Week 1, Entry 1: Philosophy of Literacy

Mary Beth teaches middle school English to students at Ave Maria Catholic School. She believes the foundation for teaching literacy begins with the students and their interests. She devotes time in her classroom to interviewing her students individually about their hobbies, interests and independent reading material. She believes that without this vital foundation, students will not be engaged as learners or readers. Throughout the school year, she meets with each student to discuss his/her growth, genres of interest and to set goals. She consistently offers students free reading time in class. Of course they also read novels together in class and use literature circles for discussions and reinactments. Initally she assigns each student a role for literature circles and makes certain everyone has the opportunity to try out each role. Then students are allowed to choose their role that is comfortable for them. Above all, Mary Beth works to keep students engaged and motivated to explore reading and find their own niche.