Reading Foundations 210E

Visit our site Communication, Language and Literacy for Trinidad and Tobago teachers from the Open Training Platform --UNESCO

Welcome to your home on the Internet for Reading resources: Corinth and Valsayn participants of READ210E in Trinidad and Tobago. This web

will help you to locate the resources you may need and keep you happy. Here, there will be a number of easy-to-read links

on Reading. You are invited to suggest and share resources, raise questions and keep things interactive. This web will only

supplement in-class materials and assist in preparation for classes. It will give us a chance to explore ideas about the nature

of Reading, its complexities, theories, strategies for instruction and the evolving face of Literacy in our time, and in our

Caribbean social environment.

Visit  the UNESCO Open Training Platform--a great place to be  and to learn and share about Literacy.

Below is a list of topics for your course.  Remember we are presenting mainly internet resources. Be selective since there is a lot of material here.

1. Exploring Literacy

2.  The Reading Process and Models of Reading

3. Emergent and Early Literacy

4. Vocabulary Development

5. The Reading Writing Connection

 (Caribbean Language and Literacy issues)--optional :

for a conversation with Dr. Joseph's students.

6 Assessment and Preparation for Presentations

  Other useful resources: quizzes, games, puzzles, books, kits, checklists, forms etc.

*Some resources for the first two (2) topics  are listed below as well as a panel of useful general sites. You can find the  remaining topics by navigating the other pages.

*Your Campus Library has good sources for your use.*

• CHECK OUR NEW LINKS PAGE FOR SOME MORE NOTES ON THIS TOPIC

*Will this be your favourite topic?  Take it in a bit at a time.        *denotes subtopics--make notes and bring for class discussion.  Is there anything new here that you have not met before?

Dimensions of Literacy  *Toward a definition of Literacy  *Literacy as Communication  *Reading as a key Component

(a). Definitions of Literacy ...comprehensive definition: Wikipedia

(b). ***Valenzuela's Definition : UNM--***worth checking out. Also

"Literacy"--from Literacyonline(U.of Penn.)

(c). Definition: notes--google ..a whole set of short definitions...be selective

**THEN THERE ARE THE VARIOUS KINDS OF LITERACIES**

 

(d).The dimensions of Literacy & Literacy as Communication ...a different view of dimensions from MIT..

.(media literacy...my site is there)

 

(e). Dimensions of Literacy: a conceptual base for Reading and Writing......a good source. 

...a book from Questia: author...Stephen B Kucer

 

(f). Language Literacy and Communication

....a whole program framework : will explain the connection/inter-relatedness between these areas.You are not going to do this program or even read the whole thing.  Examine key portions and definitions of important terms.

What questions will you raise about this unit? Were the resources helpful?  What can you add? What will be your definition of Literacy?

Unless  as teachers, we spread the gospel of literacy in families --especially where young children are concerned-- in these twin islands of ours, we are "spinning top in mud".

This issue and others will be raised in the Forum on the Dokeos campus. Please participate. Don't be afraid to state your views.

**SEARCH for Literacy resources here: Google Literacy Search engine**

The International Reading Association (IRA)--Caribbean Outreach:  make enquiries about joining...

Here is some more fun and work.  All you have to do is explore and try and discover what the Reading Process is before you go to your lectures or group sessions. Use your search engine to dig deeper. * denotes subtopics

*The nature of Reading  *Definitions of Reading   *Factors affecting the development of Reading ability

1.   "Reading Process" L. Walter and K. Boothe (What is it?), drawn from over a decade of research demonstrates the complexity of the process and the main elements(?) involved.

(a). What is Reading? ...from the Reading Rockets site

 

(b). The Michigan Definition of Reading ...the philosophy based on assumptions and research...a good one

 

(c). National Institute for Literacy: definition of Reading and more ...contains several links that will assist in teaching the range of Reading Literacy skills ...Will also include a link here on developing your own definition.

 

(d).Some factors affecting the development of Reading ability in adolesents(?)

...linked to the forgoing site

 

(e).Influence of home environment on Reading ability

...a good study . I like this one...it teaches also how to do research .

Here is the book for this:  Preventing Reading difficulties in young children, C.Snow et al. .

You can read entire portions of its chapters online.

*see also Don Holdaway's  "Foundations of Literacy" if you can get your hands on it.

**Can you add something new or make a comment or observation about the Reading Process based on your experience?

WHY A SECTION/LINK ON THE BRAIN AND READING? IT IS  FOR YOUR INFO ONLY.

There were questions in some classes on "how the brain works" in processing information etc.

Those  that are listed below ( from MIT Open Course Ware) are relevant to our search.

*The Brain and Reading:  not much is known about how the brain "actually works" during Reading.

*Language Processing (OCW)

*Infant and Early Childhood Cognition(OCW)

*See Brain; See Brain Read (Psychology Matters): How instruction affects the brain.

Here are useful Literacy sites to explore.  There is a lot of material here so be selective. Explore for your needs:

**Recommended site: International Literacy Trust/U.K for the widest range of resources in the field

John Nemes' site: Learning to Read  ... from A.M (Valsayn)

Port-of-Spain Children's Library: NALIS/tt

*The International Digital Children's Library