organization target striving readers and writers in grade 5 to adult. I
added more details on fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and word recognition. My
literacy toolbox includes real life examples, research supported information, and helpful
strategies on teaching literacy elements.

The overarching theme of my literacy toolbox is to inform and explain literacy

elements and there affect on students learning. This artifact, a Literacy Toolbox created
in C&T 841 and continued through C&T 843, demonstrates evidence towards Learning
Outcome 3: Professional Leadership, which states “demonstrate professionalism and
growth during the master’s program, including evidence that shows participation in
collaborative professional activities and documents a leadership role that the candidate
has taken or intends to take as part of the candidate’s school or larger community.” In
each subsection I include details on what element I am explaining, how the element
impacts striving readers, why the element is important, how a teacher can assess and
teach the element and how to differentiate instruction within the element. I currently
reside in Orlando, Florida therefore on each subpage you will find the Florida State
Standards that the element is aligned with. The sections on my toolbox that directly
correlate with my C&T 843 tutee are fluency, vocabulary, comprehending expository and
narrative text, and word identification.

I created a Literacy Toolbox that can be shared with colleagues and/or parents to
indicate the importance of early literacy practices and how they can be implemented in
the classroom. I specifically explained practices that can be used to teach phonological
awareness, phonics, fluency and comprehension. When creating this artifact I made sure
to include specific instructional practices educators and parents can use when working on
the 5 key elements of literacy instruction. For example, I demonstrated how phonological
awareness could be taught through read alouds and interactive verbal games. I also
included examples and video evidence of these instructional practices being used.
 This artifact shows my professional growth by capturing how I created a literate
environment in my classroom, supported a struggling reader with instructional
approaches, created reading instruction with evidence based processes, and assessed
effective reading instruction. As a beginning reading specialist I am continuously
growing and developing new ideas and experiences that work for readers. The
assignments, artifacts, and research citations within my literacy toolbox display practices
I believe in and stand by. I used a lot of information from Leslie and Caldwell,
Intervention Strategies to Follow Informal Reading Inventory Assessment because I
support many of their practices and beliefs. I have had many experiences as a classroom
teacher and tutor to a third grader and fifth grader. These experiences have taught me
specific strategies that work for striving readers. I also have learned how to best
implement strategies whole group, small group and independently in my classroom.

My literacy toolbox encompasses all I have learned regarding the literacy

elements that are important to a child’s reading development. This artifact is suitable for
Learning Outcome 3: Professional Leadership because I have been able to share this
literacy toolbox with my grade level team, school administration, and parents of third and
fifth grade students. The information in my literacy toolbox is valuable to me as an
educator because I am able to share it with others when they are looking for resources
that are appropriate for literacy elements instruction in grades third through fifth. My
toolbox has instructional strategies that are aligned with Florida State Standards;
therefore, making it a great tool for instructional teachers to use when lesson planning for
whole group or small group instruction. I also plan on using the literacy toolbox in future
job interviews. It’s an example of leadership in that it shows how I can use technology to
demonstrate instructional strategies and elements in an easy to read and organized
fashion. The literacy toolbox shows my growth as a leader because I created a tool that
can be shared in my school or larger community to promote learning through literacy
activities.