1. Why a balanced literacy program?
Daily opportunities to participate in a variety of reading, writing and word study activities
Instruction varies in the types of support given by the teacher
Instruction varies in purpose/context
Use a variety of texts to address the needs of all types of learners
Assessment is measured in different ways and informs instruction
Teacher initiated / student initiated
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2. TO, WITH & BY How do we teach all of these important components?
STOP! I need someone to read this TO me!
TO, WITH & BY
I’m READY to read WITH someone.
How will we teach them? We need a model to support explicit instruction
Let’s GO. I can read it BY myself.
From: Pat Donnelly, 2008

3. A model to support explicit instruction…
Degree of Support
Learning Context To
Demonstration
Modelled Practice
Read alouds
Think alouds
Modelled reading / writing
With
Guided Practice
Shared reading / writing
Guided reading / writing
Reciprocal teaching
Literature circles By
Independent Practice
Independent reading / writing
Partner/ Co-operative reading / writing
To – models / demonstrations – how to do it through modellilng, explaining and thinking aloud
With – Scaffolded / supported as they work through the unknown and practice while the teacher is on hand to validate, teach, encourage and give feedback
By – Practice, consolidation, develop fluency
Students can problem solve successfully on their own.
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4. The English teaching model provides a sequence for learning…
Orientation
Field Building
Deconstructing
Interactions
Enhancing
Modelling
Joint Construction
Shared Reading/Writing
Modelled Writing/Writing
Guided Reading
Guided Writing
Synthesising
Independent Construction
Independent Reading and Writing
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5. YOU D0 INDEPENDENTLY I WATCH
Gradual Release of Responsibility Model (Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development )
Zone of Actual Development
Zone of Proximal Development
New Zone of Actual Development
Gradual Release of Teacher Support
Student works independently with text features appropriate to a developmental stage having internalized the knowledge, thinking processes and strategies appropriate to that stage.
Teacher explicitly teaches a new language feature using modeling and think aloud strategies
Teacher and student discuss new language feature, and make connections to a range of contexts.
Student works independently with texts having internalized the new knowledge, thinking processes and strategies appropriate to that stage.
I DO
YOU WATCH
Handout with making links in reading and writing
How do we put it all together?
YOU D0 INDEPENDENTLY I WATCH
I DO
YOU HELP
YOU DO
I HELP
4/24/2017
Vygotsky’s ZPD 5 5

6. What are the critical factors when planning a literacy block?
Purpose…..Why are we doing this?
Relevance….How does this connect to me?
Connected…..How is the learning connected within the workshop and to other content?
What are the big ideas?
Essential understandings…What learning will the students walk away with?
Identify the curriculum intent and student need becomes very important….
We need to have a depth of knowledge of what actually happens when reading….
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7. Why are learning goals important?
Sets the purpose for learning
Sets the context for learning
Facilitates assessment
Informs instruction and planning
Precise / Personalised
Professional learning
We have to have a depth of knowledge about what to teach, when and how
Help us to think about what is really important when reading…..
As a NP school we needed to step back and explore what we knew about teaching reading….
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8. What really matters when your reading?
Skimming and scanning to get a general sense of the text
Predicting meaning
Using graphophonic, syntactic and semantic cues
Using other clues (eg illustrations)
Identify key words
Reading ahead
Reading out loud
Connecting to self, texts and world knowledge
Rereading when meaning is lost
Identifying the big ideas
Thinking while reading – actively engaging with the text
What else?
Read the text / half the text / look at the questions
What did you do to read this text??
Must be explicitly taught with different curriculum focus….
Adapted from: Jan Turbill cited in Wendy Bean 2009
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9. Learning to read… (Decoding/Automaticity)
Reading to learn… (Deliberate, strategic, reading comprehension)
Learning to read… (Decoding/Automaticity)
Curriculum focus:
Oral language development
Fluency
Concepts about print
Phonemic awareness
Letter identification
Phonics
Word knowledge
Vocabulary
Comprehending oral texts
Curriculum focus:
Retrieving information
Forming a broad understanding
Developing an interpretation
Reflecting on and evaluating the subject matter (content)
Reflecting on and evaluating the craft of the writer (form of the text)
WHERE DO WE START? – we must have a clear knowledge and understanding of the different curriculum focus needed for both learning to read and reading to learn……
Three essential areas of focus for teaching of strategies (talk)
Declarative – what
Procedural – How metacognition and strategic operation on the part of the learner
Conditional – making connections from one activity/context to the next
Adapted from: Anne Turner, 2010
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10. Breakthrough. . . …A model for improved literacy instruction
What are the implications for our school?
Breakthrough. . .
…A model for improved literacy instruction
Breakthrough approach:
Transformation of thinking about classroom instruction
Link data on each student to daily decisions about what to teach, how and when
3Ps
Precision
Personalisation
Professional Learning
Rethink what is being done, take it apart and put it back together creatively into programs and develop a common language.
Most educational reforms have resulted in only modest gains because there has been little or no impact on daily teaching:
Whole school approach to literacy teaching and assessment
No short term solutions – long term changes that are sustainable/remain in place
Instruction can be transformed through focusing on the 3Ps model: Personalization, Precision, Professional Learning.
Precision
Personalisation
Professional Learning
MORAL PURPOSE BINDS THESE TOGETHER – THEY ARE INTERCONNECTED

11. Common Goal:
To raise meta-cognitive awareness; the knowledge and skills required for effective literacy instruction for all students.
Successful Learning for All
Effective Literacy Instruction
Metacognition
Metacognitive awareness: Key to raising the bar and closing the gap in students’ literacy performance.
Anne Turner notes: metacognitive awareness strategies?????
Breakthrough model – key messages and whole school approach

12. High quality instruction requires…
Prerequisite Knowledge
Tracking system
Data informed instruction
Scaffolding the learning
Interactive active teaching approaches
Modelling (think aloud)
Shared reading / writing
Guided reading / writing
Collaborative reading / writing
Independent reading / writing
Talk as a basis of reading and writing
Instruction must be intentional and strategic
Always being aware of the learning intention
Prerequisite knowledge and ‘must haves’
Tracking across and within year levels
Data driven instruction – Personalisation/Precision
Scaffolding – differentiated instruction
Interactive teaching strategies
Active comprehension strategies
Increasing metacognitive awareness
Timetabling
Oral language components – discussion/talk particularly ‘think aloud’ teacher and student

13. Supporting high quality instruction are…
High-yield Instructional Strategies
Literacy Blocks
Ongoing Assessment and Feedback
Teacher Moderation
Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
Teaching Non-Fiction Writing
Using Texts of all Types
Critical Literacy
High quality instruction
Requires
High quality strategies
Literacy blocks
Feedback – critical
Teacher understands the standard/expectation and this goal is shared with the student.
Support student to compare their performance with the goal
Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
Strategic instruction within Vygotsky’s model of the zone of proximal development
Z of Actual Development = Where C is at/What they can do
ZPD = Where teachign can occur/instructional level
New zone of actual development = C does independently and T assists.

14. Strategies into Actions…
Data collection - data walls
Timetable daily literacy blocks into weekly plan
Consider routines for daily reading workshops
Focus for routines in context
Shared reading and guided reading groups
Whole school focus:
Shared/Guided reading planning materials
Active comprehension strategies
Reading/Comprehension Charts/Bookmarks
Assessment (gathering/analysis)
Weekly overviews – Ontario materials – examples only
Whole school approach – consistency across the school
Year 4 -7 and P-3 (how reading workshops might look in your weekly timetable)
Breakdown of each reading workshop into daily plan including guided, shared and independent reading etc.
Consider activities/structure/resources (focus for individuals/groups)
Establishing routines for each workshop (mentor to assist est. routines) – rotational activities
Initially a reading focus
Areas of greatest need through using data to inform instruction….

15. Strategic readers have better reading comprehension
Active Comprehension Strategies
Making connections
Text to world
Text to text
Text to self
Predicting
Visualising
Questioning the text
Drawing inferences
Finding important information
Monitoring comprehension
Strategic readers have better reading comprehension
Active comprehension strategies must be explicitly taught:
Meaning making
Developing control of the reading process
Inferred – implied but not stated (use the clues)
Prediction – thoughtful guesses that are found out in the text

16. Literacy Block Routines and the Australian English Curriculum
Your turn:
Identify ‘routines’ within the content descriptors
At your table:
Discuss how aspects of content descriptors could be included in literacy block routines.
Refer to handout and Brenda’s planning placemat
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17. In a time of curriculum change….
What inspires you to deliver a great literacy program?
Sharing wisdom
Working together
Unlocking the potential in all for success
Let’s finish with ‘Zero’
Refer to handout and Brenda’s planning placemat
Just like Zero – we all have a very important part to play in our schools and especially in the success of our students.
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18. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
North Mackay
Thank you…
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