Rationale:

Standard 5 calls for an environment in which all areas of the classroom are related
to engagement with and learning through literacy. For our lesson plans, every aspect of
our instruction had to relate to literacy and promote students participation in
conversation and writing about what they are reading. Throughout the lesson, students are
frequently working in small groups and sharing with the whole class to create a
supportive social environment for students. Reading is social because students learn more
about a text once they hear others interpretations, allowing for co-construction of
meaning (Mills & Stephens, 2004). Students can use each other as supports and sounding
boards to bounce their ideas off of when interpreting texts. Working in small groups
before sharing with the whole class also helps students clarify their ideas and feel more
confident speaking in front of everyone in the class. Thus, groups create an inclusive
environment in which all students can participate in the discussion or task, regardless of
literacy level.
Another component of my lesson plan that promotes a literate environment is the
focus on student-led discussion. Having students talk about texts lets them think through
their own interpretations of a text as well as hear the perspectives of their peers. During
discussions students are forced to think about their own thinking, to explain themselves,
to notice that someone has a different idea, and to consider whether they want to modify
their own ideas based on those of others (Spiegel, 2005, p.19). Students should be
introduced to multiple perspectives so that they can learn how to process differing
sources of data as well as defend their own claims. Discussions about texts as well as
students personal connections to the text can promote critical thinking and deeper
comprehension (Hayes & Devitt, 2008). Students need to care about what they are
reading before they can engage in meaningful discussions and writing. Thus, it is
essential in a literate environment that students are reading both texts that they can relate
to and texts that we make important to them by connecting the text to the real world.
Specifically in my three-genre lesson plan, students were focusing on the theme
of racial pride and cultural identity in all three texts we encountered. Students were asked
to consider what factors shape identity, how we are defined by others, and how decisions
are made about who belongs and who is excluded. These essential questions are topics
that students care about and we read about them in texts that were accessible to students,
including Sherman Alexies The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The
Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes, and The Arrival by Shaun Tan.
Throughout the lesson students compared the themes of these texts and concentrated on
identifying and analyzing textual evidence to support their interpretations of the texts.
The novel is written in a way so that is it easily understandable to students, and students
will enjoy analyzing a wordless picture book as one of the focus genres. By the end of the
lesson, students will be able to think more deeply about these themes as well as have
opportunities to write and speak about their thoughts on the texts.
Connection to Personal Philosophy
Creating a literate environment through group work, discussion, and exposure to
different text types will encourage students to consider others perspectives, make claims
about the text, and write compelling responses to what they have read. Each of these
activities also allows students to practice critical literacy by thinking about deeper

messages embedded in the text as well as the authors position and purpose. Throughout
all of my instruction I want students to think about whose voices are being heard and
whose are being excluded and the reasons behind these distinctions (Lewison, Leland, &
Harste, 2008). Students will have opportunities to think from others points of view by
listening to their peers and reading texts with diverse authors and characters.
Implications for Future Practice:
The first step in creating a literate environment in my classroom will be to build a
classroom library that has texts that each of students can relate to and find interesting. I
will also want students to read books that tell less familiar stories that students need to be
aware of. I will incorporate plenty of group work as well as discussions that will help
students feel empowered to be critical readers and know that their voices are valued.
Finally, I, as well as the teachers I will be working with, will need to be intentional in the
texts we select to have the whole class read. These texts have to make students think and
be relevant to their lives. A literate classroom environment will depend on the
accessibility to a variety of texts for students as well as the ways in which students
approach texts. There is no one right way to approach a text and students will have
opportunities to work with texts in diverse settings in order to give all students access to
literacy learning.