1. Introduction to Balanced Literacy
Tulsa Public Schools
Office of Curriculum and Instruction

4. Components of a Balanced Literacy Block
Read Aloud
Whole Group Shared Reading
Small Group Guided Reading
Independent Reading
Word Study
Writing

5. I Do – We Do- You Do
Fisher and Frey, 2007

6. Read Aloud
Teacher reads and models comprehension skills while students listen
10-15 minutes

7. Research has found: The single most important activity for
building knowledge for their eventual
success is reading aloud to children.
Children who have not been read to by parents
often enough to develop knowledge of written language and how it differs from oral language can get it from being read to by teachers.
Reading aloud to children increases language and literacy development when teachers are intentional and purposeful about why they read, what they read, and how books are read.
The advantages of read-alouds…include developing positive attitudes toward and enjoyment in reading, strengthening cognitive development, and instilling a sense of story structure and organization.
Teachers can make a large difference in children’s vocabulary development when they take time to explain and talk about important new words during read-alouds.
Reading aloud interactively builds comprehension. It has maximum learning potential when children have opportunities to actively participate and respond.

8. I Do – We Do- You Do
Fisher and Frey, 2007

9. Discussion Question
Why would purposefully pre-planning your read aloud improve student learning?

10. Whole Group Shared Reading
Teacher guides whole group reading of text
20-30 minutes

11. The Focus for Whole Group Shared Reading
Build book and print awareness
Activate background knowledge
Direct instruction of vocabulary
Direct instruction of comprehension strategies with grade-level text
Instruction and repeated practice in decoding
Increase reading accuracy and fluency
Students engage in choral reading,
echo reading, and reader’s theater

12. I Do – We Do- You Do
Fisher and Frey, 2007

13. Small Group Guided Reading
Teacher guides small group reading of text while other
students engage in meaningful practice of literacy skills
40-60 minutes

14. The Framework for Small Group Guided Reading
Students practice comprehension strategies
and decoding with instructional level text (90-94% accuracy)
Groups are flexible and needs-based (data)
Book and print awareness
Phonics skills
Reading accuracy and fluency
Reading comprehension
Other students work independently or with partners on literacy tasks to practice and consolidate skills previously taught
How will the practice propel students forward as readers?
On which task does each student need to work to become more proficient?
Are students able to do the activity independently?

15. I Do – We Do- You Do
Fisher and Frey, 2007

16. Discussion Question
How are whole group shared reading and small group guided reading different?

17. Independent Reading Students engage in independent reading while the
teacher monitors and conferences with students
15-20 minutes

18. The Research
Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding (1988) found the amount of time students spend reading independently is the best predictor of reading achievement and the amount of gain made by students between second and fifth grade. They also found that students who begin reading a book in school are more likely to continue to read outside of school.

19. The Structure of Independent Reading
Students apply what they have learned about decoding and comprehension while reading independent-level texts (>95% accuracy).
Book and print awareness, phonics, accuracy fluency, comprehension
Students in upper elementary grades benefit from tracking their thinking and monitoring comprehension through writing.
Conferencing with students and administering assessments help teachers identify individual needs.

20. Correlation Between Time Spent Reading and Standardized Test Results
Percentile Rank
Minutes Read per Day
Estimated Words
Read per Year 98
90.7
4,733,000 90
40.4
2,357,000 70
21.7
1,168,000 50
12.9
601,000 20
3.1
134,000 10
1.6
51,00
Dr. David Bennett, Chicago Rush University

21. I Do – We Do- You Do
Fisher and Frey, 2007

22. Teacher-led instruction with word patterns 20 minutes
Word Study
Teacher-led instruction with word patterns
20 minutes

23. The Focus for Word Study
Must be explicit and systematic
Phonological awareness
Rhymes, syllables, onsets/rimes
Phonics
Letter-sound correspondence, patterns, and decoding skills
Word and Structural Analysis
Contractions, inflected endings, homophones, syllable types
Using parts of words (prefixes, suffixes, Greek and Latin roots) to decode multi-syllable words
and understand word meaning

24. I Do – We Do- You Do
Fisher and Frey, 2007

25. Discussion Question
How does word study compare to traditional spelling instruction?

26. Writing Teacher guides students through a focused writing process
30-60 minutes

27. Research
Although handwriting and correct spelling are skills children must eventually master, these are not the focus when we engage children in writing…[it] is a form of communication… (Nueman, Roskos, Wright, and Lenhart, 2007).

28. The Structure of Writing
Use the writing process for two purposes:
Mechanics (sound-symbol relationships and English language conventions)
Content (communicating ideas, messages, and stories)
Focused Process Writing:
Provides explicit instruction for specific genres of writing
Pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
Components:
Mini-lessons
Shared Writing
Independent Writing
Conferencing

30. I Do – We Do- You Do
Fisher and Frey, 2007

31. Answer Key
Anticipation Guide

33. Shared Reading
– Direct instruction of comprehension
strategies with grade-level text.

34. Word Study
- Explicit and systematic study of how words are formed and their meanings are derived.

35. Shared Reading-
Students engage in choral reading, echo reading, and reader’s theater

36. Guided Reading-
Students work in flexible and needs-based groups determined by current data.

37. Independent Reading-
Students apply what they have learned about decoding and comprehension while reading independent-level texts (>95% accuracy).

38. The single most important activity for building knowledge for eventual (academic) success.
Read Aloud-

39. Focuses on: 1) sound-symbol relationships
and English language conventions, and
2) communicating ideas, messages, and
stories.
Writing-

40. Guided Reading-
Students practice comprehension strategies and decoding with instructional-level texts.

41. Independent Reading-
- The best predictor of reading achievement and the amount of gain made by students between second and fifth grade.

42. Contact Information
If you have additional questions about the balanced literacy overview you may contact:
Francine Swickheimer:
Natalie Hutto:
Brandie Berry: