Ready or Not?

     Let me preface today's blog post by saying that I absolutely acknowledge the importance of reading and writing, for both children and adults. I believe that reading has the ability to inform us, transport us, and empower us. I am an avid reader, and in my ideal universe, everyone else would experience the love I have for literature. As a future teacher, I will do whatever I can to help my students achieve that--and I know that some students will need extra support.

     Catching Readers Before They Fall by Pat Johnson and Katie Keier does an excellent job of providing ideas and insight for early childhood and elementary teachers in the trenches, trying valiantly to ensure that all students are successful readers. It's an incredibly informative book--I highly recommend it.

     There's just one point that I am unclear about: who are the struggling readers and how do we identify them? Where is the fine line drawn between a child labeled a "hardest-to-teach" student, and a child who is not yet ready for formal reading instruction? Catching Readers appears to take the stance that all children are ready for instruction. In their chapter about Vygotskian theory, a distinction is made between Piaget's belief in stages of child development and Vygotsky's idea that what a child can't learn alone, he can learn from an experienced other. Catching Readers uses David Wood's 1998 study of mothers teaching their toddlers complex puzzle construction to illustrate Vygotsky's theory. While the three-year-olds couldn't assemble the block pyramid independently (in fact, the study says that this activity could not be performed by children under seven), they could complete the puzzle with support from attentive mothers.

     Can this example be applied to reading instruction? Should it be? The children in Wood's study would eventually be able to assemble the puzzles when they reach the developmentally appropriate age for the activity (8+). What benefit do they receive from assembling the puzzle at a much earlier age? Likewise, with the push for reading instruction coming earlier and earlier (see: Your Baby Can Read), how do our children benefit from literacy instruction at age three--or younger? Conversely, is it really so detrimental to them if formal reading instruction is introduced in kindergarten or first grade?

     In the case of early childhood, are we catching readers before they fall? Or are we catching readers before they're ready? When are struggling readers simply reflecting expectations that are out of touch with developmental appropriateness?

Literacy Dig

     Today I went on a "Literacy Dig" with some fellow Elementary Ed classmates. We chose to visit our local cooperative grocery store to hunt for different literacies in action and analyze them. Right away we noticed that the written word abounded: in directional and instructional signs ("Entrance" and "Bulk Foods"), food labels and prices, deli menus and recipe ideas. Customers read coupons, specials, and receipts. There is a community bulletin board, newsletter, and membership literature teeming with written information.

     There are many words and phrases unique to the co-op that on one hand provide a sense of being "in" to frequent customers, but on the other hand may intimidate the newcomer. A sampling of the language found on product labels: organic, local, fair trade, conventional, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, homeopathic, biodegradable, BPA-free, recycled, eco. Additionally, the co-op itself comes with new vocabulary: cooperative (co-op), member, share, member-owner, rewards, specials. The first thing a customer is asked at the check-out register is, "Do you have an owner number?" Often followed by, "Did you bring a bag?"

     While analyzing our findings, our group made some interesting observations about literacy at the co-op. Beyond the written literacy, customers also interact with literacies established by society and culture. One such literacy is that of product packaging: even if I cannot read the written word, I can still identify yogurt by first reading its location in the store (in a refrigerated case near other dairy products, such as milk, which comes in a carton with a cow on it), then reading the size and shape of its packaging (almost universally sold in short, stout containers). I can even find the flavor of yogurt I am seeking by reading color (in our culture, pink packaging is most likely strawberry, blue is blueberry) and imagery (a picture of an orchid on a package of vanilla yogurt). In addition, being able to read the cultural customs of the grocery store is not necessary, but handy, when food shopping. A customer picks up a basket or cart at the entrance, places food within it as he shops, and when ready to leave, takes the items to be purchased to the cashier. He waits in line at the check-out. If he is purchasing a product from the bulk section, he has identified the product number for the cashier. Shopping using alternative customs (such as placing items in a customer's own bag while shopping instead of a cart) may slow the shopping experience or confuse the shopper or staff.

     When reflecting on the co-op in the context of The Donut House, we felt that this community location could be easily translated into a situated literacy project. The co-op is brimming with opportunities for reading and writing. A few of our ideas included:

• budget
• grocery list
• menu
• recipes                
• signage for goods/prices
• food labels
• receipts
• employee check-lists
• business logo
• advertisements
• coupons
• newsletter
• letters to potential members
• letters to farmers/suppliers
• building permit

     Like The Donut House project, we felt that the co-op provided the possibility for multi-faceted community outreach, from people such as:

• co-op employees
• farmers
• nutritionists
• graphic designers
• bank employees
• construction workers  
• city council members
• financial planners
• member-owners
• news media

     Educating students about non-traditional business models, such as cooperatives, is an interesting prospect. Cooperatives are poised to be the fastest-growing business model by the end of this decade, reflected by the United Nations declaration that 2012 was the International Year of Cooperatives. In an increasingly global society where teamwork and collaboration are prized, why not introduce the concept of cooperative business? I can imagine this being even more effective in schools where classrooms participate in a community garden. Perhaps the second graders would like to become suppliers to the kindergarten co-op, selling their homegrown popping corn to the fifth grade member-owners, who are excited to see returned dividends at the end of a successful project!

The Donut House

 

  "The Donut House: Real World Literacy in an Urban Kindergarten Classroom," by Rebecca Powell and Nancy Davidson (available here with an NCTE membership) explores a new type of literacy: situated literacy. Compared to schooled literacy, the type of literacy instruction we are most familiar with in the elementary classroom, situated literacy presents the children with real-world connections from familiar contexts, such as their own communities. Situated literacy sees reading and writing as skills necessary to experience and contribute to everyday life--not just as skills needed to participate in the classroom or score well on standardized tests. Proponents of situated literacy put those beliefs into practice by seeking outlets for students to read and write that are directly connected to their interests and community.

     Powell and Davidson present an exciting and inspiring example with The Donut House, a situated literacy project from an urban kindergarten classroom in Kentucky. The topic of the project, creating a classroom donut shop, was selected because of the school's proximity to an actual donut shop, guaranteeing that the children had at least a little background knowledge of the subject and a connection between the project and their community. The students were involved in every aspect of creating their business, and many community members pitched in too--from a field trip to the near-by donut shop to experience the donut making process first-hand, to bank employees who taught the children about business loans, to neighborhood "stockholders" who contributed to the project monetarily.

     Throughout the project, the students were engaged in reading, writing, and speaking at every opportunity. They read signs, letters, labels, and their own classroom big book. They wrote thank-you letters, stock certificates, building permit forms, loan applications, and invitations to the Grand Opening. They greeted the public at their Grand Opening, gave interviews to reporters, and practiced phone manners. In the end, the Donut House students learned reading and writing skills through real life experiences that created and strengthened ties to their community. They observed that reading and writing skills have purposes outside the traditional classroom environment. In their touching conclusion, Powell and Davidson write,

"...It would seem that an empowerment model of literacy would be especially critical for these students, whose lives on a daily basis may be marked by hopelessness and acquiescence. These children need to know that their words and their lives can make a difference--that literacy, their literacy, can be used for transformative ends."

     In The Donut House, I see a very real example of the trifold education that I aspire to. Children are learning reading and writing skills (head) by engagement in real life experiences situated in their own communities (hands) through topics that they are both familiar with and excited about (heart). I found Powell and Davidson's article to be inspiring to me as a pre-service teacher. I especially like the opportunities for cross-curricular involvement: math skills in ringing up "customers," social studies in how a business is run, science in the making of dough, art in the design of business logos and signs, music in the possibility of a business jingle...the possibilities are endless. I will most definitely be filing away this example for the future!

Welcome

   Welcome to Trifold Learning. My name is Meg, and I'm a pre-service elementary school teacher. My background is in fine arts, and I am very passionate about Waldorf Education, in which I have previous training as a teacher. In the coming weeks, this blog will be a place for me to learn, explore, and share ideas about literacy in early childhood and the primary grades. I look forward to sharing my journey with you.