Literate Environments
Classroom environments that support reading and writing
Physical Considerations
Anchor Charts
-Anchor students' thinking to prior knowledge and experiences
-Most effective when they are created in front of students with student input
Displays of Student Work
-Serves as exemplar or demonstration pieces in Writing Workshop
-Foster a community of writers and readers
Access to Technology
-Fosters 21st century digital skills
-Encourages collaboration, the reading of digital literacies, and production
Spacial Considerations
Classroom Library
-Clearly labeled and organized
-Warm and inviting :)
Meeting Area
-Helps to establish a classroom community of thinkers, talkers, and learners
-Allows for partnership and classroom discussions
Subject Area Sections
-At the beginning of the year, bulletin boards are open for co-created charts and displays of student work
-Compliments a word rich environment
Social Considerations
Desk and Grouping Arrangement
-Allows for partnership and small group conversations
-Compliments a workshop environment
Talking Procedures
-Modeled and practiced throughout the year
-Lead to purposeful conversations
Talking Prompts and Sentence Frames
-Aide in discussion for English Language Learners
-Ensure accountable classroom discourse
Fitting it All in!
Establishing Routines and Procedures
-Create structure, consistency, and safety
-Lead to purposeful work time
Scheduling
- Designing cohesive and coherent instruction across reading and writing leads to deeper learning
-Cross-curricular planning immerses students in topics and fosters deep thinking
Grouping Patterns
-It is important to vary instruction delivery and grouping patterns based on students' strengths and needs
-Whole Group: mini-lessons, classroom discussions, inquiry lessons-Small Group Instruction: Guided Reading groups, strategy groups
-Conferring: individualized instruction based on students' literacy strengths and needs
- Teachers should use data gleaned from formative and summative assessments to plan small group instruction