The mission of this literacy plan is to enable an effective response to the literacy demands of students. The grade three literacy plan will provide innovative solutions, a clear direction, and a commitment to collaboration. A comprehensive action plan will provide a systematic approach to achieving literacy goals in the school (Government of Alberta, 2010). This literacy action plan will focus on the following in the development of the curriculum:
Phonemic awareness
Students will learn to recognize and decode printed words, which are fundamental to achieving independent reading. They learn the alphabet and how to use them while learning new words.
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Phonics instruction
Systematic phonics instruction enables the students to decode and comprehend sentences for lower grade students and children with learning difficulties.
Acquisition of vocabulary
The students will explore new vocabulary through reading print media such as books, newspapers, and magazines. Conversations with peers will also be encouraged in school to accelerate the vocabulary acquisition process (Kish, 2019). As their critical thinking skills improve, the students will be able to build the appropriate vocabulary.
Concepts of print, comprehension strategies, and self-monitoring strategies
The curriculum will focus on the ability of students to come up with strategies that help in the comprehension of the literary text. Teaching the basic concepts of print and text analysis is fundamental to bettering student outcomes in understanding information (Catapult Learning, 2016). Teachers know that students can self-monitor texts when they ask and answer questions regarding a text they read.
Literary text standard
Students should apply the reading process to the other forms of literature to include fables, fairy tales, poetry, and drama. Their comprehension should be demonstrated by their ability to point out characters, setting, and plot. They should analyze the language in a text through figurative language and word choice (Catapult Learning, 2016). Their ability to analyze literature should be demonstrated by comparing and contrasting, identifying the author’s objective, and responding to the text.
Writing process
The curriculum will focus on building the students writing skills. Students will engage in prewriting, drafting, revising, and publishing articles at each grade level using grade-level materials, writing prompts, and instruction.
Collaboration
The past few years have witnessed gradual changes in the form of learning and instruction. Most schools have now adopted the co-teaching or collaboration method and abandoned isolated instruction. This style has proven benefits for both students and instructors. To ensure that the collaboration is productive and respectful, the school administration must create protocols and agendas that will be used to resolve teacher conflict. According to Davis (2020), there are several methods of collaborating with colleagues to achieve more efficient learning. Some of these methods include:
Creation of collaboration teams: To achieve efficient collaboration of teaching staff, they must be grouped according to their instructive strengths and personalities. This will develop a sense of community and help them connect personally so that they respect each other enough to work collectively.
Virtual collaboration: Digital collaboration will be achieved by sharing work plans and curriculum maps on Google Drive to discover what other colleagues outside of the collaboration group are doing. The sharing of ideas helps expand their knowledge of a specific unit even without meeting in person. A website can also be created to allow teachers to share curricular resources.
Best Practices when Collaborating with Colleagues
Some of the best practices when collaborating with colleagues are:
Designing assessments
Designing an assessment collaboratively helps teachers gain multiple perspectives on how to ensure the learning outcomes are met. Teachers share the responsibility of ensuring that their instruction will be effectively transmitted to students and that the students will demonstrate comprehension during assessment (Irvin et al., 2007). The teachers should agree about the vision while respecting individual opinions.
Interpreting data for decision-making about instruction
Collaboration enables better comprehension of relevant data and helps develop practical solutions to improve instruction. To interpret data effectively, teachers should be intentional about meeting regularly or in-person to review and establish instructional procedures.
Designing interventions for individuals and groups of students
Teachers must be on the same page as they collaborate on the instruction levels for different grades. They should be able to analyze the holistic needs of the students and their academic progress to determine the structures needed to improve learning outcomes (Irvin et al., 2007). To achieve this, they need to be willing to share ideas and listen to each other to develop effective interventions.
How to Illicit Student and Parent Input and Involvement in Literacy Planning
Parents are a vital component in the education of a student. Most students encounter their literacy education from their parents, and educators must encourage the involvement of parents in the creation of literacy instruction. I will primarily focus on ensuring an open line of communication between the parents and myself. Effective communication will enable me to provide parents and students with practical tools and ideas to extend the learning process at home (Irvin et al., 2007). Through communication, I will also have the parent’s perspective on improving the student’s literal capacity. I will schedule parent-teacher virtual conferences and phone calls to ensure consistent communication with the parents and students.
Ways I will Serve as an Advocate for all Students
The following are some of the ways that I will serve as an advocate for all students:
Equitable literacy and language practices
I will engage in professional learning opportunities to develop my ability to understand each student’s literacy needs. I will also take the time to review every student to customize instruction according to their needs.
Positive social interaction
There must be a healthy student-teacher interaction to ensure effective learning. I will strive to create an environment where students participate in class decisions and create learning scenarios to voice their suggestions. I will also reinforce positive classroom behavior to engage in positive peer relations.
Active engagement
I will adjust my instructions according to the student’s talents, learning styles, and interests to ensure every student engages in the learning process. I will frequently engage the students by asking questions and assigning them different classroom activities.
Access to materials
I will collaborate with the librarian to ensure that the students access the required literacy reading materials (Gregory, 2018). Librarians have a better understanding of online and print texts for a customized learning experience.
Access to technology
I will ensure that my students interact with technology by posting assignments on online platforms such as blackboard and using an interactive whiteboard while teaching. With the easy accessibility of the internet and computers, I will give them assignments requiring internet-based research.
References
Irvin, J. et al., (2007). Taking action on adolescent literacy: An implementation guide for school leaders . ASCD.
Kish, P. et al., (2019). Clearview Local Schools literacy plan 2019-2020 . Ohio: Clear view Schools Education Committee. Retrieved from https://www.clearview.k12.oh.us/Downloads/Clearview%20Local%20Schools%20Literacy%20Plan%20(3).pdf
Catapult Learning. (2016). S P Morton Elementary literacy plan 2016 - 2017 . Retrieved 12 May 2021, from https://www.fcpsva.org/pdf/S_P_Morton_Elementary_Literacy_Plan_2016-2017.pdf .
The Government of Alberta. (2010). Literacy first: A plan for action . Alberta: The Crown in Right of Alberta.
Gregory, J. (2018). Collaborating with your school librarian . Edutopia. Retrieved 12 May 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/collaborating-your-school-librarian .
Davis, L. (2020). Teacher collaboration: How to approach it in 2020 . Schoology.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021, from https://www.schoology.com/blog/teacher-collaboration#:~:text=With%20time%2C%20teachers%20can%20develop,beliefs%20related%20to%20student%20learning.
