1.1 | Why Literacy?

Why Literacy?

 

If you were asked to define literacy, what would you say? Some may say that literacy is reading. The National Council of Teachers of English would let you know that it is so much more than that!  Literacy is how we communicate with others via reading and writing, but also by speaking, listening, and creating. According to Schmoker (2023), "underdeveloped literacy skills are the number one reason why students are retained, assigned to special education, given long-term remedial services, and why they fail to graduate high school." Think about the implications of that for a minute.  Doesn't every single teacher or adult need to promote literacy?  Everyone plays a part.

According to the 2022 CCRPI readiness data, 27.5% of elementary students, 33.15% of middle school students, and 32.10% of high school students in the Richmond County School System are reading on-grade level. Our students and community need each of us to promote literacy instruction. This module is devoted to best practices and strategies for our literacy instructional expectations.  So, we are asking you to open your mind and think about how you can promote literacy in your classroom.  Working together with a common purpose, we will make a difference. Will you become a literacy hero?

"Actions are accelerated when individuals come together for a common purpose in the achievement of the common goal. The motivation towards the common goal is the glue that bonds the collective together and sustains the movement."

-Dr. Nicole Law

The Building Blocks of Literacy - Foundational Skills

Literacy begins at birth. Children learn to associate books, nursery rhymes, songs, play, and counting with the world around them. Once they reach PreK, we begin to teach the building blocks of more formal literacy. Every teacher from PreK-12th grade should have a basic understanding of these building blocks.  To learn more about the Foundational Skills of literacy, click on each of the numbered blocks below. Hint: you may see some of this information on your module quiz.


Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content Links to an external site.

 

Reflect on Your Own Practice

Have you ever skipped a writing or reading assignment because you knew your students would complain or struggle? With 60-70% of your students reading below grade level, it can be tempting. However, avoiding reading and writing activities can actually enable students and prevent them from growing. Creating and supporting productive struggle Links to an external site. may be easier than you think. Instead of avoiding these activities, let's explore the strategies in this module to help scaffold support Links to an external site. for your students.

If you would like to deepen your understanding and practice beyond this module, consider adding the Reading Endorsement to your teaching certificate. You will find information about the endorsement at the conclusion of this module.

   

Additional Resources

References

"7 Scaffolding Strategies for the Classroom." University of San Diego Professional Learning and Continuing Education Department. https://pce.sandiego.edu/scaffolding-in-education-examples/ Links to an external site..

Armbruster, Bonne. "The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read." National Institute for Literacy, 2006, https://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/PRFbooklet.pdf Links to an external site. 

Blackburn, Barbara. "Productive Struggle is a Learner's Sweet Spot." Educational Leadership, 2018, https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/productive-struggle-is-a-learners-sweet-spot Links to an external site.. 

Culbert, Katherine. “The Building Blocks of Early Literacy.” Institute of Reading Development, 2023, https://readingprograms.org/Resources/Blog/The-Building-Blocks-of-Early-Literacy Links to an external site. 

Schmoker, Mike (2023). Results Now 2.0: The untapped opportunitites for swift, dramatic gains in achievement. ASCD, Arlington, VA.