What are the elements of an effective Classroom Environment?

1. What are the elements of an effective Classroom Environment? Angela E. Poole Literacy Specialist

2. Classroom Environment …students in literate classrooms where they are expected to be successful readers and writers who talk, read, and write daily, tend to outperform students in classrooms where these environmental features are less prevalent. Roskos,K., & Neuman, S. (2002). Environment and its early influences for early literacy teaching and learning. In K. Dickinson, & S. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 26-33). New York: The Guilford Press.

3. Why study classroom environment?

4. Classroom environment has been shown to affect student literacy achievement. The purpose of examining the classroom environment is to support educators in creating the most effective literacy setting.

5. Classroom EnvironmentPlease complete the following brainstorming activity.What elements of classroom environment support student literacy achievement?

8. Extrinsic Elements of an effective Classroom Environment • Environmental print includes current student work, print featuring aspects of the curriculum under study, word walls, and labeled areas and items throughout the classroom. • Classroom libraries are organized and include a wide variety of genres representing several cultures and have reading levels on, above, and below grade level. • Classroom organization supports literacy by inviting social interaction and by providing well defined spaces.

9. Students who are motivated to read will read more and are better readers (Allington, 2001). Allington, R. (2001) What really matters for struggling readers designing research-based programs. Boston: Addison Wesley Longman.

11. Intrinsic elements of an effective Classroom Environment • The daily schedule provides time for students to beengaged in independent reading. • Students have opportunities to respond to text in a variety of ways (both written and oral).

13. Intrinsic elements of an effective Classroom Environment • Students have access to reading and writing materials in classrooms, school libraries and at home. • Student have opportunities to select meaningful texts for independent reading. • Social interaction and active participation are critical components of reading instruction.

14. Read Aloud Why read aloud to children?

15. Read Aloud The purpose of reading aloud is to build vocabulary, improve listening skills, reading comprehension abilities, and attitudes toward reading. Office of literacy (2004). Observation Guide Handbook k-3. Chicago Public Schools.

16. Read Aloud • During read aloud, students are exposed to vocabulary and written language syntax that they are unlikely to encounter in their daily oral language.

17. Read Aloud • Exposure to the more sophisticated vocabulary and syntax found in written text is a critical component in building comprehension skills (Rasinski, 2003). Rasinski, T. (2003). The Fluent reader: Oral reading strategies for building word recognition, fluency, and comprehension. New York: Scholastic Professional Books.

18. Role of the teacher: To establish a literacy rich environment that fosters a favorable attitude toward reading that includes quality children’s literature or other text related to curriculum unit or theme. To engage students’ prior knowledge. To determine a purpose for the read aloud selection. Role of the student: To connect new concepts and vocabulary to prior experience. To understand that print carries a message in literature. The role of the teacher and student before read aloud

19. Role of the teacher: To model appropriate reading behavior. To reread favorite books. To help students make extensive connections to other texts, the world, and/or self through discussion. Role of the student: To make connections to ideas, events, and concepts. To enjoy listening to and discussing literature that is read aloud. The role of the teacher and student during read aloud

20. Role of the teacher: To discuss and make connections to relevant vocabulary and content. To comment on and reinforce what students are able to do well. To provide opportunities for students to respond to read aloud. Role of the student: To make connections to relevant concepts. To demonstrate comprehension by making predictions, summarizing, retelling, and/or describing the read aloud selection. The role of teacher and student after read aloud

21. Teacher preparation for read aloud: • Pre-read and re-read selection. • Consider reading goals. • Identify the reading strategy or concept to be taught. • Anticipate where background knowledge needs to be built. • Highlight places to stop, question, make predictions, or make connections. • Determine discussion questions before the lesson. • Practice reading the selection using gestures and voice intonation. • Plan before, during, and after reading activities to enhance comprehension.

22. Activate prior knowledge Discuss unusual vocabulary or concepts Make Predictions Identify author, title, setting, characters, background Picture walk KWL Anticipation guide Read Aloud strategies:Before Reading

23. Response and dialogue throughout reading Help students notice features of narrative/informational texts Share, discuss, ask questions, confirm or change predictions Story map Graphic organizers Read Aloud strategies:During Reading

24. Elicit student response Reflect on text, connecting to self, world and other text Confirm predictions Refer back to the text KWL Story map Graphic organizers Read Aloud strategies:After Reading

25. Book LookChoose a book to read aloud.

26. References Allington, R. (2001). What really matters for struggling readers designing research-based programs. Boston: Addison Wesley Longman. Rasinski, T. (2003). The fluent reader: Oral reading strategies for building word recognition, fluency, and comprehension. New York: Scholastic Professional Books. Roskos, K., & Neuman, S. (2002). Environment and its early influences for early literacy teaching and learning. In K. Dickinsion, & S. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 26-33). New York: The Guilford Press. Excellent web site resources: http://reading.uoregon.edu/index.php http://www.readingrockets.org/ http://www.earlyliterature.ecsd.net http://www.toread.com/ http://www.ldonline.org/ http://www.ncrel.org/ Download DIBELS and ISEL at these web sites: http://www2.nl.edu/reading_center/ http://dibels.uoregon.edu/ These sites are dedicated to building classroom libraries inexpensively: http://www.colorcodedbooks.org/lef/index.htm http://www.colorcodedbooks.org/index2.html http://www.rif.org/