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A COMPREHENSIVE, BALANCED LITERACY PROGRAM

Tammy Gingras

Literacy: The Integration of the Language Arts

EEDUC 5121

Gwen Barry Blumberg, Adjunct Faculty

March 15, 2009

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Comprehensive, Balanced Literacy Program 3

References 8

Appendix 9

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What will a comprehensive, balanced literacy program

consist of and look like in my 2nd grade classroom? I will

provide students with the skills and strategies they need to

become independent readers and writers. I will do this by

providing a variety of reading materials and presenting them in

many different ways. I will use various types of word studies

and a word wall to build spelling and phonics skills. I will

also implement writing workshops.

When you enter my classroom, one of the first things you

will notice is the classroom library. The library will be

created in a separate area of the room and will look comfortable

and inviting. There will be a rug on the floor and several large

pillows and bean-bag chairs. There will also be a tall floor

lamp with two comfortable small chairs on each side of it. I

will also have my own rocking chair to use during silent

sustained reading. The bookshelves will be full of colorful

baskets that contain different genres and types of reading

materials. They will all be labeled to make locating a book easy

for the students. The books will all be leveled according to

Guided Readingby Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. During

independent reading times, students will be able to use the

entire library area and classroom to make themselves feel at

home.

To get the year started, I will be administering an

Observation Survey similar to the Observation Survey created by

Marie Clay. The Observation Survey will include a reading

inventory that will help me collect a reading history and

background information on each student. I will administer a

dictation test to the students to observe their ability to hear

and record sounds in words. I will do a phonemic awareness

inventory on those students that I feel may need extra phonics

help. I will also do a running record with each student to

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determine their reading level. I will be administering and

analyzing the data from a Primary Spelling Inventory from Words

Their Way. The information I collect and analyze from the

Observation Surveys will allow me to group students for

different areas of instruction and create goals for future

growth. I will repeat the running records on my students several

times a year and the Primary Spelling Inventory three times a

year. I will re-administer the other tests on an as needed basis.

For reading and writing instruction, I will be using the

Model for Effective Teaching and Learning presented by Regie

Routman in her book Conversations. (See Appendix). Regie states,

The best teachers make tasks explicit through demonstration,

shared demonstration, guided practice, independent practice,

response and feedback, more demonstrations, and ongoing

assessment (Routman, 2000, p.23.) The model basically works

from direct teacher support to guiding the students to

independence in reading and writing. I believe that modeling is

the most powerful tool for instruction and for setting up my

students for success in what they do, whether it is in reading

or writing.

One thing you will notice in my classroom is that everyone

has fun reading. When students enter the classroom in the

morning, they will get themselves settled in and sit right down

at their desks to read. I think this is a great way to start the

day. After recess, the students will gather in the library area

on the rug while I read to them. I will be reading picture

books, short chapter books, poems, songs, magazine and newspaper

articles, and anything else I find interesting for them. This

time of the day will be informal and allow students to sit back

and unwind before we move onto the rest of the day. More

importantly, it will allow me to model good reading skills and

introduce my students to different genres, concepts, and

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vocabulary that they may not be able to read or discover

independently. There will also be time each day designated for

sustained silent reading. The focus of this reading time will be

reading for enjoyment. Everyone, including myself, will be

sitting around the room reading independently for 15 to 20

minutes. I will designate two days a week to roam around the

room for informal one-on-one reading conferences. I will require

students to keep a log of the books and genres they have read.

The log will include the name and author of the book, the genre,

and a rating scale to rate the books they read. This log will be

on-going, and it will allow the students to see their reading

progress.

For direct reading instruction, I will be using the model

in Guided Reading. Students will be grouped according to reading

and skill level. Each group will have four to six students and

will meet for 15 to 20 minutes. I will work with the neediest

groups every day. I will meet with the other groups at least

three times a week. I will be doing modeling, shared reading,

conferencing, and word work. I will select leveled readers based

on the reading level of the group. I will begin with an

introduction to the book. Next, I will discuss what prior

knowledge the students have about the theme or topic of the

book. I will also bring up any vocabulary words or specific

skills the students will need to successfully read the book on

their own. At this time, I will work with them on any specific

word work I feel is necessary. Then, I will begin reading the

book with the students as a shared reading in which I will ask

questions and discuss the characters, setting, theme of the

story, and anything the students do not understand. We will make

predictions, summarize, retell, think aloud, and create graphic

organizers to reinforce ideas or concepts. The purpose of the

shared reading is to have conversations about the book and to

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make sure that students are comprehending what has been read.

From the shared reading, I will guide the students into whisper

reading and make my way around the group to listen to their oral

reading and have one-on-one conferences. Once I feel that the

students have the skills necessary to read the book

independently, I will send them back to their seats to finish

and re-read the story alone or with a partner. I will quickly

evaluate what I just worked on and make some notes about what I

will work on during our next meeting. I will then call the next

group of students to begin their guided reading.

While I am doing guided reading groups, the rest of the

class will be busy working at their seats. Some will be

finishing the book we read during their guided reading group.

Others will be doing specific word work from our weekly work

board and doing activities using the words on our word wall.

Words Their Wayis loaded with ideas I will use for creating

word sorts and word games. I will also include activities from

Making Words (Cunningham & Hall, 1994). All of the activities I

include will help to build phonemic awareness, phonics,

vocabulary, and spelling to help students be successful readers

and writers. These skills will be reinforced throughout the day

during morning message, whole class reading, and during writers

workshop.

I also plan to implement a writers workshop. The focus of

this workshop will be writing for enjoyment. About 15 to 30

minutes will be designated three times a week for writing.

Students will have the choice to write stories or poems from

their own ideas on topics that are interesting to them.

Occasionally, I will choose a writing prompt for the students to

work on.

For writing instruction, I will also be following the Model

for Effective Teaching and Learning from Conversations by Regie

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Routman. I believe that modeling quality writing is the best way

to teach writing skills. I will model good writing skills by

doing whole class writing aloud and shared writing activities.

During this time I will teach mini-lessons about things like the

importance of planning and organizing, word choice, punctuation,

and revising and editing. I think another powerful teaching tool

for writing is sharing writing samples from other students (from

other classrooms or previous years). Together, we will analyze

writing samples of excellent, average, and poor writing.

I am so excited to incorporate a comprehensive, balanced

literacy program into my own 2nd grade classroom. I feel that I

have so many great tools to support the teaching and learning of

literacy in my class. I look forward to a classroom where my

students learn while enjoying to read and to write.

REFERENCES

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Bear, D.R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., and Johnston, F.,

(2008). Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics,

Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction (4th ed.). Columbus,

OH: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Cunningham, P.M. & Hall, D.H. (1994). Making Words: Multilevel,

Hands-On, Developmentally Appropriate Spelling and Phonics

Activities. Grand Rapids, MI: Frank Schaffer Publications.

Routman, Regie. (2000). Conversations: Strategies for Teaching,

Learning, and Evaluating. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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