Introduction to Balanced Literacy

Office of Curriculum and Instruction

Components of a Balanced Literacy Block

Read Aloud Whole Group Shared Reading Small Group Guided Reading Independent Reading Writing Word Study

I Do – We Do- You Do

Fisher and Frey, 2007

Read Aloud

• Teacher reads and models comprehension skills while students listen.

• 10-15 minutes

Read Aloud Research

• To build knowledge for students’ eventual success, the

single most important activity

is

reading aloud

to them.

literacy development when teachers are

intentional

and

purposeful

about – – –

WHY

they read,

WHAT

they read, and

HOW

they read.

• Teachers can make a large difference in children’s

vocabulary development

when they

explain and discuss important new words

during read alouds.

• Reading aloud interactively builds comprehension. It has

maximum learning potential

when children

participate actively and respond

.

Read Aloud Research,

continued

• Children whose parents have not read to them often enough will not develop the same knowledge of written language and how it differs from oral language.

• Teachers can develop this knowledge in students by reading aloud to them in the classroom.

Read Aloud Advantages

• develop positive attitudes toward reading • increase enjoyment of reading • strengthen cognitive development • instill a sense of story structure and organization

Discussion Notes:

How does purposeful pre-planning of your Read Aloud improve student learning?

Whole Group Shared Reading

• Teacher guides a whole group reading of the text.

• 20-30 minutes

Whole Group Shared Reading: The Focus

• Build book and print awareness • Activate background knowledge • Provide direct instruction of vocabulary • Provide direct instruction of comprehension strategies with grade-level text • Provide instruction and repeated practice in decoding • Increase reading accuracy and fluency • Engage students in choral reading, echo reading, and reader’s theater

Small Group Guided Reading

• Teacher guides small-group reading of the text while other students engage in meaningful practice of literacy skills.

• 40-60 minutes

Small Group Guided Reading: Framework

• Students practice comprehension strategies and decoding with instructional-level text (text they can read at 90-94% accuracy).

• Groups are flexible and needs-based (data) – Book and print awareness – Phonics skills – Reading accuracy and fluency – Reading comprehension • Other students work independently or with partners on literacy tasks to practice and consolidate skills previously – On which task does each student need to work to become more proficient?

– Are students able to do the activity independently?

“

When an adult and a child or group of children spend unhurried and uninterrupted time viewing, reading and sharing a book together, the unspoken messages about reading and about books are as

important, and perhaps longer

lasting, than any part of the actual content.

”

Discussion Notes:

How are Whole Group Shared Reading and Small Group Guided Reading different?

Independent Reading

• Students engage in independent reading while the teacher monitors and conferences with students.

• 15-20 minutes

Independent Reading Research

• The amount of time students spend reading

independently

is the

best predictor

of •

reading achievement

• the amount of

gain

made by students between second and fifth grades.

• Students who begin reading a book in school are

more likely to continue reading

outside of school. Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding (1988)

• • •

Independent Reading Structure

While reading independent-level texts (>95% accuracy), students apply their decoding and comprehension skills without teacher guidance.

book and print awareness phonics accuracy fluency comprehension Students in upper elementary grades benefit from tracking their thinking and monitoring comprehension through writing. Teachers can identify students’ needs by conferencing with students and administering assessments.

Correlation Between Time Spent Reading and Standardized Test Results Percentile Rank Minutes Read per Day Estimated Words Read per Year

98 90 70 50 20 10 90.7

40.4

21.7

12.9

3.1

1.6

4,733,000 2,357,000 1,168,000 601,000 134,000 51,00

Dr. David Bennett, Chicago Rush University

Word Study

• Teacher leads instruction in word patterns.

• 20 minutes

Word Study: The Focus

• Must be explicit and systematic • Focus on phonological awareness – Rhymes, syllables, onsets/rimes • Focus on phonics – Letter-sound correspondence, patterns, and decoding skills • Include analysis of word structures – Contractions, inflected endings – Homophones, syllable types – Prefixes, suffixes, Greek and Latin roots

Discussion Notes:

How does Word Study compare to traditional spelling instruction?

Writing

• Teacher guides students through a focused writing process.

• 30-60 minutes

Writing Research

• Although handwriting and correct spelling are skills children must eventually master, these are

not the focus

when we engage children in writing.

• Instead, we should focus on writing as a form of

communication

. Neuman, Roskos, Wright, and Lenhart (2007)

Writing: The Structure

Components:

Mini-lessons Shared Writing Independent

Focused Process Writing:

-Provides explicit instruction for specific Writing Conferencing genres of writing -Includes pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing,

Use the writing process for two purposes:

publishing and English language conventions) • Content (communicating ideas, messages, and stories)

Contact Information

If you have additional questions about the balanced literacy overview you may contact: [email protected]

Natalie Hutto: [email protected]

Ayn Grubb: [email protected]