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Salem’s Balanced Literacy Model

Introduction

In Salem City Schools the language arts program is a cornerstone of our elementary instructional program. Our program has changed and evolved over time in response to the needs of our children and to the collective body of research on teaching, learning, and literacy instruction. Certainly the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the findings of the National Reading Panel have helped to bring clarity and focus to literacy instruction across our nation. It is also clear that the children of our nation must have educational experiences that develop their 21st century literacy skills and their ability to think critically and creatively to thrive in the global community in which they live. Salem City Schools continuously evaluates its elementary instructional program to assure that our practices reflect the most current research relative to effective instruction. We work diligently to provide teachers with a supportive environment where they have opportunities to learn with and from one another. We also strive for an environment where teachers have many resources available to assist in their instruction and are encouraged to implement sound instructional strategies in a thoughtful, creative, and deliberate manner. In our elementary schools, teachers have joined together in book studies to investigate the body of knowledge about instruction and to apply that knowledge in their classrooms. As a result of the discussions and collaborations that have become a natural part of our daily work in educating the children of Salem, we crafted this written document to summarize and to support the literacy instruction that is the core of our elementary program. At the heart of our model and of all instruction in Salem is the division mission statement “Children First! Every Child, Every Day.” Our instructional program begins with the Virginia Standards of Learning and extends beyond by providing instruction that helps each child develop the skills needed to be an independent thinker and learner. We embrace the concept that literacy instruction permeates every content area because the extent to which students are able to master the content areas depends greatly on their ability to read, understand, interpret, and utilize the printed word. We also adhere to the belief that students need many opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue and to develop their oral language skills as a means to becoming good writers, good thinkers, good communicators, and good problem solvers.

The 21st century teacher focuses instruction on students’ needs, guiding

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them to acquire and use strategies that they will be able to apply for a lifetime. Teachers model for students and coach them, encouraging them to use their own resources to accomplish tasks and to learn from one another. Throughout the summaries included in this document, you will see this model:

I do it. → We do it. →You do it.

We refer to this as the “gradual release of responsibility” model. Teachers model for students, guide students as they begin to use their knowledge and skills, and then step back to let students take on more responsibility for their learning while providing feedback and support. “Gradual release of responsibility” gives students the tools that they need to make meaning of their world and to courageously approach learning with confidence. Together the “balanced literacy model” and the “gradual release of responsibility” model provide teachers with two intertwined frameworks for providing students with a sound and effective instructional program. On the following pages you will find brief summaries of the four critical components of a balanced literacy program – guided reading, independent reading, writers’ workshop, and word study – as well as a visual presentation of the balanced literacy model and a short “question and answer” section. These are meant only to give an overview. With each component you will also find a bibliography of pertinent and useful instructional resources.

Balanced Literacy Model

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Independent Reading Self-selected Texts

Literacy Workstations Direct Strategy Application

Student Accountability

Guided Reading Instructional-level Texts

Direct Strategy Instruction Multiple Format Guided Practice

Small Groups

Writers’ Workshop Focus Lesson

Express Original Ideas Writing for Various Purposes

Usage & Mechanics in Context

Word Study Phonemic Awareness

Phonics Developmental Spelling

Vocabulary

I do it → We do it → You do it

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Guided Reading

Guided reading is modeling for students “what good readers do,” then allowing them to practice that strategy through the gradual release of responsibility, from teacher to student. Guided reading lessons propel students forward, utilizing increasingly difficult texts as well as higher level thinking skills to move students toward independence.

According to Cunningham & Allington, “Guided reading occurs when a teacher guides students—whether a whole group, small group, or individual—through an activity designed to help them apply “good-reader strategies” (Classrooms That Work : They Can All Read and Write (CTW), 180). “Through guided reading,” according to Fountas and Pinnell, “you address your students’ needs at a particular point on the developmental continuum in order to expand and refine their reading ability” (Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades 3-6: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy (GRW), 192). Because students do not move along the developmental continuum at the same rate, guided reading with individuals or small groups can often meet student needs most effectively. Independent reading is also essential for providing students with further practice in the reading skills you want them to master. In guided reading, “we teach and practice skills until behaviors become habits and ‘default’ behaviors,” (The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades, 7). Continuous assessment through the use of anecdotal notes and running records is necessary for diagnosing student needs, designing appropriate instruction, and monitoring student growth. Teachers are most successful with guided reading when they use a variety of reading materials at different reading levels. Materials may include basal readers, sets of trade books, leveled readers (“little books”), big books, student news magazines, poems, and textbooks across all content areas. Today’s students have access to a wide variety of digital media, and therefore must be taught how to manage and interpret its content. With any text, it is helpful to ask: “What do students need to know in order to read this type of text successfully?” The chosen text should be one that students can already read strategically but still engage in new learning. Guided reading lessons often incorporate one or more of the following:

● Shared reading of a big book ● Echo and choral reading ● Partner reading ● Small group ● Book clubs and literature circles

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● Conferences with individual students These options help to create differentiated guided reading instruction for all learners, and effective teachers provide instruction in a variety of formats: whole-class, small groups, and individual instruction. One study cited in CTW concluded that the most effective teachers provided more small group instruction than their less effective peers.

Through progress monitoring of student growth, teachers must determine

an appropriate level of scaffolding for each lesson. It is important to keep in mind

the gradual release of responsibility model (I do it. → We do it. → You do it!). The

role of the teacher varies depending on the students’ level of proficiency. A

teacher may model a specific reading behavior, demonstrating “what good readers do.” Other times, a teacher is supporting students as they practice a strategy. Teachers also can prompt students to use appropriate strategies for themselves. Teachers positively reinforce strategy usage as students utilize them independently. Finally, teachers monitor student growth by recording evidence of good reader behaviors. It is important to remember that an effective guided reading lesson includes a good balance of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension instruction to meet the individual needs of the students. Helpful Resources for Guided Reading Boushey, Gail & Joan Moser. The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades. 2006. Boushey, Gail & Joan Moser. The Cafe Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment & Instruction. 2009. Cunningham, Patricia M. & Richard L. Allington. Classrooms That Work : They Can All Read and Write (CTW). Pearson Education, Inc. 2007. Fountas, Irene C. & Gay Su Pinnell. Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy (GRW). Heinemann. 2001. Fountas, Irene C. & Gay Su Pinnell. Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann. 1996. Fountas, Irene C. & Gay Su Pinnell. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency:

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Thinking, Talking, and Writing About Reading, K-8. Heinemann. 2006. Schulman, Mary Browning. Guided Reading: Making It Work (Grades K-3). Scholastic, 2000.

Independent Reading

“A systematic way of supporting and guiding students as they read on their own.”

--Fountas and Pinnell

The term “independent reading” is used to refer to a much more supportive and organized approach than simply giving students free time to read. It is not synonymous with SSR or DEAR time. The ultimate goal of independent reading is that students will independently apply good reader strategies that they have learned through guided reading. Research shows that the strongest predictor of achievement is amount of reading. It is such a strong predictor of reading comprehension that it outweighs intelligence, economic background, and gender. Students who are active, engaged readers will be high achievers even if the odds are against them!

Self-selected reading provides opportunities for students to self-regulate

and monitor their reading, characteristics found in the most effective classrooms according to CTW. Children in effective classrooms are expected to reflect on their work and take responsibility for their learning. Self-regulation and self-evaluation are also encouraged and modeled. A well-managed independent reading program includes students keeping their own records of their reading, managing their reading choices, and reflection. This reflection takes place in response journals, group discussions, or conferences with the teacher.

The first step in building a strong independent reading program is to get to

know your students. Information about their interests can be obtained through informal surveys or inventories. Knowing students’ independent reading levels is a must if you are to monitor their reading and recommend books. Most teachers schedule conferences in the form of kid-centered conversations in order to keep up with their students’ independent reading choices and progress. During conferences, teachers listen to students read and discuss how students are applying newly learned strategies. This is a perfect time for teachers to provide powerful, customized instruction that will help individual students refine and extend their reading competence.

The recommendation for self-selected reading is 20 minutes daily, but

teachers may need to build their students’ stamina to meet this goal. It is important that children not be allowed to wander around the room or choose books during independent reading time. Some teachers designate morning arrival time as the time for choosing books, so that no time is wasted later in the

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day when students should be reading! You may wish for students to have a “right now book” and a “next book” in their possession at all times. Of course, teachers will often engage students in lessons on choosing “just right books” early in the year. A great resource for very specific lessons on getting started on the first twenty days of independent reading can be found in Chapter 9 of Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6 (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001).

Independent reading can work at every grade level if it is expertly managed. However, many teachers in kindergarten and early first grade provide time for independent reading in the format of “literacy workstations.” These workstations provide students with an opportunity to practice taught skills independently, and may include rereading texts such as big books and poetry, word wall work, alphabet activities, drama activities, and writing. For more information, see Debbie Diller’s book Literacy Workstations: Making Centers Work and the DVD titled Launching Literacy Stations: Minilessons for Managing and Sustaining Independent Work, K–3.

It is also crucial that students choose their own reading materials and

have lots of options from which to choose. A wide variety of books and magazines is critical to the success of your independent reading program. The International Reading Association recommends beginning your classroom library with at least 7 titles per child with two additional titles per child purchased each year. The American Library Association recommends 300 titles in a permanent collection with supplements rotating in from the school library. Try asking for donations, perusing yard sales, or using book club points to build your classroom library. If you are in a pinch, try “rotating book crates” (CTW, 19) or asking your school librarian for some loaner books to help you get started.

Many teachers designate a sacred space within the classroom as the

“classroom library.” As you create this space, consider organizing materials for optimal student independence, arranging books and space in order to entice readers. Clearly label shelves, baskets, tubs, or boxes (by author, theme, topic, series, genre, level—hard, harder, hardest). Be sure to consider the movement patterns in your classroom and be sure that students can easily access the space. Also consider providing comfortable chairs, pillows, lamps, plants, rugs, etc. in order to provide an inviting atmosphere for reading.

The self-selected reading block typically begins with a read-aloud. The

read-aloud is critical for motivating children to become lifelong readers. Recent research indicates that teacher read-aloud is one of the major motivators for children’s desire to read. Try making a shared list of all the books you’ve read aloud, keeping track of genres so you can be sure you’re exposing children to a large variety of book types. In addition, reading a book from a series and then pointing out the remaining books is a huge motivator, as are books with sequels or books by the same author. Keep in mind that nonfiction is just as important as fiction when reading aloud!

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The opportunity to share and respond to books is an essential component

of independent reading. Students can write book reviews, perform book talks, share response journals, or meet in book clubs to discuss books they are reading. The intrinsic motivation that comes from reading books that they “just can’t put down” and seeking out new titles recommended by a friend or teacher creates lifelong readers. The effects are far greater than can be achieved with any reading incentive program!

Helpful Resources for Independent Reading Cunningham, Patricia M. & Richard L. Allington. Classrooms That Work : They Can All Read and Write (CTW). Pearson Education, Inc. 2007. Fountas, Irene C. & Gay Su Pinnell. Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy (GRW). Heinemann. 2001.

Keene, Ellin & Susan Zimmerman. Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Readers’ Workshop. Heinemann, 1997. (Also a 2nd edition available) Miller, Debbie. Reading With Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades. Stenhouse, 2002. Szymusiak, Karen & Franki Sibberson. Beyond Leveled Books: Supporting Transitional Readers (Grades 2-5). Stenhouse, 2001. Atwell, Nancie. The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers. Scholastic, 2007. (Great for Middle School!) Diller, Debbie. Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work. Stenhouse Publishers, 2003. Diller, Debbie. Launching Literacy Stations: focus lessons for Managing and Sustaining Independent Work, K–3 (DVD). Stenhouse Publishers, 2006.

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Writers’ Workshop

Writers’ Workshop is an effective instructional environment that engages students in the writing process to foster their ongoing development as writers. When you look into a classroom in which writers’ workshop is taking place, you see students actively practicing the tasks of authentic writing. Although there are several components, such as a whole class or small group focus lesson, time to draft, and a time for sharing drafts with classmates, the majority of time is devoted to writing itself. Writers’ workshop succeeds because it is based on the teacher’s thoughtful guidance of students in regular meaningful conversations about writing. The teacher circulates around the room conferring with individual writers. Effective teachers help the writer focus on the most salient ideas in a particular piece of writing and encourage the student to do further thinking and development of those ideas. In this way, students practice the craft of writing, thinking through the process as real writers do. They learn that writing is foremost about forming and expressing their ideas to convey a message.

In a workshop format, students learn and practice conventions of writing as they apply them to their own original writing samples. Students write drafts, revise, edit, and publish a variety of writing pieces during the course of the year. A student’s own writing is used to point out interesting composition or the correct use of conventions. Students read their own writing to a peer, to a group, and/or to the teacher in one-on-one conferences. The feedback each student receives helps him or her to identify and apply the skills needed to write a meaningful text.

Research has shown a student who writes in some form every day, with

the guidance of more capable writers, performs better on standardized tests than those who write intermittently. Conventions such as standard spelling, punctuation, and grammar are most effectively taught within the context of writing. Research studies indicate that students become better writers when they are provided with many opportunities to write across all content areas.

Writers’ workshop increases student motivation, which leads to increased

knowledge about the process and conventions of writing. It ultimately increases the students’ ability to think and to communicate effectively with others. The writers’ workshop approach is essential to the ongoing development of students’ ability to write. “While the basic principles [of a writer’s workshop] are the same,

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the focus for the focus lessons and the amount of revising, editing, and publishing will be quite different. Regardless of grade level, if you want to create willing writers, you must begin the year by emphasizing meaning and deemphasizing mechanics and perfection.” (Classrooms That Work,141).

The writers’ workshop classroom is a busy and productive place. It is not a silent room in which everyone is left alone to independently complete a prompt. The teacher fosters collaboration, sometimes referred to as “on task” talk. The teacher orchestrates a balance between the “buzz of writing” when students actively clarify their thoughts by talking during the writing process and the quiet time as students are thinking on their own. Teachers express genuine interest in the thoughts of the writers. She or he serves as a role model for the students, encouraging interest in classmates’ stories. The teacher also allows classmates to act as writing role models for each other. Students are specifically taught how writers talk during the writing process. Even very young writers can readily use language such as: I decided to write about…, What is your draft about?, You could add a part about…, I didn’t understand the part when…, and even This is the best piece I’ve ever published! To develop writing abilities over the course of the year, students are provided with various examples of high quality writing called mentor texts. These come from such sources as children’s literature, poetry, informational text, and other published pieces of writing as well as teacher and student writing samples. Students learn to use higher level thinking skills to examine, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize these examples of writing to influence their own writing. In a classroom where a writer’s thinking is valued, you would not see students copying sentences from the board to create writing samples. You would see “best instructional practice” which incorporates lessons consisting of student-selected topics or prompted topics that are intended to teach a particular form or genre. You would see handwriting instruction because it is a necessary component of writing development. However, it is not the focus of writers’ workshop. Students take ownership of their work when they view themselves as real writers. Essential Understandings for Teaching Writing in a Workshop Format

● Develop both short-range and long-range plans. ● Not every piece of writing is graded. ● Assess students’ writing using anecdotal records and checklists to note

areas needing support. ● Use assessments to plan future lessons. ● Guide students to find what they have done well and set goals. ● Verbalize your thinking process as you model your own writing for

students. ● Writers’ workshop is complex, with students working at various stages of

the writing process (pre-writing, first draft, revising, editing, publishing).

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Helpful Resources for Developing and Maintaining Writers’ Workshop Anderson, Carl. How’s It Going? A Practical Guide to Conferring with Student Writers. Heinemann. 2000. Cunningham, Patricia M. & Richard L. Allington. Classrooms That Work: They Can All Read and Write. Pearson Education, Inc. 2007. Fletcher, Ralph & JoAnn Portalupi. Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide. Heinemann. 2001. Graves, Donald H. A Fresh Look at Writing. Heinemann. 1994. Messner, Kate. Real Revision: Author’s Strategies to Share with Student Writers. Stenhouse Publishers. 2011. Ray, Katie Wood. What You Know by Heart: How to Develop Curriculum for Your Writing Workshop. Heinemann. 2002. Saccardi, Marianne. Books That Teach Kids to Write. Libraries Unlimited. 2011. Especially for Writers in Primary Grades: Calkins, Lucy, et al. One to One: The Art of Conferring with Young Writers. Heinemann. 2005. McCarrier, Andrea, et al. Interactive Writing: How Language and Literacy Come Together, K-2. Heinemann. 2000. Ray, Katie Wood & Lisa B. Cleaveland. About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers. Heinemann. 2004.

Especially for Writers in Upper Elementary Grades: Atwell, Nancy. Lessons That Change Writers. Heinemann. 2002. Fletcher, Ralph. What A Writer Needs. Heinemann. 1993.

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Fletcher, Ralph. Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices. Stenhouse Publishers. 2006. Fountas, Irene C. & Gay Su Pinnell. Guiding Readers and Writers: Grades 3-6: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy. Heinemann. 2001.

Word Work

In the field of education the term “word study” encompasses phonemic

awareness, phonics, developmental spelling, and vocabulary development. An

understanding of how words work is essential to the ability to read and write --

the ultimate purpose of studying words. We want to motivate our students to

learn, retain, and apply words over time. So what do we do? Effective word

study instruction teaches students to search for, notice, and understand patterns

in words by actively playing with language in meaningful ways. The focus is

learning about language in order to decode, comprehend, and write whole text in

a more fluent manner. Effective word study instruction is not based on the rote

memorization of words or definitions of words. Rather, lessons build successively

upon what is already known and add a new concept based on what is

developmentally appropriate for the learners. Teachers show students how to

approach the task of learning words in a way that creates independence.

Students learn how to organize and manipulate the patterns in words. A working

knowledge of these patterns means that students can learn to spell multiple new

words within a relatively short period of time. Further, students learn to

hypothesize, compare, contrast, and verify predictions about words -- all higher

level thinking skills that promote learning. The effective word study teacher uses

a cohesive approach that fosters word recognition, phonics, spelling, and

vocabulary without jeopardizing the essential time needed to practice reading or

writing whole text.

Throughout the year, the teacher structures the learning environment to

support the range of language learners in the classroom: from struggling readers

to strong readers, from struggling spellers to strong spellers, as well as ELL

learners wherever they might fall along a continuum. We know that language is

more easily learned when students are immersed in it and when learning

modalities such as visual, auditory, and tactile modes are integrated in the

activities at hand.

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The physical space in the classroom is arranged to include easy access to

resources such as a word wall, “Big Word board” for content area vocabulary,

dictionaries, student-made dictionaries or word lists, and student projects and

drawings with labels for vocabulary words. A well-stocked, organized classroom

library will go a long way toward influencing the number of words a student will

encounter during the year. In Classrooms That Work we read that “Researchers

now agree that most meaning vocabulary is learned indirectly, probably through

teacher read-aloud and independent reading. Elementary school children

acquire approximately 1000 new root word meanings each year. The staggering

number of new word meanings cannot be attributed to direct teaching of those

words (110).” While that may come as some relief to us as teachers, we also

know that words from content area subjects are good examples to teach directly.

The authors assert that displaying real objects for many words is an effective way

to teach content area vocabulary.

Ongoing assessment is key to gaining the most progress during the year.

Good teachers understand that students learn at different rates. They are also

aware that some spelling patterns are more difficult for particular students to

grasp than others. Research solidly shows there are distinct stages in students’

spelling development (Henderson, 1981). At each stage, students attend to and

control different orthographic features of words (Templeton, 1991). To maximize

student progress, the teacher uses knowledge of each student’s developmental

spelling stage to guide instruction. “The National Reading Panel (2000) reviewed

the experimental research on teaching phonics and determined that explicit and

systematic phonics is superior to nonsystematic phonics or no phonics but that

there is no significant difference in effectiveness among the kinds of systematic

phonics instruction” (CTW, 86). Effective examples of systematic instruction that

apply the principles of spelling stages are described in depth in the book Words

Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling.

Kathy Ganske, author of Word Journeys, suggests beginning a systematic

program in this manner: Early in the school year, the teacher administers a

spelling inventory to determine each student’s stage of spelling development.

After analyzing the results, she or he groups students for instruction. These initial

groups will change as students enter different stages during the school year.

Groups are created so the teacher can provide differentiated instruction based on

the stage of development each group has achieved. Because the groups are

flexible and based on each student’s current understandings, they do not restrict

a student’s progress as some traditional spelling programs have done in the past.

Depending on the group’s developmental stage, its members might study

phonemic awareness concepts or letter sounds, initial consonants, final

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consonants, beginning or ending digraphs, long a vowel patterns, root words,

prefixes, suffixes, or various other features of words. Classrooms That Work

describes many lessons and activities applicable to multiple levels of language

development.

Helpful References for Word Work - Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary

Adams, Marilyn Jager et. al. Phonemic Awareness in Young Children. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. 1998 Cunningham, Patricia M. & Richard Allington. Classrooms That Work: They Can All Read and Write (CTW). Pearson Education, Inc. 2007. Donald R. Bear et al. Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction. 5th edition. Prentice Hall. 2012. Ganske, Kathy. Mindful of Words: Spelling and Vocabulary Explorations 4-8. The Guilford Press. 2008. Ganske, Kathy. Word Journeys: Assessment-Guided Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary Instruction. The Guilford Press. 2000. Ganske, Kathy. Word Sorts and More: Sound, Pattern and Meaning Explorations K-3. The Guilford Press. 2006. Gay Su Pinnell et al. Word Matters: Teaching Phonics and Spelling in the Reading / Writing Classroom. Heinemann. 1998. Blevins, Wiley. Teaching Phonics and Word Study in the Intermediate Grades: A Complete Sourcebook (Scholastic Teaching Strategies). Teaching Resources. 2001. Cunningham, Patricia M. Phonics They Use. Words for Reading and Writing. 4th edition. Allyn & Bacon. 2004. Cunningham, Patricia M. & Dorothy P. Hall. Making Words: Multilevel, Hands-on, Developmentally Appropriate Spelling and Phonics Activities. Frank Schaffer. 2001. Kevin Flanigan et al. Words Their Way with Struggling Readers: Word Study for Reading , Vocabulary, and Spelling Instructions, Grades 4-12. Pearson. 2011

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Questions and Answers Q. How do I manage a balanced literacy classroom? A. Teachers know that there are two critical components related to classroom management. First, there must be clear guidelines for such issues as movement, interaction, use of supplies and resources, etc. Often teachers involve students in developing and/or articulating these guidelines. Second, in addition to teaching content, a teacher must teach students how to apply the guidelines in the classroom. As with any learning, students need to be guided and to have the opportunity to practice. In a balanced literacy program, students are actively engaged in learning experiences that are appropriate to their skill level. When students are engaged and know the rules, the classroom tends to run smoothly. Q. What about assessment and grading? A. Assessment and grading are related, but they are very different things. Assessment is ongoing. Teachers are constantly assessing their students as they listen to them read or express their ideas, as they watch them working both independently and with others, and as they look over a student’s journal or other writing. Teachers also teach their students how to self-assess. Grading is generally used to report progress to others. In Salem we have the opportunity to emphasize assessing and monitoring as well as to focus attention on learning so that grading, though important, does not become the focus. Q. How do I prepare students for SOL testing? A. Using a balanced literacy model is the best way to prepare students for SOL tests because it teaches them to make meaning of text, to think critically, and to have confidence in their ability to tackle learning independently by drawing on their wealth of resources. According to NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), “Teachers should not have to set aside good instruction to prepare students to take a test. Instead, good instruction itself should be the best preparation.”

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Q. But what if I don’t teach language arts? A. Literacy is essential in every content area. Students need to learn to read and write in all content areas. Therefore the components of the balanced literacy model can and should be incorporated into all content areas. Similarly the “gradual release of responsibility” model applies to all content areas. Many teachers find that a similar balanced model works well for mathematics instruction. Q. What does a balanced literacy model look like in terms of the daily schedule for my classroom? A. Not unexpectedly, it looks a little different depending on the level of the students. In kindergarten, teachers know that their instruction is very holistic. They involve their students in many reading and writing activities throughout the day covering all content areas. Teachers read to children, read with children, write for children, write with children, develop predictable charts with children, and engage children in activities to develop oral language skills. It is important that children in kindergarten develop a desire to learn to read and write, build language concepts and print concepts, develop phonemic awareness, learn to recognize letters and sounds, and build vocabulary. In the primary grades, teachers should develop a schedule that ensures that each student is spending about 30 minutes per day out of their language arts instructional time in each of the four components of the balanced literacy model – guided reading, self-selected reading, writers’ workshop, and word work. Of course, as students are working in other content areas, the teacher continues to build literacy skills using many of the same strategies that are used for language arts. In the intermediate grades, teachers should find that most students have a good foundation. Once students are reading at the third grade level and above, teachers should begin to vary the schedule to allow longer blocks of time for reading and writing. The focus will shift to a greater emphasis on comprehension monitoring, thinking strategies, and navigating various text formats and genres. Hence, at this developmental stage, teachers can meet the needs of their students for word work with about 20 minutes of instruction two to three times per week. With a daily two-hour language arts block, that leaves the teacher at least 540 minutes per week for students to be engaged in the other three components. Equally split that would be about 180 minutes for writers’ workshop, guided reading, and self-selected reading spread out throughout the week. As children gain skills, they will need to have longer periods of time to engage in a component. The teacher may also find that the needs of students require more time spent in one component. However, a good rule of thumb would be a minimum of 120 minutes per week in self-selected reading and a minimum of 150 minutes per week in guided reading and writers’ workshop. Of course, teachers will continue to build literacy skills with their students in all content areas.

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(The daily time allocations for language arts in Salem provide for 2 hours 15 minutes in kindergarten, two hours 35 minutes in first grade, two hours 25 minutes in second and third grades, and two hours 10 minutes in fourth and fifth grades. With these daily allocations, teachers can easily accomplish the above guidelines with some extra time to spend as needed.)