By Dana Karls

The Five Reading Components

Balanced Literacy in the Classroom-Synopsis-

Balanced literacy is a method for teaching literacy that includes an array of various proven and effective methods for improving reading, writing and listening proficiency. This includes reading aloud, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, modeled/shared reading, interactive reading, and independent reading. All of these methods have been proven extremely effective in not only teaching children to read, but in helping to expand their minds and abilities in many areas of academics.

I believe that all of these methods are extremely important and must be implemented together in order for the methods to compliment one another. All of these methods overlap and are extensions of one another. As a future teacher, I plan to integrate myriad reading and writing strategies into my classroom as much and as often as possible. The five components of literacy- phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension- will help me provide excellent and invaluable literacy education for my future learners.

I will include a wide range of material and instruction to meet the personal needs and unique learning styles in my diverse classroom, making sure that every single student gets the individualized and quality education that he or she deserves- no matter what.

Wisconsin Teaching Standards1. The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and

structures of the disciplines he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for pupils.

2. The teacher understands how children with broad ranges of ability learn and provides instruction that supports their intellectual, social and personal development.

3. The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities.

4. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology to encourage children’s development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

5. The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

Teaching Standards - Cont’d6. The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication

techniques as well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration and supportive interaction in the classroom.

7. The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community and curriculum goals.

8. The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the pupil.

9. The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effect of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.

10. The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support pupil learning and well being and who acts with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner.

Phonemic AwarenessWhat it is: The ability to hear, identify and manipulate sounds in

spoken words.

Phonemic Awareness

Mini-Lesson:Using Names to Build Phonemic

Awareness1. Introduction: This activity helps students to hear

and recognize rhyming words.2. Level: Kindergarten – 2nd grade3. Procedure: Choose children whose names have lots

of rhyming words to come forward. Say a word that rhymes with one of the names and have the children say the word along with the name of the rhyming child.

4. Assessment: Have students make up their own rhymes, using their own names or names of their classmates.

Mini-Lesson:“Using Names to Build Phonemic Awareness”

5. Methods and Considerations for Diverse Learners: Students who are struggling may choose the rhyming words from a given selection that includes rhyming and non-rhyming words. Students in need of more challenge can be given a word and asked to list as many rhyming words as they can.

6. Reflection: I like this activity- it is simple and effective. It helps students gain an understanding of how sounds go together and it also helps students manipulate and have fun with oral language.-adapted from “Phonics They Use” by Patricia M. Cunningham

Phonics

What it is: The relation between letters and sounds in written words or instructional method that teaches children these connections.

Phonics

Mini-Lesson: “Changing a Hen to a Fox”

1. Introduction: This activity helps children listen to and consider one letter of a word at a time and manipulate words through this process.

2. Level: 1st grade3. Procedure: Have students “change a hen into a fox”

by writing a word on the board and having them change one letter at a time. Begin with “HEN”, have students copy the word on their papers or white boards. Tell them, “Now change the hen to a pen”, and they decide they have to change the h to a p.

Mini-Lesson: “Changing a Hen to a Fox”

continue on with: “now change your pen into a pet”, “can you change pet to pit?” (the teacher helps them stretch out the vowels to decide which letter to change), “now change pit to sit”, “next change sit to six”, “then change six to fix”, and “finally, change fix to fox”.

4. Assessment: The teacher asks each student in turn which letter they believe should be changed in order to get to the next word. She can check each student’s paper to make sure they are changing the correct letter.

Mini-Lesson: “Changing a Hen to a Fox”

5. Methods and Considerations for Diverse Learners: Students who are struggling may be given more guidance in stretching out the sounds of each letter and pointing out which letters sound similar to letters in other words. Students in need of further challenge may be asked to change bug into hen (or something similar) on their own.

6. Reflection: I think that this activity is extremely relevant and effective for helping students to isolate parts of words and to understand that these parts can be manipulated to form other written words.-adapted from “Phonics They Use” by Patricia M. Cunningham

Fluency

What it is: Fluency is the ability to read most words in context quickly, accurately, and with

appropriate expression.

Fluency

Students need to hear and see what fluent reading is. They should always have many opportunities for reading aloud, buddy reading, and listening to books on tape.

Mini-Lesson: “Choral Reading”

1. Introduction: This activity helps students become more fluent readers through repeated readings of an enjoyable text with rich vocabulary.

2. Level: All levels, depending on text difficulty.3. Procedure: The teacher chooses a short passage-often

a poem- that will appeal to her students and reads the passage aloud several times, modeling fluent reading. Meaning of the poem and vocabulary words are built through discussion. Students each receive their own copy of the poem and the teacher and the class do a choral reading of the poem several times, with different students reading different parts each time through.

Mini-Lesson: “Choral Reading”

The students are paired and take turns reading the passage to each other several times. The children help each other and respond to each other with praise and encouragement.

4. Assessment: The teacher may walk around the room during partner time and observe the students reading to each other.

5. Methods and Considerations for Diverse Learners: Students who struggle with a difficult text may be given a simpler passage and keep reading it for days or weeks with guidance and encouragement from the teacher. Students who excel may be given more difficult passages and asked to read them aloud in front of the class or in groups.

6. Reflection: I really like this activity because it gets everyone involved on many different levels. It allows advanced learners a chance to challenge themselves and to help others, and it allows struggling students to practice and improve without stress or pressure. This is a great way to help students practice hearing, reading, and speaking fluently every day. -adapted from “Phonics They Use” by Patricia M. Cunningham

Vocabulary

What it is: Vocabulary is the words that we must know in order to communicate effectively. There are

four types of vocabulary:

Listening- the words we need to know to understand what we hear.

Speaking- words we use when we speak.

Reading- words we need to know to understand what we read.Writing- words we use in writing.

Vocabulary

Mini-Lesson: “Making a Word Wall”

1. Introduction: Children need to associate meaning with the abstract connecting words that are frequently found in text. These words should be displayed in a readily accessible and viewable place- a word wall.

2. Level: all levels3. Procedure: Create a large bulletin board and

add words gradually- about five per week. These should be common words found often in the writing that students encounter or words that will be useful for the students to know during a particular unit or lesson.

Mini-Lesson: “Making a Word Wall”

make words accessible and where everyone can see them. Use a variety of colors to organize the words in the most logical manner to aid students’ understanding.Practice the words by chanting and writing them. Do a variety of review activities to provide enough practice so that the words are read and spelled constantly.Enforce correct spelling of word-wall words in all student writing.

4. Assessment- the teacher can conduct spelling “trys” where students write or say word-wall words after a teacher prompt. The students get a point for every correctly spelled word, but are not penalized for incorrect answers.

Mini-Lesson: “Making a Word Wall”

5. Methods and Considerations for Diverse Learners: Provide a great variety of review activities, such as repeated writing, saying, and hearing words, for students who struggle with visual learning. For students who excel at word-wall activities, have them write a short story using the word-wall words, or provide advanced words on flashcards for them to strengthen their vocabularies.

6. Reflection: I really like the idea of “doing” a word wall, as opposed to simply having one in the classroom and expecting students to use it or learn from it. The more the teacher facilitates interaction with the word wall, the more that the students will learn and develop rich vocabularies that they can actually use.-adapted from “Phonics They Use” by Patricia M. Cunningham

Comprehension

What it is: The ability to understand and gain meaning from what has been read.

Comprehension

Mini-Lesson: “Beach Ball Activity”

1. Introduction: This activity is a fun and effective way to see if your students are comprehending the text they are reading.

2. Level: All levels, depending on difficulty of text and questions3. Procedure: Before class, write a question about the text on

each section of the ball. The questions should pertain to various aspects of the story: main characters, plot, predictions, favorite part of the story, message, similar stories, etc.Toss the ball to one student at a time and have the student try to answer the question that is facing her when she catches the ball. The student can then toss the ball to another student or the teacher can be “all-time tosser”.

Mini-Lesson: “Beach Ball Activity”

4. Assessment: The teacher can pay attention to students’ answers to see which students are truly understanding the text and which students need more practice.

5. Methods and Considerations for Diverse Learners: The teacher can create two beach balls: one with higher level questions on the text and one with simpler questions about the text. She can toss the appropriate ball to each student in turn, depending on how much she believes they need to be challenged. If students are uncomfortable answering in front of the whole class, the teacher can divide the students into groups and have them do the activity within their groups.

6. Reflection: I really like this activity. I think that students would find it much more exciting than simply answering questions about a text. It is a fun and low pressure activity which is also a great way to assess the students without having to give any tests or grades.

Overall ReflectionThis project on the five reading components has helped me truly realize the

incredible importance, not to mention effectiveness, of implementing a quality and interactive balanced literacy program in my future classroom. I have always had a great love for reading and a desire to help others learn to love reading, but through this class I have gained real-life skills with which I can actually use to help others learn to read. Coming into the class I certainly did not know the differences between phonics, phonemic awareness, and phonological awareness. Now, not only do I know the differences, but I know how to effectively implement these strategies, and many, many more, to help guide and instruct a classroom full of language learners.

Throughout this class I have gained countless strategies, ideas, lesson plans, materials, and much more so that when I finally enter the real world of teaching, I will be armed with everything I could have hoped for to help my students get the best education possible. I know that each of my students will have unique backgrounds, talents, needs, and preferences, and I am enthusiastic and well-prepared to make sure that each and every student that comes through my door gets the best education possible, including the very best literacy instruction they could ever hope for.