And a FREE Balanced Literacy resource to help you get STARTED!

2023 is the Year of  LITERACY!

 Because 2022 was so BAD….we get  DO-OVER!

We get a “LITERACY ” do-Over”!

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Ready to UPDATE your literacy block? 

Balanced Literacy: Here is your PLAN!

*DISCLAIMER…  I know the Science of Reading is the NEW “go-to” for teaching Reading.

I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I am learning. I have been teaching reading to FIRST GRADERS for 30+ Years. AND I AM ALWAYS  LEARNING. SO… I hope YOU are open to new ideas & “reusing” OLD ideas to help our “littles” learn. If this helps YOU – Yeah! ( Jan. 2022). 

The Why? The What? and The How?

Balanced literacy has been defined as  “an approach designed to help individual students learn how to process a variety of increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001)

Fountas & Pinnell have been the guiding resource for Balanced Literacy. Today we listen.

It is an approach to teaching. NOT a curriculum. It is HOW we teach our students to be independent readers and writers.

It is NOT what books we use to teach them.

Balanced Literacy has been defined as “components” or  “pieces” of literacy instruction.

This series will focus on the components of a complete BALANCED LITERACY program. We will focus on clear and concise definitions. Definitions that educators can discuss in collaboration. A “common language” where we can learn from each other and with each other.

The 8 components we will focus on are:

1. Read Alouds
2. Shared Reading
3. Guided Reading
4. Independent Reading
5. Modeled / Interactive Writing
6. Shared Writing
7. Guided Writing / Writer’s Workshop
8. Word Work

We will focus on one area of Balanced Literacy and share experiences,  teacher tips, and resources to support and expand our Balanced Literacy repertoire.

This week:   READ  ALOUDS.

As defined by education.com, the teacher reads aloud various types of text. She often models her thinking aloud as 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.

The READ ALOUD is done BY the teacher FOR the students.

Marie Clay (1991) writes that when teachers read aloud to students “meanings can be negotiated in discussion before, during, and after the story reading” (p.171). Reading aloud to students should include think-aloud or interactive elements and focus intentionally on the meaning “within the text,” “about the text,” and “beyond the text” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2006, p.33). Read aloud, as part of the gradual release of responsibility, feeds naturally into shared, guided, and independent reading as teachers demonstrate to students the ways the reading process works (Burkins & Croft, 2010).

Among the many benefits of a read-aloud, Rog (2001) lists the following:

• building vocabulary
• developing understanding of story structures
• supporting developing connections between print elements
• encouraging high levels of understanding
• teaching the reading process in a meaningful context
• modeling fluency
• motivating students to read

There are many types of print for Read Alouds. Classroom library books, Big Books, chapter books, charts, and poetry are resources for teachers to read TO students.

Here some great educators share their resources.

15 Read Aloud Books for First Grade

Erica at what do we do all day    

has a list of First Grade Read Alouds.

19 Perfect Read Alouds

Mia at the Pragmatic Mom also has a list.

Pinterest has many fun and exciting ideas!

The main goal of a read-aloud is to engage students with the text.

To create their own thinking based on their life connections,  and discuss the text with peers. Each will bring their own comprehension based on their life experiences. As they learn to communicate their thoughts and understanding to others, their own comprehension will expand. The teacher has an opportunity to draw the students INTO the book. Use your posters, visuals, artifacts, and storytelling techniques to be the characters, create the world using your voice, and open the doors to new adventures.

How to PLAN Read Aloud Lessons

Paige from Our Elementary Lives shows a storytelling Read Aloud Lesson.

And there are MORE. Click the links below for more information on READ ALOUDS.

Upper Elementary Snapshots

The Inspired Apple

Intentional Homeschooling

A Dab of Glue Will Do

In summary, a READ ALOUD is a book, a chart, a poem on a smartboard, or any other text in your classroom supplies, where the teacher reads TO the students using self-questions and think-aloud reading strategies. The goal is to model fluent and expressive reading. The students then INTERACT with the text through discussions, writing, and/or thinking for themselves.

These literacy posts may help in YOUR Balanced Literacy journey.

Balanced Literacy

Read At Home

Flexible Seating

These resource books for TEACHERS may be helpful for YOUR reading.

The Ultimate Read-Aloud Resource

The Ultimate Read-Aloud Resource 

The Read-Aloud Handbook

The Read-Aloud Handbook

I hope YOU are prepared to practice DAILY Read Alouds in YOUR classroom!

Stay tuned for our next literacy experience…Shared Reading.

Please share with friends.

Leave me a comment…How do YOU use Read Alouds in YOUR classroom?

Read Aloud for 15 Minutes

Read Aloud

For MORE  Literacy Resources…

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Wendy