Literacy Team Case Study

Literacy teams have a large impact on the literacy vision and implementation within a school. Therefore, the individuals on the literacy team are of the utmost importance. It is vital to include a variety of stakeholders when creating a literacy team. In order to reach a collaborative vision of literacy, the team will need a clear focus that is also shared. Prior to creating your team one would want to meet with the administration to develop a clear and concise job description and expectations of the literacy team; the main objective is providing all students with the best practices of literacy instruction. After determining the school districts vision of a literacy team, one would then go about finding the members. I feel that if your literacy team is too small or too big you wouldn’t be able to better meet the literacy needs. It is similar to Goldilocks; you need to find that just right number. Therefore, the team members I would choose for a literacy team are as follows: the reading specialist, ESOL teacher, counselor, and librarian. I feel that these people would bring great ideas to our group. I would also encourage a teacher from lower school, upper school, and middle school to participate in our literacy team. My rationale for my literacy team is as follows: the librarian is an expert in their area. They are aware of the books and resources in the school as well as books that students like. They are also a big factor in the creation of a leveled school library and possible book room. Librarians share a love for reading and are a great resource to our students, having them share ideas, as part of our literacy team will benefit the students. The ESOL, reading specialist, special education teacher, and counselor are also ideal members for the literacy team, as they work with a variety of students. They also possess special skill sets and strategies for their role in the school. They also know students on a different level as they have a chance to work with them in a more private setting. These experiences will allow for more perspective while working on the literacy team. If there are numerous teachers in ESOL, special education, counselors, and reading specialists; they could determine whom to send to represent their educational area. …show more content…
If there were a higher interest in being a part of the team I would suggest that we provide an application process for interested teachers. During my teaching experience in Mexico we were asked to join our literacy team as a writing team leader. In order to join the literacy team we had to write a letter of intent emphasizing our experiences and qualifications. All teachers were provided with a clear job description and expectations prior to our application. This allowed for us to reflect and make an informed decision about our interest in the position. After receiving all “applications” the administration and literacy coach could review and make more informed decisions on whom to choose. I would suggest one lower school, upper school, and middle school reading teacher. These teachers all have different skills and standards of focus in literacy. For example, phonemic awareness isn’t typically a standard taught in 5th grade. Using information from these educators will help in curriculum planning, addressing areas of need and strength, as well as helping to implement and revise the literacy vision of the