Introduction

Mira Vainisi
This portfolio showcases my teaching in literacy and technology. I have shown here
multiple types of literacy lessons that I have done with fourth graders. I love incorporating
technology into my lessons, this excites children and also gives them real world skills
with technology. I enjoy teaching literacy to my students because literacy is in every facet
of our lives; in school and out of it. Concerning the science of reading, I promote students
using phonics to decode words. I also believe it is vital that students comprehend what
they are reading. As educators we can and should search for synergies in different
instructional practices as to give our students the most effective instruction possible.
(Duke, Ward, 2021)

Interactive Read aloud

The artifacts I have displayed above are my Interactive questions and stopping points planned for a read
aloud I led with 4th grade students. Interactive read alouds are opportunities for students to deepen their
comprehension because the teacher takes full responsibility of decoding the text and leading a meaningful
discussion. Students want to see themselves in the texts that they read and learn about perspectives
different from their own, in order to build identity awareness. This is why I selected Bicycle Man by Allen
Say. According to Short it is essential to not just consider how to teach a read aloud but to also consider
the value of the story itself to expand the readers’ understanding of the world around them through
meaningful discussion. I facilitated these meaningful conversations by asking questions about their own
thoughts and feelings on the text, letting students compare their lives and cultures with that of those in the
text, including a short writing activity after the read aloud, and allowing students to have conversations
with peers about their thoughts and feelings. Using these multiple participation methods ensures equal
opportunity for all students to participate meaningfully in whatever way they are comfortable.
 Mini Lesson

A mini lesson is a short unit before a reading or writing workshop. According to “Reading Recovery
Council” (2021) a mini lesson should include four parts: a connection to prior knowledge, teaching the
skill, active engagement of students in a safe environment to try new things, and a link to their everyday
lives. For this mini lesson I reviewed the concept of theme with the class. We had a discussion about what
a theme is and redefined the word together. We talked about how to find a theme and how to use textual
clues to solve what a theme may be. The students we preassigned groups that were intentionally
scaffolded based on previous assessments. The groups were each given a preassigned song to listen to and
a lyric sheet. The students used their chrome book and Google Classroom to access the songs I provided.
The students then worked in groups to discuss what the song's theme was and used textual evidence as
clues to find it. As they finished I, as the teacher, went around and discussed with each group their
thought process and conclusions. I collected their papers and I used both them, and my conversation with
the students, as a form of informal assessment. This gave students a fun way to engage with a literacy
topic in a non traditional way. It promoted engagement and gave students the opportunity to work in a
group.
 Data Collection and Application

The artifact that I included for this is a sample running record I did with a 4th grade student. A running
record is when I have a student read aloud to me. I take quick notes throughout these readings; I include
words they read correctly, words they missed, how they struggled, their strengths, and self corrections. I
used Fountas and Pinnell’s Benchmark Assessment System, which allows me to assess miscue analysis as
well. This is when a teacher analyzes any error or self correction the student made to try to determine
what “cue” caused the error or self correction. This is helpful to the teacher because it shows what stregtry
a student is using to decode texts. I used the data I gathered from the running record to place the student at
an instructional reading level, I then was able to plan future personalized instruction for this student and
give him texts within his zone of proximal development.
 Guided Reading

Guided reading is a form of small group instruction in which students are homogeneously grouped at their
instructional reading level. Each student is reading the same instructional text and there is an emphasis on
independent reading while the teacher confers individually with each student. (Richardson 2016) For my
guided reading instruction I read a book about snow and snowflakes. At this time the first snowfall of the
year had happened a few days prior so snow was a topic on students' minds. We did a picture walk and
began our “Know and Learned” chart. We filled in some things we already knew about snow. I had some
students with fluency goals, and a few with comprehension goals. Since I confer with each student, I was
able to individualize the focus of each conference. With the children with fluency goals I had them read a
section of the text aloud to me which I knew addressed their specific goal. The students with
comprehension goals were asked about the content of the book and asked specific questions about the
text. In order for this to be productive it was very important that I, the teacher, read the book in advance
and have knowledge about what content is in the text. After conferring with each student we come back
together and have a discussion. We also finished filling out our Know and Learned chart, filling in our
Learned side with facts that we had learned from this reading. This is a great way to include
comprehension assessment for all the students, as fourth graders need to be able to understand what they
are reading.
 Constructive Feedback

A teacher being able to effectively give constructive feedback is one of the best ways to help their
students learn. It is personalized and meaningful because it shows that the teacher truly knows the student
and cares about them and their learning. To implement this in the classroom, I was detailed in my running
records and miscue analysis, I was then able to help them with specific strengths and struggles in the
classroom. I was able to give praise when a student corrected something they previously struggled with. I
was also able to draw their attention to certain areas of their work to focus on.

Independent reading

I believe in fostering a love for reading in my students. The best way to do this is by giving them time
and choice when they are independent reading. “Studies confirm that providing elementary students with
opportunities to make choices in reading activities increases their motivation to participate” (McLoyd,
1979; Reynolds & Symons, 2001). Every person has certain things they like and dislike; books are no
different. I as an adult would not want to be forced to read a book I didn’t like, so when I can, I want to
encourage the same autonomy in my students. This is made possible by having many options for what
types of books they read independently and many different levels of texts. Above is a chart of the “six
Ts.” The most effective reading instruction takes place if teachers apply these 6 concepts to their
independent reading instruction. (Allington 2002) Time and texts are included in these and the other four
concepts are also important to give our young readers. I plan to give my students the most effective
instruction possible and I believe adopting the 6 Ts can do that.