Any current teachers here familiar with a term called Balanced Literacy?

[DawnM]

I have googled and watch YouTube videos and I think I've got it, but I would really appreciate someone who is familiar with it to give some feedback to me on an essay.

 

Thanks,

 

Dawn

[Liz CA]

Not a teacher (other than my attempts at homeschooling :) ) but it could mean that a person has not just read Harlequin Romances but is acquainted with a wide variety of literature, genres, originating from various eras, as well as various countries...but maybe I am dreaming and it means something completely different. :lol:

[DawnM]

Yeah, it means something different and in my job application I need to write an essay about it.  So I am looking for someone who really knows their stuff to help me out.

 

Frustrated because I have asked teachers here who are currently TEACHING LA and English and they don't even know what it is.

 

I want to get this application in by tomorrow.

 

Basically it is a 4-5 step approach including:

 

Teacher reading to students

Group/Guided Reading

Read Aloud

Independent Reading

 

 

 

[Seasider]

Yeah, it means something different and in my job application I need to write an essay about it.  So I am looking for someone who really knows their stuff to help me out.

 

Frustrated because I have asked teachers here who are currently TEACHING LA and English and they don't even know what it is.

 

I want to get this application in by tomorrow.

 

Basically it is a 4-5 step approach including:

 

Teacher reading to students

Group/Guided Reading

Read Aloud

Independent Reading

 

Whenever I see those four groups of reading listed together, it's in reference to what difficulty/complexity of reading material should be used for each. Aside from that, I got nuthin!

[Southern Ivy]

I've never heard the terminology, but that sounds a lot like what we do with our writing and our reading curriculum. 

[Southern Ivy]

I found this picture which I think probably describes it really well. Is this what you are asking about? 

[DawnM]

Thanks guys but I have already googled, come up with the theory, and watched a bunch of YouTubes.

 

It is NOT about difficulty, it is about an integrated approach that combines whole language learning modalities with phonics methods.

 

This is for a job application and demands exact information.

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2016 by DawnM

[Southern Ivy]

What exactly are you looking for, though? 
How it looks in the classroom? Why it's beneficial to the students? 

[ElizabethB]

Supposedly, Balanced Literacy is combining Whole Language and phonics.

 

A lot of the things in practice are very much from the whole language side, though: sight words, guided reading, all the lower level books based on the Fountas Pinnell system are based on high frequency words and the 90% frustration level.  Usually, the phonics ends up being analytic, not systemic. 

Edited January 11, 2016 by ElizabethB

[Murmer]

I can try to help...I am a teacher (although not currently employed my license is current).  

[Haiku]

Balanced Literacy is an attempt to dress up whole language and make it look like a balance between whole language and systematic phonics.

 

It's not. Don't be fooled.

[porque]

I believe balanced literacy combines direct instruction (phonics) with connected reading, writing and critical thinking activities (whole language)

[DawnM]

Balanced Literacy is an attempt to dress up whole language and make it look like a balance between whole language and systematic phonics.

 

It's not. Don't be fooled.

 

Um, can't put that!

[DawnM]

I need to write a 300 word essay on how I would practically use the methods in the classroom. I am not even applying for a classroom position and the 3 teachers currently emlpoyed in the district don't know what it is.

I need to show how I would implement at least 3 points of balanced literacy as well as give my personal philosophy on literacy.

I have written an essay written, but would like a critique from someone who knows about it personally.

I haven't worked for 11 years but have kept my credentials up to date at all times.

Dawn

Edited January 12, 2016 by DawnM

[ElizabethB]

Balanced Literacy is an attempt to dress up whole language and make it look like a balance between whole language and systematic phonics.

It's not. Don't be fooled.

  

Um, can't put that!

Good thing I was not drinking coffee!! :) :LOL:

[ElizabethB]

I need to write a 300 word essay on how I would practically use the methods in the classroom. I am not even applying for a classroom position and the 3 teachers currently emlpoyed in the district don't know what it is.

 

I need to show how I would implement at least 3 points of balanced literacy as well as give my personal philosophy on literacy.

 

I have written an essay written, but would like a critique from someone who knows about it personally.

 

I haven't worked for 11 years but have kept my credentials up to date at all times.

 

Dawn

The philosophy of balanced literacy is good, that is the only good thing about it!! That part should be easy. Good luck with the rest.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Um, can't put that!

 

But you can still think it.

 

:laugh:

 

Sorry, I just wanted to participate.  :leaving:

[DawnM]

The philosophy of balanced literacy is good, that is the only good thing about it!! That part should be easy. Good luck with the rest.

 

 

I don't want luck, I want some help.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't want luck, I want some help.

 

I wonder if you can find some sort of teacher forum to ask about it.

[Arctic Bunny]

Two of the schools my kids have gone to have done Daily Five. Today, for example, my DS went with his small group and the teacher to read a short story together, discuss and answer questions. At the same time, the EA was listening to another group read aloud. A third group was reading to self, while the fourth group worked on writing. Tomorrow, the groups will rotate.

[MinivanMom]

I need to write a 300 word essay on how I would practically use the methods in the classroom. I am not even applying for a classroom position and the 3 teachers currently emlpoyed in the district don't know what it is.

 

I need to show how I would implement at least 3 points of balanced literacy as well as give my personal philosophy on literacy.

 

I have written an essay written, but would like a critique from someone who knows about it personally.

 

I haven't worked for 11 years but have kept my credentials up to date at all times.

 

Dawn

 

I was trained in "Balanced Literacy" when I was getting my credential back in the 90's. I didn't realize anyone used the term anymore. I would define it as an approach that focused on creating a language-rich environment. The idea was that if children were surrounded by books and print and were given lots of opportunities to read and write, then they would naturally develop into proficient readers and writers. It was built around "Readers Workshop" and "Writers Workshop", but also emphasized providing various levels of scaffolding for children as they developed literacy skills. So you wound up with activities like reading aloud, shared reading (think choral reading using giant books), guided reading (reading to you in small groups), and independent reading. Writing was scaffolded in a similar way using shared writing (you write for the class as you model your thought process), interactive writing (same thing, but individual kids help by occasionally writing a word or sentence), and lots of journal writing. There was no systematic coverage of phonics, spelling, or grammar. There were "mini-lessons" where teachers might teach a specific skill based on where the children were developmentally. Children were encouraged to use invented spelling as they were developing into writers. 

 

A typical literacy block would be 2 hours long. You might start with the teacher reading a book aloud. Then you would have a mini-lesson that focused on a specific skill or you might do some shared or interactive writing (imagine writing a class thank you note after a field trip). Then the kids would split into small groups to rotate through literacy centers. One center would always be guided reading with the teacher and the remaining centers might be "library" (reading independently from the class library), spelling (putting words together with letter tiles or magnet letters), and some type of "word work" (these varied wildly from good skills instruction to complete busy work). Then you would end with a long Writer's Workshop block where the teacher oversaw the kids working on individual writing projects as they worked through the writing process. It took a lot of skill to manage this approach well. 

 

In your situation I would write a personal philosophy that focused on the importance of developing a "language-rich environment" to foster the children's development as readers and writers. I would definitely throw in something about helping the children to develop a "love of learning" and helping them develop into strong readers. 

 

I'm not sure what they're asking for with the part about implementing 3 points of balanced literacy. Are they asking for specific examples? I would choose 3 things that you agree with and could actually imagine yourself implementing in a classroom. I would probably go with reading aloud to the children, having daily independent reading (DEAR or something like that), and guided reading. I'm not sure. That's a very specific question when you aren't even applying for a classroom position.

[ElizabethB]

I don't want luck, I want some help.

 

Phonics help, Webster help, Greek, Latin, Anglo-Saxon word root help, I can do.

 

Balanced Literacy, not my speciality, sorry.  I do have Dolch's book, but that is before Balanced Literacy.

[DawnM]

I was trained in "Balanced Literacy" when I was getting my credential back in the 90's. I didn't realize anyone used the term anymore. I would define it as an approach that focused on creating a language-rich environment. The idea was that if children were surrounded by books and print and were given lots of opportunities to read and write, then they would naturally develop into proficient readers and writers. It was built around "Readers Workshop" and "Writers Workshop", but also emphasized providing various levels of scaffolding for children as they developed literacy skills. So you wound up with activities like reading aloud, shared reading (think choral reading using giant books), guided reading (reading to you in small groups), and independent reading. Writing was scaffolded in a similar way using shared writing (you write for the class as you model your thought process), interactive writing (same thing, but individual kids help by occasionally writing a word or sentence), and lots of journal writing. There was no systematic coverage of phonics, spelling, or grammar. There were "mini-lessons" where teachers might teach a specific skill based on where the children were developmentally. Children were encouraged to use invented spelling as they were developing into writers. 

 

A typical literacy block would be 2 hours long. You might start with the teacher reading a book aloud. Then you would have a mini-lesson that focused on a specific skill or you might do some shared or interactive writing (imagine writing a class thank you note after a field trip). Then the kids would split into small groups to rotate through literacy centers. One center would always be guided reading with the teacher and the remaining centers might be "library" (reading independently from the class library), spelling (putting words together with letter tiles or magnet letters), and some type of "word work" (these varied wildly from good skills instruction to complete busy work). Then you would end with a long Writer's Workshop block where the teacher oversaw the kids working on individual writing projects as they worked through the writing process. It took a lot of skill to manage this approach well. 

 

In your situation I would write a personal philosophy that focused on the importance of developing a "language-rich environment" to foster the children's development as readers and writers. I would definitely throw in something about helping the children to develop a "love of learning" and helping them develop into strong readers. 

 

I'm not sure what they're asking for with the part about implementing 3 points of balanced literacy. Are they asking for specific examples? I would choose 3 things that you agree with and could actually imagine yourself implementing in a classroom. I would probably go with reading aloud to the children, having daily independent reading (DEAR or something like that), and guided reading. I'm not sure. That's a very specific question when you aren't even applying for a classroom position.

 

 

Huh, I just thought it was a new term.  I taught in the 90s and have never heard of it.

 

Thanks.  What you have said is basically what I have been reading and finding, so I guess I am on the right track.

 

They wanted 300 words or fewer and my essay is 299 words.   :lol:

 

I have two other essays to write and those I am more confident in writing.

 

Honestly, I could stress about these essays and work for a long time to try to get them perfected, so I guess I just need to have a self imposed deadline and send them in.

 

The whole thing (essays) is crazy and I keep assuming they are more concerned about my ability to write than the exact content.   At least I hope so.

Edited January 12, 2016 by DawnM

[MinivanMom]

Huh, I just thought it was a new term.  I taught in the 90s and have never heard of it.

 

Thanks.  What you have said is basically what I have been reading and finding, so I guess I am on the right track.

 

They wanted 300 words for fewer and my essay is 299 words.   :lol:

 

I have two other essays to write and those I am more confident in writing.

 

Honestly, I could stress about these essays and work for a long time to try to get them perfected, so I guess I just need to have a self imposed deadline and send them in.

 

The whole thing (essays) is crazy and I keep assuming they are more concerned about my ability to write than the exact content.   At least I hope so.

 

Yes, I think it's probably more about your ability to write and express yourself well.

 

They may also be looking to see that you will be a good fit in their district or school. They probably don't want to hire someone whose beliefs about education and reading instruction are completely opposite from theirs. From that perspective, it makes sense that they would ask these kinds of questions with everyone, even those interviewing for non-classroom positions.

 

It's also possible that some older administrator wrote these questions based on her own educational philosophy and training, and the questions don't actually relate in any meaningful way to the instruction currently happening in the district. I think that may be the case if your friends who teach in the district had never heard the term "Balanced Literacy" before. If so, then they may just glance over your essays without bothering to actually read them carefully. 

[DawnM]

Ok, I just hit send.

 

I had to write 3 essays and I was almost finished so this am I decided to just finish.  If they aren't perfect, then so be it.

 

Now to figure out whether to walk a cover letter in to the school I am interested in, or email the principal.   I have been told email is a better method of communicating as papers can get lost or shuffled to the bottom of a pile (dh's work won't even take paper copies anymore).  But I live in yesteryear where you personally did things like this.

 

 

[MinivanMom]

I know I've been out of the workplace for a while now, but I would want to walk it into the school. I've just had several experiences where the principal happened to be in the office when I dropped by, and I got an impromptu interview on the spot. 

 

Would it be possible to do both? Could you drop by the school with a hard copy and send a follow-up email with an additional copy attached? Maybe someone currently teaching has advice on how it's typically handled nowadays.

[DawnM]

I know I've been out of the workplace for a while now, but I would want to walk it into the school. I've just had several experiences where the principal happened to be in the office when I dropped by, and I got an impromptu interview on the spot. 

 

Would it be possible to do both? Could you drop by the school with a hard copy and send a follow-up email with an additional copy attached? Maybe someone currently teaching has advice on how it's typically handled nowadays.

 

Yeah, I haven't been working for a while either.  I could do both.  Is that obnoxious to do both?

 

I haven't been at this for a VERY long time.  The last time I worked I just got the job.  I was very well networked in my previous district and when admins would move to new positions, they would often take me with them.  Or I would meet someone at a conference and get offered a job.

 

I feel very funny being the "new kid" here.  I am too old to be the new kid and haven't been since I was 22 and getting my first job.  

[AppleGreen]

Supposedly, Balanced Literacy is combining Whole Language and phonics.

 

 

 

I was trained in "Balanced Literacy" when I was getting my credential back in the 90's. I didn't realize anyone used the term anymore. 

That was the term used when I studying for my degree and working in the classroom in the late 90s.

 

Hope your pursuits go well, Dawn! 

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I need to write a 300 word essay on how I would practically use the methods in the classroom. I am not even applying for a classroom position and the 3 teachers currently emlpoyed in the district don't know what it is.

 

I need to show how I would implement at least 3 points of balanced literacy as well as give my personal philosophy on literacy.

 

I have written an essay written, but would like a critique from someone who knows about it personally.

 

I haven't worked for 11 years but have kept my credentials up to date at all times.

 

Dawn

This is discouraging that schools are still using balanced literacy and want you to write an essay on it:(

 

I still wish you the best on your job though:)

[newhsmom]

I am also surprised that this terminology is still being used today. It was the rage when I was teaching 15-20 years ago. It was already on the way out when I left the profession 10 years ago. I get the impression from teachers in my area that The Daily 5 is the current thing. I purchased the Daily 5/CAFE book from Half Price Books in the last few years just so I could feel like I was keeping up with what was going on with literacy instruction.

[DawnM]

Those of you who were taught it or have used it way back......what grade levels did you teach?

 

 

[DawnM]

Thanks for the well wishes.  I have finished the application, and today I finished writing up a cover letter and will be getting that off this evening.

 

I hate this part of the job.......selling yourself. 

Edited January 12, 2016 by DawnM

[AppleGreen]

Those of you who were taught it or have used it way back......what grade levels did you teach?

I am a former Exceptional Children's teacher, so I never used this approach in my classroom, although the school I taught in did. Nobody really cared what I was doing, so I used direct instruction materials (from SRA, I believe) for my struggling readers. I did go to several in-service programs on balanced literacy.

[alisoncooks]

I remember Balanced Literacy being the focus of one my college classes in 1999-2000. I taught first grade for a few years after that (quite to SAH in 2006).

[MinivanMom]

Those of you who were taught it or have used it way back......what grade levels did you teach?

 

I moved to another state after graduation so I wound up teaching in a district that used phonics.

 

But I had become very skeptical of the Balanced Literacy approach during my student teaching. I student taught with a 1st grade teacher who was doing Balanced Literacy by the book. Her students who came in as strong readers really flourished with all the free reading and writing, but most of her students were really struggling. It was painful, and the attitude of both the teacher and my supervising professor was that the kids would just figure it out eventually as long as they were surrounded by books and print.

 

I then student taught with a K teacher who was using the "mini-lesson" portion of Balanced Literacy to teach her students phonics. She wasn't doing anything complicated, just spending 15 min a day teaching the main sound of each consonant and both the short & long sounds of each vowel. I was with her for the last 12 weeks of the school year, and at that point she had taught all the sounds and moved onto 15 min of phonemic awareness activities (basic stuff with magnet letters). Every single one of her kids was reading by the end of the year, while the other K teachers only had 1 or 2 students reading. The difference was glaring.

[Murmer]

Those of you who were taught it or have used it way back......what grade levels did you teach?

 

I did 2nd grade for 1 year, 1st grade for 4 years and reading recovery for 3 years.  The idea of balanced literacy is great...the idea of using all the skills together...but sadly what it has become is literacy with no phonics...or imbedded phonics...I hate imbedded phonics because the smart kids get it naturally and everyone else has no idea what is going on and there is no ladder of learning...so one week it may be short vowels, then the next consonant clusters, then silent 3 then back to short vowels depending on the books chosen as opposed to building on the skills as the children understand them. I love teaching reading with a balanced approach but that includes a very strong explicit phonics program!

[Upennmama]

When I graduated from an Ivy League education program in 2005, balanced literacy was being taught. Phonics was a bad word.

[DawnM]

I did 2nd grade for 1 year, 1st grade for 4 years and reading recovery for 3 years.  The idea of balanced literacy is great...the idea of using all the skills together...but sadly what it has become is literacy with no phonics...or imbedded phonics...I hate imbedded phonics because the smart kids get it naturally and everyone else has no idea what is going on and there is no ladder of learning...so one week it may be short vowels, then the next consonant clusters, then silent 3 then back to short vowels depending on the books chosen as opposed to building on the skills as the children understand them. I love teaching reading with a balanced approach but that includes a very strong explicit phonics program!

 

 

So was it primarily an Elem. thing?  I worked in Secondary.

[Murmer]

So was it primarily an Elem. thing?  I worked in Secondary.

 

I think it is primarily an elementary thing...because that is the grades where kids are "learning to read" as opposed to "reading to learn".