Dora Casimir

Reading Response 1
ED318

I believe that literacy is not simply ability to read and write words on a page, but also the
ability to navigate and make meaning of the world around us.
o Literacy is a crucial skill for success in todays world and is a part of our everyday
lives. Poor literacy means a hampered ability to communicate effectively with
others, find a job, learn new skills, and much more. Even something as simple as
playing a board game with my family would be extremely difficult if I couldnt
interpret the rules of the game, where the pieces go, or what the various areas of
the board represent. There is so much more at stake than reading and writing skills
as they play a part in nearly everything you do.
I believe that a child's experiences, culture, and beliefs will influence how they approach
literacy concepts.
o This is something we have talked about extensively, and our readings this week
all touched on. I still like this quote from a paper we read last semester, which
was literacy practices do not exist in isolation. They are a part of social
relationships and networks. In this way, literacy is a socially and culturally
situated practice (Flint, 2008, p.12). We must take into consideration each
individual child and what influences them. We cannot expect that every child will
experience a text or lesson the same way or enjoy something just because you
think it is good. Benny, the child in the article by Bean (1997), often offered ideas
that were dismissed because they seemed unrelated to the task at hand. Upon
closer inspection, Benny was trying to make sense of what his teacher and the
texts were saying in relation to his experiences and culture.
I believe that it is important that students be given choice about literacy experiences.
This could mean being able to choose a book that interests them or choosing the method
in which they would like to express their ideas.
o We must always keep in mind that students are individuals, with individual
learning styles, interests, backgrounds, and more. When given choice, this allows
students to select things that are meaningful and relevant to their lives. Ultimately,
we want students to be able to use literacy practices independently when theres
no one there giving them assignments anymore. They wont want to seek this out
on their own if all they experience isnt meaningful to them.
o Ive said this before, but my sister struggled with reading during her early
elementary years. When the Harry Potter books became popular, my dad began to
read them to us every day. At some point partway through one of the books, he
was unable to read it to us for a certain period of time. Rather than wait, my sister
decided that she was going to keep reading all on her own, despite the fact that
this book would be considered way above her reading level! By the end of the

year, she was not only reading at grade level but actively seeking out books that
she now realized could be enjoyable. I think this is a powerful story of how
capturing student interest and allowing them to explore that is SO important.
I believe that literacy should be experienced authentically.
o Building off of all that was said previously, students should be able to experience
literacy in the many ways they will experience it in the real world. Literacy does
not just happen with books and essays. In todays world, children experience
literacy via the internet, blogs, newspaper, texts, magazines, and much more. This
should translate to the classroom as well!

All in all, I think my Venn Diagram falls in line great with my beliefs. I think the Bean

article had some really interesting points. I never really realized how easy it can be to totally
miss a students attempt to create meaning using their personal experiences. It is certainly
something that I will be sure to be aware of and carefully listen for now. These articles really also
emphasize how literacy is about constructing and creating meaning. It goes beyond the
classroom environment. As a result, I want to ensure that I am providing students with authentic
activities that create these connections and encourages their engagement and motivation to create
meaning! These two concepts are definitely intertwined with one another.

References
Bean, M. (1997). Talking With Benny: Suppressing or Supporting Learner Themes
and Learner Worlds?
San Jose State University.
Flint, A. S. (2008). Literate Lives: Teaching reading & writing in elementary
classrooms. Georgia State
University: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Zwiers, J. (2010). Building Reading Comprehension Habits in Grades 6-12: A Toolkit
of Classroom
Activities.