ELN402 Assessment 1 Literacy Instruction The current education policies and research have highlighted the importance of multiliteracies. The integration of the literacy-related instructional strategies can facilitate the learning process among students in all the content areas. The use of a variety of literacy skills such as reading, listening, writing, speaking, presenting, and viewing can enable students to acquire and retain the content specific abilities and the content knowledge. This report provides a variety of literacy-related instructional strategies that were applied to a particular unit on Reading in the English content area, looking at an early stage one unit. It identifies and develops literacy instruction in a given content area. The content area identified for the report is English while the teaching unit is based upon Reading. The Literacy Instruction The literacy instructions are the strategies and techniques that teachers use to help support student learning. The instructional strategies are typically used to organize and convey the information provided to the students. Besides, the instructional strategies can be used to teach specific learning strategies. Some of the instructional strategies used in content literacy include two-column note taking, reaction guide, reciprocal teaching and direct reading-thinking activity among others (Asselin & Moayeri, 2011). Differentiated instruction was used in the content area of English. The differentiated instruction which is also known as differentiation is the process by which the teacher enhances the student’s learning by matching each of the student’s characteristics to the assessments and instruction (Henderson, 2008). It enables all the students to have access to the same classroom curriculum through the provision of the learning tasks, entry points, and outcomes that are tailored to meet the specific needs of the students. The instructional approach is not a single strategy but incorporates a range of teaching strategies. In this approach, the content can be differentiated to fit the needs of each of the students. Besides, the process of teaching is also differentiated for the students. Examination of the Unit Reading is a major unit in English that forms the foundation for life skills and other sucjects within the content area. It is the first unit that can enable students to excel in other parts such as comprehension and grammar. Students should be introduced to many issues concerned with reading, and this includes reading fluently, using context, connecting with prior knowledge, and identifying answers in the text. Furthermore, they should be able distinguish between the literature forms and determine the character traits. To improve learning and student engagement Mason (2004) created entire units that are based on the multiliteracy approach and focuses on the four elements of situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing and transformed practice. Since reading is concerned with various outcomes, it is appropriate that teacher use a variety of instructional strategies. The multiliteracy model is the pedagogical framework that assists teachers to deliver the multiliteracies instructions efficiently. It is composed of the four phases that include situated practice, overt instructions, critical framing and transformed practice. For the situated practice, there is an immersion in experience as well as the utilization of the available design of meaning. It enables learners to design their learning process. In this case, the students can reflect on the familiar interest experience and perspectives. In addition, learners are also required to observe things that are not familiar and thus immersed in new contents or situation. The framework is suitable for teaching the reading class as each of the learners is having different and unique experiences with regards to reading fluency, vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation among others. The overt instruction is a way that enables students to shape themselves an explicit meta-language of design. It is the conscious and systematic understanding of the design of the processes and the design of meaning and portrayed through conceptualization. The learning design can be achieved through naming and theory. In naming the learners group things into different categories, classify the terms as well as define the terms. With regards to theory, the learners make generalization by using concepts and theories. Teaching reading class was ascertained through the use of overt instruction. In overt instruction, the students were supported to learn some aspects of reading that they are not aware of and encouraged to apply the same. Critical framing is the other model of multiliteracy that involves interpretation of the cultural and social contexts where the students were required to view their subject or topic critically concerning its context (Ruddell, 1997). The learning process was achieved through analysis. In the case of reading the learners analyzed the cause and effect, logical connections and functions of different elements included in the story. Similarly, the learners evaluated their perspectives and the perspectives of other individuals in the story. Transformed practice is the transfer in the meaning-making practice, which help puts the transformed meaning to work in other cultural sites or contexts. The model enabled learners to apply the new knowledge to the real world experiences and situation as well as test the validity of the learning. Also, it helped learners to make various interventions in the innovative world and transferred their knowledge into other useful contexts. Strategies to Address the Four Elements of Multiliteracies Model The four elements of the multiliteracies model should be addressed using appropriate instructional strategies. The entire unit was based on the multiliteracy approach with focus on the elements that include the situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing and transformed practice (Alvermann et al., 2012). Each of the elements is associated with different outcomes for the students and also targeted different reading requirements of the students. For the situated practice, the students should be exposed to certain experiences for both the known and the unknown. This is where the students were required to make connection of the known and the known knowledge. After reading an incredible story, each student was asked to connect the prior knowledge and the knowledge gained from the class. Furthermore, the students were requested to use strategies such as internet search, podcast, and other additional stories to enhance their learning. The interaction between students was also another strategy used to aid situated practice. Sharing of ideas between the students is useful in enabling them to gain new experiences. To facilitate overt instruction various learning strategies can be utilized by the students. In this case, the teacher plays an important role towards facilitating learning. With regards to the overt instruction, the students were required to associate with other community of discourse to conceptualize on the various ideas on the unit. Social networking is one important strategy that was used to spearhead the learning process. The emergence of new technology has lead to the development of new and innovative learning environment. Apart from books read in the class, the students were exposed to other learning strategies such as watching scripts and plays that portray the same information contained in the texts read. Critical framing formed the most important learning strategy for the students in the reading class. The main focus of the teaching was the use of critical framing as a means of the student’s access to multiliteracies. Since the class was composed of linguistically and culturally diverse individuals and used differential instruction, it was appropriate to apply the strategy of critical thinking to all the students. This strategy was the most relevant for the class as it is effective towards enhancing the reading skills of students. The effectiveness of the critical framing of the students in multiliteracies pedagogy was determined by the ability of the students to analyze the design of learning. The students were both introduced to the functional analysis and the critical analysis. In the functional analysis, the students were encouraged to examine the functions of the design based on its structure, context, connections, and cause and effects. To achieve this, the learners were asked to analyses the stories they have read considering the design, context, cause and effects among other issues. The analytical analysis was also applied in teaching the reading class. Based on this, the students were asked to examine the intention of the designer of the storybook that they have read. In the unit, critical framing was the major strategy for the implementation of the multiliteracies pedagogy. It also enables learners to access the design of the meanings of the various readings by comparing the meanings to their cultural and social contexts and intentions. Additional Strategies Apart from the strategies to support the four elements of multiliteracy model, other additional instructional ways were also used. Technology based learning experience was applied in the unit of reading. Technology has become an essential part of the multiliteracies and thus should be used to facilitate learning among the students (Vacca et al., 2005). The class used various internet programs and sites to acquire relevant information for the class. The internet sites were used to search some issues that were relevant to the stories or information obtained from the reading books. Apart from technology, real life situations were also used to help engage the students in the learning. The real life situation involved the development of certain project that is connected to the life of the students. The strategy allowed the students to develop the literacy skills and strategies that they can apply in the future. In the reading class, the students were informed to take the role of various characters in the play and perform drama or oral presentations. This allowed them to feel the real experiences as portrayed in the stories read. Literacy Resources The four resources model provides an important insight towards selection of the appropriate literacy resources taught in the unit. According to Cummins (2009), the four resources model encourages effective reading by students. The students need to use the four roles to enable them comprehend a text and include code breaker, text participants, text user and text analysts. The code breaker enables the students to decode the symbols in such a manner that they are able to differentiate between different symbols in the text such as letters and graphics (Anders & Guzzetti, 2005). The resource model ensures that the students are able to read the text. In the text participant’s role, students are required to use their personal experience and background to interact with the story. In cases where the students are not familiar with the text, the teacher provided the guidance. It allows students to have the basic comprehension of the text. In the text user role, the students should be in a position to determine the purpose of the text as well as how the reader is intending to use the text. The texts analyst role is the critical thinking that identifies the bias as well as the analytical thinking that is the basis of the role of analyst. The literary resources taught in the unit include the code breaker and the text analyst. The code breaker was important in ensuring that the students were able to read the text. It tested on various reading skills of the students. The other strategy was text analyst which provides an opportunity for the teacher to determine if the students understand the text they have read. It also facilitated critical thinking and application of the knowledge gained from the text into the real life situation. The other literacy resources that could have been applied include text use and the text participants. Effectiveness of the Units in Teaching Literacy The unit proved useful towards teaching literacy. The unit employed various teaching strategies that helped meet the unique needs of the students. The students were subjected to different teaching strategies that were based on their individual requirement and needs. Reading also emphasized on the use of various teaching resources that exposed the students to different concepts and ideas. This also facilitated their learning. For example, technology was used as a means to promote learning through the use of various online sites and tools such as Google and other social websites. References Alvermann, D. E., & Marshall, J. (2013). Curricular conversations: Literacy teaching and learning in the middle years. In A. Luke, A. Woods & K. Weir (Eds.), Curriculum, syllabus design and equity: A primer and model (pp. 116-128). New York, NY: Routledge. Alvermann, D. E., Gillis, V. R., & Phelps, S. F. (2012). 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