Components of a Balance Literacy Program

Read Alouds This is where the teacher reads all or part of a text to the student. It forces them to pay closer attention to what is being read and gives less distractions. It also allows the educator to teach new literacy strategies by modeling them during the reading. Helps to build the skill of actively listening.

Shared Reading This is where the teacher and the class read a text together. While the teacher can still model literacy strategies it also makes the student develop an awareness of the text. Taking turns reading aloud during this process also help to develop fluidity and can be used to assess fluency. With the teacher and peers reading along it helps to create a safe reading environment where they can read without fear of making a mistake.

Guided Reading This has the teacher introducing a text to the class that is on their level but not necessarily reading it as a class. This is meant to help lead them toward independent reading. Helps the student master certain comprehension skills as well as the teacher to monitor individual progress and regroup as necessary.

Independent Reading This is where the student reads independently. For this to be successful the student must utilize all of the literacy tools picked up in the other sections. This component encourages strategic reading and gives them control over what they choose to read. This helps develop fluency by choosing just right books as well as builds confidence when new and harder texts are read.

Modeled/Shared Writing In this component the teacher and student collaborate to write where the teacher listens to what the student wants to write and writes it for them. This sage and scribe style is often used in the Kagan teaching strategy. Helps to model writing methods and helps to refine communication skills.

Interactive Writing The teacher and student are still writing together in this component but the student does some of the wring themselves. It is often referred to as the shared pen technique. This helps the student to plan out and construct their writing skills while applying what they have previously learned.

Independent Writing In this final component students are writing completely on their own. This independence helps them to develop understanding of the many uses and types of writing. It also help support

reading development in that they have to pick out certain pieces of information they want to write about.