Literacy Instruction, Culture, and Classroom Assignment (Fall 2020)

Adapted from ISBE Principal’s Flip Chart for Reading, Grades 5-8 (2004)

Using the videos and images provided on Sakai, look for examples that connect to each of the larger areas listed below. Reflect on
what you observe and describe some examples from those videos/images, as well as how you might include these larger areas in your
future classroom.

You may type your answers in or may create your response with VoiceThread.

Describe some examples you saw in videos/images that connect to each section. Reflect on how or why
you might include a similar approach in your future classroom.

Academic Language and Vocabulary:

Use strategies to help students
remember new words, word parts,
concepts
Build word consciousness of word
origins, relations, curiosities, and
features.
Direct teaching of “important” words
Deep teaching of new concepts and how
words relate to each other
Use strategies to help students remember new words, word parts, concepts: In the seventh example,
the educator displays a picture of her word wall and explains how throughout the year her and her
students will be adding new vocabulary to the necessary categories so at the end of the year they have a
full wall of vocabulary to reflect on. As talked about in this class, a word wall is a great strategy for
educators to use in their classrooms because it allows the student to see their vocabulary progression and
a useful tool for them to refer to when talking about concepts. For my future classroom, I do plan on
including a word wall because since I will be teaching high grades of elementary I will like for my
students to have that support of knowing if they ever forget a word, they can turn to the word wall to
help them. I also think the word word would be a great resource to implement fun games or activities for
students to do as a break from main material.
Build word consciousness of word origins, relations, curiosities, and features: In example number
five, when the educator is working with her last guided reading group we are able to get a glimpse of the
Monitor progress in word learning
Instruction and scaffolding of academic
language at the word, sentence, and
discourse level (please note the levels in
your examples/descriptions)
students reading their next assigned chapter. While doing so the student reading mispronounces the
word tidy. After the educator corrects them, she then addresses the question of what tidy means to the
entire guided reading group. In response they say that it means to clean something up like a room. In
this moment, the educator is recognizing that the even though only one student said the word wrong, it’s
never good to assume that they just mispronounced it because of natural error or if they haven't seen it
before, etc. so I like that she wanted to clarify what the word meant to her students. Following by
allowing them to give a definition or synonyms I liked how she provided them with an example of the
word so the next time it comes up they are able to connect the word to a daily concept. When providing
students with a set of examples or helping them draw real world connections to new concepts and/or
words it betters their understanding for the next time the word pops up.
Direct teaching of “important” words: To me, an example of a direct teaching of “important” words
was presented in example eight. As explained in example eight, the article explains how they provide
“labels with words and pictures everywhere so that students constantly connect written language with
what they represent” . This is a direct teaching of words because it is providing students with the word
and picture association. Directly students are viewing the words and having that instant connection to it
by seeing what it is labeled on. So for instance, in my own classroom of presenting a new vocabulary
word like “succulent” in science I could label a succulent plant so that students can note that a succulent
is a type of plant. More so the article stated how “Students use calendars, schedules, signs, and
directions to see how words can be used everyday. Teachers and students reconstruct the classroom to
represent a book or a theme that the class has studied with written materials so that students can live in
the lesson.” (readingrockets.org). In this case students are again gaining the direct word association of
these important daily words that foster to build their vocabulary. I like the thought of transferring the
room into the themes and concepts of the corresponding text to allow students to enter the mindset of the
characters and their life in the novel. Positively, if students were given the task to create a creative
writing piece using the characters and their life with another idea then they would have their classroom
as support to help get their imaginations flowing. I remember finding it fun when I would walk into a
special day of class of my educators hanging up displays, playing music, etc. to transform us into the
world of a novel or movie. It was always fun and inspiring and it made me want to hurry and finish
reading the novel so I would hope to provide the same love and excitement for my own students.

Deep teaching of new concepts and how words relate to each other: In the tenth example, the
educator is reading a book in which she marked words that she anticipated her students wouldn’t know
right away. Then, as she is going through the book she stops at every word and gives a child friendly
definition for the word. At the end of the story, she goes back to a few words that she chose and
provides more explicit instruction on each word. This could be done through word sorts and determining
word meaning by giving the students synonyms or by looking at the different word parts. For instance,
the word remarkable, she first goes back to the point in the book where the word was used and rereads
the sentence. Then, she provides a synonym, definition, and asks the students to repeat the word back to
her. Following students go into sorting pictures of things that are remarkable compared to pictures of
things that are ordinary to help them better relate the words to everyday items. I think this is a effective
way of teaching because she is allowing her students to think for themselves the difference of something
that is remarkable compared to ordinary so on their own when they are working they can do the same of
finding the opposite of a word they are still learning and sort through ideas of what would match or
wouldn’t match. Additionally, without knowing I like how she went back into the text to reread to the
student the sentence of the word. Without the students knowing, she is teaching them a good skill of
rereading for context when they get to a new word. In my future classroom, I would hope to use word
sorts to help my students determine word meanings whether this be in whole group or small group
lessons. I also would want to provide them with word manipulatives so maybe when they are silently
reading they can work on their own to determine word meanings before asking me.

Monitor progress in word learning: In the tenth example, as the educator progresses through her word
sorting activity with her students she leaves it up to them to tell her about a possible meaning that the
seconds list of words have in common. Through this release, she is able to see which students are
understanding how synonyms work to determine word meanings through their explanations of how to
see the difference between the first set of words compared to the second. I like how this shows that
 monitoring progress does not have to be a summative assessment for the students or does not have to be
recognizable to students that their learning is being assessed at all. This activity is presented as being a
fun and enjoyable class activity of learning new words to the students which takes the stress away from
them feeling they have to be correct or prove something to their teacher about their “smartness”. In my
own classroom, I would incorporate more peer discussion of maybe why the words are similar because
since only one student answered and understood at the end, it is not always the case for all students.

Instruction and scaffolding of academic language at the word, sentence, and discourse level
(please note the levels in your examples/descriptions): In the tenth example, the educator is
conducting a guided reading lesson. In this particular video, this teacher is having her students do a
word sort of words that could be new to them. On the word level, she is having the students repeat the
word back to her twice. The first time is when she first introduces it, then the second is when she is
getting them involved with the word sort activity and having them say the word. Then on a sentence
level when she asks students how they know the picture/image that is provided is something that is
remarkable or ordinary the students are using the words in their explanation to explain why they chose
what they did. Lastly, for the discourse level she invites students up to place the images chosen under
the correct category. In a way this is completely the round recognition of what the word is, what it
means, and what it could look like in an everyday situation. Personally, I never heard of the word,
sentence, and discourse level before and I am still unsure if I quite understand the scaffolding method of
language but for my own classroom, I would hope to include this scaffolding method for my students
when maybe they are with peers and they can find and build their own word sort for 3-5 words they
equally found difficult in a text.

Classroom Organization:

Areas/flexibility for whole class, small

group and independent work

Flexible grouping
Classroom routines for reading
Multiple opportunities for students to
reflect on reading individually or with
classmates
Multiple opportunities for students to
write about one’s thinking after reading
a text
Reading instruction using a variety of
types of texts: narrative, informational,
text books
Broad range of materials that honor
individual interests, abilities and
preferences, including culturally
relevant texts
Numerous displays of print resources
Use of technology for reading
instruction
Areas/flexibility for whole class, small group and independent work: In example one, though it is
understandable to want to provide a classroom that allows for your students to be comfortable and
flexible with movement so students do not feel that they are on top of each other, fun, exciting, new, etc.
I also believe it is important to maintain the traditional classroom environment that would fost
independence, self growth, individuality, the importance of focus, etc. that I do not believe this
classroom is providing. The arrangement does not seem flexible being that the students are sitting at
different levels than each other. To me, it kind of could give a sense of superiority or could create issues
of students being favored over the other because one was able to sit up high while the other was
assigned to sit on the floor. I think this could lead to cause errors in having students remain focus in
class cause they could see something on the floor, the one’s sitting higher are more early directed to look
down because their peers are below and could be doing something distractive thus, if the teacher is
reflecting something in their hands or on the board, of course the student is not paying attention because
they are looking down at their peers. Additionally, the amount of working space that the students are
being provided is significantly less than them having their own individual desk. For instance, the
students that could be sitting at the red crates, “desk” are very small. More so the student sitting at the
pillars of the grey desk is even smaller and would have to alter themselves when they receive papers.
Lastly, how are students going to be assessed in an environment that places them close to each other. It
does not seem to be that providing dividers would be possible due to little space already. It is nice to see
educators try to change the traditional classroom setting to be more out of the box however, it is
essential to ensure that the environment is supporting students ability to remain attentive and for that I
do not think I will ever try this sort of arrangement. As this could be for older students, this could make
it easier for less individuality and more listening in and copying off their peers. For small groups, I am
not even sure how the classroom could be arranged to support the amount of space small group activities
could need. Students' supplies, books, etc. are going to be all over the floor which then leads me to
question the safety-ness of this classroom set up. Personally for my own classroom, I would stick with
having maybe one big table for when I have to work with students and maybe a small area that has cool
chairs and pillows provided for students to use when sitting around the classroom, however, I would
hope to rely on a desk.
Flexible grouping: Presented in example number four, the teacher placed her students into multiple
groupings that altered around the classroom once they finished a previous activity. So, while students
are back with her in guided reading, the students who are not, are individually moving around the
classroom working on worksheets, independently reading books, listening to books being read to them,
etc. They are constantly in motion and getting reading so it isn’t like they are waiting their time to go
back and just sitting at their desk talking or drawing. From what I can remember, when a teacher would
be working with a small group we only had two options, finish the worksheet that we were given and
independently read from the classroom library, go to the library to get an independent book, or if we
already had a book of choice to begin reading that. Knowing that my friends and I would much rather
talk, we would do our independent work and then signal to each other when we were done just so we
could go to the library together to “look” for books. The teacher never would notice how long we would
be gone so we took our time especially if we had group numbers we would know how long it would take
before she would potentially call our groups. So, I like that to keep her students moving and attentive
they knew what was expected to do next and automatically would jump into the next task. I would hope
to incorporate this into my classroom because it is hard to monitor and trust students are getting what it
meant to be done within a given time and though you would want to provide them more leeway, it is
good to have a structure going where they see their peers and follow in there step to be motivated to do
what is needed to be done. Additionally, I like how the students were able to move about the classroom
and not be stuck at their desk for the entire time.

Classroom routines for reading: In example number five, the educator explained her daily routine for
how she goes about teaching students being in guided reading groups. First, she begins by constructing a
mini lesson on a specific strategy or on what the students will be working on independently while she is
with students in groups. For this specific video the students were working on building their fluency.
Then, she directs in role playing as the student and teacher so her students can see what they will be
doing. She explains how when students are modeled with what they are supposed to do it leads to them
being more independent and less confused. Next, while the students are directed into their independent
work she waits until they are all focused to finally begin calling students to the back for guided reading
practice. I think this routine is really helpful for students so they know what to expect. I liked how the
educator would let all the students begin working independently in case questions arise rather than
having the student break off to the guided groups and independent literacy workshop because those in
the group could go back to their seat and disrupt other students with clarifying questions. For my own
classroom, I would love to establish a reading routine for my students to get comfortable with because
soon when they no longer need minilessons or modeling as guidance I will be able to be there for
support. Adapting this routine for higher levels of elementary students I would incorporate the students
maybe individually responding to what they believe fluency means on the board by writing out
responses than being as a whole group or maybe the students can choose how they would want to work
on fluency in their own way (of course with me double checking to ensure the option they are choosing
is going to positively benefit them).

Multiple opportunities for students to reflect on reading individually or with classmates: Presented
in example number two, this classroom educator began to set up for their new classroom. In the first few
pictures, there is a image that displays their classroom library which you can see is labeled with non
fictions and fictions books with supporting anchoring charts that promote to help student choose text
that are interesting and meaningful to them by leading them to look at the books cover, gaining peer
suggestions, looking at the first few pages of the text, etc. Being that this is a classroom for middle
school grades, since I would want to set the upper elementary levels, I would set up my own classroom
library to include several books of my own choice to include in the classroom library that are good reads
to encourage my students to read, as well as maybe begin to introduce students to novels/books that they
would be seeing in the future to inspire them to want to read more and maybe challenge their
comprehension with older level books they would encounter in middle school or similar to the book they
could encounter in middle school. A part from this chart, the educator also includes another chart that
list a set of questions about why the student chose their book, how did they select their book, etc. which
could foster peer conversation on novels and again begin to inspire students who don’t like to read as
much to read a book that their peer is so excited to share. Lastly, the educator includes a chart that helps
students know how to choose a book that is within their own reading level. This is important because we
talked about in class, we often can choose a book that is so easy just to say we are reading but with
helping students choose a book they are interested in then they can begin to search for similar books that
are within their reading levels. Thus, still promoting them to actively read by their own choice while
improving their skills. I found it interesting to include this chart because I know for my middle school
life, my reading teachers expected us to know which book would be good for us and our reading level
just bey showing book previews and having us read the summary but when I would open the book and
see a lot of vocabulary words, analogies, metaphors, etc. that I was not sure of and altered my view of
the novel it was hard to go up to them for clarification. There it is essential to always constantly remind
students to choose books that are into their reading level by showing them how to even in older ages.

Multiple opportunities for students to write about one’s thinking after reading a text:In example
number eight, the article talks about ways to promote a literacy-rich classroom environment for students
with and without disabilities through simple adaptations that can be done to provide the same learning
for all students to positively progress. Expressed in the article, when providing students with multiple
resources to promote their reading and literacy, the following is the opportunity for students to conduct
journal or notebook writing as a reflection of the new information they gathered. Additionally, just with
the connecting ideas given in the article, it states that with the changing needs and new gathered
information teachers are learning from their students personal identities and interest, it is good to always
alter the provided books and other textual resources that you are providing your students. One week you
can learn that your students love dinosaurs and then the next you can learn that they love reading about
jets so using that knowledge for the upcoming days you can provide text that help them learn about jets
in narrative, informational text, journals, scientific studies, etc. Essentially, taking this into account, with
the constant change of books with different concepts, themes, etc. for an adaptation I could promote
students to find a book that either is of something that they like or of something new they want to learn
about and write a reflection on what they learned. Following to increase skill I can have students then
use books and find textual evidence to explain something specific they found interesting for older
grades.
Reading instruction using a variety of types of test | narrative, informational, textbooks: As
explained in example number eight, to show students the variety of genres and reading text that can be
provided across all subjects, the teacher implements the types of sources students would encounter if
they were in math compared to science. The reading states, “During math the teacher reads aloud a book
on math such as The Math Curse... During science, students explore the science literature such as
eyewitness books to gain greater knowledge about concepts. Students interact with books on CD-Rom
and listen to books on tape. Materials in the classroom are adapted not only to help students with
challenges interact with text, but also to serve as a motivator for reading. Students write books and
reports in all of the content areas, as well as writing in student journals and notebooks. When needing a
resource for more information, students use books, computers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and word
walls, as well as teachers and peers for assistance” (Readingrockets.org). In this case the educator is
providing/presenting students with multiple reading instructional text and resources to build their
knowledge of the different types of resources that are there to help build their knowledge on a concept. I
think it is interesting how this educator encourages students to use the internet because growing up I feel
my educators did not want us to use the internet for resources in fear that we would over use it and not
learn for ourselves about a concept. Being this, we always had to go to the school or classroom library to
get the information needed which was harder because textbook words could be hard to understand at a
young age but having an internet that could provide in depth, explanatory videos was very helpful. I
hope to encourage my students to use the internet in addition to textbooks to build their knowledge on a
concept. But following I hope to teach them how to not overuse the internet and to know how to find
reliable resources.

Broad range of materials that honor individual interest, abilities and preferences, including
culturally relevant text: Discussed in example number eight, in order to foster a good literacy-rich
environment, it is essential for teachers to reach out to students parents and guardians to gain knowledge
of their home culture and influences to be able to bring in more text and content that students can
personally relate to so that it promotes them wanting to read and write. As said, families could have their
own literacy and reading values in their own cultures so, bringing this environment into the classroom
will only help students want to progress in their literacy skills. Additionally, to ensure that students who
may need additional literacy practice beyond what is provided in their classrooms, educators would need
parents' support and cooperation to be able to send home support documents and practices for the
student to practice at home. Throughout the entire TLSC courses, I have progressively seen the increase
of how important parental support can be for a teacher. Implementing this into my own teaching
pedagogy, parental support and cooperating is important for me to ensure that I am providing their
children with the utmost best support and education I can possibly provide them. But I have to recognize
that I see my students for significantly less hours than their parents so having their support could
positively benefit me and their child so I would hope that I have parents who would want to be actively
supportive and engage in their child’s learning. In my classroom I would hope to create an environment
that is filled with culturally relevant content, text, and discussions to bring awareness of diversity and its
important role not just in the classroom but society. As relating to the article this can be shown through
manipulatives, journals, online resources, labels, recipes, etc. It’s multiple ways to promote literacy
while promoting cultural diversity.

Numerous displays of print resources: Presented in example number nine, the second educator
explains how not only does she try to provide culturally relative books for her students but she tries to
present the topics through multiple print resources like narratives, chapter books, comic books,
biographies, etc. Introducing a wide range of text to students at a young age builds their knowledge and
understanding about how to find multiple information about one source when you are given a wide
range of sources to approach. I like how they are all able to be age appropriate so students can gain the
insight of multiple print resources while learning age appropriate content. In my own classroom, I would
want to provide the same variety of print resources because even beyond providing students the
experience of working with and reading multiple resources, some students can find likings in one
preferred reading way than another. Maybe reading chapter books isn't a personal favorite but the
students could enjoy reading journals, news articles, magazine articles, etc. From this, I can incorporate
more activities or allow the student(s) to read their choice of print working while working with
curriculum based lessons/strategies being taught.

Student Practices:
Think critically about main ideas and
themes in a text
Determine worthiness of text and
evaluate the importance of the
information
Respond to open ended questions citing
support from the text
Read from multiple sources about the
same topic, cross checking for accuracy
of ideas
Engage in discussions with peers
Use of technology for reading instruction: In example number four, the students have a choice of
listening to a book that is being read to them. If I were to incorporate technology in reading instruction, I
would have students listen to a book being read to them the first time and then for the second time
students can quietly whisper along with the recording of the book as they go through the book again. In
this case, students would not be distracted by their peers and I will be able to monitor each student’s
individual fluency and voice as they read along.
Think critically about main ideas and themes in a text: In the eighth example, the article mentions
how one way to promote a literacy-rich environment is by the teacher changing the physical appearance
of their classroom to fit in with the given theme or concept of the current novel(s) students are reading.
For instance, say students are reading about the theme of hardship and so to promote this theme, I could
decorate my classroom with current events that represent hardship in our society, events from the given
novel(s) that represent the characters in hardships, promote reading stations that explain hardships and
go into depth of hardships through multiple reading and writing activities for students, etc. This is will
the students to think critically about the idea of hardship when it is put into the real life perspective of
how hardships is present either in our society, country or world history, maybe students, if comfortable
enough, could use this space as a personal reflection of hardships they have person gone through or are
going through thus thinking critically good lead to deep, enriched classroom discussions that could bring
awareness to things that other students may not have to worry about. Thus, when actively transforming a
classroom to promote the reading agenda for the day students are able to jump into the minds of
something else for a day and think critically about what they are reading to build a deeper
understanding.
Develop personal habits and interests as
readers
Use strategies such as predicting,
visualizing, summarizing, interpreting,
making connections, questioning, etc.
Use Graphic Organizers
Determine worthiness of text and evaluate the importance of the information: In video example
number 5, the teacher is in a guided reading group with her students and they are working on identifying
the main problems within a text and using evidence, directly stated in the text, to back up their
reasoning/answers given. For instance, the chapter that was assigned is about a little boy who is new to
his classroom but is so embarrassed of his new name that he gives his teacher a fake name to introduce
him as. So the educator asks the students what is the main idea and using the text they were able to build
that conclusion. But while the students were answering they said things like the boy was embarrassed of
his name so that is why he chose a new one. So then she got into asking them why and how they knew
the little boy was embarrassed and to go back into the text to look for evidence. Following the students
did and read off the specific sentence that led them to come to the conclusion that he was embarrassed
because his legs started shaking when the teacher asked for his name. A big part of reading and writing
is being able to back up statements with direct evidence given from the text or documents provided. This
is a skill that is helpful in a lot of situations in and out of schools so I like how she leads it to the student
to show her that they know how to find evidence and what it looks like and how to explain using the
evidence. Importantly to note, still the textual evidence that the student responded with still did not
specifically states “I was embarrassed” the student inferred it from the descriptive actions and
background knowledge so again without the students even recognizing they are engaging in other
reading skills that good leaders do thus letting the educator know that they are improve and
understanding.
Respond to open ended questions citing support from the text:In the fifth example, during one of her
guided reading groups the teacher poses a question that was left unanswered in the book to the students
about one of the characters and why/how the character could’ve died. Immediately after asking, the
students do not have a direct answer to the question because the answer or any clues leading to the
answer has not been revealed in the text yet. Posing this open ended question then prompts a student to
make a prediction about the possible outcomes of the character. In this action, the teacher clearly knows
that from where the students are in the text, the answer is not revealed so she is testing her students to
think about what could be the answer using the given evidence about what they know about the
character, previous events, and the overall concept of the book. So while the student is giving her
prediction she, with the help of the teacher, is able to go back to evidence in the text to back up her
assertion. I remember when we would be placed into reading groups and our teacher would pose
questions like these that we clearly wouldn’t know the answer to. Back then I would think it was silly
how they knew we weren’t far into the text to know but we were far enough to begin thinking critically
about the possibilities. Now, looking at this teaching strategy from their perspective it kind of gets the
students excited to read and gets them to continue to keep in mind previous events in the novel and how
it all follows each other to build an overall understanding by relying on previous context as evidence. In
my own classroom I would hope to promote not just one student providing a prediction but getting all
the students to find a piece of evidence and building a prediction from it so they all can practice the
skill.

Read from multiple sources about the same topic, cross checking for accuracy of ideas: To my
knowledge from examples 1-10, there was no indication of teachers or students engaging with more than
one reading source about the same topic. If I were to incorporate this idea into my future classroom, I
would have students focus on one main theme or idea to explore through a classroom library and maybe
through their own community library so they could bring in a different book of choice to share with the
class. When having them choose their own books that they believe reflect the same theme or concept,
this would be checking for their understanding of themes and being able to understand a book's overall
intent message and how it can be shown differently.

Engage in discussions with peers: In example number five the students are put into different literacy,
guided reading groups based on their reading levels. Though not specifically showing students
interacting in discussion with their peers because the video focuses on the teacher’s teaching methods, I
would imagine that in these groups students are able to communicate their reactions to the assigned
chapters. For instance, when the educator asked the students if there was a time they said something to
their parents that upset them, most of the students raised their hand and from there they could extend
into a discussion with one another about the emotions their parents felt, how they reacted to it, and what
they did to try to make their parents feel better just to establish a trusting environment with their group
peers. In my younger years, I remember how when assigned chapter books and being able to speak
about our reactions may seem easy and simple but it was a good way for us to talk with our peers and
open out the comfortability level in our groups when it came to us actually discussing the book more in
depth. Additionally, it shows a clip of a student asking another student how to pronounce a word while
they were silently reading. So, I'm sure this was maybe a mini lesson the education taught them to ask
their peers before coming to her if they are stuck on a word or direction.

Develop personal habits and interest as readers: In example number nine, the educator of the video
expressed how she uses different book genres and themes that reflect students’ identity (cultural
backgrounds) and personal interest in her class expressing how it is important for her students to see
themselves through reading textual events. She has books about ethnicities and cultures, food,
expressing identity through the okay-ness of being different, ethnic languages, etc. to promote a
welcoming and respectable classroom community. Through this, students would feel empowered and
represented in their own classroom. When students are able to find a book that not only has a main
character that looks like them/ reflects a similar identity but reflects the same interest as them, they
become more motivated to read. For my future classroom, I would like to build a classroom library that
provides this in multiple print resources. Personally, feeling like I have read only books that reflect my
identity and culture as being depressive and hard than what I actually view it to be was upsetting to me
but then when having books of majority white characters being able to find love, happiness, meaningful
friendships, etc. (all in positive light) it was hard to relate to them or understand why their books would
be uplifting but, with books of African Americans would only rely on darkness. For my own classroom,
I would hope that none of my students would feel the same uncomfortable, unwelcome feeling as I felt.

Use strategies such as predicting, visualizing, summarizing, interpreting, making connections,

questioning, etc.: In example number 5, during the last guided reading group with the teacher she
introduces the students into the idea of making predictions with evidence and events from their novels.
When questioning her students about a character in the novel and their unknown importance/death one
of the students says that she wants to make a prediction about how the character died. In response the
educator continues with the students' prediction by reminding the group about previous events and
feelings in the novel. I like how the educator did not leave the prediction alone but reflected how the
prediction was reasonable to state because of previous novel events. Additionally, she asked the students
to draw connections to a part of their novel in which was about a time the students might have said
something to their parents, that then reminded them of another thing and made them sad. With that she
explained how they made connections to the characters in their novels to get a better understanding of
their emotions. Even being older now, drawing connections to novels have helped me understand why
the character is acting in a certain way or to maybe think what I would’ve done differently just to help
me get more involved in the novel.

Use of Graphic Organizers: In example number five, while the educator is conducting a mini lesson on
a new reading station of fluency, she is writing and creating a chart about what fluency is and why it is
important. I thought it was essential that as she is going through the new skill for her students, she is
writing down the student’s own responses to the skill, not just what she is telling them. I think this goes
to show them that what they are providing to her is correct and right, so it should be shared with the
entire class to refer to when they need assistance. Because students are easily able to relate to what
another peer their own age is saying and describing about a new concept than a professional teacher
telling them. For example, when asking why fluency is important the student responds how it is
important because you don’t want to sound like a “robot” and the students laugh but it is clear from the
laugh that they understand what their peer is referring to thus, understanding that hey yeah it is funny
sounding like a robot when reading so of course we wouldn't want to do that for ourselves. So with that,
it is clear to the educator that if putting down and referring to robot speaking is going to help them see
the importance in fluency then it is essential to promote their learning. In this case, the use of graphic
organizers when they are not just made by the educator prior to the lesson instead of during the lesson is
better able to cater to the students' learning process. I think a lot of teachers choose to make posters
before or after teaching a new concept because it can be time consuming however students know how
they learn better than us in the beginning stages so allowing them the this kind of process of
constructing their own sense of organization for a new concept can positively benefit them in the future

Instructional Practices: (Teacher)
Thinking aloud demonstrating what
good readers do
Scaffold student instruction relative to
reading strategies
Anticipate features of a text that might
be difficult and provide instruction
accordingly.
Design and teach lessons using gradual
release of control or responsibility (I do,
We do, You do together, You do) where
appropriate
Adjustment of instruction when
evidence of understanding is absent, or
lack of student progress based on
pre-determined decision rules
without constantly needing reminder or clarifications if it was only the teachers words and examples.
Thinking and demonstrating what good readers do: In example number five, the educator is with a
group of students and participating in a guided reading activity. Upon beginning the book, the educator
starts reading and following, she calls on a student to continue for her. While the student is reading she
does make an error however she stops herself from continuing to read because she recognizes that what
she had previously said was incorrect and self corrects the order of her words. Recognizing this, the
educator points out how she liked how the students knew there wasn’t something quite right with the
sentence and went back to look at what she previously read to self correct herself. By the teacher
acknowledging this action and specifically pointing it out to the entire group by saying “I like how…it’s
good, good readers do that” It is letting students know that for a good reader it is okay and helpful to go
back and reread a sentence again if it is not making sense when you are continuing to read. I hope to
represent this in my own classroom that mistakes while reading are okay and good as long as you
recognize your mistakes and self correct because that is within the progress of becoming a good reader,
as with developing and learning any skill. It can be nerve racking when having to showcase your level
of understanding of a skill in front of peers but it can be comforting when an educator recognizes
something that you did that could be seen as embarrassing, but is actually a good skill that is showing
good progression.
Scaffold student instruction relative to reading strategies: In example number five the educator
begins every reading workshop by the students first joining her on the carpet for a mini lesson on a new
reading skill or concept or if she needs to introduce a new reading station. During this time, she would
begin by asking students about any background knowledge they know about a skill then, she would
proceed to explain the skill either using their words (if they were on track) or hiding them to be on track
next, she would introduce the new skill and explain it and then have a student come up with her to
model how they should go about doing the skill when they are working independently or with a peer.
While they are still on the carpet in the mini lesson gathering, the educator explains in her own words
why something is important to know. For instance, in this video she is introducing the new reading
workshop of fluency, while she is in the mini lesson and explaining why fluency is important she states
it helps improve students’ comprehension following she models how some students read so fast that it
would be impossible for them to understand what they had read. From personal experience students
actually do this, and they find it funny but when you ask them questions about the text they aren’t able
to answer because they were just trying to hurry through the text and not understand it. So I think it is
good that she modeled to the students that hey I know you all do this but it isn’t helping improve your
fluency as you may think. I think it is good that as she is moving along she tells what is good and bad
and models each and every step for the students. She expresses that it is important to reflect to the
students why it is important for the workstation. In my own classroom I would hope to explicitly be able
to state and list examples of why what I am directing students to do is important and not a waste.

Anticipate features of a text that might be difficult and provide instruction accordingly: In the
tenth example, the educator expresses how she chose a put to help build her students vocabulary because
she knew the book included words that would be difficult for her students to understand. For this, she
marked the place of the word in the text and on the back included posted notes of each word with
children friendly definitions and synonyms. When educators are able to anticipate possible words,
phrases, concepts, etc. that their students would find difficult, it only makes the lesson easier to
understand and run smoothly. Thus, planning accordingly you are more able to focus on providing your
students good explanation and preparedness for their upcoming questions than having to focus on if
what you are saying is making sense to them. In my classroom, when I am assigning book chapters I
would want my students to maybe write down or keep a designation list of words that they found
difficult in the reading so that we can go over them as a class and make clarifications like draw
connections, pictures, etc. to help them.
Design and teach lessons using gradual release of control or responsibility (I do, We do, You do
together, You do) where appropriate: In the fifth example, the educator explains how she begins to
introduce new reading workstations to her students. In the beginning of the year, she said how she only
started with the students silently reading to themselves then as they go on and she gets to know them
more and their reading and writing levels more, she adds on different workstations that cater to their
growing needs. When introducing a new workstation she starts by conducting a mini lesson on the
strategy in which she does (I do) the teaching and explaining. Following, with the help of a student she
models to the class what the workstation should look like (we do). Then, the students break off into the
workstation (You do together) and then as it moves on and the workstation is clear and students are
showing clear progression in understanding the skill she moves on to another workstation because she
able to see that the students are able to be trusted in the workstation without her needing to look over her
shoulder (you do). I like the incorporation of “I do, we do, you together, you do” in school lessons
because it reflects to the educator what your students are easily understanding or what could be
explained in a different way because not everything could be on the students simple not understanding it
could just be on the teachers part of offering different examples or word choice. In my experience in my
previous classroom, unknowingly I interact with this type of teaching so first hand it is very effective
and makes the job easier and I get a sense of reward in my own way of how my students were easily
able to grasp a new strategy with detailed guidance.

Adjustment of instruction when evidence of understanding is absent, or lack of student progress

based on pre-determined decision rules: Interestingly reflecting in example number five, the teacher
explained how when she puts her students in their reading work stations she always caters them to the
needs of her students and more importantly she does not take them away until her students are reflecting
a good understanding of the skill being practiced. So, in the video she states how she likes to provide her
students with 3 or 4 workstations in which they would practice skills. So she has stations for creative
writing with a picture, silent reading, cursive writing, and now introducing in the video she has stations
to build fluency. However, I thought it was interesting how she continued to add new stations based on a
skill or knowledge that her students could improve on so in this case with cursive writing she saw that

Assessment Practices:
Use Common Core Standards as
outcomes
Formal standardized reading assessment
Informal reading assessment
Student awareness of progress
Alignment with student IEP goals where
appropriate
her students did not know how to sign their name in cursive so she provided them with cursive writing
packets. Following, she wouldn’t add on another station until students show positive improvements on
the one previously added. Never in my educational studies have i been in a classroom with this type of
structure so I am definitely looking forward to implementing this concept into my own classroom
because it will keep the students busy, it will allowing them to set goals for achievement, and its catering
to their personal needs it is not just something I feel they would need to work on. For older grades I
could implement stations that work on grammar and punctuations, forms of expression in writing,
maybe including how to write poetry as a form of creative writing, etc.
Use Common Core Standards as outcomes: To my knowledge from examples 1-10, there was no
indication of teachers or students engaging with common core standards. Of course in my own lessons,
to incorporate this I would begin each lesson by telling my students the standard(s) they will be
engaging in for the day.
Formal standardized reading assessment: To my knowledge from examples 1-10, there was no
indication of teachers or students engaging with formative assessments of reading. In my classroom, this
could be shown through a running record or have a student read a chapter from their designated guided
reading book that we have previously discussed.
Informal reading assessment: In the fifth example, I would sense that by having her students
participate in guided reading groups with her and students with similar reading levels, the educator is
using this as a formative reading assessment to monitor each students’ reading progress. She is taking
mental note of reading strategies and skills that each student is doing that is helping or hurting their
Discrepancy between student
performance and peer group is analyzed
Decision rules for intervention are
clearly articulated for groups and/or
individuals
Ongoing formative assessment
reading progress while they are with her and then students who are not are orally reading aloud with
peers and gaining help from them to build on their literacy and reading skills. Additionally, the teacher
expresses how this opportunity is important to her because she feels she is about to explicitly provide
guidance and help to all her students’ needs. So, during these groups she is monitoring and constantly
keeping track of how the students were in prior groups compared to now and how to best provide next
steps to keep them moving further. I liked the thought of guided reading when I was younger because
being that I am less likely to ask for help in large groups or sometimes even when catching my teacher
one -on -one this time allowed for her to see what I am doing and give immediate feedback to help me
improve. In my future classroom, I will definitely be incorporating guided reading into my lesson plans
because similar to the teacher, it is a good way to be more personally involved in students reading by
providing them the teacher and peer support that could be comforting.
Student awareness of progress: In the fourth example, it displays a classroom in which was directed to
create objective goals for their reading. The educator mentioned how the goals that older teachers set for
themselves and possibly their students could be drastically different in the goals the students want for
themselves. As stated in the video, when students are given the choice to make their own goals they are
better able to construct obtainable and relevant goals that cater to their own personal likes and needs. An
educator only knows so much from what they can observe and the student words but with younger
students, it’s better for them to do and show than know the words to tell others what they need for
themselves. So in the video, students say that they want to learn more about rocket ships, trains,
dinosaurs, etc. Positively this is good because we should encourage students to know what they want for
themselves and build off their personal desires with the educational knowledge they would need as they
progress in their schooling. For instance, the first student in the video, Alex, has grown to read books
that have more complex vocabulary and could need a lot more attention on understanding and that are
longer in their length and content. But the student is knowingly seeing how they are growing to choose
books that go with their reading levels rather than relying on the same ones. Continuing, the educator
doesn’t just let the students stop when they reach one goal she follows up by meeting with the
expressing that they have reached their goal and now to think about a new goal they would want to set
for themselves and the students are just as happy and excited for themselves when meeting with their
teacher. I know in my own school when we would set goals they would be goals for the entire year but
when I felt I would meet them within a month or two in the school year, I felt I still had to lie and
continue on the same goal because I had no guidance to help me build for others. So I loved the
consistency and motivation from the educator in this video and plan to go off the same structure and
approach as she did for her students, she asked and made sure they recognized their previous goals,
asked them about what they would like to do for their next goal, she would use sentences of “we”
pronouns reflecting that the student is not alone in their planning, she would introduce new reading and
literacy vocabulary and strategies like “brainstorming” on paper of ideas before writing, and then she
would ensure the students knew overall what was to do and to get started.

Alignment with student IEP goals where appropriate: As explained in example eight, the article
explains how they provide “labels with words and pictures everywhere so that students constantly
connect written language with what they represent...based on student needs and interest to provide
children with disabilities support in the classroom...Teachers and students reconstruct the classroom to
represent a book or a theme that the class has studies with written materials..that...are adapted to meet
the needs of children with disabilities. For example, Braille and textured materials may be used in
labels, signs, and other displays for children with visual impairments” (Readingrockets.org). For
students with multiple diverse needs that may be very different from the majority of students' presence,
it is important to be able to provide them with the necessary adaptations and other means that will still
give them the same learning procedures as with students who do not need adaptations to their learning.
In this article, it clearly shows how easily classrooms with just simple things like labeling can be easily
adapted to meet students with diverse learning disabilities. It’s especially important for students with
any sort of disability or learning need be protected and feel less of an outsider in their own classroom,
this simple act could also just bring awareness to other students that hey sometimes we need these extra
measure of other ways that this word or concept can be represented and sometimes the adaptations can
even help students who do not have IEPs or any known learning need. In my own classroom, I would
hope to always be thinking of ways I can adapt my lessons or showcase something in diverse ways in
case I have students who need those measures.

Discrepancy between student performance and peer group is analyzed: In example number five, the
educator is explaining how she teaches her students the process of guided reading time by providing
them with explicit directions and modeling to them what each group, partnership, or individual work
should look like when students are doing it for themselves so they do not need constant telling of what is
expected. For instance, after she would finish mini lessons on a reading strategy, she would say “okay
scholars when I say go (implementing a key word for them to listen to so that ways if she does not say
it, there should be no movement without that explicit word choice), you are going to take out your blue
classroom folders ( giving them specific of what their desk should look like)”. And instantly upon go,
you see her students getting up, moving to their desk, and taking out their folders so this lets them know
for any student who is behind what they need and she knows when her students are ready. When
interning at my 3rd grade internship, this was a trick that my cooperating teacher expressed to be being
very important especially when you have a group of students who are easily distracted therefore, when I
was teaching I would use this as a way for those who weren’t quite following as a way to get them back
on task. I like how this and adding “I like that...have their blue folder on their desk” is a good alternative
than directly calling a student out for not having something ready to go.

Decision rules for intervention are clearly articulated for groups and/or individuals: In example
number five, the teacher is speaking about her classroom rules for when students are participating in
guided reading. She explains how her and her students have participated in many mini lessons that
taught them how to transition from working at their desk to working on the rugs to working on the
classroom bean bags, how to and where find things needed for their independent work and how to put
them back correctly and responsible, or what to do if they have a question or need to go to the bathroom,
etc. She explains how they know what is expected of them to do and what she knows they expect from
them while she is working with a guided reading group. She would directly teach them through
modeling and then reenact what she modeled without her guidance so that she can see and correct their
behavior. Personally, I don't think I have ever been in a classroom where we would model what to do if
we had to go to the bathroom, ask a question or anything of that matter. I only remember my teachers
saying to not sharpen our pencil while they are speaking and to wait until they were done but never
when working in small groups do I remember my teachers saying anything so they would become
highly annoyed when we would just stand by the table waiting for them to acknowledge us. In my
classroom, no matter the age range this is always gonna to be a helpful skill to include maybe without
modeling for older students but with younger this is the way to go because student shave wild minds so
easily they would just come up to their teacher even when they are on phone calls, sending emails,
independently already helping another student for a question so having this barrier of what to do instead
is good to establish and I will definitely use it for my own classroom.

Ongoing formative assessment: In example number 4, the educator's ongoing formative assessment is
her constant checking in and monitoring her students goals and how they are progressing into
meeting/achieving their goals in order to plan for their next goals. It does not seem like she is writing
them down in the video but she is mentally and verbally keeping check in with herself so she knows her
students' next steps by repeating back to them the goal they said and how they plan to achieve it. In the
video, I loved how she did not only say what the student goals were, but she gave them evidence as kind
of assuring them that she is paying attention and showing them that this is what they are doing all on
their own that is showing their individual progression. I would hope to remember detailing my responses
to each student, especially when it comes to them setting goals or showing clear progress in
understanding concepts that I care about their success.