BalancedLiteracy: A Framework for Closing the Reading Gap

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N A classroom environment that offers opportunities and space for

whole-class, small-group, and independent work. The classroom environment supports students at

their instructional level and includes activities that allow them

to take risks.

It matches the research on effective reading instruction…

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Y? Research shows the following factors are

attributed to reading motivation and/or achievement:

•Access to high-interest texts.

•Giving students choice in reading.

•Texts available at different levels of difficulty.

•Providing more time for students to read at home and school.

Calkins, L., Ehrenworth, M., & Lehman, C. (2012). Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

FIVE ELEMENTSOF EFFECTIVE

READINGINSTRUCTION

ComprehensionConstructing meaning

from text.

PhonemicAwarenessHearing and

identifyingindividual sounds

In words.

PhonicsUnderstanding and using letter-sound

relationships.

VocabularyWords and

their meanings

FluencyReading with

accuracy,momentum,

phrasing, andintonation.

“…pedagogy focused only on higher-order or critical thinking was insufficient to ensure that students were ready for college and careers: what students could, read, in terms of its complexity, was at least as important as what they could do with what they read.”

Because the complexity of texts increase, the explicit instruction of Foundational Reading Skills – phonics, fluency, literal comprehension - cannot stop at first or second grade. Calkins, L., Ehrenworth, M., & Lehman, C. (2012). Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement.

Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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It provides students with the necessary support to meet the high expectations of Common Core…

It matches the new instructional expectations of RTI2…

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Tier 1 Instruction:

•120-150 minutes of ELA instruction, this includes language/writing.

•Approximately 30 minutes of whole group instruction, which includes close reading, shared reading, read alouds, mini-lessons.

•Approximately 60 minutes of small group instruction. Teachers should meet w/ 3-4 groups daily for 15-20 minutes each. Each student should meet with the teacher a minimum of every other day, but struggling students should meet with the teacher everyday.

•Small group instruction focused on reading/discussing text, rereading text, skill work, and word work.

•When not meeting with a teacher, students should be engaged in purposeful practice, such as learning stations, skill practice, word sorts, reader response, novel studies, writing activities, and independent reading.

•Includes content area texts.

•Strong emphasis should be placed on the Reading Foundational Skills found in Common Core.

•Reading units should include close reading, speaking/listening about text, text-dependent questioning, vocabulary development, and writing-to-sources.

WritingReading

•Read Aloud•Shared Reading•Guided Reading•Independent Reading

•Modeled/Shared Writing•Interactive Writing•Guided Writing•Independent Writing

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Word Study

BALANCED LITERACY FRAMEWORK

READING INSTRUCTIONStudents need to be reading:

•At least 45 minutes during school and more time at home.

•Materials they can manage with 95% accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.

Calkins, L., Ehrenworth, M., & Lehman, C. (2012). Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

FIVE FORMATS FOR READING INSTRUCTION

Read Aloud

Shared Reading

Guided Reading

Literacy Workstations

Independent Reading

Read Aloud

Purpose:

•Provide enjoyment.

•Motivate students to read.

•Model proficient reading.

•Build background knowledge.

•Help students internalize sentence and story structure.

•Develop vocabulary.

•Build comprehension skills.

•Introduce genres and writing styles.

•Increase attention span.

•Help ELLs become familiar with the sounds of English.

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Quality read alouds include:

•Purposeful book selection that is on or above grade level.

•Interaction between students and text.

•Modeling and Think Alouds

•Cross-curricular integration

•A text that has been previewed by the teacher.

•A purpose for reading stated ahead of time.REA

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Shared Reading

Purpose:

•Create a natural teaching of skills/strategies within the context of reading.

•Reinforce concepts of print.

•Build fluency and oral expression.

•Enhance meaning and comprehension.

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Things to keep in mind:

•Use a variety of texts at or above grade level. This can be stand alone texts and/or textbooks.

•Whole group reading/instruction, but this can be accomplished through partners and small groups. The important part is everyone is interacting with the same text.

•Everyone should have a copy of the text.

•Shared reading can pair well with Real Aloud for modeling/instruction.

•It is appropriate to work with the same text(s) for multiple days, but not always necessary.

•Shared reading will probably need to spill over into your Science/SS time.

•50-60% of the texts should be nonfiction.

•A full-length text is not always necessary. Sometimes an excerpt is appropriate.

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Teachers and students are reading/experiencing a text together. This can be done through:

• Fluency modeling and practice.

• Choral reading.

• Reader’s Theater

• Follow-up activity from a read aloud.

• Close Reading

• Text annotation/discussion

• Socratic Seminar

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Guided Reading

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G Purpose:•Students use and develop strategies while they are reading to facilitate independence.•Provides opportunities to observe reading behaviors and scaffold instruction.•Students read, while teachers provide individualized and group feedback during and after reading.

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GThings to remember:

•Groups should be small. No more than six students.•The lowest group should be the smallest group.•Students are grouped according to their instructional reading level, which is determined with a Leveled Reading Assessment.•Groups should change as needs change.•Students should be reading for the bulk of the group time.•If a lone student’s reading level is too far below/above the other students, don’t be afraid to find a group match with another a teacher.•Teachers need to preview the text ahead of time.

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TSelecting an Appropriate

Reading Level

Based on accuracy, but fluency should also be taken into account.

•Independent = 95-100%

•Instructional = 90-94%

•Hard = below 90%

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GSight Word Practice

20 Box Grids:

Fry’s Phrases: flashcards, apps, Powerpoint slides

Fry Word App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frywords/id470926345?mt=8

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GWorking with Words

Word Chains: hat, bat, but, bus, us, use. Student write each new word after teacher gives instruction, such as, “change /h/ to /b/.”

Making Words: Give letters (a, e, n, k, s, s). Students list all words can make – a, an, as, ask, Ken, sea, seas, etc. Work until discover “mystery word” that uses each letter.

Roll a Word: Use dice with beginning word parts and a dice with ending word parts. Roll one of each and write the word. Sort the words into real and nonsense.

Sentence Dictation: Select a sentence from the book that would allow students to practice sight words and/or phonics skills. Read the sentence twice. Have students write the sentence on their own.

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GWorking with Words

Sound/Spelling Mapping (Elkonin Boxes):

Sound/Spelling Picture Cards:

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GWorking with Words

Letter/Sound Chips: Sound/spelling mapping using color chips. Students use Elkonin boxes and colored chips to represent sounds in a word. For example: blue = consonants, red = vowels, yellow=vowel teams. The letters for each sound may be written on the chips, to facilitate phonics or phonemic awareness instruction.

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GMini-Lessons and Scaffolding

Decoding Words•Cover prefix/suffix – read the root•Point out vowel teams, digraphs, etc – reference picture sound card•Remember phonics rules (closed syllable = short vowel, silent e, etc.)•Check the picture, look at first letter •Rhymes with ______•Reread and think about what makes sense – context clues

FluencySpeed, Accuracy, Smoothness, Expression, Punctuation•Choral Read•Whisper Read (Whisper Phones)•Echo Read•Repeat, Repeat, Repeat•Practice expression, character voices, appropriate pauses

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GMini-Lessons and Scaffolding

Vocabulary•Context Clues•Roots, prefixes, suffixes•Background knowledge/connections (pictures, videos, virtual field trips)•Use illustration•Know words that are similar•Revisit time after time

Comprehension•Use text features•Make connections – Self, World, Text•Question•Summarize – Main ideas•Predict/confirm•Compare/contrast•Stop-Think-Paraphrase•Visualize•Determine Importance

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GMini-Lessons and Scaffolding

Writing•Spinner w/ 6 colors

•Yellow – I already knew this•Purple – I learned this•Red – I like this part•Blue – This did not make sense•Green – AHA! The BIG IDEA – Main Idea/Theme

•Write 3 facts about______________•Describe the difference between _______ and __________.•Use the vocabulary words in sentence - context

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1Fluency

Reread the paragraph on page 4.

2Vocabulary

Documenting, estimated, period, valuable, vessels, ecosystem, organic, limestone, species, habitable, population, habitat, harvest

3Summaraiz

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Summarize what you learned about coral reef.

4Think and Compare

Reread pages 5-6. What facts did you learn about coral? Now write your opinions about coral.

5 Evaluate

Why is it important for people to learn about endangered areas?

1Fluency

Reread the paragraph on page 11.

2Vocabulary

gas planetspace probes telescopes

3Facts

Write a fact in your own words using a complete sentence from the information on page 4.

4Text Features

What is the purpose of the picture on page 19?

5Comprehensio

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What are the parts of the Milky Way?

6Comprehensio

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What are the differences between the sun and the moon?

P = PredictionI predict that…

Q = QuestionsI wonder…

S = SummarizingI learned that…

M = MonitoringI don’t understand…

W = WordsI was able to figure out what the word meant, because…

C = ConnectionsThis reminds me of another text…

V = VisualizeWhen I read this, I visualized…

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MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY9:00-9:15 Group A Group A Group A Group A Group A9:15-9:209:20-9:35 Group B Group B Group B Group B Group B9:35-9:409:40-9:55 Group C Group D Group C Group D Group C

Transition

Transition

Groups A/B – below grade levelGroup C – on grade levelGroup D – above grade level

Groups C and D should work with their guided reading materials independently on the days their group doesn’t meet.

Literacy Workstations

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Purpose:

•Gives the teacher time to meet with guided reading groups.•Reinforces skills taught.•Allows students to work at their own rate and on their own level.

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•Whole class – All students are doing the same activity while teacher meets with groups.

•Station-a-Day – There are five literacy stations each week. Each student does a different station each day.

•Multiple Rotations – Each day, students rotate between a literacy workstation, guided reading, and independent seatwork/reading. (Matches RTI the best.)

•Menu – Students are given a menu at the beginning of the week. They have to complete an assigned number of activities by the end of the week. Example: http://www.lauracandler.com/filecabinet/literacy/PDFRead/menusamples.pdf

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Questions to ask when planning stations:

•Is this activity strengthening reading and/or writing?

•Are students spending most of their time reading/writing or cutting/gluing/assembling?

•Writing that involves responding to a text should be text-dependent instead of reader-dependent.

•Is it an activity that students can practice independently with success?

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NS Key to Success:

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

•Organize materials well.•Plan routines and procedures.•Clearly communicate and post expectations.•Model, model, model.•Practice, practice, practice.•Have we mentioned practice?•Introduce new stations through guided or shared reading.•Practice volume expectations. Remember: the louder you talk, the louder the students will talk.•Pay attention to interruption patterns. If students are continually interrupting your groups for the same reasons, time may need to be spent retraining on routines or a particular station.•Use a timer.

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Organizing Groups

Possibilities:•Set up a chart - http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy_centers/management.html•Chart on the Promethean board – http://www.lauracandler.com/filecabinet/literacy/PDFRead/rotations.pdf

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Accountability:

•Folders – can be used for works in progress or as a log.•Weekly/Daily log•Journal•Reader response questions•Fluency charts•Artifacts from the Literacy Stations

Independent Reading

Purpose:

•Students learn to read by reading.

•Allows students to practice strategies.

•Promotes fluency.

•Builds confidence.

•Builds vocabulary.

•Enjoy reading.

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GKEYS TO SUCCESS

STAMINA! STAMINA! STAMINA!

Take the time at the beginning of the year to build a student’s reading stamina by gradually increasing the amount of time students read independently.

Recommendation:

2nd grade should start with 2-3 minutes.

3rd grade should start with 3-5 minutes.

4th/5th grade should start with 4-6 minutes.

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BOOK SELECTION

•Most students need to be taught how to select an appropriate book.

•Initially, you may want to provide students with a small selection of appropriate materials that are on the appropriate level.

•It might be helpful to create a poster and/or bookmark that reminds students how to make good reading choices.

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“”JUST RIGHT””

BOOK…

•Looks interesting.

•Doesn’t have more than five tricky words on a page.

•Has a few words for me to learn.

•Is one I can retell.

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STRUCTURE AND PROCEDURES

Think about things like:

•How long should students read?

•Where can students read?

•What can students read?

•How do they get new materials?

•How will students be held accountable for what they read?

•Is partner reading permitted?

Routines should be explicitly taught, modeled, and practiced.

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Accountability Suggestions:

•Share Time – allows students to showcase books that others may enjoy and/or strategies they have successfully used.

•Reading Conferences – teachers hear each student read periodically, which can guide future instruction.

•Journaling – Students record books they have finished and write a summary and/or things they liked/disliked about the text.

WORD STUDY

What is Word Study?

Instruction that focuses on the sounds, spellings, and meanings of words

Why is Word Study important?

There is strong evidence that suggests that the direct instruction of phonics and vocabulary are important factors in learning to read.

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Rasinski, T. & Zutell, J. (2010). Essential Strategies for Word Study: Effective Methods for Improving Decoding, Spelling, and Vocabulary. New York, NY: Scholastic.

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Vocabulary Instruction

•Devote time each day to “harvesting” words from texts. These can be added to a word wall, folders, etc.

•Play review games.

•Use visual cues to help students associate words and their meanings.

•Let students develop their own definitions.

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http://www.routledge.com/eyeoneducation/blog/2700/

KEY TO SUCCESS

Review, Review, Review

There should be time each week for students to revisit words that have been studied throughout the year.

This can be done through:

•Review games

•Cloze passages

•Literacy Stations

•Writing

•Speaking/Listening activities

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VOCABULARY REVIEW GAMES

PuzzlesUse a blank jigsaw puzzle. Create two pieces for each review word. One piece has the word. The other has a sentence that has a blank where the word would fit in the sentence. Trade puzzles and put puzzles together.

Clue ReviewCreate four clues for each word. Make the first clue meaning-based. See if students can figure out the word with as few clues as possible. If they solve with one clue, they get 4 points. If they need 2 clues, they get 3 points…and so on. Clue examples:1.a leg covering2.Janice put on _________ as part of her outfit for the party.3.begins with an s4.two syllable wordWord: stockings

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VOCABULARY REVIEW GAMES

Ball GameStudents form a circle. Bounce the ball to a student. Show the student a word. The student has to read the word and use it in a sentence. They earn 1 point for each correct word. The student bounces the ball to someone else in the circle. Swat ItOn two posters or large sheets of paper, write the review words. Place the students in two teams. The first person for each team should have a fly swatter or pointer. Give clues. The first person to swat the word gets a point for their team. PasswordSelect one student to be the contestant. Show a word to the other students. They have to give clues to help the contestant figure out the “password.”

WORD WALLS

Because revisiting words that have been studied is an important part of vocabulary instruction, word walls or folders can be very helpful.

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MANAGEMENTSpace

Materials

Expectations

Time

SPACE

Things to consider:

•Where will we meet for guided reading?

•Can the students move comfortably between work areas?

•Are materials accessible to all students?

•Will students stay in their seats or move to the floor for read alouds and/or shared reading?

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MATERIALS

Things to consider:

•How will you organize materials for the learning stations?

•What items will you consistently need during guided reading and how will they be organized?

•What materials will students need on a regular basis?

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EXPECTATIONS

Things to consider:

•Noise level

•Working independently to avoid Guided Reading interruptions.

•Movement around the room during Literacy Stations.

•Accountability – tracking progress, quality, unfinished work

•Maintaining materialsMA

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TIME

Time management is the most important component of Balanced Literacy.

•Use a timer.

•Practice transitions until students can rotate in less than one minute.

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TIME ALLOCATIONS PER DAY

Read Aloud 5-10 minutes

Shared Reading 15-25 minutes

Guided Reading/Stations 45-60 minutes

Wordy Study 15-25 minutes

Independent Reading 5-20 minutes

Writing 30-45 minutes

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For questions or more information please contact:

Jennifer Garrett - garrettj@rcschools.net

Lorie Gober – goberl@rcschools.net