| Balanced Literacy |
 |
| When students are provided with a balanced literacy program ( reading and writing to, with and by) they understand not only how to read and write, but also the purpose behind it. The cool cats are engaged in many different reading/language arts activities each day. These are the integral components of our program and a brief description of each one: 1. Guided Reading- One of my main goals for the children this year is for them to become aware that the ultimate objective of reading is to gather meaning from print. Reading instruction will be taught in whole class, small group, partner, and independent settings. During guided reading, the children will be placed in small groups based on varying criteria throughout the year. I will meet with these groups while the rest of the class is engaged in literacy center activities. This flexible grouping offers me an opportunity to target specific skills, strengths and areas of concern. I will be selecting text to match the abilities of the readers in each group. The children will both read and respond to literature in different genres. 2. Shared Reading/Poetry/Read Alouds- During shared reading, I will be modeling reading strategies and comprehension. We will be focusing on story elements, story mapping, and the purpose of the author. Hearing a book read with expression gets kids excited about stories and encourages children to read themselves. 3. Independent Reading/Self Selected Reading- Research points strongly to the fact that kids who read most, read best. Some kids, through having regular and sufficient opportunities to read materials that they are motivated to read, will figure out a great deal about reading on their own. During self selected reading, the cool cats will enjoy a book of their own choosing. They will be selecting books from our classroom library and reading silently on their own. At times, I may ask them to make a more challenging selection, but in general, it is a book of their choice. Before reading these books, the children will make predictions in their reading journals as to what the book will be about. After finishing a book, the children are to select a project to complete from their reading contract list. 4. Shared Writing/Interactive Writing- Writing with students is shared writing. I will be writing ideas and messages with the children while talking and guiding them through the process of composing. As students compose along with me, they will be asked questions to clarify the meaning of the message and they will talk about it's purpose and intended audience. I will be inviting the students to share the pen and write the parts that they can. 5. Working With Words- We have a Word Wall that displays " High Frequency Words" and words with various spelling patterns. New words are added to the wall each week. We practice words on the Word Wall daily where decoding and spelling abilities are enhanced as children chant, write and check words. Word Wall words provide the correct spelling for the high frequency words students use often in their writing. The students are also engaged in many different word wall games and activities in the "Word Wall Center". 6. Independent Writing/Writer's Workshop- Writer's Workshop is a very special time in. Cool cats love to write. Last year, we had 155 books in our " Stories Written by Cool Cats" bin. The writing approach we use is aimed at the students taking the basic skills they have learned so far and applying them in a structured, formal writing process. This process has several defined steps including: Brainstorming, organizing ideas, rough drafts, revising, editing and publishing. Conferencing with peers and the teacher is an important part of this process. This allows the writer to receive feedback on both the creative and mechanical parts of writing. The children will practice editing skills through daily, whole class mini-lessons and small groups in which specific skills are targeted. The cool cats will also be writing in personal journals every day. I start the year expecting five sentences written, and then gradually increase this minimum. The journals are neither graded nor corrected. It is an excellent tool in which they can derive ideas for stories. It is aslo a wonderful window into their lives, and often times a child may share something with me about his or her life in this forum instead of in conversation. |
 |
 |