Task 3: Literacy Strategies

Objective: To observe literacy strategies in action over 4 weeks.

Procedure
¨ This task is intended to be implemented over the four weeks.
¨ For this task student should:
¨ record examples of practices and/or strategies that they observe- e.g phonics, guided
reading, Sustained Silent Reading, graded readers, literate-rich, print-rich environment,
¨ take photos and/or video recordings (if the school and the MST give permission)
¨ ask questions about and reflect on best practice observed

Before the Observation

Pre TP classes
• Discuss/review any relevant content from Learning to Read and Write, Section 2 “Readers
& Writers in the Making” pp27-99
• Neuman, S., Copple, C. and Bredcamp, S. (2000). Learning to Read and Write.
Washington: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
• (Neuman, Copple & Bredcamp, 2000, 56)

In the school

¨ Explain the task to your MST so she can try to highlight and include some of the
strategies/aspects you may need to consider
¨ Decide what time(s) each day you will conduct this observation.
¨ See if you can find out what the teacher plans to do each day by studying his/her plans, and/or
talking with them.

After the Observation - Reflection
Choose 3 best practices you observed during your time in school. Reflect on
these and consider why you could implement these in a UAE primary
classroom in the future. Explain how these practices will affect student
learning and reading levels in a primary class.

- Firstly, when I observe my MST in the writing lesson the teacher let the students to
read what they write loudly in front of the class that will help the student to improve
their writing and reading skills also she will know if the students have a grammar
mistake and she will help them to improve their skills. Secondly, I like what my MST
do when she takes the students every week to the library and she ask the students to
choose a story and read it in the home and create a story map that thing will help the
students to get a lot of new vocabulary words and know how to write a new story by
himself. Thirdly, when the teacher read a story aloud she asks the students to listen and
choose the new words and try to find the meaning that things help the students to learn
a lot of new vocabulary words and that will help them to improve their skills in reading
and writing and use the new words. Finally, in the future I will use those teaching
strategies when I teach my students because that will help the students to develop their
reading and writing skills also that affect the students in their reading level and learning
easily by improve it while they use it.
 LITERACY STRATEGIES

Observe your MST’s classroom and general practices you see around the school. Discuss
the areas below in context of what you observe in school and support with a photo and a
reference to reading when possible.

Describe the classroom environment.

- The classroom environment organized like that, they put the classroom vision and
mission of the school on the door of the class and they put the classroom rules above the
white board and they put the reward chart next to the board and on the other said of the
board they put the students name list, class schedule and the school rules, they put all of
this thing in front of the class. In the back of the class they divide the green board into
three section such as English, Arabic and Mathematic So, in those area they put the
students work related to the different lesson. Moreover, there are five groups in the class
and they sit in each group according to their level’s.

Consider how the class is a print rich environment. What print can you see around the
room? (labels, captions, flashcards, headings, rules, instructions, timetable, flash cards,
etc) For each one you mention insert pictures and state the purpose of each one.

- The grade four class is full of print and it’s a wonderful and colourful class because they
put everything such as the timetable of the class to help the students to know which time
the class start and which time the class end and which time the break starts also, there
are the school and class instruction which is the rules of the class and the school and that
help the students to manage their behaviour and follow the rules. Also, there are different
flashcards in the classroom that help the students to read and remember the vocabulary
words when they see it. Finally, the vision and mission of the school help the students to
respect all the people and be honesty and friendly in the school, the vision of the school
also help the students to remember the goal of school and how they will work and do to
achieve it as a student.
Is there a variety of books and genres in the class? Mention some. How are they
displayed?

- There are no books and genres in the classroom but the teacher takes their students to
the library every day to read different books but, I prefer to section or reading corner in
the class for the students that will let the students to read more and they will be enjoyable
to read.

Describe the reading area in your classroom.

- They divide the English board so, one section for reading and they put several texts that
included in the English book by print it and paste it there.

Does the teacher read to the children? How often? How does she motivate them to read?


- Teacher read for students the text in English book in every reading lesson so, twice in
the week also, she acts while read and use the voice skills to change her voice according
to the characters. In addition, she motivates the students to read by do some activities
such as, let all students to pick number then she says number 1 so, student who have
number 1 will read then, when the students finish the reading she put star for her and let
the students to clap for her.
Describe the reading approaches have you observed? Where do the children sit? How does
the teacher encourage participation?

Read aloud Shared reading Guided reading Independent reading

Read what they The teacher read the text No evidence The teacher ask all
wrote by chose the that included in book by students to open their
students one by one present it in the smart English book and read
to come and stand board and she explain the the text all of them in
in front of the class new words then she asking the same page and she
and read, the different questions about ask them to read the
teacher helps them the cover page and the text text quietly and
and encourage them after that she give the individually, In that
by let the students students chance to ask any time the teacher will
to clap their hands question about the text and walk around the
for them. the teacher answer their students and let some of
questions then she start them to read for her and
read the text with the she support and help
students also she let the them if they have
students to read some mistake by correct the
sentences and she help mistake for them and
them when they read and say a positive words to
she let them to read some him.
sentences and encourage
them by say a positive
words such as will done,
excellent and good job to
let the students to keep
going and push them to
read more and more
without any mistake .
Consider how the teacher reminds children of any concepts of print when reading? (left-to-
right, top to bottom, punctuation, author, illustrator, etc)

- The teacher asking the students about the concept of print when she read with them a big story and she
ask them different question such as how’s the author and how’s the illustrator, where should I start
reading also, she let them to work in pairs and she give them a story and she let them to ask each other
using the concept of print and she observe them at that time and she say for them the purpose of those
concepts.

How does the teacher teach phonics and word attack skills to children? Describe a phonics
lesson you observed and mention how the children are scaffolded to recognise the word
and get the meaning.

- Teacher teach the students the phonics by use flash cards to show them the new words and explain it
for students what the words mean also, present the pictures of the words then, ask about the words so,
that help the students to recognise the words easily.

What comprehension strategies are the children learning/using?

- The teacher uses flash cards and present the pictures of the new words to let the students
understand it also, sometimes teacher don’t use the picture of the new words but explain
it by her words she uses also the flash cards to show the students the new grammar then
explains it for them in different way. In addition, students will use those words by do
some activities such as, use the new words to write sentences or in grammar
let two students to come in front of the class and play with ball such as, student A throw
the ball to student’s B and say present word then student B catch the ball and say the
past tense of this word and opposite, she does that with all students in the class.
Ask your teacher about special reading events carried out in the school - e.g ‘Book
Character Day’, DEAR Time, Book Fairs, ‘Extreme Reading’ competitions etc.

- They have reading day so, in this day every student will have book or story to read it
then, every teacher will choice any student to read aloud for all students and that will be
in the break.

Describe some types of writing activities or the method the teacher uses for writing – e.g
emergent writing, copy writing, dictations, etc

- The teacher did several activities for writing to help the students to improve their writing
skills such as, she let the students to write massage for thanks any person they want then
they read it aloud that will help the students improve their writing skills. Also, She let
them to copy the text from the books to help them to be able to write large words by
himself. In addition, she did for them dictation every week in Tuesday and she use
difficult words to let them learn a lot of new words.
REFLECTION

Choose 3 best practices you observed during your time in school. Reflect on
these and consider why you could implement these in a UAE primary
classroom in the future. Explain how these practices will affect student
learning and reading levels in a primary class.

- The three reading approaches that I will choose it to be implemented in

UAE primary classrooms are reading aloud, shared reading and
independent reading. First, I will explain for the students how each
approach works. Then, after each English lesson I will apply the
approaches with doing activities that will engage them to lean reading.
For example, I will read the text from the book loudly then I will choose
students to read what I read again loudly and I will correct their mistake.
So, those approaches will help the students to improve their reading skills
by learn how to read. Also, doing those approaches will help the teacher
to know the students reading level.
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