1. Literate Environment Analysis
By: Elizabeth Howell
Walden University
EDUC 6706: The Beginning Reader
Instructor: Dr. Cindee Easton

2. As educators, we are to serve students with their
interests, and do what is best for them
(Laureate, Education Inc., 2010a). Often times, I think
programs and curriculums can cloud our best
judgment. Although we should follow curriculum, our
first priority should be fidelity to children
(Laureate, Education Inc., 2010a).
Getting to Know Literacy Learners

3. In addition to getting to know our students through
their interests and motivations, we must get to know
our students through cognitive and noncognitive
assessments.
I used the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark
Assessment System for my cognitive assessment.
I used the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey for my
noncognitive assessment.
Getting to Know Literacy Learners
Cont.

4. Through this course, I learned how to carefully select
a text for a student. Dr. Hartman introduced me to
the literacy matrix. The literacy matrix is a tool that
helps educators to analyze specific text.
Furthermore, texts have different characteristics that
can make them easier or harder (Tompkins, 2010).
Some of these characteristics are:
Size of print
Number of sentences
Length of text
Selecting Texts

5. The texts that I selected for my emergent, beginning,
and transitional readers are as follows:
The Tiny Seed (Carle, 1991)
From Seed to Plant (Gibbons, 1993)
Tops and Bottoms (Stevens, 1995)
Selecting Texts cont.

6. The Interactive Perspective focuses on teaching
students to be strategic readers (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2010b).
Some activities that use the interactive perspective
are as follows:
Grand Conversations
Read Alouds
KWL Charts
Literacy Lesson: Interactive
Perspective

7. The critical perspective teaches students to examine
the text. Teaching students to look at different
perspectives, in turn, teaches them to look in
different ways (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).
Examples of strategies to enhance critical perspective
include:
Questioning the Author
Bookmark Strategy
Literacy Lesson: Critical and
Response Perspectives

8. The response perspective helps students to respond and
experience text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b)
Examples of strategies for the response perspective
include:
Response Journals
Sketch-t0-Sketch
Literacy Lesson: Critical and
Response Perspectives Cont.

9. What insights did you gain about literacy and literacy
instruction from viewing this presentation?
How might the information presented change your
literacy practices and/or your literacy interactions
with students?
In what ways can I support you in the literacy
development of your students or children? How might
you support me in my work with students or your
children?
What questions do you have?
Feedback from Colleagues and
Family Members of Students

10. Carle, E. (1991). The Tiny Seed. Little Simon. New
York, NY.
Gibbons, G. (1993). From Seed to Plant. Holiday House.
New York, NY.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010a). Changes
in literacy education [Video webcast]. Retrieved from
the Beginning Reader, Pre K-3 https://class.waldenu
edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?
tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2F
References

11. Laureate Education, Inc., (Producer). (2010b).
Perspectives on Literacy Learning [Video webcast].
Retrieved from the Beginning Reader, Pre K-3
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.js
p?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackb
oard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%
3D_3398195_1%26url%3D
Stevens, J. (1995). Tops and Bottoms. Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt. Boston, MA.
Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A
balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
References Cont.