Second Grade is Important: Literacy Instruction and Learning of Young Children in a High-Poverty School

Journal of Literacy Research, Winter 2003/2004 by Barone, Diane

Second grade teachers are described as "master demonstrators" (p. 190). These teachers engage students in important conversations about texts. Unlike previous grade level teachers, second grade teachers "purposely enlarge the number of phonics, decoding, and comprehension approaches so students will have new methods to learn" (p. 190).

Other teaching and learning characteristics have been recommended for supporting children in becoming successful literacy learners. In Every Child a Reader: Action Plan (Hiebert, Pearson, Taylor, Richardson, & Paris, 1997), the authors recommended children in the primary grades:

* know letters and sounds before formal reading and spelling instruction begin,

* have a balance in instruction between phonics and meaning,

* have books that support their ability to decode and books that support meaning,

* engage in strategies centered on comprehension,

* have opportunities to write,

* be in smaller classes with about 15 students,

* participate in assessment that is tied to curriculum,

* be members of many groups that are organized for learning goals,

* be given tutoring support if necessary, and

* be engaged in reading at home.

Coupled with this research on early literacy are the results from the National Reading Panel (2000) which found support for skills-based instruction in primary grades. This instruction included phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

Building from this work, Pressley et al. (2001) shared the complexity of exemplary first grade literacy instruction. These researchers considered more than just literacy practices in their discussion. They discovered that exemplary first grade teachers (a) have excellent classroom management, (b) create a positive learning environment, (c) have classrooms where students are busy academically by doing reading and writing activities, (d) have matched activities to student competence, (e) scaffold student learning, (f) support students to be in charge of themselves as learners, and (g) build strong connections across the curriculum.

Primary classrooms are complex, and exemplary teaching practice builds upon this complexity. Teachers are required to establish nurturing environments that are carefully managed and grounded in high academic expectations for each child. They need to balance skills-based and meaning-based instruction. They also are expected to engage in ongoing assessment that is tied to instruction in order to scaffold instruction for individual learners and maximize each child's learning opportunities. And finally, teachers need to do all of the above in a language-rich classroom that provides numerous opportunities for children to discuss their learning, even when these children are learning English as a new language.

Literacy Learning for Children Who Are Learning English as a New Language

For this study, it was important to consider recommendations for literacy instruction for students who are linguistically diverse, as well, for the majority of students in the school came with a home language other than English. Nieto (1999) discussed the need for schools and teachers to engage in demanding curricula, respect a child's home language and culture, have high expectations for students, and involve parents in order to be successful. Moll and Diaz (1987) considered the classrooms where Latino students developed into successful or not successful readers and writers, and they discovered that teachers who made text meaning and comprehension the main goal of instruction produced students who excelled at reading.