Chapter 10 (Tompkins) - “Organizing for Instruction” Review

What is a basal reading program, otherwise known as a comprehensive core

curriculum? What, would you say, are a basal program’s strengths and weaknesses?

A basal reading program is a curriculum from a book, that teachers can use to further
standardize learning across schools.
One of the strengths is students can go between schools and learn very similar if not the exact
same things
One weakness is it is a standardized curriculum so if you want to go a different way, you would
be straying from what everyone around you. Is teaching and the school probably won’t like it
very much

What can teachers do supplement basal reading programs with authentic reading and
writing activities?
Get the students to think of things they can do outside of the classroom. Get them to tell an
adult one of the stories that they read in school.

In CI377, we focus on writing lessons as part of a “Literacy Focus Unit,” which is

discussed in this chapter of your textbook. This chapter also discusses Reading and
Writing Workshop. For this question, please address the following:
-Discuss the differences between these two organizational frameworks for
literacy (literacy focus units vs. reading and writing workshop.)
-Which organizational approach seems more appealing to you, and why?

Literacy focus units- teacher picks the book and everyone reads it; teacher/student focused
Workshops- student focuses; stresses student work and development
I personally like workshops better because I fell that it can be more personalized to each
student and it would be easier to differentiate instruction and get books that the children are
interested in reading

Literature Circles are discussed in this chapter. Tell me about this instructional
approach and what you need to consider when allowing YOUNG children (for example,
1st-3rd grade) to participate in lit circles.

Literature circles are groups of students in which the students read a piece (chosen by them)
and have a discussion on it. When allowing younger children to participate have them know the
text, either through shared reading or by listening to the chapter on tape a couple times. They
should also complete a reading log so they have somewhere to start a discussion

We have discussed guided reading during class the past few weeks. What NEW
information have you learned related to guided reading while reading chapter 10?

The students can lead their own guided reading with a little bit of help. I also think a basal reading
program would be very beneficial and at least provide a place to start for teachers, especially new ones.