Balanced Literacy Guiding Our Students Toward a Lifelong Love of Reading

Today’s Agenda Why Are We Here? Where Am I? (A Time for Self Assessment) What is Balanced Literacy? Body Break Planning a Literacy Block Lesson Planning Coming Together (Debriefing from Planning Session) Looking Ahead (Planning For Follow-Up Session)

Why Are We Here? Today we would like each teacher to leave with a clear understanding of what a balanced literacy block looks like and how we as a collaborative team can ensure that best practices and instructional reflection continuously help inspire us as “reading teacher” teams We hope that each team takes away a variety of shared ideas and strategies that will help ensure that we are providing each of our students’ with the support and help they need to become independent and confident readers

Where Am I? Consider how you approach teaching literacy in your classroom… On your table there is a self assessment form. Please complete it now and turn to your “elbow partner” to discuss

What Is Balanced Literacy? “In a truly balanced literacy program, how you teach is as important as what you teach” ~ Dorothy Strickland What makes a literacy program ”balanced”?

Balanced Literacy in a Nutshell Balanced Literacy helps to ensure that all students are being given a multitude of enriched opportunities to help them grow as confident, independent readers and writers It is a highly effective structure that allows for teachers to implement effective, research based strategies and activities within their daily Literacy Blocks and ensures that 2-3 hours daily are dedicated to high quality literacy instruction within each classroom

Breaking It Down… A Balanced Literacy Program Breaks Down into 5 Key Components Read Aloud Guided Reading Shared Reading Independent Reading Word Study

Read Aloud This process isn’t simply reading to our students, it’s involving them in the text These lessons usually occur in a large group setting While reading, teachers will ask students questions, encouraging them to predict the text, and following up reading with a discussion of what happened

Guided Reading These lessons occur in a small group setting. Groups should be created based on skill level and need for instruction. Each lesson is created for the individual needs of the students in the group. These lessons allow teachers the opportunity to fine tune reading skills for each of his/her students.

Shared Reading These lessons can occur in small or large group settings It is an interactive reading session where students can see the text (i.e., big book, data projector, chart paper etc.) and are invited to read along with their teacher The teacher models expression and fluency during these reading sessions

Independent Reading Students are invited to read on their own during these reading sessions Student select books in their appropriate reading level This allows them to practice the skills they have learned throughout the other components of the Balanced Reading program

Word Study Through activities and games, students develop word decoding skills that support them in the development of their reading skills Word study includes developing understanding of letters and the sounds they make, spelling, rhyming, and using the knowledge of familiar words to decode unfamiliar words

Body Break find a partner that you have not yet had the opportunity to collaborate with and go for a short, 10 minute, walk around the building On your walk discuss 3 strategies that you currently use during your literacy block that you feel are very effective to student learning When you return, help yourself to some healthy snacks and return to your seats

How Do We Make It Work? A balanced Literacy program does not “just happen” it has to very well planned, reflected on and tweaked by a passionate enthusiastic teacher who inspires a Love for Reading In your table groups, use the large paper and markers provided to map out what an “ideal” 100 minute literacy block looks like. Use the Literacy Block priority list on your table to inform you planning. There is also a planning template to help you organize your thinking Consider your individual classrooms and determine where most of our time is currently spent and areas we would like to tweak

Lesson Planning Open the envelope you have just been handed to determine what group you will be working in (There is one group for each of the Balanced Literacy Components) Within your groups, plan a lesson that you can take back to your classrooms and implement. Consider how you will evaluate your lesson Note: Each of the 5 lessons created today will be sent via to all participants

Looking Ahead You are now ready to head back into your classrooms and teach the lesson you have prepared with your group In the coming weeks, you will be assigned one colleague to visit and observe during their literacy block. You will then then provide them with feedback using the feedback form on your table As you begin your journey in a Balanced Literacy classroom, consider how you will involve the parents of your students. There are two brochures you can take along with you. Use these to begin the conversation with parents about the importance of literacy for their child’s success at school

For Our Next Session… Come Prepared to Discuss: How did your lesson go? What did you do to follow up? What should be changed for next time? Please bring your feedback form from your classroom visit

Before You Go… Remember to “Look For The Awesome”…

Evaluation TAG! You’re It! T Tell the Presenters Something You Liked or Learned A Ask the Presenters a Question ? G Give the Presenters a Positive Suggestion! (Please Record Your Thinking on the TAG Recording Sheet) Your feedback will help us to plan for our next session

Until We Meet Again… On your way out please pick up a copy of this presentation and remember to take the information provided on your table Thank-you for your participation today!

Resources Balanced Literacy by Dorothy Strickland found at: Balanced Literacy Program Components & Strategies found at: Kid President's Pep Talk to Teachers and Students! Found at: