1. Using the Four Block Literacy Framework for Students with Disabilities
Welcome
Leon Pioneers!
Prior to presenting the overview, engage participants in discussion with the following questions:
What were your most able children doing yesterday with literacy instruction?
What were your most challenged children doing yesterday with literacy instruction?
Share with us what literacy instruction has looked like in your classroom this year.
NOTE: Our hope in working with you over the next four sessions is to introduce you to a literacy framework that will allow you to keep all of your students actively engaged on a daily basis in literacy learning.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department 1

2. Using the Four Block Literacy Framework for Students with Disabilities
A 4 Part Series
Overview Created By Kathy Chotiner
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Reading Program Specialist
Special thanks to FDLRS/Springs
Prior to presenting the overview, engage participants in discussion with the following questions:
What were your most able children doing yesterday with literacy instruction?
What were your most challenged children doing yesterday with literacy instruction?
Share with us what literacy instruction has looked like in your classroom this year.
NOTE: Our hope in working with you over the next four sessions is to introduce you to a literacy framework that will allow you to keep all of your students actively engaged on a daily basis in literacy learning.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department 2

3. First Implemented in 1st-3rd grade classes in North Carolina
Developed in by Patricia Cunningham, Dorothy Hall & Margaret Defee
First Implemented in 1st-3rd grade classes in North Carolina
Recently expanded to include models for:
Kindergarten classes – “Building Blocks”
4th – 6th grade classes – “Big Blocks”
4-Block was originally designed with the needs of general education classroom DIVERSITY in mind.
The framework evolved under the watchful eye and research of Patricia Cunningham, Dorothy Hall, and Cheryl Sigmon who are referenced on the back cover of the book.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

4. PHILOSOPHY
Children are different in the way they learn, so several different approaches are incorporated daily into reading/writing instruction.
Children enter our classes at varying language & literacy levels, so each instructional block is as multi-level as possible.
Children have different personalities/needs, so substantial instructional support is provided to students who struggle and who need challenge.
If you refer to page 3 in the Cunningham book, you will find the heart of the 4-Block Philosophy.
Let me read to you the first sentence in the introduction.
This philosophy almost reminds me of IF…..THEN statements, refer to bullets on slide.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

5. RESEARCH
Four Blocks Literacy Model Website:
Pat & Dottie’sWebsite:
Children with Disabilities: Reading & Writing the Four-Blocks Way by Karen Erickson & David Koppenhaver
Refer to:
Cunningham, pages 184 to 190
References, page 191 note work of Richard Allington, Donald Graves and Lucy Calkins to mention a few.
Erickson and Copenhaver, Page 134.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

6. FRAMEWORK http://www.four-blocks.com/1-3.htm
Just as is represented by the four blocks displayed here, the four block framework recognizes four distinct components of literacy instruction that must be addressed each day.
Addressing each block allows you as a teacher to revisit and respect the key elements of student learning:
Children are different in the way they learn SO……………..
Refer back to slide 3.
Children enter the classroom at varying language and literacy levels SO….
Children have different personalities and needs SO……
It is highly recommended that 30 minutes of each day be spent actively engaged in instruction and learning in each of these blocks.
The website referenced takes you to a review of the blocks.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

7. Guided Reading Block 30-40 minutes
Goals are to increase students’
Background knowledge, oral vocabulary meanings, and comprehension skills
Application of reading strategies in various text types
Reading fluency through repeated readings
Components of this block are
Before Reading Activities
During Reading Activities
After Reading Activities
We are now going to take a brief walk through each block. The intent here is just to give you a flavor so to speak of what each block is about. As we progress through each of these sessions, you will have an opportunity to go much more in depth on each of these topics.
Place each demonstration block on the table as it is discussed.
When you are focused on guided reading, you are focused on:
Refer to bullets on PPT and pages 4-6 in the text in which a day in the classroom is simulated.
IMPORTANT: Guided reading may be done with emphasis on special occasions, items of interest, or through basal readers or trade books in the classroom.
We have resources available on the current basal and intensive reading series in your district all of which are subject to change with the reading adoption process taking place right now.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

8. Self Selected Reading 30 minutes
Goals to develop students’
Receptive language by listening to read alouds
Skills for selecting interesting reading materials
(at student’s instructional level)
Reading comprehension (1-1 teacher conferences)
Expressive language by sharing what they’ve read
Components of this block are
Teacher Read-Aloud
Independent, self selected reading & conferences
Sharing Time
Might you already be thinking, WAIT A MINUTE!!! Have you been to my class? NO, I haven’t and NO your friends at FDLRS have not lost their minds!!
Your friends at FDLRS have learned and bought into the evidence based belief that quality reading instruction is indeed quality reading instruction, no matter the child, the disability, the learning environment. Kopenhaver said it best when he said: NO Child is to Communicatively, Cognitively, or Physically disabled to benefit from literacy instruction.
Our job as we progress through the next few sessions is going to be to present to you the basis of evidence based reading instruction AND how that instruction can be adapted to meet the needs of your most involved students.
NOW, Self Selected Reading, for a classroom vision refer to pages in your book.
This is a beautiful thing to see and was always one of my favorite parts of doing a classroom walk-through.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

9. The Writing Block 40 minutes
Goals are to improve students’
Independent writing skills for real purposes
Written language skills at an individual pace
Expressive language skills by sharing what they’ve written.
Components of this block are
Mini Lesson – Modeling Writing & Editing Process
Children write on self selected topics and have teacher conferences (1-1)
Sharing writing in small or large groups
Writing? Yes, that wheelchair bound youngster with limited extremity control will be able to engage in the Writing Block. Before we talk about how though, let’s talk about what.
Refer to pages in your text.
Again, the mini-lesson with teacher think aloud and modeling is a favorite of mine to observe. The text talks about using the overhead to do this. We will be sharing with you some more modernistic-tech savy ways to pull this off.
Buzzwords that you will hear as we dig deeper into this block include: Word Wall
Author’s Chair
Invent Spell (as if you don’t know what that is)
Editing Criteria
Yes, believe it or not, these tools will find a way into your classroom if they are not already there.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

10. Working With Words Block 30 minutes
Goals are to increase students’
recognition and fluency of high frequency words
decoding and spelling of phonetically regular words
Components of this block are
Word Wall Activities
Decoding and Spelling Activities
Rhyming, Reading & Writing Onset/Rimes
Making & Sorting Word Families
Using Patterns and Context
Refer to pages 7-13.
I have a gut level feeling that as teachers of kids with disabilities we may often find ourselves spending more time trying to deal with the elements of this block than any other block and in so doing, loose sight of the importance of the other 3 blocks in rounding out well balanced literacy instruction. Maybe this is because when I think back on my instruction in an ESE classroom, this is what I spent most of my time doing.
Perhaps as teachers of students with moderate disabilities you have spent more time over here in the shared reading part of Guided Reading, or perhaps the Read Aloud portion of self-selected reading but now ventured beyond here to incorporate what we are proposing as balanced literacy instruction that equitably includes each of these blocks.
Back to Working with Words…a process that is much more than drill and kill! Address the bullets on the slide.
We have covered what was the original four block model, and some of you may be thinking, yep, this is really going to work with my kids!
Never fear…..
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

11. Children With Disabilities: Reading & Writing the Four Blocks Way Developed by Karen Erickson & David Koppenhaver
Implemented at the Center for Literacy & Disability Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Students with Communication Disorders
Students with Moderate – Severe Cognitive Impairments
Students with Learning Disabilities
Enter Karen Erickso and David Koppenhaver. Overview goes through page 40. As was done with Cunningham’s work, we are going to address highlights only for now.
Flip back to the third slide in this presentation. I ask you, who knows more about the 4-Block Framework Philosophy than any teacher sitting in this room?
Refer to the third paragraph on page 6. I don’t know about you, but I am a product of the Whole Language VS Direct Instruction Wars of the 1990s. This paragraph speaks to my heart. READ IT.
Read on. This is what we are going to be about for the next 3 meetings together and the FOLLOW UP to which you will be invited next fall. Encourage you to take the time to read and reflect on these pages before our next session on March 24th.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

12. Adapting the Four Block Model for Students with Disabilities
Disability type or label does not provide instructional information
Consider the areas of significant difference:
Communication
Cognition
Physical abilities
Senses
Affect
Attention
Refer to information on page 7. Share personal experience in becoming supervisor for MH, an experience that required me to take on leadership responsibility for 2 very large MH center schools in our district.
Do you know the saying, MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT? This was never more forcefully dirven home to me than on the first day I stood in front of my 200 MH teachers who basically had me for lunch telling me what their kids could do, couldn’t do, and NEEDED. Guess what, it was the same thing that my 300 SLD teachers were saying and it was the same thing I was hearing as I participated in elementary curriculum meetings.
All students need quality, effective, evidence based literacy instruction.
There is no LD, MH, Autistic or whatever reading instruction.
Good reading instruction is good reading instruction
Our mission as teachers of students with disabilities is to apply the adaptations needed to evidence based instruction to make it accessible to the students we represent.
End of Soap Box.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

13. Adapting the Four Block Model for Students with Disabilities
Adapt only in the areas of need.
Try to develop adaptations that do not
significantly change the objective of the activity.
Multi-level materials are available in
each block.
Use assistive technology as a tool
to support students in Four Block activities.
So, how do we do this? Refer to bullets on the slide.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department

14. Guided Reading 30-40 minutes
Adapt versions of text for the computer
Scan and import illustrations to multimedia software program
Include MPEG videos of topic to augment student’s understanding of topic
Add text which computer will read aloud
Click of a mouse will turn the pages of the electronic book

15. Guided Reading 30-40 minutes
Student can hum/tap syllables while doing silent reading
Choose a reading fact from a list the teacher has prepared and record it on the BIGmack for sharing at circle time
When partner reading can say a specific word when the partner points to it in the book

16. Working With Words 30 minutes
Use the computer to type the words when others are writing the words
Color coded on the wall to aid student using eye-gaze frame
Student goal is different yet using same class activity gives a meaningful opportunity to work on individual skills daily
Portable word wall corresponds to the classroom word wall

17. The Writing Block 40 minutes
Student can participate by using communication device that asks editing questions to the class.
Work on scanning and spelling
Use word prediction program to assist in writing
Use low-tech items such as a pencil grip, raised line paper, angle tray to assist “writers”.
Participate in sharing stories using speech devises
Program devices to say specific messages that pertain to a writing conference
Writing? Yes, that wheelchair bound youngster with limited extremity control will be able to engage in the Writing Block. Before we talk about how though, let’s talk about what.
Refer to pages in your text.
Again, the mini-lesson with teacher think aloud and modeling is a favorite of mine to observe. The text talks about using the overhead to do this. We will be sharing with you some more modernistic-tech savy ways to pull this off.
Buzzwords that you will hear as we dig deeper into this block include: Word Wall
Author’s Chair
Invent Spell (as if you don’t know what that is)
Editing Criteria
Yes, believe it or not, these tools will find a way into your classroom if they are not already there.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department 17

18. Self Selected Reading 30 minutes
Provides an opportunity to get out of wheelchair and relax during teacher read-aloud.
Multi-leveled books are available for all abilities on same subject
Electronic books are available on computer
Power point books recreated by the teacher or other students
Use eye-gaze to elicit answers during conferencing about the book
Might you already be thinking, WAIT A MINUTE!!! Have you been to my class? NO, I haven’t and NO your friends at FDLRS have not lost their minds!!
Your friends at FDLRS have learned and bought into the evidence based belief that quality reading instruction is indeed quality reading instruction, no matter the child, the disability, the learning environment. Kopenhaver said it best when he said: NO Child is to Communicatively, Cognitively, or Physically disabled to benefit from literacy instruction.
Our job as we progress through the next few sessions is going to be to present to you the basis of evidence based reading instruction AND how that instruction can be adapted to meet the needs of your most involved students.
NOW, Self Selected Reading, for a classroom vision refer to pages in your book.
This is a beautiful thing to see and was always one of my favorite parts of doing a classroom walk-through.
Marion County Exceptional Student Education Department 18