Balanced Literacy Components
What is Balanced Literacy
Read Aloud
Shared Reading
Guided Reading
Guided reading is an instructional reading strategy during which a teacher works with small groups of children who have similar reading processes and needs. The teacher selects and introduces new books carefully chosen to match the instructional levels of students and supports whole text reading. Readers are carefully prepared when being introduced to a new text and various teaching points are made during and after reading. Guided reading fosters comprehension skills and strategies, develops background knowledge and oral language skills, and provides as much instructional level reading as possible.
During guided reading, students are given exposure to a wide variety of texts and are challenged to select from a growing repertoire of strategies that allow them to tackle new texts more independently. Ongoing observation and assessment help to inform instruction and grouping of students is flexible and may be changed often.
Independent Reading
ndependent Reading is a time when students self-select and independently read appropriate books. Independent Reading provides an opportunity to apply strategies that are introduced and taught during teacher read aloud, shared reading, and guided reading. When materials are appropriate and students can read independently, they become confident, motivated and enthusiastic about their ability to read.
Children make great contributions to their own learning when they are given some control and ownership of the reading process. The self-selection process of Independent Reading places the responsibility for choosing books in the hands of the student. This teaches them that they have the ability to choose their own reading materials and that reading is a valuable and important activity.
While students are free to choose what they like, they must be encouraged to select a variety of literature and to select materials at their independent reading level. Independent means 95% to 100% accuracy as defined by running records. These materials should be able to be read without teacher support. It is at the independent level that comprehension, vocabulary extension, and fluency are improved.
SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION (STRATEGY GROUPS)
Teachers are to use Strategy Groups & Conferences to differentiate instruction for ALL students during the Workshop. Research shows that beginning readers benefit most from being taught explicit skills during intensive small-group instruction. The small-group, differentiated reading model enables teachers to focus on specific skills needed by varied groups of children.
Strategy Groups
•Students can be reading at a different level and different text
•Targeted strategy/goal oriented- one teaching point
•Similar structure to a mini-lesson
•Easier to have flexible grouping (students might be in two or more groups)
•5-10 minutes
•Scheduling example
Close Reading
Close Reading requires students to get truly involved with the text they are reading. The purpose is to teach them to notice features and language used by the author. Students will be required to think thoroughly and methodically about the details in a text.
Close reading includes:
o Using short passages and excerpts
o Diving right into the text with limited pre-reading activities
o Focusing on the text itself
o Rereading deliberately
o Reading with a pencil
o Noticing things that are confusing
o Discussing the text with others
o Think-Pair Share or Turn and Talk frequently
o Small groups and whole class
o Responding to text-dependent questions