Outline Of A Balanced Literacy

I completed my literacy field experience at Isanti Intermediate School/School for all Seasons in Isanti, MN. I was able to complete my 20 hour observation in a 1st grade classroom (primary), a 3rd grade classroom (intermediate), and conducted fluency tests in a 5th grade classroom. Each class had approximately 22 to 25 students. Also during this literacy class, I was also able to spend a few days observing a 3rd/4th grade classroom and a kindergarten classroom through a couple of sub jobs I completed. I need to note that my understanding was that 3rd grade was part of the intermediate program so I completed half my observation and assessment time with a 3rd grade classroom and completed a 3rd grader assessment. I am happy to say

Content area teachers can implement strategies and scaffold learning when planning and designing instruction so that students will actively engage in literacy. According to Dobbs, content area reading instruction includes: the information present in the text, and the instructional plan teachers use to help students understand the content (2003, p.3). Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz explain that in order to plan instruction effectively, teachers must be aware of the explicit and functional dimensions of content literacy. The explicit aspect of content literacy involves the development of skills and strategies that enable students to comprehend what they are reading. Functional instruction focuses more on the application of strategies needed to derive knowledge from a variety of sources of information.” (2014, p. 134). Forget defined literacy as “listening, thinking, reading, and speaking in such a way that information and ideas are processed and communicated to the benefit of self and society” (2003, p. 5). Content area teachers need to plan and design lessons so that students will actively engage in literacy. Forget goes on to discuss that poor performance in schools can be do to a lack of basic literacy skills. Therefore, teachers need to implement the skills and strategies found to be successful in literacy to ensure

Literacy embraces reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Integrating all of these into a literacy program is key. Teachers must provide endless and ongoing opportunities for their student to read, write, listen, and speak.

For this reason, careful research and understanding of what the standards are asking educators to teach is required. Houck (2008) informs balanced literacy is a combination of teaching methods and strategies involving both whole language and skill development. Used correctly, balanced literacy has the potential to meet the needs of all students at their own individual level. All components of reading, including phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, speaking and listening, and writing are taught using this framework. Balanced literacy provides instruction by various methods. The use of read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, word study, and writing are all used to provide students with a release of responsibility model in which they go from guided to independent work (Frey, 2005). The need for all components of reading to work together in order for comprehension to take place makes balanced literacy an instructional reform plan worth implementing (Beringer & Abbott, 2010).

Literacy instruction is a large focus to the curriculum we as educators follow at Remsen Elementary. Remsen strives for excellence in literacy education and provides a variety of instruction literacy plans in order to support student learning. As stated by our district, “Explode the Code”, Wilson’s Fundations (grade K-3), Leveled Literacy Intervention Curriculum, and Literacy Centers are used with fidelity. Along with these primary instructional resources, interventions and supplemental learning opportunities help teachers to monitor student progress closely through a carefully conceived, supported, and sustained Response to Intervention program (elementary level), and the use of purposeful and comprehensive assessment and progress monitoring program (grade PK-12) to measure student growth and achievement. Furthermore, our “Guide to Response to Intervention (RTI) and Instruction” details our full curricula and materials at REMSEN, PK-12” (REFERENCE WEBSITE).

Throughout my first year as a middle school Language Arts teacher, I have developed a theoretical understanding of what I believe are the necessary components to providing a meaningful and generative environment in which students develop and expand literacy skills. The teaching of literacy needs to include a balance of reading, writing, speaking and listening activities, and needs to be a social endeavor that provides a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all diverse learners. My teaching strategies, beliefs and personality that I bring to my classroom can be characterized as a blend of two types of philosophical theories: social constructivism and relational teaching and

At Brockton High School in Brockton, Massachusetts, the school put forth an initiative to integrate literacy-related instructional strategies across all content areas. This school-wide instructional goal has attributed to the overall boost to student achievement. The leadership team at Brockton High School recognized that changing the school culture would require the adults on campus to re-evaluate curriculum and instructional strategies.`Moreover, changing the mindset of school requires an examination of data to determine the area of need. The leadership at Brockton recognized that the greatest gaps in student achievement stem from the lack of literacy skills. With the use of content-specific information, literacy skills such as reading, writing,

My rational is based on my role as a hearing itinerant. A hearing itinerant can only provide services for children who are deaf and hard of hearing for the following subjects: reading, auditory training, and language. Therefore, the use of literacy was presented through each lesson addressing the following standards: MLSS.ELA-Reading.K.R.1.B.a identifying and sorting pictures of objects into conceptual categories, MLSS.ELA-Literacy.K.RF.1.A.a. identifying all upper and lower case letters, and MLSS.ELA- Literacy.K.R.1.A.c. retelling main ideas or important facts from a read aloud or familiar

Literacy is defined as being literate, that is, being able to read and write in a language. My personal experience with literacy began at an early age, at the age of 4 when I began to sit and read words and letters in the back of my mother’s car. Soon enough, she would bring me a magazine called “Majed” which, in the 90’s, was a popular magazine. With this, I began even more interested in reading and writing and reviewed every word in the magazine associated with each of the short pictured stories. It was the first memory I deeply recall of literacy and it was what laid the foundation for my personal love of reading and writing. The methodology used for this is an interview. There are three interviews which are analyzed and brought together in the form of a narrative. This narrative serves to better explain the emotions and thoughts that the interviewees had about the idea of literacy.

The literacy program is involved in reading and writing, which Hill (2006) states where a teacher can scaffold children’s learning to model, share and guide, and encourage independence. In a scaffolded approach to literacy, for example, the experience of reading aloud to children provides rich vocabulary and language structure.

There is no doubt our educational system is more complex than ever before. There is much to consider when looking at the balance between theories, proven methods, and the reasons why we chose to invest such time into our children’s education. In this paper I will touch on these theories, methods and the importance of the education.

Word’s have power and meaning beyond what they may initially seem. People have even dedicated their entire lives to stringing words together in such a way that a story is born. In doing this new wonderful worlds and thoughts could be shared. It is thanks to those amazing people that I have become who I am today, a reader with the ability to understand difficult concepts and share my own thoughts in a way that anyone could understand. Although I was able to understand the many parts that make up literacy it took years for me to master the verbalizing of literacy. It was within my speech therapy that I truly learned the value of literacy as a whole. Reading is only a part of what literacy really is.

How do we shape our literacy? Through culture, childhood or does it develops in the process depending on our interest? Is there a specific language that you have to master to be considered literate? In my opinion, literacy is the ability to understand what you read and write no matter what the language is. If you ask about my literacy background, it would be an interesting one. I grew up in the Philippines and continuously lived there for fifteen years. I attended a private school that utilizes a dual-language curriculum and mode of instruction, both “tagalog”—our native language and English. Thus, I became familiarized with the English language. However, a few years ago, my family decided to migrate to the United States for better opportunities. We moved in California and I had to make a lot of adjustments, both culturally and linguistically. Two major events which created a great impact on my literacy development were my family’s migration to the United States and my entire high school experience.

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

Reading is a natural life skill, and students must be able to read in order to function in society. Even in our everyday responsibilities such as working, grocery shopping, driving, banking, and reading the newspaper, we are required to do some sort of reading. One of the ways in which teachers can help students improve their reading skills is through strategy instruction (Duke & Pearson, 2002). “Strategy instruction involves teaching