PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LITERACY TEACHING PRINCIPLE 6: EFFECTIVE TEACHERS ORGANIZE FOR LITERACY INSTRUCTION Foundations for teaching reading in a diverse society Presenters: Ms. Jackson-Keyton, Ms. C. Witcher and Ms. Tara Bailey-Bruce October 28, 2015

SO JUST WHAT IS A “BALANCE D APPROACH”? At no point does only one of the following programs/ units best represents a balanced approach to literacy. With this in mind, a true balance in instruction of literacy has/ creates: a community of learners, incorporating components of balanced approach, and scaffolding is paramount in the learning process. Basal Reading Programs Basal Reading Programs, literature focus units, literature circles, and reading and writing workshops

SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE REALLY?

A BASAL READING PROGRAM -Commercial or For-Profit programs -Historically known as the “textbook” includes TE, instructional material, supplemental text/software… -TE is very “run-of-the-mill” and guided as for instruction delivery -From phonics to spelling instruction these skills are found in basals. -Whole class dynamic -Basals are often treated as a complete literacy program/ or “The be-all to-end all” by publishers…but standardized scores, and so much more has proven that to be untrue.

LITERATURE FOCUS Students read and respond to grade-level text as a class Teachers read books aloud if text is too difficult for students to read independently Teachers teach mini-lessons on strategies, vocabulary, and comprehension Teachers create projects to extend learning

LITERATURE CIRCLES Are… Are Not…  Reader response centered  Teacher and text centered  Part of a balanced literacy program  The entire reading curriculum  Groups formed by book choice  Teacher-assigned groups formed solely by ability  Structured for student independence, responsibility, and ownership  Unstructured, uncontrolled "talk time" without accountability  Guided primarily by student insights and questions  Guided primarily by teacher- or curriculum-based questions  Intended as a context in which to apply reading and writing skills  Intended as a place to do skills work  Flexible and fluid; never look the same twice  Tied to a prescriptive "recipe"

READING AND WRITING WORKSHOP designed to help students develop skills and strategies that will be used in their future writing projects and in future reading ….and in their future. There is a gradual build of skills and strategies and then forced implementation. For the students, those skills and strategies eventually become instinctive, innate, and their own.

ESSENTIALS OF READING & WRITING WORKSHOP Reading Workshop Teacher Model- Read to Shared Reading Minilessons (researched based reading strategies) Guided Reading and Literature Circles Time to read independently and time to share Choice Reflection and Evaluation Environment and materials Writing Workshop Teacher Model- Write to Shared Writing Minilessons Teacher and peer conferences Time to write independently and share Literature based instruction Choice Records and self assessment Environment and materials Reading Workshop (60 mins.) Minilesson/Read To Independent Reading Guided Reading Literature Study/ Book Clubs Sharing Writing Workshop (60 mins.) Minilesson/Write To Status of the Class Independent Writing Conferring Sharing

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM Display text and activities on an interactive whiteboard Create classroom website where students post publish writing and access online activities/ assignments Alternatives to textbooks Read and respond to entries in students’ blogs Individualized instruction Learning supports/ assistive technology

IDEAS FOR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

REFERENCES Tompkins, Gail E. Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education/Merrill/Prentice Hall, Print. Fox, Barbara J. Word Identification Strategies: Building Phonics into a Classroom Reading Program. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, Print. Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and Douglas Williams Seven Literacy Strategies That Work: Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Pages November 2002 | Volume 60 | Number 3 Stephens, Elaine C.; Brown, Jean E. A Handbook of Content Literacy Strategies: 75 Practical Reading and Writing Ideas. Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., Norwood, MA Print.