Steps to a Successful Literacy Classroom

          I found it interesting to read about the importance of the physical environment of the classroom. I know that the environment is important in early education like preschool and kindergarten but we forget that centers are very beneficial still in first and second grade. Many teachers over look the environment and instead focus on teaching strategies while the room remains unchanged, but we need to remember that the visual and spatial context where teaching is occurring has an effect on students. The text explains that by purposefully arranging the space and materials teachers can create physical environments that exert an active, positive, and pervasive influence on instruction. On pages 377-383 of the text they discuss ways to create a literacy-rich physical environment using things like functional print, classroom centers, literacy centers, library corners, and a writing center. What are some ideas you have about setting up centers in your classroom to create a literacy rich environment? Have you seen some observed some effective centers that the book did not mention?

          Chapter 9 also talks about the importance of using whole-group, small-group, and one-to-one instruction. Small-group instruction is important and beneficial for all students socially and it is important to have groups changed so they can work with a number of different students. I personally think group work is an important learning experience for elementary school students. As a college student group projects are one of the most frustrating assignments but for elementary school students I think it is very beneficial for them to learn from one another and realize that different students learn different ways. I also think that having students work with different groups in different content areas is helpful because say a student who is strong in math is paired with students who need help understanding the strong student can help. When the math student is paired with different students for reading groups the strong readers can help them. It is a really great give and take collaborative exercise for students to realize that it is ok to not be perfect at everything. What are you views of group work? When do you think are the most appropriate times to have students work in groups, do you think that it is a good use of class time?

          I liked that this chapter gave the example of the little boy who told his mom that he liked to be absent because he got “private time with the teacher” on page 387. Many school class sizes are increasing and it can be hard to make time for one-on-one instruction with students. Teachers need to remember how valuable that one-on-one time is. It allows a teacher to form a better understanding of the students’ progress and it makes the student feel more valued and motivates them to do well when they know the teacher is on their side. 

          This is a very valuable chapter because they give so many ideas about how to manage literacy centers and tips for separating students into groups. I also really like all of the resources they provide throughout this chapter. There are example classroom layouts, center planning sheets to help you organize what materials are needed for what centers, example center checklists to be sure they are complete, and even center cards to copy and hang up above each center. WE discussed the importance of centers in previous chapters but this chapter really gives step-by-step suggestions on how to make these centers a reality and a success.