Balanced Literacy Essential Elements

Goal To teaching reading as a total process that promotes: 1. higher order thinking 2. problem solving 3. reasoning To teaching reading as a total process that promotes: 1. higher order thinking 2. problem solving 3. reasoning

Print-rich Environment  Quality literature  Comfortable atmosphere  Real world materials  Quality literature  Comfortable atmosphere  Real world materials

Recommended Resources  Big Books  Leveled books  Trade books  Little books (beginning readers)  Quality literature  Informational books  Word walls  Classroom library  Big Books  Leveled books  Trade books  Little books (beginning readers)  Quality literature  Informational books  Word walls  Classroom library  Dictionaries  Software  Charts of poems and songs  Poetry books  Multicultural literature  Directions  Posters

Emphasis on Comprehension  Phonemic awareness  Phonics instruction  Word study  Phonemic awareness  Phonics instruction  Word study

Balanced classrooms integrate authentic reading and writing with purposeful word study.

Comprehension  Processing text with prior knowledge  Active process  Children become aware of how they read and what strategies help -- and when in the reading process  Processing text with prior knowledge  Active process  Children become aware of how they read and what strategies help -- and when in the reading process

Comprehension  Three cueing systems:  1. Semantic (meaning)  2. Syntactic (grammar/sentence structure)  3. Graphophonic (letters, sounds)  Three cueing systems:  1. Semantic (meaning)  2. Syntactic (grammar/sentence structure)  3. Graphophonic (letters, sounds)

Grouping  Children and should be on different levels within the classroom.  Flexible grouping (homogeneous and heterogeneous  Children and should be on different levels within the classroom.  Flexible grouping (homogeneous and heterogeneous

Differentiated Instruction  Reading aloud  Shared Reading and Writing  Guided Reading and Writing  Independent Reading  Reading aloud  Shared Reading and Writing  Guided Reading and Writing  Independent Reading

Response to Text  Always return to the text  Important to comprehension  Need to balance  Literature circles, drama, art projects, shared writing ……  Always return to the text  Important to comprehension  Need to balance  Literature circles, drama, art projects, shared writing ……

Reading and Writing  Complementary processes …. daily Journals

Diversity  Important to use multicultural literature and multiple perspectives

Authentic Assessment  Running Records  Reading inventories  Checklists  Portfolios  Continuous feedback  Running Records  Reading inventories  Checklists  Portfolios  Continuous feedback