Starting in September of this school year, all of Holt Public Schools implemented a K-2 literacy program that involves much more time devoted to literacy. In my kindergarten classroom, this means spending at least 90 minutes on literacy instruction without any interruptions (in theory). The students spend time on their letters, letter sounds, sight words, and comprehension. All of their small group time is dedicated to practicing these skills, and because the students have specials they are often rushed through the learning process and forced to work on it when they get home. My CT has a book that spells out exactly the worksheets she should be using, the stories she should read to her students, and even the questions she should ask her students while she's reading or after she finishes the story. All of the freedom to plan activities, allow for thoughtful discussion, and time for students to reflect has been seemingly taken away, although other school systems claim to have seen improvement in their reading scores after they implemented the program.
Although in this situation, my CT doesn't have many options in regards to her literacy instruction, all hope is not lost. In the Leland article about critical literacy, she essentially describes the literacy program at my placement by saying "For while many classroom reading programs are now micro-managed to the point of becoming scripts that teachers are asked to 'stand and deliver,' the time-honored institution of story time leaves a tiny chink in the armor". This article gave me hope that even if I have to teach such structured literacy, I can still find some loopholes to expose my students to meaningful reading experiences.
In my classroom, I want to build a learning community where my students feel comfortable taking risks and stretching outside their perceived "limits". In TE 401 we talked a lot about how to create a successful learning environment, and after reading this article, I now have another method that not only will foster a learning environment but also help my students become more literate individuals, think critically about text, their experiences, and the world around them in which so many social issues exist. Exposing children to societal issues is controversial, but by the time some students reach kindergarten, they have already been exposed to these issues in one way or another (depending on their home life and other experiences). By talking about these issues, students are learning to think critically about meaningful things and building literacy skills that are essential later in life and also experiencing positive interactions with reading, increasing their willingness to participate in the classroom discussion and the activities that may follow.
Along with the content of the literacy instruction of my classroom, I believe the medium in which I teach literacy is just as important. Like we talked about in Lindsay's blog post last week, there are so many new ways to experience text (due to technology) that it is important for students to be exposed to many different mediums. Between the internet (blogs, wiki's), eReaders, iPads, and even children's learning toys (LeapFrog), and just plain paperback books, there are many options on how to give your students rich literacy experiences.
With all of these options, it will be difficult trying to incorporate it all into my classroom, but I'm up for the challenge!
