Ideal Literacy Program

Reading and Writing Instruction Fourth Grade

Mariah Brashar
University of Alaska, Southeast
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“The real voyage of discovery consists

not in seeking new landscapes,
but in having new eyes.”
-Marcel Proust

Philosophy of teaching literacy:

Literacy is the essential foundation of all academic learning. Students must achieve a level

of literacy that enables them to comprehend and digest complicated materials in many subjects.

They must learn to synthesize ideas to create their own written works. In order to excel

academically, students must master the written language to such a degree that they are as fluent as

readers and writers as they are as speakers. To gain this level of literacy, intermediate level students

require teachers who can guide them in three essential areas: the activation of cognitive schemas,

how to design and ask questions during reading, and how to craft successful written materials.

As a teacher of literacy, one must be able to guide students in activating the cognitive

schemas that will allow them to more fully understand the material they are reading. (Weaver,

2009) The creation of meaning from text does not and cannot occur in a vacuum. Literacy, as it

can best be understood, is a transactional and a sociolinguistic process in which the reader makes

meaning by relating what he or she already knows to the information he or she infers from the text.

It is a complex process that should be focused around the creation of unique meaning for every

learner. Decoding text, of course, can be an element of successful meaning creation, but it should

not be the focus of literacy instruction.

In the creation of meaning through reading, students’ overall comprehension can be

improved when they are taught to ask questions of the text they are reading. As a teacher, one can
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encourage students to make predictions, to ask specific questions about what might come next or

what an element might mean, or to make note of things that one finds confusing. If a teacher can

coach students to approach reading with strategies such as this, increases in literacy will follow.

(Dymock, 2010)

These same approaches can be just as beneficial to the other, and equally as essential, side

of the literacy coin: writing. Crafting successful pieces of writing should be approached as a part

of literacy that goes hand-in-hand with reading. One does not wait to learn to speak until she

understands every word in a language! (Freeman and Freeman, 2014) Just as one acquires

language, students can learn simultaneously to read and write well. These two elements of literacy

complement one another. As a student learns to activate their cognitive schemas about a subject as

they read, they can also learn to activate prior knowledge and make complex connections as they

write. As a student learns to ask questions and make predictions about the material they read, so

too can they learn to consider questions within their writing.

Teachers should approach writing as they approach other subjects, with a mind for the

procedures that will most likely encourage their students’ success. Students need regular practice

in order to become good writers and readers. They should be given ample time, constructive

feedback, and opportunity to respond to and revise their work based on critique. (Atwell, 2015)

Writing is a creative process and should be treated as such. However, like art, writing requires an

ample serving of handicraft to be truly successful. Students need feedback and practice to achieve

a level of sophistication when crafting pieces of writing.

Students of literacy need and deserve honest, reflective, respectful teachers. Literacy

learning should be approached from a whole-to-part perspective. (Weaver, 2009) Teachers should

assess students’ ability to create meaning, rather than their ability to understand individual words
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or read quickly. Authentic assessments allow teachers to determine what areas individual students

struggle with and in what areas they excel. Teachers should remember that every student has

unique needs based on their status as English-language speakers, their culture, their personal

history, and their interests.

Ideal Literacy Program

Twenty soft, tousled heads, forty bright, curious eyes, hundreds of billions of constantly

firing neurons, an immeasurable amount of emotions, sensitivities, triumphs and

disappointments: my responsibly for thirty hours a week. My fourth-grade class is first and

foremost a group of people, deserving of kindness and respect. Secondly, my class is filled with

the minds of young people who deserve to be challenged and inspired. Each student brings his or

her own strengths to the table. Their curiosity and their unique, beautiful perspectives on life and

learning are what make my job a never-ending source of wonder and joy.

Fourth graders are on the brink of adolescence. Most nine and ten-year olds are in

Piaget’s concrete operational stage. They are able to think logically about complex subjects, but

their ability to understand abstract information has not yet developed. They’re no longer as

centered on their own slim experiences and are daily increasing their understanding of the world.

When teaching, I am aware of my students’ cognitive and social development, so I can

appropriately scaffold their learning to maximize their benefits. I am aware, that as the adult that

spends half of a child’s waking day with her students, I have an enormous impact on their social

development. I set the tone in the classroom; I show the students acceptable and unacceptable

ways to treat their peers. This is a responsibility that I take very seriously.

Literacy is the cornerstone of my classroom design. Literacy is the well from which

students draw the water for every subject. Digital, visual, oral, and traditional literacy are all
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skills that a student must master not only to be successful in school but to be successful in life.

My ideal literacy program consists of writing study, reading study, and word study. These areas

are intermeshed with one another and across content areas purposefully to increase student

understanding and to efficiently use our limited time.

Literature Circles

The goal of my reading program is to encourage children and facilitate their studies so

that they may become proficient, joyful readers. The most important tenets of my program are

providing children with time to read every day in school and teaching mini lessons on reading

strategies that students can use to increase their comprehension. Research supports the common-

sense theory that the most effective way to improve reading is by practicing reading regularly.

(Atwell, 2015)

In my classroom, I read to my students every day, without fail. Every month, we choose

two chapter-books to read aloud as a class. My students quietly craft, color, or just listen to me

model fluent reading. We also frequently have interactive read-alouds with picture books that

relate to our studies. In order to have a successful classroom in which free choice is the norm, we

spend several weeks on the rules and procedures for read-alouds, interactive read-alouds,

independent reading time, literature circles, and writers workshops. For the first weeks of school

and after break, these are the main focus of my mini lessons.

Every day, the students spend at least half an hour in independent reading, and every

week we get together for classroom literature circles to discuss our books. Literature circles give

the students a forum and a format in which to talk about the books they’re reading and expose

students to books that they might be interested in reading in the future. (Atwell, 2015) I teach
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frequent mini-lessons and check in with students about their reading to make sure they’re

engaged and enjoying their books.

Student choice is an important building block of student engagement, so my students

choose their own books from home, from the school library, or from our extensive classroom

library. (Fletcher and Portalupi, 2001) If students don’t have quality books to choose from, I

believe that they’re less likely to engage in reading for pleasure. While my students read, I try to

spend as much time as possible reading. Students are free to approach me during these times, but

I think it’s important to show my students that reading is not just something that students need to

do for school, but also something that adults enjoy and look forward to. In this way, I am able to

deepen my understanding about all kinds of things through my own reading and I return to my

class refreshed and inspired by what I’ve read.

I try to meet with every student twice a month for a reading conference. During our

conferences, I address their areas of concern and difficulty and provide support that is more

tailored to individual students than my mini lessons can be. Students also write letter essays in

response to our readings, which help me keep on top of what they’re loving or hating, mastering

or missing, in their reading. I enjoy reading and responding to my students’ letters and it gives us

something concrete to refer to in our conferences.

Every individual student comes to my class with a different skill set for reading. I assess

every reader at the onset of the year and again at the end of each semester by creating a reader

profile including a reader interview and miscue analysis. This helps me not only track their

progress but target their interests and areas that need improvement. I also use this to guide

writing and spelling studies.

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Writing Workshops

Writing and reading should be taught side by side, as two faces of the literacy coin. The

goals for my writing program are to engage my student in writing that it meaningful to them, and

to improve their writing skills. Writing gives students a sense of agency in their literacy and, like

good readers, good writers are made with practice. My students have ample time for engaging in

authentic writing. Every Thursday, we write for the entire afternoon. In my experience, students

need time to write, plan, discuss, revise, and rewrite. If students feel rushed, their quality of work

decreases rapidly. Writing is an important life skill and a valuable tool, both in an out of the

classroom. (Fletcher and Portaloupi, 2001) I teach writing by organizing writing workshops for

my students.

Like our reading workshops, our writing workshops consist of mini lessons, independent

writing, and time to share and discuss work with peers and the teacher. Many skills that good

writers use can be explicitly taught: this is what the mini lessons are for. When skills are

explicitly taught, students can to refer to them at a later time with ease. (Fletcher and Portalupi,

2001) I teach a concise skill or practice for writers to use as a feature for every workshop.

Students can choose to use that skill during their independent time, or to return to it later.

Writers workshops also mirror reading workshops in that their most important elements

are independent writing time and student choice. One of my roles as a teacher is facilitating

student choice. Student choice is a great motivator, especially for students who struggle with

writing. (Strickland, Ganske, and Monroe, 2002) Another important role I have as the teacher is

providing ample time. I make sure that we have at least two hours set aside every Thursday

afternoon for independent writing practice. During this time, I meet with students to discuss their

work, collaborate on ideas for writing topics, and provide them with more specific instruction.
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Conferences help me gain deeper understandings of students’ needs and also help me provide

more tailored instruction and more authentic feedback. I am a firm believer in practicing writing

myself, too, so I spend as much time as I can modeling writing for my students and sharing my

experiences with writing. My class is a safe place where we all feel accepted and are thus made

brave enough to expose our concerns, weaknesses, and struggles, as well as the things we are

proud of.

My students benefit from hearing about the experiences of others, so I do my best to

bring in outside voices to share experiences with them about reading, speaking, and writing.

(Atwell, 2015) Every Wednesday, we have a community presenter come and speak to the class.

One student is selected to give a speech introducing the presenter, which helps encourage

students to learn to write for the oral delivery of language. (Fletcher and Portalupi, 2001)

Students also work on their writing for shorter periods throughout the week. My students

keep reading and spelling journals that encourage them to keep track of their thoughts about

what they’re reading, as well as give them a little nudge to write on a regular basis. These

journals can offer insight into the students interests and can be referred to for ideas for writing

topics. I provide opportunities for my students to share their work within the class, with the

school, and on our class blog.

Computers, pens, pencils, paper, highlighters, dictionaries, thesauruses, and other

supplies are part of our classroom toolbox. Writers need the tools of their trade and I hope my

students feel the rush of a freshly sharpened pencil on smooth paper when they turn to their

pages to write. Our tools for writing are accessible, organized, and attractive, which in turn

makes the task of writing itself more accessible and attractive to students. (Atwell, 2015)
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Word Study

Spelling is a pesky little thing that can make a big difference in how one’s work is

perceived. Though I strive to teach my students to look deeper into the works they review, I also

instill in them the understanding that, in many cases, the outward appearance of a piece of

writing can determine its ultimate success. Spelling is like the clothing that a person wears: it’s

not an important reflection of the character of the person wearing it, but you can bet your

(hopefully carefully shined) boots that a person is often judged by their clothes. My goal as a

teacher of a word study program is to give my students ideas and tools to figure out how to spell

unfamiliar or unconventional words.

I believe that the most valuable activity I can engage my students in to improve their

spelling in an organic way is to encourage extensive reading and writing. (Freeman and Freeman,

2014) Most of my students are in the skills development stage of spelling acquisition: they’ve

mostly mastered phonetic approaches, but still struggle with the vagaries of the English

language. In this stage, word study programs like root word study and visual examinations are

more likely to be helpful to students.

My students are used to having a lot of control over what they study in the language arts.

This remains true for spelling. Students select short lists of words every two weeks to practice.

Since my students do not receive mandatory homework, they do most of their word study in

class. We incorporate spelling into our reading and writing by selecting unfamiliar words or

problem words from the actual work that children read and produce. Students practice and quiz

themselves on their word lists as a fun activity during Preferred Activity Time.

Every week as a class we study a Latin or Greek root word. We incorporate these words

in our studies from math to social studies. Root words are useful for students in spelling and
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vocabulary enrichment. Our study of root words is also fun. We play games and improve our

spelling skills at the same time. Spelling practice in my class is pressure free. Students who read

and write extensively will improve as spellers: I simply give them the strategies to improve more

consciously.

Reflective Teaching

Students need time, encouragement, guidance, and scaffolding to build their confidence

and their skills in reading, writing, and convention mastery. As a reflective teacher, I strive to

tailor my language arts program to best suit every individual student in my class. Every student

is different. I give my students autonomy and choice in their studies and scaffold them as they

move into their individual zones of proximal development. I measure my success by my

students’ love of reading and writing. The journey my students and I take consists of opening our

eyes to the wonder, the challenge, and the excitement of learning.

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Reference:

Atwell, Nancie. (2015). In the middle: a lifetime of learning about writing reading and

adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Dymock, S., & Nicholson, T. (2010). “High 5! Strategies to enhance comprehension of

expository text.” The Reading Teacher, 64(3), pp. 166-178.

Fletcher, R. J., & Portalupi, J. (n.d.). Writing workshop: the essential guide. Portsmouth,

NH: Heinemann.

Freeman, David E. and Freeman, Yvonne S. (2014). Essential linguistics. Portsmouth, NH:

Heinemann.

Gill, S. R. (2008). The comprehension matrix: a tool for designing comprehension

instruction. The Reading Teacher, 62(2), pp. 106-113.

Hicks, Troy. (2009). The digital writing workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Lu Chi. (2000). The art of writing: Lu Chi’s wen fu (S. Hamill, translator). Minneapolis,

MN: Milkweed.

Neufeld, P. (2005). Comprehension instruction in content area classes. The Reading

Teacher, 59(4), pp. 302-312.

Slavin, R. (2012). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. (10th ed.). Boston, MA:

Pearson Education, Inc.

Strickland, D., Ganske, K., Monroe, J. K. (2002). Supporting struggling

readers and writers: strategies for classroom intervention 3 – 6. Portland, ME:

Stenhouse.

Weaver, Constance. Reading process. (2009). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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APPENDIX A

Schedules

Daily Schedule:
8:50-9:20 Breakfast 11:20-11:50 Recess
9:20-9:40 Morning Discussion 11:50-1:30 Math
9:40-10:30 Reading 1:30-2:30 Social Studies
10:30-11:00 Interventions/Group Work 2:30-3:30 Science
11:00-11:20 Lunch
Weekly Schedule:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Classroom Discussion Start with Start with Start with Start with
procedures: procedures: procedures: procedures:
classroom leader classroom classroom leader classroom leader
leader
Start read aloud Special: Music Special: PE Special: Art PAT Time!
chapter book
Start weekly math Math Math Math Finish and discuss
project projects
Begin Social Literature Circle Community Writer’s Classroom
Studies/Art project Presenter Workshop Discussion
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Monthly Schedule (template copy)

1 Sunday 2 Monday 3 Tuesday 4 Wednesday 5 6 Friday 7

Begin read Social Studies Community Thursday Projects Due Saturday
aloud Focus: presenters/ Discussion/
chapter Monthly speakers critique
book question PAT

Math: begin
monthly
theme

8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Projects Due
Discussion/
Critique
Finish
Chapter book
PAT
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Begin Recipe day: Projects Due
second read Social Discussion/
aloud studies/math Critique
chapter (baking/cooking PAT
book in class)
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Parent Professional
Conference Development
Days
(Half Days)

29 30 31
Finish read Monthly PAT
aloud Time
chapter Celebration
book

Monthly Reading Goal: Read Aloud – 2 fun chapter books each month, quiet reading everyday
for at least an hour total
Monthly writing goal: produce at least two longer/workshopped pieces for publication
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Yearly Schedule Overview:

August 13-18 In service, set up classroom, meetings etc.

August 20: School Starts
August – October: Practice Rules and Procedures
August – September: ELA -Folk Tales, Math -Multiplication, Science-leaf identification, Social
Studies: Tales of Alaska
October-November: ELA – Creative Writing/Short Stories, Math – Fractions, Science – plate
tectonics, Social Studies – Maps
Nov. 23 - 25 Thanksgiving break
December: Performances/Projects
December 18-January 1 Winter Break
January – February: Review procedures/rules ELA: Non-fiction, Math: Geometry, Science –
ecosystems, Social Studies: Alaska History
March – April: ELA: Poetry, Math: ratios, Science: growing plants, Social Studies: Alaskan
traditions
May: Performances/Projects
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APPENDIX B

Map of the classroom:

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APPENDIX C

Rubric for teacher assessment of Literature Circles:

Rubric for self-assessment of Literature Circles:

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Source: Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd.

(https://www.fitzhenry.ca/usercontent/Fitzhenry/Marketing_imagery/Teachers-
Guides/PDFs/CallMeAram-LitCircleRubric.pdf)
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Rubric for teacher, peer, and self-assessment of Writer’s Workshops:

Source: Writers’ Toolbox

(http://www.gtps.k12.nj.us/schools/smithv/hughesj1/Assessment/Students%20Writing%
20Rubric.pdf)