Preview

Balanced Literacy (essay describes the importance of having a balanced literacy approach in the classroom).

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1480 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Balanced Literacy (essay describes the importance of having a balanced literacy approach in the classroom).
"After years of conflict between whole language and phonics advocates, a consensus about what works is emerging from the research: What is needed is a balanced approach to reading instruction - an approach that combines the language and literature-rich activities associated with whole language activities aimed at enhancing meaning, understanding, and the love of language with explicit teaching skills as needed to develop fluency associated with proficient readers."

Balanced literacy is an approach for teaching literacy that is widely used in classrooms across the country. It involves several methods of teaching and learning reading and writing, whole class instruction directed by the teacher with independent work in reading, writing, and oral language. By integrating a variety of approaches, a balance is achieved in which students learning to understand text (from a whole language approach) as well as how to read text (from a phonics approach).

Balanced literacy is a framework designed to help all students learn to read and write effectively. The idea is firmly based on the premise that all students can learn to read and write. In order to achieve this balance between reading and writing, a number of components must be implemented. The seven major components of a balanced literacy program are: (1) read alouds, (2) shared reading, (3) wordy study, (4) guided reading, (5) independent reading, (6) shared writing, and (7) assessment/conferences.

To help foster a love for reading and expose students to texts that they might not become familiar with ordinarily, balanced literacy includes an important read-aloud component. Teachers read to students, normally in a full class format, from texts that they would not be able to read on their own. Teachers verbally interact with students before, during, and after reading to help them understand and make a variety of connections with the read-aloud selection. During the read-aloud the teacher engages in a series of activities

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    unit 311

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page

    In a typical literacy lesson the children will take part in a whole class activity which can involve discussion, reading or writing, or maybe even a mix of all three. Then they will generally move on to do individual work to focus on more specific areas, then finally concluding with another whole class activity to have a discussion on what they have done.…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    NixLWk3Assgn3

    • 2450 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.…

    • 2450 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Literacy is not only represented by the texts in the environment, how those texts came to be, who is using them, and how they are being used, but is also represented by the feelings, beliefs, and attitudes about those texts by the members of that community (Barton, 1994). Included in these unobservable aspects of literacy practices are the mental construction, sense-making, purpose-setting, and valuing that goes on inside the head that is also defining of literacy practices. Namely, the ways in which people think about literacy, their awareness of it, their constructions of it, how they talk about it, and how they make sense of it are all indicative of the literacy practices of a society. The conceptions people hold about the reading and writing process as they are engaged in literacy events is just as important as the event itself (Barton,…

    • 2148 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Educating and guiding students to read and become fluent readers is a life changing experience for the students. Increasing literacy skills in students prepares them for academic and professional careers. Educators must reflect on their own teaching practices and implementation of intervention strategies to meet the needs of all children while taking into account of their individual reading readiness: emergent, beginner, and transitional. As educators are implementing strategies and teaching practices, they are creating a literate environment that is conducive to all readers.…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    TDA 3

    • 7716 Words
    • 24 Pages

    Literacy development is comparable skills of writing, reading and speaking and listening. These all link and help the children to develop in literacy. The aims of literacy are to develop children’s abilities to speak, listen, read and write for a wide variety of purposes. It allows children to express themselves creatively and imaginatively, within my setting we have the aims for writing, reading and speaking and listening within our English and Literacy Policy.…

    • 7716 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Literacies in Context

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages

    EDEE 400 – Assignment 1 Literacy in schools today not only involves teaching students to read and write, but is also heavily focused on giving students the necessary vocabulary and skills to understand different text types according to the key learning areas (KLAs) they are undertaking. While traditional ideas of literacy often ignored the diverse needs of students, contemporary notions of literacy are constantly evolving in response to changes in situational and social or cultural contexts (UNE, 2012a, p.5; Freebody, 2007, p8-­‐10). This now means that in order for teachers to be successful educators they must have a comprehensive understanding of the literacy demands across the subjects they teach as well as being able to explicitly introduce students into the discourse of each teaching area (Cornish & Gardner, 2009, p.245-­‐246; Derewianka & Jones, 2012, p.3; Freebody, 2007, p.9).…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Literacy Literacy, as we all know is the ability that we have to read and write that includes the capacity that we have to use and learn a language as well as any other things like understanding how to communicate. It is also the most important structure that our parents teach us, without it we would not be able to communicate with each other, we would not be able to learn new skills, such as learning how to use a computer, how to use internet, how to speak properly, without it the world would not be what it is right now, without it we would not be able to achieve our goals. Literacy can be found in newspaper, in books, in articles, in the internet, in the way we socialize with each other, it can be found almost everywhere because is something…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It gives structure on how literacy is taught in primary schools and provides suggestions on how this can be delivered to the pupils.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the planning process, educators can include a variety of activities that target these five important areas of reading instruction. This will ensure they provide a balanced approach to literacy that is based on…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This article discusses the use of authentic literacy activities for developing comprehension and writing. Duke & Gates define authentic literacy activities in the classroom as those that replicate or reflect reading and writing activities that occur in the lives of people outside of a learning-to-read-and write context and purpose (346). The article describes a two-year study that involved 26-second grade and third grade teachers and their students from school districts serving families of low and middle socioeconomic status. The purpose of the study was to develop students’ ability to understand and write informational and procedural text. The study found that teachers who included authentic literacy activities more of the time had students who showed higher growth in both comprehension and writing.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Literacy and Young People

    • 1795 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The progression of literacy skills is a vital aspect of development and learning. Without the ability to read, write and listen children and young people may not be able to function effectively in school, college, university or at work or communicate with others about their ideas and participate fully and safely in the community. Literacy enables children and young people to express themselves creatively and productively.…

    • 1795 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    By analyzing the research-based literacy practice that I conducted through this course, I gained many valuable insights about how to create a literate teaching and learning environment. It not only enables me to get to know more about my literacy learners but also how to select appropriate texts, include interactive, critical and response perspective in my literacy instruction. Moreover, I gain insightful feedback from my supportive colleagues by sharing my presentation with them.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In comparison, when students are reading with a teacher they are more nerves and more likely to make mistakes when reading. Maisinger, Schwanenflugel, Bradley, and Stahl (2004) in their study concluded when students are given the opportunity to participate in partner reading they have higher self confidence based on the positive feedback they receive from their partner. The research also measured students ability to stay on task when given the responsibility of reading with a selective partner. Students did follow directions and worked according to the given instruction (pp. 134- 137). Helping students improve their fluency is helping them over come those challenging words they continue to struggle with. Students also need to build confidence when they are reading to avoid making mistakes when they are reading. They need to have a sense of confidence when they read to someone else, and by hearing how their partner read aloud will allow readers to have an reading expectation from someone their age. The study did not mentioned students with learning disabilies or ELL, but this can be adaptable to them by placing them with students who are closer to their reading level and not their grade reading level. The study making the connection of improving fluency with the use of peer assistance with help the four students participating in the literacy intervention by assisting the person who is reading. They will be able to help each other by reading those unknown words and listening to how to read in a normal reading paist.- Check if anything else needs to added to this…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Balanced Literacy Essay

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Balanced Literacy incorporates both whole language and phonics into a “literacy program that aims to guide students towards proficient and lifelong reading” (Smith). Lucy Calkins, an advocate for Balanced Literacy believes that the approach is very effective. “Balanced Literacy can be used in language arts, social studies, science, and math” (Calkins, 2014). Balanced Literacy is beneficial to reading instruction. It has a goal “for students to become competent readers and writers” (Goltche). Teachers using the Balanced Literacy approach should expect to see growth in their students’ academic…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The attention given to reading fluency has fluctuated throughout the years in education. It is currently gaining recognition and once again becoming an advertised component in most reading programs. According to Avanchan (2010), fluency is a critical element of reading and should be taught in every school. This Literature Review will focus on the following research questions:…

    • 1279 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics