HOW CAN THE INCORPERATION

OF VISUAL LITERACY ENHNACE

LEARNING WITHIN A FOURTH
GRADE INTERGRATED CO-
TEACHING CLASSROOM?

Presented by:
Nicole Quigley

SUNY Empire State College

Summer 2017
 Overview
According to the New York State Department of Education the
percentage of students with disabilities scoring proficiency on
their literacy assessment (Level 3 or 4) in 2016 was only 7.9%.

With such pressure being put on testing some classrooms have

continued to be a skill and drill environment. Where much of
the focus is put on the teacher.

The purpose of this curriculum is to implement visual literacies

within a preexisting fourth grade curriculum in an Intergraded
Co-Teaching (ICT) classroom within a New York City
Department of Education school.

The adaptation of visual literacies into the curriculum will allow

for a less anxious learning environment for students as well as
equal learning opportunities for all students within the
classroom. The curriculum has been designed to be aligned
with the Common Core Learning Standards.
Visual Literacy
Visual Literacy which is the ability to analyze and
comprehend language such as graphics, illustrations, still
and moving images (Johnston, 2016)

In order to be literate, one is expected to not only read and

comprehend written text but also be able to look at a
multitude of information, such as graphics, memes,
diagrams, commercials, pictures, even hearing sounds in
order to read, analyze and interpret meaning from the
information being presented (Snow & Matthews, 2016).

Its no longer enough to be able to read and write. Our

students must learn to process both words and pictures.
They must be able to move gracefully and fluently
between text and images, between literal and figurative
words (Burmark, 2002).
Pre- Assessment
Before beginning the unit,
reading levels will be assessed
though a computer program
called IReady.
IReady assesses students
reading levels and abilities
through specific skills
embedded into the computer
program four times a year. The
program tests skills such as
vocabulary, fluency,
comprehension and
decoding.
The results of this assessment
are used to group children in
like reading groups as well as
groups with an array of
different leveled readers.
In addition to IReady students will
also take a baseline assessment.
The baseline allows the teacher to
recognize an individual students
needs that need to be met
according to the Common Core
Learning Standards as well as the
schools standards. The Baseline
consists of three parts:
Multiple choice questions
Short constructed response
questions
Extended writing task.
At the end of the six week unit
students will take a culminating
assessment with the same outline as
the baseline. This will allow teachers to
collect and analyze data on areas
that have been mastered and still
need work in the upcoming units. The
data collected will be incorporated
accordingly into the next unit.
 Meeting The Needs of All Students
Anchor charts with visuals will be created
with students and placed around the
classroom for students to refer to when
working independently.
Students who need additional support,
reading will be provided with smaller
chunks of a text that may consist of only a
few sentences.
Students will be strategically paired with
other students on a higher reading level in
order to balance out their learning
experiences.
The Curriculum
The literacy curriculum that has
been created incorporates
visual literacies into an already
existing fourth grade
collaborative classroom
setting.

The six week unit focuses on

the Native American people of
New York, specifically past
Iroquois people known as the
Haudenosaunee.
During the implementation of
the curriculum the students will
be taught how to use visual
literacies in order to interpret
and analyze information on
the Iroquois people as well as
enhance already learned
literacy skills
While working
independently and in small
groups students will focus
on making connections
between visual imagery,
oral account and written
text of various cultures with
a main focus on the
Haudenosaunee culture
Common Core Alignment
During the six week literacy unit students will
focus on big ideas and essential questions in
social studies and reading.

Social Studies Common Core Learning Standard

4.2. NATIVE AMERICAN GROUPS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Native

American groups, chiefly the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) and
Algonquian-speaking groups, inhabited the region that
became New York.
 Reading Common Core Learning Standards

RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when

explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.

RL.4.2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from

details in the text; summarize the text.

RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a

historical, scientific, or technical text, including what
happened and why, based on specific information in the
text.

RI. 4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally or

quantitatively and explain how the information contributes
to the understanding of the text in which it appears.
Conclusion
Research has shown that in incorporation
of visual literacies into the curriculum will
allow students to become more engaged
in their learning.
The adaptation of visual literacies into the
curriculum will allow for a less anxious
learning environment for students as well
as equal learning opportunities for all
students within the classroom.
References
References Continued