Balanced Literacy

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Balanced Literacy

• in the Middle School

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Historical Perspective
Phonics Instruction

• Significant benefits for students in
  kindergarten through 6th grade and for children
  having difficulty learning to read.
• First graders who were taught phonics
  systematically were better able to decode and
  spell, and they showed significant improvement in
  their ability to comprehend
• Older children receiving phonics instruction were
  better able to decode and spell words and to read
  text orally, but their comprehension of text was
  not significantly improved.
• Across all grade levels, systematic phonics
  instruction improved the ability of good readers
  to spell.
• Strong rote skills

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Whole Language Instruction

• Focus on making meaning in reading and
  expressing meaning in writing
• Focus on motivational aspects of literacy,
  emphasizing the love of books and
  level-appropriate student materials
• Reduced emphasis on other skills, besides
  phonics, that are usually not linked directly to
  developing meaning, such as grammar, spelling,
  capitalization and punctuation.
• Reading is a natural process, much like learning
  to speak. Children exposed to a great deal of
  authentic, connected text will become literate
  without much explicit instruction in the rules
  and conventions of printed text
• Learners who see the big picture

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Balanced Literacy

• Combines phonics instruction with whole language
  approaches
• Also combines elements of reading and writing
  instruction into one program. Reading skills
  affect the development of writing skills and vice
  versa.
• Includes elements of word study, guided reading,
  silent sustained reading, interactive writing,
  and grammar and spelling

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Components of the Reading Portion

• Reading aloud - often ignored at the middle
  school level
• Shared reading
• Guided reading
• Mini-lessons related to reading skills or
  strategies with small groups
• Reading workshop which centers around silent
  sustained reading of self-selected materials

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Reading Elements Clarified

• Reading AloudRanging from 10-20 minutes per day.
  Material is above the grade level of the
  students. Students can hear advanced syntax and
  vocabulary. Teacher think aloud, modeling voice
  and fluency in writing, is part of reading aloud.
• Shared ReadingThe students and the teacher read
  text aloud together. At the middle school level
  this should occur 2-3 times weekly. All students
  need a copy of the text or need to be able to
  read an enlarged version of the text. It promotes
  sentence fluency. Choral reading, readers'
  theater, oral interpretation, chants and songs
  are examples of shared reading.
• Guided ReadingSmall group instruction with four
  to eight students grouped according to their
  instructional reading level, lasting for 20-45
  minutes. The groups change frequently based on
  student growth. The teacher introduces the text,
  activating students' prior knowledge. The
  students read the text. Teacher modeled, shared,
  partner, silent, popcorn reading strategies may
  be used. Inquiry studies, writing activities,
  graphic organizers often accompany guided reading
  lessons

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Reading, cont.

• Literature CirclesA small group of students
  (4-8) select a book (fiction/nonfiction) to read
  and share through discussion. Each student is
  assigned a literature circle jobs or role. The
  teacher promotes a higher order thinking that
  builds context, interpreting, synthesizing and
  evaluating skills through questioning and
  prompting collaborative discussion.
• Readers' WorkshopReaders' Workshop is a
  philosophy and a classroom structure. Readers'
  Workshop should be practiced at least weekly. A
  Readers' Workshop has four components Time,
  Ownership, Sharing and Community . Students must
  have consistent time, must be able to select some
  of their own work and be committed to it, must
  share aloud using the curricular standards of
  speaking and listening, and must feel a part of a
  safe classroom environment. Readers' Workshop
  begins with a minilesson where the teacher models
  what effective readers do when they read .Then
  students go into a USSR structure, practicing the
  lesson individually and independently.

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Reading, cont.

• SSR
• Sustained Silent Reading is a daily scheduled
  block of time (10-30 minutes) when students read
  self-selected material. A proficient reader reads
  about 45-60 minutes daily and 2 million words
  yearly.
• HomeworkSSR extends into homework by assigning
  15 - 45 minutes of accountable reading as regular
  homework. Students who read at home are more
  successful in spelling, grammar, vocabulary
  growth, reading fluency and content knowledge.

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Skills Embedded in Balanced Literacy Instruction

• Intermediate Reading Workshop Writing Workshop
• Independent Reading
• Guided Reading
• Literature Study
• Independent Writing
• Guided Writing
• Investigations
• Language / Word Study
• Interactive Read Aloud
• Word Study
• Modeled or Shared Reading/Writing
• Readers Theater/Process Drama
• Choral Reading
• Poetry Sharing/Response
• Interactive Edit/Vocabulary
• Test Reading Writing

• Skills and Strategies Taught During Reading and
  Writing
• Phonemic Awareness/Phonics
• Word Analysis / Spelling
• Handwriting
• Comprehension
• Fluency
• Vocabulary

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Components of the Writing Portion

• Shared writing where the teacher and students
  work together to compose a piece
• Interactive writing
• Guided writing
• Independent writing.
• Allows students choice in format and theme for
  independent writing

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Writing Elements Clarified

• Interactive Writing or Guided WritingThe teacher
  models the minilesson or focus skill. Mini
  lessons might include the Six Traits of Writing
  (idea, organization, voice, sentence fluency,
  word choice and conventions) and are practiced
  during interactive writing. Interactive writing
  is teacher directed with a focus lesson..
• Writers' Workshop
  
  
  
  The Writers' Workshop allows students to use the
  writing process- drafting, revising, editing
  -which matches the Six Traits of Writing. The
  teacher models a short lesson showing students
  what effective writers do when they write . The
  teacher offers a prompt/idea. Students go into a
  SSW structure, practicing the lesson individually
  and independently. Student work is collected in a
  portfolio. A Writers' Workshop classroom has a
  publishing center that contains appropriate tools
  and supplies- paper, card stock, word processors.
  Students are given a variety of avenues to
  publish their work.  The writer himself edits,
  seeks peer editing, and finally the teacher
  edits, before the student creates the final
  draft.
• SSWSustained Silent Writing (or independent
  writing) is a daily opportunity to practice the
  skills introduced in minilessons ,. To allow
  students more ownership and commitment, students
  choose their own topics and audiences within
  teacher-assigned modes. The writing process is
  practiced during SSW with students writing rough
  drafts, editing and publishing some pieces.

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Writing, cont.

• Modeled Writing Teachers demonstrate strategies
  as proficient adult writers. Teachers model the
  writing process to add, revise, ask questions,
  clarify, and edit..Shared WritingShared
  Writing provides an opportunity for all students
  to successfully participate in the writing
  process. The students and teachers share the task
  of writing. The writing comes from the students'
  thoughts and ideas. Teachers identify and discuss
  with students the conventions, structures, and
  language features of written text. This allows a
  student to access writing beyond what he/she may
  be able to do independently while providing
  models of different genres.Guided Writing
  After determining through observation of student
  behavior and work, the teacher works with a group
  or an individual student on appropriate effective
  writing strategies. These strategies and skills
  are demonstrated within authentic writing tasks
  that allow students to develop independence and
  to increase their skills in self-monitoring or
  writing.

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Balanced Literacy Chart