About this site

This product of learning was created for partial fulfillment of the Master's Degree in Reading Education at Appalachian State University, under the direction of Dr. Woodrow Trathen. These artifacts serve to demonstrate knowledge gained while in this program of study. All artifacts are directly aligned with North Carolina DPI Teaching Standards.

Reading Education Graduate Program of Study and Reflection


Personal Statement and Reflection

            As a kindergarten teacher I was charged with the great task of ensuring that children developed their literacy skills and became successful readers.  While I had many, many successes over the fifteen years that I taught kindergarten, each year there were children that I just could not seem to reach.  The inability to reach these children was extremely worrisome to me.  I was constantly trying to find new strategies to use with these struggling readers.  The desire to overcome this hurdle and reach all students led me to the graduate reading program at Appalachian State University.  In order to learn new, effective strategies to use in my literacy instruction, I needed to further my own education.

            I entered the program with lots of enthusiasm, but was informed that I was going to be moved from kindergarten to fourth grade.  While I knew that I would no longer be working with mostly developing readers, I knew that I would still encounter students who struggled as readers.  In fact, some of these students would be students I had taught in kindergarten.  This would be my second chance to reach these students.

            As I reflect on my experiences in the graduate program, I am amazed and excited by all that I have learned.  I feel as though I am better equipped to instruct students, regardless of where they fall in their literacy development. 

            I have learned to administer a battery of assessments that indicate a child’s instructional level in reading and spelling.  By administering these assessments to each student in my classroom, I can determine instructional levels and appropriately group students for guided reading activities.  I can also monitor student book choices to ensure that they are reading text that is on their independent or instructional level and thereby maximize their growth in reading.  I am also able to group children for spelling and differentiated instruction based on types of spelling errors.  I am able to develop word sorts that will improve knowledge of spelling patterns and help develop fluency.  Based on information I learned in RE 5100, the structure of my language arts block has been transformed. 

            I have also learned many valuable strategies that can be employed in literacy instruction, as well as other content areas, to improve vocabulary and reading comprehension.  In RE 5730 I completed an assignment that required me to review many instructional strategies.  Since completing this assignment, I have incorporated a greater variety of instructional strategies into my literacy instruction.  By doing so, I have been able to find strategies that work for different types of learners in my classroom. 

            This program has forced me out of my comfort zone and made me much more aware of the need for me to utilize technologies that are available to me and that support literacy instruction.  Through RE 6575, Technology and Literacy, I have become more cognizant of the technologies that are available to me and have begun to incorporate them into my literacy instruction.  This is crucial in today’s classrooms.  With the greater emphasis being placed on 21st century skills, it was imperative that I acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to meet these needs. 

            I have also been exposed to many different types of literature such as graphic novels and multicultural books.  I have learned the importance of incorporating these types of texts into my classroom instruction and library.  In order to meet the needs of the diverse learners in my classroom, I must understand and respect their culture and build a learning community that also respects and celebrates these differences. 

            Another extremely important thing that I have learned through RE 5040, Teacher as Researcher, is the importance of collecting and analyzing data on a consistent basis.  By conducting an action research study in my classroom, I learned that while I am essentially conducting research every day, I must collect, organize, and analyze the data in a more systematic manner.  Using data to inform my instruction will ensure that students are receiving a high quality, differentiated education that meets their individual learning needs.   

            Students in today’s classrooms are faced with many challenges and it is up to us, as educators, to create a learning environment that meets the needs of these children.  Through my course work in the graduate reading program, I have gained valuable knowledge and insight into these challenges and feel confident that I am better prepared to instruct these children and make a difference in their lives with respect to their literacy development.