Balanced Literacy Training

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools

Respects and addresses the needs of all learners

Teachers are informed decision-makers Flexible Research based Provides daily opportunities to engage in

various reading and writing activities

Balanced Literacy – An Overview

Balanced Literacy Framework

Word Study

Reading Writing and Language

Read Aloud

Shared Reading

Guided Reading

Independent Reading

Modeled/Shared Writing

Interactive Writing

Guided Writing

Independent Writingeled/Shared Writing

1. Phonemic Awareness: Phonemic awareness as defined by National Reading Panel (NPR) as the ability to hear, identify and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words.

2. Phonics: Phonics is the relationship between letters of written language and the individual sounds of the spoken language.

3. Fluency: Fluency is defined as reading text with speed, accuracy, and proper expression.

4. Vocabulary: Stored information about the meanings and pronunciation of words, prefixes, and suffixes needed for communication.

5. Comprehension: Readers can read the words and understand what they are reading.

Five Components of Reading

K-5th Grade Minimum Recommended Instructional Times:

Read Aloud

“The teacher reads aloud to the whole class or small groups. A carefully selected body of children’s literature is used; the collection contains a variety of genres and represents our diverse society. Favorite texts, selected for special features, are reread many times.”m.”

--Fountas & Pinnell, Guided Reading, 1996

Read Aloud

The read aloud can be used to engage the student listener while developing background knowledge, increasing comprehension skills, and fostering critical thinking.

A read aloud can be used to model the use of reading strategies that aid in comprehension.

Value of Read Aloud

Teacher: Model appropriate reading behavior Read a variety of genres and other materials Engage students in thinking and talking about text

Student: Enjoy listening and discussing literature read aloud Retell Use descriptive language to explain and explore

ideas in the literature they hear Understand that print carries the message

Read Aloud Roles

Shared Reading

When the teacher and students read together in unison from a shared text (big book, enlarged text on chart or screen, individual books). “The teacher leads the group, pointing to words or phrases. Reading is usually in unison, although there are adaptations, such as groups may read alternating lines or individuals reading some lines.”

Fountas & Pinnell, The Continuum of Literacy Learning, 2011

Shared Reading

• Create Visual Images• Ask Questions• Make Inferences/Prediction

• Summarize & Synthesize

• Determine Importance• Make Connections

Comprehension Strategies

Large group setting Access to text (big books, charts,

chunks of text from content area textbooks, small books for each student)

Variety of genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry)

Text selections are at or above grade level

Quality Shared Reading Involves…

Increase enjoyment of literature Foster a literacy community in the class Create a natural teaching of skills

within the context of reading Reinforce concepts of print Build fluency and oral expression Enhance meaning and comprehension

Value of Shared Reading

Teacher: Read interesting and concept-rich materials with the

students Help students build sight vocabulary Provide opportunities for students to explore and identify

sound-letter relationships in meaningful contexts. Student:

Read along with the teacher Make predictions about the reading Match spoken words to written text Discussing the text with each other and teacher

Shared Reading Roles

Guided Reading

Guided Reading

Small group reading instruction-Homogeneous

Same level (3-6 students in a group)

Demonstrate same reading behaviors

Share same instructional needs Groups are temporary-fluid Guided Group has a structure

Structure of a Guided Reading Lesson

Selection of the text- “just right books”

Introduction to the text- leave some problem solving

Reading the text-teach, prompt, and reinforce strategy use

Discussion of the text-guiding questions that lift the students’ comprehension

Teaching points-grounded in the text, directed toward expanding the students’ strategic actions

Word work-explicit teaching

Extending Understanding- through writing and drawing

Elements of Successful Lessons

Use both informal and formal assessment to form guided reading groups.

Rely on a template to guide instruction

Determine at one or two teaching points

Determine a primary purpose for each lesson based on comprehension strategies.

Choose a variety of books and other printed matter to ensure that your students learn how to read different genres.

Independent Reading

Students read individually or in pairs from a variety of materials. Some independent reading is from a collection of materials at the student’s reading level. “Primarily, the learners are using what they have already learned and practiced to problem solve successfully on their own.” - Routman Reading Essentials, 2003

Independent Reading

Teacher: Match texts to students’ ability Support students in choosing text Provide opportunities for independent reading Read and discuss a range of different genres

Student: Use reading for various purposes Practice reading strategies Recognize and discuss elements of different genres

Independent Reading Roles

Writing

  Provides opportunities for students to try the skill

of writing Provides daily practice that literacy learners need

to become successful, self-monitoring writers, who take ownership of their learning

Fosters creativity, confidence, and enthusiasm for writing

  

Value of Writing

Shared vocabulary for teacher & students 6 Traits:

Ideas Organization Word Choice Sentence Fluency Voice Conventions

Six Traits

Students learn by reading aloud and discussing samples of writing

Students learn from seeing writing modeled Writing frequently is important 6 Traits helps students discuss specific

features

Six Traits

Mini-Lesson: Mentor Text, Student/Teacher Example, Structured Lesson Craft Convention

Writing/Conferencing Share Time (Audience)

All Few Students

Writer’s Workshop

Modeled Writing – Teacher does the writing

Shared Writing – Teacher & Students share the composing process

Interactive Writing - Teacher & Students compose with the teacher “sharing the pen”

Guided Writing – Teacher works with a small group with similar needs

Independent Writing

Writing

Word Study

Instruction used by the teacher to introduce, teacher, and provide students with opportunities to practice using their knowledge of phonemic awareness, letter recognition, letter-sound relationships, phonics, spelling pattern, and words. “Such information enables the teachers to design instructional experiences that build systematically on what students know.”

- Ganske, Word Journeys, 2000

Word Study

Teacher: Monitor students’ progress consistently and to

provide early intervention Provide opportunities for students to use phonetic

spelling as conventional spelling develops Use activities such as word walls, word sorts, and

making words to promote students’ word recognition, decoding, and spelling.

Student: Use knowledge of sounds and letters to decode,

read, and spell words Use spelling patterns of known words to decode,

read, and spell new words

Word Study Roles

Introduce vocabulary in context Explicit routine to introduce new

vocabulary Pictorial representation Dramatize words Mystery word of the week Vocabulary parade

Vocabulary Strategies