What is a literate classroom?
Literacy is simply known as the ability to read or write. It is a basic function of life. A key to teaching early literacy skills to kids is establishing a literacy-rich environment. So, a literate classroom or environment can be defined as the setting that provides the kids with opportunities to learn to read or write (Alber, 2010). It is the setting that promotes not only the ability to read or write but social interactions as well (Roskos & Neuman,2011).
A literate classroom is a literacy-rich environment that allows students to involve in writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Offering productive or meaningful early literacy instruction can result in increased literacy skills such as reading, writing, speaking, or listening. The literate environment also tends to promote and facilitate social, academic, and functional growth (Rivera, 2016).
According to Mindy Pollihuke, the classroom that you create has a significant impact on the emotional, social intellectual, and physical development of the students. In order to incorporate a positive attitude towards school or intellectual development, they must provide with space, organization, a feeling of warmth or security, and visual stimulation. A literate classroom is a learner-centered environment that is rich with activities. It tends to stimulate a student’s capacity to learn as they engage in the process of discovering and exploring. The most important component of a literate environment is to create a well-organized, exciting, stimulating, comfortable, and welcoming classroom (Lipton & Hubble, 2008).
Providing a literate classroom to students means offering opportunities to develop communication skills and form the basis of modern life. Learners who are unable to read efficiently, grasp concepts, score poorly on tests are unable to achieve educational milestones. A literate classroom allows them to search for information, discover subjects in-depth, and to get a better understanding of the surroundings. Literacy skills mainly take language or art classes into account but they are equally important for maths, science, or music class. Inability to understand textbook content points towards a low level of literacy skills. So, a literate classroom allows the learners to grasp concepts related to every subject (Teaching Literacy in Your K-12 Classrooms).
What should be included in a literacy rich classroom?
Following are some necessary elements of a literacy-rich classroom:
Library or Reading Corner
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (2016) suggested that learners of primary classes should be able enough to identify different types of texts, vocabulary with-in text, and answer comprehension based questions of short stories. To meet these standards, setting up a library or reading corner that contains a variety of grade-appropriate and age-appropriate literature that promotes emergent literacy skills of learners is necessary. For example, short stories for primary grades and picture books for preschoolers can be included in a classroom library. Books having rhymes, songs, and wordplay help to increase phonological awareness in kindergartens. Newspapers, cookbooks, calendars, and cultural books can also be included in the classroom library. Digital libraries can also be established to meet the modern needs of students (Stone et. al., 2016).
Displaying Posters/Labels/Prints
Posters, labels, and prints pasted on walls or doors of the classroom can create a huge impact. Literacy skills of learners tend to encourage by having something to read while looking at the walls. Posters or charts related to the content of the textbooks encourage student’s engagement with the subject even if there is no teaching taking place. Rules of classrooms can also be imparted to students using posters (Roskos & Neuman,2011).
A word wall can be designed to teach phonics and word recognition to preschoolers. The vocabulary of primary students can be enriched using word walls. Displaying various parts of speech such as nouns, verbs or adjectives can also aid in promoting literacy skills (Hansberger, 2014).
Writing Activities or Centers
Writing is an important component of a literacy-rich classroom. Activities that are a mixture of providing opinions, stories, observation, or information, drawing, and dictating should be incorporated in a literacy-rich environment. Writing birthday wishes, thank you notes, emails, and letters to friends play a role in fostering emergent literacy skills. Technology can also be used to enhance the writing skills of learners for example allowing them to write via a mobile or computer keyboard.
A variety of writing utensils such as markers, pencils, paints, pens, or crayons can be placed in a classroom or writing centers to encourage writing (Stone et. al., 2016).
How can you promote literacy in the classroom?
Literacy in the classroom can be promoted in the following ways:
- Asking engaging or open-ended questions
Open-ended as well as engaging questions will provide the learners with an opportunity to speak. Asking students for opinions or ideas can also tend to promote speaking skills (Barrett, 2018).
- Reading time
Teachers should allocate a proper time for reading when they are allowed to read what they want. Some students are more interested in reading stories, fiction, or comics while others are more into reading newspapers and magazines. So, allowing them to choose what they want to read is more preferable (Barrett, 2018).
- Time for Story-telling
Making time for story-telling whether orally or written promotes literacy in the classroom. Reading, speaking, comprehension, listening and language development is likely to occur while storytime (Barrett, 2018).
- Acting-out or Pretend Play
Acting-out verbs or situations are likely to promote vocabulary and language development. It will also make them learn the meanings of different words. Acting-out sounds or movements of different animals, birds, machines, objects, or gadgets will tend to promote the vocabulary of the kids concerning their surroundings (Barrett, 2018).
- Use of Technology
These days, technology is a great way to teach literacy skills to students. Using technology in the classroom will intrigue and engage kids more than the classrooms without technology. E-books or digital texts can be used to enhance the reading skills of the students. Pronunciation of different words can be taught to students using technology. Pictures or videos can be displayed to teach different concepts to the students. Writing on screens using keyboards will encourage them to actively participate.
Multimedia can be used by teachers to make learning more effective (Roskos & Neuman,2011).
- Walls that teach
Attractively decorated walls of the classroom promote literacy skills. Posters, charts, and labels can be pasted on the walls for students to read or learn. Word walls can be designed to enhance vocabulary and word recognition (Roskos & Neuman,2011).
Displaying various parts of speech such as noun, verb or adjective can also aid in promoting literacy skills (Hansberger, 2014).
What makes a literacy-rich classroom?
A classroom can be designed in the following ways to make it a literacy-rich environment:
- Aligning Physical Spaces with Instructional Objectives
Linking the environment to purpose can aid in promoting literacy in the classroom. Classrooms can be modified to accommodate multiple arrangements such as for small and large groups, pairs or triads, and for students to write, read, listen, talk, learn, and play. Students should have enough space to move easily in the classroom for playing, group, or individual activities and to interact with the teacher. Separate specialized spaces or centers can be created for various activities. A better approach is to create spaces that are quick to modify and configure (Roskos & Neuman,2011).
Furniture should be age-appropriate, comfortable and movable. Variety of learning materials should be present in the classroom to engage students. Rugs can be set up for the students to gather write, read and learn together. For group activities, rugs are the best option (Roskos & Neuman,2011).
- Well-Organized Classrooms
Well-organized classrooms also tend to promote literacy skills. Properly arranged and organized classrooms engage students more than a messy or cluttered one. Well-organized materials provide the students with opportunities to explore and discover. For example, well-clustered colored markers or pens encourage the students to use them for writing, drawing, or labeling any diagram. Some students are more interested in reading stories while others are more into magazines or newspapers. Books that are placed in properly labeled sections will encourage the child to read books of their desired genres (Roskos & Neuman,2011).
- Sufficient and Variety of Learning Material
A literacy-rich environment with well-stocked materials is more likely to promote literacy skills. Materials should be present in enough amounts to be used by teachers and students. Besides, having a sufficient amount, it should also be made easily accessible to students, for example, to place at an eye and hand level. The presence of a variety of materials for different activities will encourage the kids to actively participate in the activity (Roskos & Neuman,2011).
- A Participatory Environment
The social environment plays an important role in shaping students’ literacy experiences i.e. promotes a sense of belonging, identity, choice, and ownership. Group activities allow the students to practice leadership or problem-solving skills and provide them with the opportunity to learn about individual differences and respect diversity (Roskos & Neuman,2011).