Earlier this week, I participated in a Literacy Dig for a school assignment. What's a Literacy Dig, you ask? A Literacy Dig is an activity teachers use to get their students engaged in their own literacy learning. Instead of reading from books and practicing phonics, grammar, and writing, students go out into the world and look for the literacy they have been learning. Allow me to demonstrate a Literacy Dig with my own experience.
The Location: Target
The Diggers: Myself and four classmates ( Robyn, Ashley, Joal, and Becca )
The moment I walked into Target, I instantly went to the dollar section. Minutes later, I remembered why I was here in the first place, to find literacy!
While Target is large and full of shiny and eye-catching items, you can't help but notice the many signs. Each department is clearly labeled with a bright red sign that denotes what items will be found in that area. I looked above for the Toys sign and headed that way. The toys in the Toys department and divided into different aisles. You have the Barbie aisle, the baby doll aisle, the Lego and other building toys aisle, the puzzle aisle, the baby and toddler toy aisle, the Super Hero aisle, etc. Each aisle was labeled with a letter and number and it listed the toys that could be found in the aisle. As an aunt who is typical in a hurry to buy birthday presents, I find this layout extremely helpfull.
There were many people in the Toys department. Mothers, fathers, grandmothers, children, you name it and they were there. Children were playing and exploring the many aisles, why parents watched. Parents were reading the backs of toy packages, while simultaneously comparing it to another toy's package. Grandparents were searching each aisle for the perfect gift. Older siblings were chasing after little siblings. And I stood there in awe.
In the Toys department of Target, I had my Where's Waldo "aha!" moment. I found literacy! There were many different forms of literacy occurring all at once. For starters there was a plethora of written literacy! Signs for the department, signs for the aisles, sale signs, brand signs, price tags and more. Parents and children alike were reading the different toy packages to determine the content. I observed a mother and father comparing two sale toys to determine which one was more economic. The Brave toy set had several items for the low cost of $8, while the baby doll had only a bottle and was $7. In the end, their daughter chose which one she liked best. Next there was the visual literacy! I saw a two year old girl point to the Barbie logo and say "Barbie." She was a bit too young to read, but she was able use her experiences to recognize the Barbie symbol. This observation reminded me of a time when my three year old nephew, Callum, pointed to a Harry Potter book and said "P-Potter." He was not reading the book's title, he simply recognized the Harry Potter logo.
Another
form of literacy that I observed was technological literacy. At Target
there are Price-Check scanners. In order to use the machine, you can
either read the instructions on the screen, or if you are familiar with
these types of devices follow your own instincts. There are also
Self-checkouts. Similar to the Price-Check scanners, you can read the
instructions on the screen or use your own knowledge to check yourself
out.
After observing all of these different forms of literacy, I had another "aha!" moment. I am twenty-three years old. I have been successfully reading on my own for at least seventeen years. Because of this, I take for granted being able to read. Do I realize when I am shopping at Target that I am participating in these different forms of literacy? No, I simply find what I need and get out as fast as i can. While preparing for this post, I recalled many different memories of my same nephew first learning to read. I remember his struggles, but mostly I remember how excited he was when he was able to read a word. We would be at the grocery store and he would read the word 'ice cream.' Or we could be stopped at a stop sign and he would read the word 'stop.' Callum was so excited that he was able to read and he took great pleasure in doing it.
Remembering Callum's experiences with learning to read brought a recent article I have read to mind. In their article "The Donut House: Real World Literacy in an Urban Kindergarten Classroom" Rebecca Powell and Nancy Davidson discuss the effects of rigorous literacy instruction on students. Such focus on school literacy like phonics, reading, and writing distances students from literacy. It causes some students to feel pressured and overwhelmed and they do not enjoy the reading experience. Powell and Davidson instead offer a different approach to literacy instruction. Powell and Davidson state that situated literacy is when literacy is embedded within real-world events. This method engages students in real life literacy. A great example of situated literacy is the Literacy Dig activity!
As a future teacher and a devoted aunt, I believe that a move towards situated literacy is one way of improving literacy instruction. Young readers should have experiences like my nephew Callum. They should be proud of themselves when they can read words all on their own. They should be excited when they can use their ability to read in their world. They should not feel pressured and overwhelmed. When a child learns to read, a new world is open to them. A world of books. And that is something to get excited about!
The Location: Target
The Diggers: Myself and four classmates ( Robyn, Ashley, Joal, and Becca )
 |
| Map of Target through the eyes of Becca |
The moment I walked into Target, I instantly went to the dollar section. Minutes later, I remembered why I was here in the first place, to find literacy!
While Target is large and full of shiny and eye-catching items, you can't help but notice the many signs. Each department is clearly labeled with a bright red sign that denotes what items will be found in that area. I looked above for the Toys sign and headed that way. The toys in the Toys department and divided into different aisles. You have the Barbie aisle, the baby doll aisle, the Lego and other building toys aisle, the puzzle aisle, the baby and toddler toy aisle, the Super Hero aisle, etc. Each aisle was labeled with a letter and number and it listed the toys that could be found in the aisle. As an aunt who is typical in a hurry to buy birthday presents, I find this layout extremely helpfull.There were many people in the Toys department. Mothers, fathers, grandmothers, children, you name it and they were there. Children were playing and exploring the many aisles, why parents watched. Parents were reading the backs of toy packages, while simultaneously comparing it to another toy's package. Grandparents were searching each aisle for the perfect gift. Older siblings were chasing after little siblings. And I stood there in awe.
In the Toys department of Target, I had my Where's Waldo "aha!" moment. I found literacy! There were many different forms of literacy occurring all at once. For starters there was a plethora of written literacy! Signs for the department, signs for the aisles, sale signs, brand signs, price tags and more. Parents and children alike were reading the different toy packages to determine the content. I observed a mother and father comparing two sale toys to determine which one was more economic. The Brave toy set had several items for the low cost of $8, while the baby doll had only a bottle and was $7. In the end, their daughter chose which one she liked best. Next there was the visual literacy! I saw a two year old girl point to the Barbie logo and say "Barbie." She was a bit too young to read, but she was able use her experiences to recognize the Barbie symbol. This observation reminded me of a time when my three year old nephew, Callum, pointed to a Harry Potter book and said "P-Potter." He was not reading the book's title, he simply recognized the Harry Potter logo. 
After observing all of these different forms of literacy, I had another "aha!" moment. I am twenty-three years old. I have been successfully reading on my own for at least seventeen years. Because of this, I take for granted being able to read. Do I realize when I am shopping at Target that I am participating in these different forms of literacy? No, I simply find what I need and get out as fast as i can. While preparing for this post, I recalled many different memories of my same nephew first learning to read. I remember his struggles, but mostly I remember how excited he was when he was able to read a word. We would be at the grocery store and he would read the word 'ice cream.' Or we could be stopped at a stop sign and he would read the word 'stop.' Callum was so excited that he was able to read and he took great pleasure in doing it.
Remembering Callum's experiences with learning to read brought a recent article I have read to mind. In their article "The Donut House: Real World Literacy in an Urban Kindergarten Classroom" Rebecca Powell and Nancy Davidson discuss the effects of rigorous literacy instruction on students. Such focus on school literacy like phonics, reading, and writing distances students from literacy. It causes some students to feel pressured and overwhelmed and they do not enjoy the reading experience. Powell and Davidson instead offer a different approach to literacy instruction. Powell and Davidson state that situated literacy is when literacy is embedded within real-world events. This method engages students in real life literacy. A great example of situated literacy is the Literacy Dig activity!
As a future teacher and a devoted aunt, I believe that a move towards situated literacy is one way of improving literacy instruction. Young readers should have experiences like my nephew Callum. They should be proud of themselves when they can read words all on their own. They should be excited when they can use their ability to read in their world. They should not feel pressured and overwhelmed. When a child learns to read, a new world is open to them. A world of books. And that is something to get excited about!
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