Penn State Altoona students in the Language and Literacy Education Block observe balanced literacy instruction in multiple school sites over the course of a semester. Students design and implement literacy lessons in a Pre-K classroom. They observe writing and reading instruction in K-6th grade classrooms. Students also facilitate and participate in reader’s workshop. Time spent in local schools allows students to process course content in relation to classroom practice. It also helps them to think more deeply about how institutional and cultural norms situate the work of teaching and learning. Further, field experiences help prepare students for the student teaching experience that follows their enrollment in disciplinary blocks.
