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What do teachers do when they teach language arts? This chapter addresses this question. Today teachers take on many roles. First of all, they are architects. They create a classroom environment—a community of learners—that facilitates learning. Teachers become supply clerks, too, as they stock the classroom with materials, including trade books, textbooks, and technology that students use in learning language arts. Teachers become orchestra conductors as they organize instruction. They choose among four instructional programs—literature focus units, literature circles, reading and writing workshop, and theme cycles—to create the right mix of instructional opportunities in their classroom. They are teachers, too, in the traditional sense of the word, as they teach minilessons and adapt their instruction to meet the needs of students learning English as a second language, gifted students, and students with other special needs. Teachers are scorekeepers, too. They determine students' instructional needs, monitor students' progress, and assign grades. Assessment is a crucial part of teaching. So, as a teacher, you'll play many different roles, and each one is crucial to your effectiveness and your students' achievement.
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