In Sheila Owen's kindergarten class, all five- and six-year-olds are "readers and writers from day one." In this video, her students listen and respond to a story about pumpkins, create sentences using the word wall, and chant a poem focusing on the letter D. Carefully guided by Ms. Owen, they write a group account of the pumpkin life cycle, and then work independently on their writing. Students use books, poems, games, and manipulatives as they listen, converse, read, and write independently in large and small groups.

Ms. Owen's literacy lessons demonstrate the following: Literacy Teaching Practices •  Read-Aloud •  Shared Reading •  Guided Reading •  Interactive Writing •  Independent Reading and Writing Authentic experiences that help students develop a love of reading and writing Language development for native English speakers and English language learners Links between reading, writing, speaking, and listening Connections across content areas to students' lives and experiences Ongoing assessment that guides planning and instruction

"There is a gradual decrease of my responsibility and an increase in their independence. We go from where I'm doing all of the work in read-aloud, to where the students are doing all of the work in independent reading."
Sheila Owen

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