Literacy’s Beginnings, Supporting Young Readers and Writers by

McGee and Richgels

By: Christina MorrisonEDN 340Dr. Fox

Focus

• Development stages from age 6 to 8

• Literacy-Rich Classrooms

Three Phases of Conventional Literacy Development

• Early• Transitional• Self-generative

Early Readers and Writers

• Read simple text on their own• Pin point and recognize words (High-

Frequency)• Sight and decode by letter-sound

correspondence• Spell out words, compose longer writings• First grade and early months in second

Transitional

• More complex text with longer sentences• More fluent, have acquired sight words• Multiple meanings of words and ways to spell• Begin writing several genres (per. nar., stories,

poems, science reports, etc.)• Second grade, finishes developing in third

Self-Generative

• Control many strategies for reading complex texts, learning from text, and acquiring new vocabulary

• Increasingly able to revise their own writing to communicate for a wide variety of purposes

Constructing Interpretations of Literature

• Group discussions, share personal responses• Learn different perspectives from peers• Leads to open minded thinking in future

readings• Writing strategies: everyday activities, familiar

faces etc can help students be great writers• Connecting this to what they have read

Literacy Rich Classrooms

• Important because students become reflective, motivated readers and writers

• Use literacy more about themselves and the world they live in

Everyday Routines

• Reading aloud• Story telling• Independent reading/writing• Become motivated to read more themselves• Higher vocabulary• Comprehend material using strategies they

learned

Routines continued

• Sharing experiences

• Using props (students can relate to object)

• Make own props and rein act the story themselves

Independent Reading/ Writing

• Have SSR (sustained silent reading); 10-20 minutes everyone reads

• Give each child a journal at the beginning of the year

• Time set out to write independently

Encourage Emotional and Intellectual Involvement

• Response to literature activities• Expand and enrich students understanding• Ex: writing, drawing, retelling, commenting,

questioning, etc.• Classroom writing, library, and computer

centers• Curriculum organized around literature

content units

Continued

• Include multicultural literature• Form variety of groups, whole class

gatherings, small groups, and partners• Working alone as well• Incorporating ones with different abilities

helps students learn from one another, and help each other out

Works Cited

• McGee, L.M., Richgels, D.J. (2004). Literacy's beginnings: supporting young readers and

writers. Boston: Pearson.