Literacy Organization

The teacher’s job is to help students think critically to solve problems. They make quick decisions as to which instructional tools will help individual students find answers to their questions without making them frustrated or impatient. According to research there is a distinct methodology that seems to work best (Identifying Instructional Moves During Guided Learning, Frey, N. Fisher, D.) The teacher asks a question to check for understanding. If the answer is appropriate the teacher can then decide if it is necessary to elicit more information. If the answer is incorrect or shows lack of understanding the teacher uses appropriate prompts and/or cues to get the student to solve the problem on their own. If this does not work teachers should use direct explanation as a way of modeling the information that the student needs to comprehend the lesson. Successful teachers are always checking in with their students by asking questions that will show them exactly what a child comprehends and what actions the teacher should take to help scaffold a better understanding of the material.

A good scaffolding tool is a “Word Wall.” The Word Wall is used in the classroom to help students identify words that they are having trouble spelling. The student first identifies the correct letter that the word begins with and looks for that letter according to alphabetical order or the student identifies a word that rhymes with the word he or she is trying to spell. The teacher can use the Word Wall often throughout the day to encourage children to write and spell independently and also to increase the rate at which children are exposed to words. Other tools that teachers can use with pocket boards in the classroom are activities where individual letters are moved around to create completely different words, create words that rhyme by only changing the beginning letter and also find words within a mixed up set of letters.

Excellent reading instruction consists of:

1.       Understanding the development of learning how to read.

2.       Constant assessment of students individual strengths and weaknesses.

3.       Motivating students to read on their own

4.       Understanding multiple instructional methods

5.       Individual teachers that view themselves as lifelong learners