Balanced Literacy

Newell Elementary2013-2014

Independent Reading

Writing

Word Work Supported Reading

Balanced Literacy

Sample Schedule A20 minutes Working with Words (phonemic awareness,

phonics, vocabulary, etc.)

50 minutes10-15 minutes30 minutes5-10 minutes

Reader’s Workshop* Mini-lesson focused on specific reading

skill/strategy/standard Independent Reading (while teacher

confers with students and/or holds Guided Reading groups)

Share Time (with partners, small groups, or whole group)

50 minutes10-15 minutes30 minutes5-10 minutes

Writer’s Workshop* Mini-lesson focused on specific writing

skill/strategy/standard (includes modeled, shared, or interactive writing)

Independent Writing (while teacher confers with students)

Share Time (with partners, small group, or whole group)

Sample Schedule B20 minutes Working with Words (phonemic awareness,

phonics, vocabulary, etc.)

10-15 minutes Direct Reading Instruction* Shared/interactive read aloud or mini-lesson

focused on specific skill/strategy/standard

35-40 minutes Small Group Instructional Time* (students rotate to two of the following, with independent reading always being one of the two) Independent Reading Guided Reading Literacy stations (with an explicit purpose, tied

to a specific standard(s)), book clubs, or ongoing literacy based projects

50 minutes10-15 minutes30 minutes5-10 minutes

Writing Instruction* Mini-lesson on specific writing

skill/strategy/standard (includes modeled, shared, or interactive writing)

Independent Writing (while teacher confers with students or pulls small groups)

Share Time (with partners, small group, or whole group)

Lesson Plan Templates•Must include Newell non-negotiables

• Assessment• Differentiation• Student friendly objectives• CCSS• Essential Question• “I do”, “We do”, “You do”• Technology integration

•See Kindergarten example

Resources Available• CMS curriculum guides • Grade level curriculum guides from 2012-2013• Teacher’s Guide to Four Blocks• Month-by-Month Phonics • Words Their Way• Lucy Calkins writing kits• Newell Book Room• Reading A-Z•Storia (coming soon)

Classroom Libraries

• Leveled books from Booksource coming soon• Pre-labeled with guided reading level• Different titles in each teacher’s library• Aim to rotate classroom libraries a few times per year

Writing as a Focus

• Explicit mini-lessons on writing strategies/skills (daily)• Explicit modeling • Students need time to independently write each day with teacher feedback• Five-step process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing)

Grade Level Discussions• What are the different balanced literacy frameworks used by teachers on your grade level?

• How do you plan to structure your 2 hour block?

• What resources would you like to utilize in your literacy planning this year?

• In what ways will you strive to integrate science and social studies curriculum into your literacy instruction?

• How can you ensure writing is being taught/modeled explicitly everyday?