Balanced LiteracyBalanced Literacy

J McIntyre 2011. Belize

What is Balanced Literacy?

• Provides several kinds of reading and writing, ranging from reading and writing independently to activities requiring support and others that are teacher led.

3 Main Activities

• Word Work: Word Wall/ Making Words• Reading: Read Aloud/Shared

Reading/Independent and Guided Reading

• Writing: Demonstration/Shared/ Independent Writing

Word Work

• To teach students how to recognize and spell high frequency words

• To teach students predictable patterns within words

• To develop knowledge of phonics and phonological awareness

• To emphasize generalizations

Word Wall• Focus is on high usage and

frequency words (Dolch, Fry, content specific, etc.)

• Usually introduce no more than 5 per week

• Emphasize over learning

Making WordsFocus on phonological skills• Involves auditory and manipulative

skills- using more than one learning style

• Involves recognizing phonological patterns and sequencing sounds

• Build words together in pocket chart using alphabet letters

• Transfer and sorting step important as need to generalize knowledge to new contexts

Reading• Give students daily experiences of

totally supported to independent reading

Read- Aloud

• Completely supported by teacher in that students are listening to text read aloud for them

• Listening to the rhythm and meaning of written language at level slightly more difficult than independent reading level

• Modelling reading strategies

• Developing metacognitive skills

Purpose• Engage students in joy of

reading & meaning of texts• Expose students to the

sounds & rhythms of written language

• Model expert reading• Expand horizons,

background knowledge & vocabulary development

• Integrate LA strategies with other areas of the curriculum

• Provide examples of a wide range of genres & authors

Shared Reading• Reading a text together

in a way that students are given enough group support to enable all of the students to join in.

• Often takes the form of big books ,pocket chart stories, flyers, letters, etc.

• All need to have copy of the text to be read.

Purpose• Expose students to wide

range of genres• Engage students in

supported reading so that the whole class can share the reading experience and the content

• Increase students’ exposure to text

• Teach reading strategies to the class

• Link content with other areas of the curriculum

Independent Reading• Reading texts that they

can cope with alone.• Engaging in supported

reading activities that will help them to gain enough practice as readers to enable them to become more independent (reading buddies, reading with a listening center, etc)

Purpose• Provide independent or

supported reading practice

• Engage students in literacy activities that will move them toward more independence

Guided Reading• Providing reading

experiences at the students ‘reading levels’- at their instructional level.

• Teacher’s role is to select appropriate materials, plan a session that focuses on assisting the student to problem solve as readers, and to give reading prompts that emphasize strategies that the students can use

• Usually happens at the same time as Independent Reading

Purposes• Allow students to be

exposed to range of print materials

• Teach comprehension and contextual word recognition strategies

• Emphasize reading as a problem solving activity and to focus students of self-monitoring

• Move children progressively from easy to harder reading materials and they develop competence as readers

Planning the Guided Reading Lesson

• Select appropriate book. • Think and plan for the following

– Background knowledge– Amount to be read each day.– Purpose of the book and activity. – Specific strategies to be learned– Assessment for next lessons

• Students are generally clustered according to reading levels and needs. They should be reading texts at their instructional level of 90-95% contextual word recognition and

comprehension.

Teaching the Guided Reading Lesson

1. Introduction• Providing students with information about the

supports and challenges they will meet. • Can take the form of a picture walk, discussion of key

vocabulary, locating words they already know, etc.• Want to activate the strategies that they already have

acquired and can use to help them problem solve

2. Teaching the Mini lesson• Explain the reading structure or literacy device• Model reading strategy• Check for understanding

3. Independent reading• Reading the text independently after

teacher has explained the purpose.• Need to have established what do if are

done early- read it again, assigned task, etc.

• Teacher uses time to circulate and listen to students read, noting what strategies they are using and what they may need instruction on next.

• List of prompts is useful as well as having a clear idea of what specific reading strategies you are looking to hear/see.

4. Conclusion• Discussing responses to focus question.• Retelling of story to check

comprehension.• Sharing of opinions and viewpoints.

What will the rest be doing while I am reading with a group?

• Independent reading activities:• Word Wall• Read the Room• Listening Centre• Activities to compliment guided reading

text from previous lesson• Independent reading of material already

discussed- book boxes• Computer Activities• etc.• Need to “train the troops”.

Writing• Can be integrated with other subject

areas or as part of the Language Arts time

Purpose

• Demonstrate and model writing techniques (mini-lessons)

• Help students to develop awareness of the organizational structures that underpin different writing genres, and to encourage them to use these writing organizers in their own planning

• To engage students in a variety of supported writing activities (shared writing and guided writing)

• Provide environment where independent writing can occur

• Conference with students and help them to refine their writing

• Share their work with others

• Gives students the opportunity to develop as individual readers while participating in a socially supported activity

• Gives teachers the opportunity to observe individuals as they process new texts

• Gives individual readers the opportunity to develop reading strategies so that they can read increasingly difficult texts independently

• Gives students enjoyable, successful experiences in reading for meaning

• Develops the abilities needed for independent reading• Helps students learn how to introduce texts to

themselves

Assessment Questions to ask:• What will this assessment tell me

about the learner?• How will I be able to use that

information to plan my program?

Word Work• Are the students learning to

recognize the high frequency words?

• Are the students learning to spell and use the high frequency words?

• Are the students learning to analyze new words when reading?

• Are the students learning to spell new words through pattern analogy?

Guided Reading• What is the student’s Instructional

Book Level? How does this change over time?

• How do I know if the book I selected is suitable for this student?

• What progress is the student making in acquiring strategies for word recognition and reading comprehension?

 Writing• What evidence is there that

knowledge is being applied?• What rubrics and checklists will

best show the progression of knowledge?

Lesson Planning• Samples of daily plans• Samples of assessment

instruments• Always checking to see if there is

understanding- what do they need to practice/expand/ review?

• Providing challenges in safe environment

• Literacy is in every subject.

Fitting It All In

Additional Literacy Activities

Things to Think About• Time allocated• Integration of subjects• Materials and resources• Classroom management challenges• ?????