M9 U1 A3 - A Balanced Literacy Program, Strategic Instruction, and Best Practices

M9 U1 A3 - A Balanced Literacy Program, Strategic Instruction, and Best Practices

Philosophy of Reading and Writing Instruction
According to Dianne Nettles in Comprehensive Literacy Instruction in Today’s Classroom: The Whole, the Parts, and the Heart (Pearson, 2006), literacy instruction needs to include the “whole,” the “parts” and the “heart.” I will specify what I understand the quotation below.
The whole
“The whole” means understanding reading and writing cannot be separated;  writing as a reciprocal process to reading. As a language teacher, we should allow students to read authentic texts for pleasure and often and to use such texts as touchstone texts for writing.
“The whole” demonstrates that reading and writing are the whole as social activities.
“The whole” also means “all content areas teachers are responsible for the State standards of their discipline, they share responsibility for discipline-specific literacy skills as well, and should be incorporating the Common Core instructional shifts into their practice over the course of the year.” (CIE 2013-14)
The parts
“The parts” means students need explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and writing.
The heart
“The heart” means student-centered classroom. Teachers should be facilitators and guides to bring students’ interests, prior knowledge, values, family and culture into reading/writing. We should differentiate our instructions and foster students achievements in literacy.
In a nutshell, as a language teacher, my philosophy of reading and writing instruction is motivating students to read and write more, and help them to a point of competent, independent function at their developmental level by supplying them with information, skills training, and models from which they can apply new concepts.
Definition of Classroom Literacy Program

In my classroom, I prefer to apply for a balanced literacy program. A balanced literacy program uses both whole language and phonics. Balanced Literacy stands in the middle of both the whole language approach and the phonics approach. The goal of a balanced literacy program is to include the strongest elements of each. With the whole language, the belief is that we learn to read and write best by engaging in the language undivided. Language is taught through a system that encompasses word recognition and their relation to one another in context. This approach works for many students, specifically those that are hands-on, visual, and learn best through interaction. But not all students learn this way. With the phonics approach, the belief is that students learn to read best by teaching Chinese characters and Pinyin (sound) relationships. This is great for the auditory learner.
Reading Program
The components of reading program are as follows:
Read Aloud
The teacher reads aloud various types of text. The teacher needs to model his or her thinking aloud as he or she reads. The students participate by listening to the text and the teacher’s thinking strategies and then trying some of them out by talking with partners. The teacher reads the text, therefore taking away the visual sources of information, so that students can focus on meaning and structure.
Guided reading
Guided reading is generally more formal, instructional reading activity conducted one-on-one or with small, ability-level or needs-based groups.  Each student in a group uses the same short text.  The session begins with an orientation to the text.  The orientation provides an opportunity to introduce new vocabulary and concepts that students may not be familiar with.  Deep discussion centered on the illustrations and other key features of the text is important.  This enables all students to access the text and succeed in reading the text.  Following the orientation, all students read the text on their own.  The teacher moves to each child and listens to them read a section of the text.  From here the teacher is able to determine a focus for teaching.  The focus for teaching varies and may include:
fluency, expression, comprehension, sight word identification, and practice with phonics concepts.
This allows targeted teaching in subsequent sessions as the teacher has observed the students reading behaviors.
Shared reading,
The teacher reads an enlarged text aloud. The students participate by reading along, using strategies when they encounter difficulty. The teacher builds the meaning and structure up, so that students can bring in the visual sources of information as they compose meaning from a text.
Reading process
Students process text to obtain meaning by using any or all of the sub-processes that are involved in the act of reading.
Content area reading
Students use specific reading instructional strategies as they read literary and informational texts related to content area instruction.
Reading workshop
Mini-lesson
Work time
Students are working independently or in partnerships.
Teachers are working one on one, and with small groups, teaching them strategies that will improve the quality of their reading.
Share
Word study
Phonemic Awareness
English language - Understanding that spoken words and syllables are made up of sequences of elementary speech sounds.
Chinese language - Understanding that spoken words and Pinyin syllables are made up of sequences of elementary sounds.
Phonics
English language - Symbol-sound relationships.
Chinese language - Chinese character symbol - sound (pinyin) relationships.
Vocabulary
Words taught through explicit and implicit instruction, multimedia methods, and associated methods that help students read, learn and understand their world.
Spelling English words / Writing Chinese characters
Process (orthography) of recognizing, studying and learning the ordered patterns, conventions and derivations of words.
Writing Program
The components of writing program are as follows:
Shared writing
The teacher composes a variety of texts with students. She or he often models her/ his thinking as she/ he writes. The students participate by listening to the teacher’s thought process and then trying some strategies in order to help compose the text. The teacher writes the text, therefore taking away the visual sources of information, so that students can focus on using meaning and structure as they compose meaning into the text that is being written.
Interactive writing
The teacher composes an enlarged text with the students. The students participate by writing parts of the text. The teacher writes what is too easy or too difficult for the students. The teacher builds the meaning and the structure up so that students can bring in the visual sources of information as they compose meaning into a text.
Guided writing
Teacher guides students through mini-lessons and conferencing  Students develop their own. writing voice and begin to feel like authors. Students write for many purposes and in a variety of content areas. Students use a variety of formats for writing.
Writing workshop
Mini-lesson
Work time
Students are working independently or in partnerships.
Teachers are working one on one, and with small groups, teaching them strategies that will improve the quality of their writing.
Share
Writing process (grammar and conventions)
The ongoing and recursive process of becoming a writer (prewriting, writing, revising, editing, publishing).Teachers provide explicit instruction in grammar and conventions of writing. Students practice grammar and conventions within the meaningful context of their own writing.
All in all, in balanced literacy, the teacher is able to provide whole language learning opportunities through diverse instructions and strategies, while also providing explicit phonics instruction during both word study and guided reading time. Students can be exposed to both approaches within a balanced literacy classroom.
Reference
[1] Nettles, D. (2006). Comprehensive Literacy Instruction in Today’s Classroom: The Whole, the Parts, and the Heart. New York: Pearson.
[2] CIE,2013-14. Guidance for Literacy in the Content Areas. Retrieved from
http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/161B2F58-5263-4CE6-BAF5-A016CF539162/0/CIEGuidanceforLiteracyintheContentAreas.pdf
[3]  Teach-Now.  Classroom Implications of a Strategic 2r.3. Retrieved from
https://www.worthington.k12.oh.us/cms/lib02/oh01001900/centricity/domain/55/gradelevelguides/strategic_balanced_framework_for_literacy_.pdf












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