Questions & Answers 1. What do you value as a teacher of early literacy?

I value the four components of literacy; reading, writing, speaking and listening. I think it is important that each child has an equal opportunity to learn to read and write, if extra help is needed than it should be provided. Every child should be read to either by a parent, sibling, or teacher. Students need to be able to keep a journal because this is great practice for writing. Students need to participate in conversation so that they are able to speak and listen to one another. If all four components are met then literacy is occurring and then there is room for progress. 2. How does the to-with-by model of instruction support childrens literacy development? This method would be very useful for workshop lessons; for example, if there was a writing workshop on adding dialogue to our realistic fiction stories then I would instruct the students on how to add dialogue, I would have the class help add dialogue in another portion, and finally have the students add dialogue to their own writing. The fact that there is instruction and modeling is the biggest indicator of how this method supports literacy because there is structure before having the students do the work on their own. 3. What is the role of formative assessment in supporting childrens literacy development? Formative assessment would be effective for assessing students reading levels and for determining where they make spelling errors. If we know students learning levels than we can focus on their strengths and weaknesses and where there is room to practice and develop. 4. How do the CCSS inform your work with children? The CCSS allows teachers to focus lesson plans on what is grade level appropriate. The CCSS are meant to guide teachers on what is structurally and content appropriate for literacy and mathematics. Teachers use the CCSS to create lessons based on materials that students are capable of learning at in a specific grade. 5. How do professional collaborations help us support childrens learning? Educational professionals need to collaborate to talk about and work together to plan for their students. If there is a co-teaching structure than collaboration is extremely important so that the co-teaching teachers are not teaching the same lessons. If there are students who are in special education classes than teachers use collaborative skills to create IEPs and appropriate schedules for their students learning. 6. What role does technology play in early literacy development and teaching? Technology can enhance early literacy if executed correctly. Technology can be used for students to learn to pronounce words correctly and to demonstrate voice intonations. Technology can help with displaying pictures and students can say or write words. Technology can also make learning more interactive in the classroom. If teachers are properly trained or informed on how to use technology then it can be very effective.