Fostering Third Graders' Attributes of Independence During the Literacy Block: A Self-Study

Abstract

This self-study is my attempt to determine how I can foster attributes of independence such as engagement, motivation, self-regulation, and accountability in students during the literacy block. I conducted this self-study while substitute teaching in a third grade classroom in a suburban elementary school in western New York. During the fifteen-week study, I implemented a reader’s workshop and a writer’s workshop and reflected on the students’ level of independence, their work habits and behaviors, and aspects of my literacy instruction. My findings indicate that students were able to reach levels of independence when they were engaged in active learning, motivated by their interests, had choices in their learning, given resources to guide them, and held to high expectations.