In order to have a description of the environment for literacy instruction, we must first know what the definitions of the

some of the words in that phrase. First, environment is a surrounding area, literacy by definition is, The ability to read and write. (Tompkins, 510), and of course, instruction is a way of teaching. So, in essence I should be able to describe the environment where the teacher is instructing the students how to read and write. The environmental space in the classroom where the literacy and library centers were mixed, and there was a lot things going on in them. Ms. Timoteo did have a lot of items in the class. She had things such as; rug, rocker, bean bags, stuffed animals, open-faced bookshelves holding hundreds of books, and the combined areas were a large part of the classroom space with lots of physical and visual accessibility. Although the classroom had space and other things that make up a literacy environment, some things were lacking. I am not aware of the childrens participation in designing the center, there wasnt a lot of variety in the books, no system for recording books, and I didnt see copies of the same book except for the basal readers. Organization of the huge amount of books could have been helpful to see exactly what type of books were included. The writing center didnt seem to be in a specific place in this classroom. Ms. Timoteo did have a circular table with students work on it, also tons of charts, writing materials of all sorts, and even five computers for the students to work on. There was no bulletin board for the students to display their work, even though there was a blank one that would have been perfect. Also, I did not see a place for students to write and make their own books, no storage of own words, or writing folders. Hopefully soon the teacher will make this center more of a priority.

Next area that I will talk about is the word study center. The teacher had several games that helped the students in this area. First, there was games with letter stamps in a sandbox, there was a go-fish type of game to look up vowels and consonants for words, and also a few alphabet games that were magnetic to help the students to practice their order. Along with these learning games, she had phonetic stamps for students to learn CVC words and other combinations. I did not see however, any magnetic or wooden letters or phonograms, letter cubes, or any whiteboards and markers. A good, comfortable classroom environment is also a vital part of knowing what the literary environment is as well, these should work hand-in-hand to produce a welltaught student. There was a multitude of signs that showed a happy, multiculturalsensitive classroom. Signs for the rules, functional messages, and directions were abound. The calendar was a good size so children could read easily, lots of writing utensils and variety of paper products. A current events board was not to be found, neither were magazines, or a place for students and teacher to leave messages for each other. The content area centers were also not distinguished, except for the art one. If there were music, science, social studies, math, or even a dramatic play one. I see a good quality literacy program an absolutely vital part of todays classroom since time for good writing, reading, listening, and speaking has been replaced by video games and television. Not that some video games and a few television programs are all wrong all the time, but there is a time and place for everything. I think balance is the key. Take my young nephew for example, he is a terrible speller and reader, but instead of trying to improve his skills in these areas, he plays a game where you drive a fast car and then watches cartoons. If I were his mother I would let him play that game or watch a

television program after he has looked up words in a dictionary or read a couple of chapters in a book. Tompkins also believes balance is the way to go as well. She gives eight principles of an effective reading program; Effective teachers understand how children learn, Effective teachers support childrens use of the four cueing systems, effective teachers create a community of learners, Effective teachers adopt a balanced approach to literacy instruction, Effective teachers scaffold childrens reading and writing experiences, Effective teachers organize instruction in four ways, Effective teachers connect instruction and assessment, and also Effective teachers become partners with parents. Knowing how students learn is the first important step of a good literacy program, again the balance of a teacher-centered and a student-centered classroom is a good place to start. I saw Ms. Timoteo used a combination of Behaviorism, Constructivism, Interactive, and also Sociolinguistic approaches to guide her students in the class. When she was reading a big book about schools in other countries, she quizzed the students about their previous knowledge on the subject. I love the concept used in the about creating a community of learners. Tompkins suggests on page 21 of our book, that teachers and students both should be owners of the classroom. So, students would assume responsibility of their own learning and behavior, work collaboratively with classmates, complete assignments, and care for the classroom. (Tompkins, p. 21) A balanced approach of literacy instruction is also needed to develop students skills, using different instructional approaches, and also using a variety of reading materials. (Tompkins, p. 25) Four different instructional aspects of reading mentioned in our literature are; basal reading, literature focus units, literature circles, and reading/writing

work shops. Again, the idea is balancing these four to work together to make a good program. A teacher using assessment during instruction is also good since it, tells about the complex achievements students are making in reading and writing. (Tompkins, p. 31) The last things Tompkins suggest is for a teacher to become partners with parents. I have always believed that parental involvement in their childs education can be extremely beneficial to both the student and also the parent as well. Parents are the most powerful influence on childrens literacy development, and when parents are involved in their childrens literacy development, children become better readers and writers. (Tompkins, p. 35) In our classroom discussion on August 30th, we discovered many ways to promote a good reading environment. Things we found out are; establishment of everyone is a reader, good library, word wall, comfortable area, students grouped together, good lightning, access to books on tape, quality reading materials, and time for engage reading. As a future teacher, I will try to remember all of these so the students in my classroom are ones who want to be good readers and overall, a better knowledgeable student. By learning the processes of teaching things like a read aloud, knowing how to produce a good reading area for my students, and having the knowledge to teach phonics, a good literacy environment will be produced.

Jenny Mckay EDRL 442 Fall11- Ladd Literacy Environment