Balanced literacy is an approach to teaching reading and writing that has gained widespread acceptance in recent years. Aligned with Reading First; a balanced literacy program includes explicit instruction in decoding, fluency, vocabulary, reading
comprehension and writing. A balanced literacy classroom includes teacher modeling, guided practice, collaborative group work, independent practice, and the use of authentic literature (anthologies and novels).
The district supports a particular model of balanced literacy based on Pat Cunningham’s Four Blocks. The four blocks, or components of the model are: guided reading, writing, self-selected reading and word study.
Project CRISS
Developed by Dr. Carol Santa, Project CRISS (Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies) focuses on teaching students how to learn through reading, writing, speaking and listening. The program includes:
• Author’s craft • Discussion • Background knowledge • Metacognition • Writing • Organization
Teachers may use Project CRISS strategies as part of a balanced literacy program during guided reading as well as across the curriculum.
Core Literature List
In addition to the Houghton-Mifflin and Harcourt Brace Reading Series, teachers may use trade books or novels for reading instruction in a balance literature program.
Developed by a committee of teachers, a Core Literature List is available for teacher use in each school. The purpose of the Core Literature List is to insure that all students will be taught a variety of literary text including current publications and multicultural titles. Teachers are expected to honor the Core Literature List. This means that the novels on the list are not to be taught and/or assigned to students in any other grade other than the grade listed. This does not prevent students from self-selecting these books at any grade level for independent reading or from teaching excerpts from these novels from
Core Literature List for Grade 4
Novel
Author
Babe the Gallant Pig Dick King-Smith
The Borrowers Mary Norton
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl
The Chocolate Touch Patrick S. Catling The Enormous Egg Oliver Butterworth
Freckle Juice Judy Blume
*Friendship and the Gold Cadillac
Mildred Taylor How to Eat Fried Worms Thomas Rockwell *Indian in the Cupboard Lynne Reid Banks *Justin and the Best Biscuits In the World Mildred Pitts Misty of Chincoteaque Marguerite Henry The Plant that Ate Dirty Socks Nancy McArthur *Sato and the Elephants Juanita Havill
*Save by Rainforest Monica Zak
The Skates of Uncle Richard Carol Fenner
Stone Fox John R. Gardiner
Stuart Little E.B.White
*Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Judy Blume Tales From Gold Mountain: Stories of the
Chinese in the New World
Paul Lee
A Taste of Blackberries Delores Buchanan Smith *Yang the Youngest and his Terrible Ear Linsey Namioko
Novel
Author
*Boat Girl Bernard Ashley
Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson
The Cay Theodore Taylor
Dear Mr. Henshaw Beverly Cleary
Fantastic Mr. Fox Roald Dahl
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwriler
E.L. Konigsburg
Hatchet Gary Paulsen
*The Hundred Penny Box Sharon Bell Mathis *In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson Bette Boa Lord James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl Kid in the Red Jacket Barbara Park The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe C.S. Lewis
The Mouse and the Motorcycle Beverly Cleary
Phillip Hall Likes Me I Reckon Bette Greene *Sadako and the thousand Paper Cranes Eleanor Coerr
Sarah, Plain and Tall Patricia MacLachlan *Sign of the Beaver Elizabeth George
Speare
Skylark Patricia MacLachlan
*Sounder William Howard
Armstrong
*The Story of Women who Shaped the West Mary Virginia Fox
The Trumpet of the Swan E.B. White
Whipping Boy Sid Fleishman
The Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth George Speare
Core Literature List for Grade 6
Novel
Author
The Black Pearl Scott O’dell
Bunnicula Deborah and James Howe
*Colin Powell: Straight To The Top
Rose Blue and Corinne Naden *Famous Asian Americans Janet Morey and Wendy Dunn The Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson *Hello, My Name is Scrambled
Eggs
Jamie Gilson Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O’Dell *A Jar of Dreams Yoshiko Uchida *Maniac McGee Jerry Spinelli Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Robert C. O’Brien *Number the Stars Lois Lowry
The Phantom Tollbooth Norman Juster
The Pinballs Betsy Byars
*Rosa Parks: My Story Rosa Parks *Rooftop Astronomer: A Story
About Marie Mitchell
Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
*Space Challenger: the Story of Guion Bluford
Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson
Strider Beverly Cleary
Summer of the Swans Betsy Byars Tales Mummies Tell Patricia Lauber Tuck Everlasting Natalie Babbitt The Westing Game Ellen Raskin Where the Red Fern Grows W.Rawls
Wrinkle in Time Madeline L’Engle * Multicultural Books
the sequence of skills and concepts needed to master a wide variety of academic subjects. The SRA reading programs, Reading Mastery and Corrective Reading, have been
adopted by the Christina School District’s Special Services office for special needs students in grades K-12. Special needs students are expected to receive services in Direct Instruction intervention in addition to daily exposure to the District’s core reading
program.
These programs provide consistent methods of instruction using certain
principles. First, all concepts are broken into sub-skills. Second, each skill is taught so that students fully understand it. Then each skill is practiced until it is completely mastered. Specific skills addressed in the programs are decoding, fluency and comprehension (literal and inferential).
Common to the various Direct Instruction programs developed under Engelmann’s direction are:
1. Field-tested programs
2. Tightly scripted lesson plans that leave no guess work 3. Interactive lessons requiring frequent verbal responses 4. Lessons presented to small groups of students
5. Immediate monitoring and correcting of errors by teachers 6. Students are grouped by performance level
7. Frequent assessment of student progress
8. Presentation books provide for maximum effectiveness and efficiency during instruction
9. Totally integrated skill books, textbooks, and authentic literature. The Special Education teacher is responsible for providing this method of reading instruction for their students. Training and coaching in these methodologies are
expected, and provided by the cadre or outside consultants.
Direct Instruction
Frequently Asked Questions
1.When do I use Direct Instruction as opposed to the regular reading
program?
In the case of special education instruction, the IEP is always the guide, keeping in mind that special education students should receive Direct Instruction on a daily basis as well as exposure to the core reading program. If students are working in the intermediate grades more than 2 years below grade level, the teacher needs to choose the Decoding series. If students are working only a year below, the regular Reading Mastery program at the student's reading level is an appropriate choice.
2. How can I best balance using the Direct Instruction programs and expose students to the regular curriculum?
To answer this question, it would depend on the student’s instructional level and the IEP goals/objectives. For example if a student is academically within a year of his/her chronological grade level, limited Direct Instruction exposure coupled with participation in the core reading program should be expected. A student functioning 2 or more years below his/her chronological grade level is expected to receive rigorous instruction in the Decoding series in addition to participation in the core reading program. The teacher needs to look at each student’s needs and provide an appropriate level of instruction to help the student meet the standards.
3.How do I know where to place students within Direct Instruction programs?
Each Direct Instruction program has a placement test that should be administered prior to placement in any program. The tests are straight forward and usually quickly
administered.
4. Do Direct Instruction programs help students work towards meeting the standards in Language Arts?
The research (which is substantial over many years) has shown that students make gains in this type of instruction. These programs can be a very effective part of Language Arts Instruction.
