Balanced literacy is a theory of teaching reading and writing the English language that arose in the 1990s and has a variety of interpretations.
[1][2][3] Some proponents of balanced literacy say it uses research-based elements of comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, phonemic awareness and phonics and includes instruction in a combination of the whole group, small group and 1:1 instruction in reading, writing, speaking and listening with the strongest research-based elements of each.
They go on to say that the components of a balanced literacy approach include many different strategies applied during reading and writing workshops.
[4] On the other hand, critics say balanced literacy, like whole language, is a meaning-based approach that when implemented does not include the explicit teaching of sound-letter relationships as provided by systematic phonics.
The teacher chooses a skill and strategy that the class needs to be taught based on assessments conducted in the classroom.
Stations can include a library, big book, writing, drama, puppets, word study, poetry, computer, listening, puzzles, buddy reading, projector/promethean board, creation station, science, social studies.
Kindergarten begins with phonemic awareness, then adds print for phonics, sight word work, and common rimes/onset.
Students utilize all the steps of the writing process: brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
The teacher begins by modeling the reading/writing strategy that is the focus of the workshop during a mini-lesson (see above description) Then, students read leveled texts independently or write independently for an extended period of time as the teacher circulates amongst them to observe, record observations and confer.
The purpose of Guided Reading is to systematically scaffold the decoding and/or comprehension strategy skills of students who are having similar challenges.
Direct Instruction in phonics and Word Study are also included in the balanced literacy approach.
Children are taught to use comprehension strategies including: sequencing, relating background knowledge, making inferences, comparing and contrasting, summarizing, synthesizing, problem-solving, distinguishing between fact and opinion, finding the main idea, and supporting details.
The teacher support is removed gradually as the students acquire the strategies needed to understand the text by themselves.
In particular, he does not support practices such as the three-cueing systems[18][19] or encouraging struggling readers to skip over or guess puzzling words.
[22] Critics further state that teachers should use methods derived from best practices and supported by scientific research, and children need instruction in systematic phonics.