Benchmark Assignment Literacy Program

3% drop from the 2000 census figure of 26061 (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). Hollis covers an area of 525. 1 acres and has a population density of 39 persons per acre. Seeing the majority of the population of the town comprises of ethnic minority groups, it is evident that most of the population speaks English as a second language, an indicator that there are significant second language issues in the area. 71% of the working residents of Hollis held white collar jobs while 29& held blue collar jobs. 7 % of the population of the Hollis area is employed whereas 8. 5% is unemployed. This indicates that the rate of unemployment in the area is very low (U. Both schools had 13% of their student population comprising of special education students. Hollis area is served by the Queens Library.

The library offers a wide range of services and programs aimed at improving the quality of life of the inhabitants of the area. STACKS is one of these programs. It is an after-school enrichment program that aims at providing homework tutors, monitors and homework materials to the students in the area. In spite of the racial disparities, instances of racial tension are near nonexistent in Hollis. The rate of unemployment is quite low in Hollis, with the unemployed only making up 8. 5% of the population. The area is also well served by such community resources as libraries and hospitals all of which make it a very desirable neighborhood. Through the Queensland Library, second language families and immigrants are provided with opportunities to not only learn the English language but also with coping programs aimed at making their residency more comfortable and worthwhile.

The school also has an ESL program aimed at developing the English proficiency of the English learning students (ELLs) in the school seeing as the school has a number of students from other parts of the world and who do not speak English as their first language. I attended a pull-out ESL class in the school. The program is aimed at developing proficiency in the English language and has English as its language of command. The school has contracted an English language teacher to facilitate the program,and this has resulted in a student-teacher ratio that is favorable for the effective learning of the ELLs. The pull-out program operates by having the ELLs out of the mainstream classes for some period of time in order for them to receive language instruction.

The goal of instruction for this group was to polish the proficiency of these ELLs to fluency. The students were engaged in a read-aloud by the instructor with literature from the school ESL library. The students were then taken through a listening lesson and finally given an exercise based on what they had learned to work on. From the performance records of the ELLs that were given, it was evident that the ELLs posted better performance in reading, writing and in all other subjects after being in the pull-out ESL program for some length of time. This improvement in performance is an indication that the program effectively improves the literacy of the ELLs who go through it. • Shared reading whereby the teacher models, instructs and explains reading skills to the students by sharing the reading process with them.

In this strategy the teacher and students read and re-read the texts together with the teacher ensuring that she involves the students actively in the reading, only coming in where the need arises. • Guided reading: In this strategy, the teacher divides the students into smaller groups with similar learning needs and works with each group in response to their needs. • Independent reading: In this strategy, the teacher provides the students with uninterrupted time to practice and integrate the skills they have acquired in the guided and shared reading sessions. • Home reading: In this strategy, the teacher picks books for the students at home with the guidance and support of their parents or guardians. This works hand in hand with the home reading program whereby the teacher identifies texts that build on concepts introduced in class and are specific to the individual needs of the student.

The students get to take such texts home and read them under the guidance of their parents or guardians. The teacher collaborates with the librarian to make this work. Other than the librarian, there is no other support personnel helping with the literacy program except the ESL teacher who helps with the ELL student from India away from the mainstream classroom. This has been effective,and the teacher asserts that through the program, the outcomes of the students have improved considerably. First, she uses visual aids in the classroom to ensure that the ELL grasps concepts better in spite of their limited literacy in the English language. The teacher also shows a lot of patience with the ELL as she is undergoing a silent period by not forcing her to talk in class if she does not want to and this has played a significant role in making her learning environment relaxed and devoid of any pressure and consequently more effective.

The teacher also allows scaffolding with the ELL's native language by allowing her to use some of her first language to express herself in the English classroom both in spoken and in written assignments. This has been effective in making the ELL feel like part of the class by allowing them to participate in class work regardless of their limited skills in the English language. The teacher also uses sentence frames to give the ELL practice with academic English language. As a literacy instructor, she sees herself as a coach, mentor, and decision maker. She believes that to be able to effectively impart knowledge in her students; she needs to be conversant with a wide range of instructional methods and how to effectively apply them in accordance with the needs of her students.

As such, she ensures her continuous self-improvement through learning. Has the teacher’s approach to literacy instruction changed through the years? Describe it. The teacher asserts that her approach to literacy instruction has changed over the years and attributes this to the years of experience through which she has learned what strategies are more effective in what situations. The curriculum in place influences the choice of texts as well as the requirements of the state as pertaining to the literacy program. The texts mainly include children’s literature, fiction and non-fiction materials designed for students in the second grade. They are used both for shared and independent reading and writing. The teacher also uses teacher’s guides in her practice 6. How is the class organized for literacy instruction? Are children grouped, if so how? Are the needs of all learners being met? Explain.

She also uses songs and poetry to build on her students’ vocabulary and oral skills. How do you teach to improve listening skills? To improve the listening skills of her students, the teacher often has dictation exercises whereby the students have to listen carefully to what she says and write it. Over time, the listening and concentration of her students have greatly improved as is indicated by the improvement of their performance in these exercises. Are there students with special literacy needs (ELL students, poor readers, gifted readers, special education students, etc. ) and how are their special needs being addressed? Are there resources, special programs, or teachers available to help with these students? Explain. It is especially easy because there are no students with special needs in the classroom except for one ELL student who is experiencing some difficulties in reading, writing, and math.

From my observation of the classroom, it is evident that what the teacher shared earlier during the interview is reflected in her classroom. The greatest strength of this program is that it provides for the individual needs of every student through the various strategies in place such as the guided reading and writing, independent reading and writing and the home reading program. The literacy program is, however, lagging behind as pertains to the use of technology to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the literacy program with technology evidently being quite underutilized in the classroom. Another limitation of the program is in the absence of support personnel to aid with the literacy program as a result of which the teacher may not be able to adequately address the needs of every child in the classroom especially considering that the class is quite large with 30 students.