Philosophy of Literacy
To help prepare each student to be sucessful and contributing member of society, I believe literacy instruction must be:
A Community of Learners
I achieve this by...
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having teacher and students work together to achieve knowledge
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creating a group of people who support each other in collective and individual learning
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encouraging students to take risks and challenge themselves in order to improve their learning
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modeling what good readers and writers do
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offering choices in order to motivate students
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provide opportunities for students to engage in genuine and meaningful activities.
Balance
I achieve this by...
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Combining instruction, guided practice, collaborative learning, and independent study
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applying equal importance to reading, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, literature, oral language, writing and spelling
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focusing on connecting all aspects of literacy to apply in real life applications
Culturally Responsive
I achieve this by...
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understanding that reading and writing are social and cultural activities
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appreciating one anothers culture
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Knowing that culturally responsive teaching empowers students
Authentic
I achieve this by...
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realizing that students learn best through authentic activities
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including cross-curricular literacy into all subject areas
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using real-life situations to promote understanding
Scaffolded
I achieve this by...
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using center based activities daily, in core literacy areas
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using different levels of support in order to get the student to become an independent learner and problem solver
Connected to the Home
I achieve this by...
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providing materials and opportunities for students to read and write at home