Love Literacy
Sparking Creativity & Sharing Ideas to enhance instruction
Growing our Literacy Culture...one step at at time!
The literacy rich environment emphasizes the importance of speaking, reading, and writing in a variety of ways for all students - through print and digital media. Our focus on classroom libraries is one step to enhancing our literacy-rich classrooms. A literacy-rich environment is not only important for early literacy but supports content-specific learning as well. Here are some ways to use pictures to support our focus on literacy-rich environments!
Using Classroom and Student Photos
We can use student and classroom photos to teach literacy and build upon our literacy-rich environments. Kids LOVE seeing photos of themselves and it helps build confidence and community in the classroom. We could say that a picture is worth a thousand words; a thousand words plus engagement plus motivation which equals a WOW for connected learning! Take a closer look below for some ideas on how you can use student and classroom pictures to enhance your literacy instruction; honestly, the possibilities are endless!
To Enhance A Classroom Newsletter or Blog
Use student photos in your newsletter or classroom blog. Students can participate by writing about the photos or creating captions to show parents what is happening in the pics. When I was teaching fourth grade, I had my kids help out with our weekly newsletter. Students had the opportunity to take turns taking photos and then writing about those photos in the newsletter. You could have your kids create their own blogs with photos using Kidblog. You can even have students take photos on the iPads and then write about the photos using an app like Book Creator.
To build class books
I saw this idea in several of our very own preschool classrooms and it is genius! The teacher took photos of the kids playing or working in various play centers. Then, she created a book that read something like this: “I can write” (photo of a child writing) – “I can build” (photo of a child building with blocks) – “I can paint” (photo of a child painting) – and so on. The students love these little books. Put only one sentence and photo on each page and then make copies of the book. Place the new student books in your classroom library. Emergent readers will LOVE “reading” the books during independent reading at the beginning of the year, and eventually you can have the students take the books home. Fun & Engaging!!
To Teach Vocabulary
If you have a vocabulary word wall or use visual aids while teaching your content vocabulary lessons, you can incorporate photos from your classroom (and beyond) to help you teach the words. For example, you could snap a photo of a student holding a ball above their head and use it to teach the vocabulary “above.” Using a real photo to teach words definitely makes vocabulary words more memorable for students! In upper elementary grades, adding photos of vocabulary words in our content areas, has proven to be enormously effective in helping them learn and recall far more challenging words. Using photos with academic vocabulary helps students make comparisons and distinctions at higher levels as well. What pictures could you add to your vocabulary or word wall?
To Nurture reading and writing skills
We can use labels across our classroom to nurture emergent reading and writing skills. Labeling helps supports Early Literacy learners as well as English Language learners and helps to create an environment that puts children at ease and contributes to self-directed learning. This is why labeling our classroom libraries is important, too. We can use classroom photos to label specific areas in our classrooms for our early learners. We can use student photos to model expected vs unexpected behaviors, build community, and support independence in play or literacy work centers. Research supports that students grow as literacy learners when we provide opportunities for print and text interaction and have visual supports for academic and social-emotional expectations. Are there any areas you could label in your classroom that would support your literacy instruction?
To create authentic sequencing activities
I recently read about how a Kindergarten teacher took a series of photos that showed the fireman putting on his gear during Fire Prevention Week. I loved this idea! After the visit, she put each photo on a separate page in a Word document. She printed out the photos, mixed them up, and had students help her put them back in the correct order for a new twist on sequencing practice. She then created a class book to describe how a firefighter gets dressed in the special gear. Students dictated the words for her to write on each page, and she wrote them down. Then, she laminated the book and placed it in her classroom library. The teacher said that it was the “hottest” item in her classroom library for weeks! Hooray for engaging literacy activities!
To Build A Community of Readers
We should be intentional when it comes to building our community of readers in such a way that it does not feel contrived, but will grow on its own. A fun way to build a community of readers is to take photos of your students reading, writing, or working together on a literacy project and post them in the classroom. Visual evidence of students reading and participating in literacy centers helps support the expectation of being a reader. Building a culture of literacy starts in the home and continues with the teacher. It is our job to show students the joys and excitement of reading. We need to read aloud daily, talk books, encourage students to talk about favorite authors and books, and intentionally show our kids that reading is magical! Now...Go snap those reading pics!
Readers Are Leaders #JPSreads
Share your reading passion with your students!
Email: jschultz@jpsonline.org
Website: loveliteracyjps.weebly.com
Location: Jenison, Georgetown Township, MI, United States
Phone: 6164578491 2141
Twitter: @janetschultz4