Literacy – More than Reading and Writing EP: 1

Welcome to the first episode of the Literacy Teacher's Life Podcast! Today's episode introduces the topic of literacy and expands on the common definition of literacy as simple "reading and writing." Host Elizabeth Morphis Brings her experience as both a teacher and amo to two elementary school-age daughters. Today's Topic on the Literacy List What is Literacy and what does it mean? The most common answer most of us hear is "literacy is reading and writing," and that's correct. But it's not all. The definition also includes the meaning tht is made, the context, and the environment. Elizabeth shares examples from her classroom to explain that often kids may read well but struggle to explain what they’ve read. Or they may understand but be unable to write about what they’ve read.  Literacy is a way of making meaning in a specific environment. What does that mean? That’s the focus of literacy education today. Skills vary depending on the specific work students engage in. Absolutely, literacy refers to reading and writing. But it’s also the meaning that we take from a text or the meaning we make, and the environment. For parents at home, if your child is frustrated when reading alone, try reading with them. You can slowly lead up to having them read independently.  Spotlight on Children's Books * The Three Pigs by David Wiesner – this is one Elizabeth's favorites. The pigs leave their story and fly into other stories. The pigs are reading their world! *Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora – This book is a great example of how a child relates to the content. *The Idea Jar by Adam Lehrhaupt – This shows how ideas for writing can come from anywhere and it encourages possibilities. *This is a good story by Adam Lehrhaupt – This book explains the elements of the story including what happens when mistakes happen. * You are a Reader/You are a Writer by April Jones Prince – This book shows all the content we read like signs, cereal boxes and more. It’s a great reminder that we read and write in all kinds of ways in our everyday lives. Today’s Positive Note This week's episode shares two resources that can be used to encourage kids to talk about books they read. It also explains comprehension wands and cubes with prompts to help extend the reading into a conversation.  You can find more resources at https://www.theliteracyteacherslife.com/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices