Hi, I'm Joshua Porter
Welcome to my teacher portfolio. In this portfolio, you will see the core foundations that have developed much of my teaching pedagogy. There is a strong focus on literacy and linguistic elements that serve as the building blocks of the teaching methods that will be introduced into the classroom. While my primary focus is on grades K-3, many of these aspects span across all age groups and even into adult learning.
Language is more than a medium of communication—it is central to cognitive development and academic success. There is a distinct difference in how language learners develop their language and communication skills depending on whether it is their L1, L2, or if they are MLL. Proper development of these skills allows students to grasp concepts beyond literacy, but without a strong foundation in language, students will struggle with comprehensive knowledge acquisition. As educators, it is important that we provide high-quality language environments for our students to succeed. Not only must we lead by example, but we also need an understanding of the various linguistic aspects that apply to all languages, not just English.
At the core of my literacy instruction for students K-3 are the Simple View of Reading (SVR) and Scarborough’s Reading Rope. These frameworks cover the entirety of the necessary linguistic foundations that young readers require to become proficient readers. Because of these frameworks, we can enable students to understand key mechanical aspects of reading, such as phonics and fluency, while connecting them to the cognitive aspects like comprehension and reasoning. SVR and Scarborough’s Reading Rope complement each other very well, as many of their aspects are interconnected. Students will progress from decoding simple words to understanding complex texts. This approach leads students not only to long-term academic success but also fits well within a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) classroom environment, where we can properly support a diverse learning body. We can access the strengths of each individual student to promote and utilize their current abilities to scaffold into new learning skills and strategies.
Foundational Skill
Enabling sound manipulation will enhance reading and writing
Literacy Success
Instructional Strategy
Predictor of reading and spelling skills throughout learning journey
Direct teaching of sound-letter relationships will improve literacy
Metalinguistic Awareness
Reading and spelling require active awareness of phonemes
Across Languages
Connections between all language systems
Ford, Karen. "Fostering Literacy Development for English Language Learners." Colorín Colorado, www.colorincolorado.org/article/fostering-literacy-development-english-language-learners. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
To help summarize how a linguistic focus can benefit your classroom, you can listen to the podcast to your left, which describes a series of questions and answers on centering language and reading in the learning environment for students. It also includes focused research on why this approach should be incorporated into international teaching.
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To the right, you will find a Professional Development outline that I encourage you to share with colleagues. It highlights the importance of explicit phonics instruction and increasing phonological awareness within your student body.
We now have a solid understanding of why we need to implement strategies to increase our students' literacy comprehension, but what are some of the best practices to achieve this?
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At this point, we should shift our focus to orthography and, specifically, how we can use our tools to expand students' vocabulary. Every educator should have a basic understanding of how the English language has developed over time. This understanding will not only help you connect root words that have entered English but also demonstrate to students that English is not a confusing mess of a language system. Instead, it has developed into a rich system with specific rules and exceptions, making it adaptable worldwide.
Pre-Alphabetic Phase
Recognition of words through visual cues without understanding letter-sound connections.
Partial Alphabetic Phase
Full Alphabetic Phase
Some letter-sound knowledge is used to decode simple words.
Comprehensive decoding skills are developed, allowing for the reading of unfamiliar words.
Consolidated Alphabetic Phase
Integration of knowledge about graphemes with larger units like syllables and morphemes, aiding in efficient reading of complex words.
Ehri, L.C. (2020). The Science of Learning to Read Words: A Case for Systematic Phonics Instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S45–S60. https://doi-org.proxy.queensu.ca/10.1002/rrq.334
Word study is an essential strategy I introduce in my classroom to develop students' phonics, spelling, and vocabulary skills. Students examine how words are constructed from sound, spelling, and meaning, equipping them with the tools and strategies they will carry throughout their learning journey. Starting in the early grades, K-3, we engage in activities that lend themselves well to play-based and outdoor learning environments, allowing students to gain literacy skills in an engaging way, integrated with regular content instruction. Since students will face various challenges throughout their learning careers, we should ensure that every student has equitable opportunities to learn. Educators must recognize that reading and writing are interconnected and can leverage students' strengths in one area to improve their skills in another.​
​Some activities I introduce in the classroom include:
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Word sorts: Help students analyze and categorize words based on their phonetic, pattern, and semantic properties.
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Word hunts: Engage students in active learning about word structures.
Assessment: While explicit and differentiated instruction allows me to tailor my strategies, I focus on real-time assessment practices. Standardized tests have shown that they don't provide immediate feedback, so other strategies should be in place. We should emphasize pattern recognition over mere memorization and introduce peer feedback and reflection to engage students in their own learning.
Leipzig, Diane Henry. "Word Study: Learning Word Patterns." Reading Rockets, Reading Rockets, www.readingrockets.org/article/word-study-learning-word-patterns.
“Words are not just words. They are the nexus—the interface—between communication and thought. When we read, it is through words that we build, refine and modify our knowledge. What makes vocabulary valuable and important is not the words themselves so much as the understandings they afford.”
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−Advancing Our Students’ Language and Literacy by Marilyn Jager Adams, p. 8
Schneider, Elke, and Kavin Ming. “Masters of Morphology: Explicit Multisensory Structured Metacognitive Language Strategies to Foster Adolescent Learners’ Content Vocabulary.” The Clearing House, vol. 92, no. 3, 2019, pp. 101–11, https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2019.1608144.
When exploring Tier 2 words and how we connect their semantic understanding with morphology, it is important to ensure that we approach explicit instruction using a multisensory method, including auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile elements.
Key factors I include:
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Proper pronunciation, speaking with a clear voice at an appropriate speed.
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Using gestures with Tier 2 words and certain morphological roots, suffixes, and prefixes.
I Do, We Do, You Do:
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I Do: Introduction of patterns using multisensory methods to teach pronunciation, meaning, and spelling.
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We Do: Practice phase, where students engage in activities to solidify their learning and usage.
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You Do: Application of learned knowledge through content-specific tasks that include reading, writing, and speaking.
One Sentence at a Time
Explicit writing instruction should begin in the early grades, focusing on single sentences and gradually moving towards full paragraphs
Without explicit sentence construction, students will struggle to transition to longer writing forms
Introduce sentence stems gradually to drive academic rigor and help frame complex thoughts
Provide conversation cues that encourage equitable discussion, allowing syntactical grammar to be learned within context
Hochman, Judith, and Natalie Wexler. "Building Knowledge: The Case for Bringing Content into the Language Arts Block and for a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum Core for All Children." American Educator, Summer 2017, www.aft.org/ae/summer2017/hochman_wexler
