Teachers often have questions about what a literacy block should actually look like. How do you structure your time? When do you pull reading groups? How and when do you teach grammar? The list of questions is lengthy, and with good reason. No one really ever told us what to do! Probably because there is […]
Discover the ultimate guide to scheduling your literacy block! Maximize time with whole group reading and small group instruction. Explore strategies for differentiated learning to meet the needs of all students. Get your free Suggested Literacy Block Organizer now!
I suggest a schedule for your 90-minute literacy block that can be used in kindergarten, first, and second-grade classrooms. I break it into three parts 1) whole group phonics instruction 2) small group instruction and 3) whole group language comprehension. I explain what specific literacy skills should be taught in each part of the 90-minute block. Finally, I leave you with a FREE downloadable 90-minute literacy block planning template.
Find out what an actual ELA class looks like in fifth grade. This is a detailed look into my classroom and our routines.
Explore research-based instruction and data-driven practices in literacy education. Learn how to structure your lessons using the Science of Reading principles without feeling overwhelmed. Discover step-by-step guides, scope, and sequences for effective lesson planning. Download free resources for c
I receive a lot of questions about how I run my literacy block. At my school, our schedule is blocked out, but I have freedom to arrange my own blocks (if that makes sense). So my literacy block is 9:40 – 11:15, and this is what I’ve decided to do with it: We start right ... Read More about My Literacy Block
Language Comprehension instruction is an important part of your 90-minute literacy block. Learn what skills to teach during this time and activities to help you do so!
If you're like me you've tried a lot of different schedules for your literacy block time. And no matter what you try, it's still a major scheduling challenge. Every year I'd try a new schedule or rotation system and it never quite worked like I planned. Why does it always look so good on paper and then fall apart once you put it into use???? I'd have one group that needed more time so I'd want to keep them a little longer, but that meant that another group would have to be cut short. I also had a hard time keeping up with the students at the centers because they needed varying amounts of teacher assistance. Finally one year I came up with a way to keep my literacy block very simple. It was one of those "Duh!" moments and it turned out to be the best thing for my third graders and for me! I called this TeRC Time . . . Teacher, Reading, Centers. Basically, the literacy block is divided into two parts: Independent Reading, and Centers. The students are also split into two groups. Make sure the groups are a good mix of ability levels. Also make sure that both groups have good models of behavior and work habits to follow. Group A works on independent reading first and then switches to centers. Group B is the opposite, working on centers first and then independent reading. During the Reading part of the schedule students read. It can be a book they choose for themselves or one selected by the teacher. They can also read with a partner or listen to a recorded story. During the Centers part of the schedule students work on the other activities or written practice. The centers can focus on any literacy skills or strategies for reading or writing. Students can work independently. with a small group or with a partner. During the entire literacy block time the teacher calls small groups to meet with her. Regardless of where the students are at the time, reading or at centers, they put away their task and join the teacher at the reading table. When their time with the teacher is finished they return to their reading or center activity. While the teacher works with small groups or conferences with individual students the rest of the class is either reading or working on a literacy center task. This puts more responsibility on the students because they have to pace themselves to complete their tasks by the end of the week. If they are called to work with the teacher during their center time then they may have to complete that center work the next day. Students are also responsible for completing any assignments given in the small groups. This should always be their first priority when they leave the group. To sum it up: (click to download this graphic.) Click to download Fridays are a “catch-up” day. The teacher, generally, does not call small groups. It’s a good day for the teacher to also catch up on conferences or work with students who need reteaching of skills/strategies presented through the week. The students have the time to finish the reading and center tasks for the week. If they finish everything then they can have more reading time or perhaps play a literacy game. I hope you'll be able to use a few of these ideas to use during your literacy block time and Keep It Super Simple!
I always get a lot of questions about how I schedule my ELA Block. I've been working on this post for awhile, and I'm hoping it proves to b...
Click here to preview this file! This is a set of 30 task cards. Students will practice sentence reading and conjugating the verb donner in the present tense. These task cards can be used as an interactive center during your literacy block or as another resource for your distance learning! This resource is played on the Boom Learning website and works on devices as well as computers! Please remember: when you purchase this product, there will be a link that will bring you to the Boom Learning website. The game cards are not included in the PDF you will download. To use Boom Cards, you must be connected to the Internet. If you are new to Boom Learning, read here for details: http://bit.ly/BoomTrial. ************************************************************* More BOOM Card Resources! Le verbe aimer Le verbe aller La ponctuation Qui suis-je? Aventure en Safari ************************************************************** FACEBOOK PINTEREST ************************************************************** I encourage you to leave some feedback on my products! You can earn TPT Credits on any product you purchase, which you can use towards purchasing other resources! You earn 1 TPT credit for every dollar you spend!
Explore research-based instruction and data-driven practices in literacy education. Learn how to structure your lessons using the Science of Reading principles without feeling overwhelmed. Discover step-by-step guides, scope, and sequences for effective lesson planning. Download free resources for c
Learn how to set up your literacy block while aligning with the science of reading, and grab my sample literacy schedule.
The 8 Components of Balanced Literacy in an 8-Week blog series. How to incorporate shared Writing / Interactive Writing into the classroom?
Explore research-based instruction and data-driven practices in literacy education. Learn how to structure your lessons using the Science of Reading principles without feeling overwhelmed. Discover step-by-step guides, scope, and sequences for effective lesson planning. Download free resources for c
Discover the ultimate guide to scheduling your literacy block! Maximize time with whole group reading and small group instruction. Explore strategies for differentiated learning to meet the needs of all students. Get your free Suggested Literacy Block Organizer now!
Discover the ultimate guide to scheduling your literacy block! Maximize time with whole group reading and small group instruction. Explore strategies for differentiated learning to meet the needs of all students. Get your free Suggested Literacy Block Organizer now!
Master morphology in reading intervention! Discover effective strategies to integrate morphological instruction seamlessly into your lessons. Learn from our proven methods and watch the video for intervention insights!
If you’re ready to dive into a science of reading (SoR) aligned curriculum and trying to figure out how to structure your literacy block, we have recommendations for a strong science of reading classroom schedule!
Explore research-based instruction and data-driven practices in literacy education. Learn how to structure your lessons using the Science of Reading principles without feeling overwhelmed. Discover step-by-step guides, scope, and sequences for effective lesson planning. Download free resources for c
Problem: Getting a good, solid literacy block up and running seems so complex, I don't even know where to start. Solution: It doesn't magically happen on the first day of school. It's a process that
In this post, I'll take you through the components of a literacy block for first grade, provide sample schedules, and share scheduling tips.
Discover the ultimate guide to scheduling your literacy block! Maximize time with whole group reading and small group instruction. Explore strategies for differentiated learning to meet the needs of all students. Get your free Suggested Literacy Block Organizer now!
Explore research-based instruction and data-driven practices in literacy education. Learn how to structure your lessons using the Science of Reading principles without feeling overwhelmed. Discover step-by-step guides, scope, and sequences for effective lesson planning. Download free resources for c
I always get a lot of questions about how I schedule my ELA Block. I've been working on this post for awhile, and I'm hoping it proves to b...
UFLI Foundations and Secret Stories are the perfect pairing for effective science of reading based phonics instruction.
My literacy block is a piece of work...not in a bad way ....just a work in progress. I've been inspired by numerous other experience bloggers and teachers and since I'm the only 4th grade teacher at my school, I'd love some input and will try to clarify what I'm doing this year for your sake (and so I can wrap my head around it as well) Here's what my typical schedule: (Yes it will slightly change depending on pull outs and last minute changes but roughly) I'm pretty lucky to get uninterrupted 2 hours in the morning which I love! We use this time for our literacy block. As you can see, I have a separate time for writing, and I do my read aloud right before grammar so it's even a little shorter. My students do get SSR/DEAR/silent uninterrupted reading while another teacher pulls out Title 1 kids and I can't do any content they would miss. I usually am using that time to confer with any left in my room that need help in math since it is tested Below you can find a schedule that I plan to use this year and WILL FOLLOW! I've tried to combine many other blog ideas I've seen and Book Talks/Shares that are popping up everywhere from teachers that have gone to a Reading Summit (I'm so jealous!) The Creative Apple Life in 5th Grade Literacy for Big Kids ...are just some of my favs!! you can click to download - you'll have to change fonts and all but if you want a sample! Homework I give homework pack once a week because I expect my kids to be reading. I purchased them from TPT and they are fantastic! They contain a short story and comprehension questions along with a skill sheet and require other practice as well. These work so well and are easy for me to copy and keep up with. I kept them in order so I know exactly what I'm pulling out each week. I do occasionally assign other work during the week in small groups or big reading projects that would be in part completed at home depending on timing. I want them to just be READING - they know from the beginning that is my focus for them! Small Group Rotations I plan to use these sheets for my students to be held accountable during Daily 5 time. Yes I do keep it semi-structured and for me as a teacher this is what has worked so far. They work their way down and know what they have to do each week. I plan to have in sheet protectors and they can use dry erase to mark off so I don't have to make weekly copies. click the picture for a copy 1. All work from me must be completed first! Either assignment from small group, part of our weekly story, etc... 2. During the week at some point they must complete 2 spelling and 1 grammar/english activity. These they just cross off. For spelling we use the Monthly Spelling Menus which work fantastic! My grammar center is just FREE activities on TPT that I searched for our concepts or DOL if we don't have any. It is always review for a concept we have already covered so it can be completed without assistance. I feel that my grammar is sometimes cut short and this can help reinforce those skills especially closer to testing time. 3. Read by themselves - we do AR at our school so they can buddy read if they both have completed their quarter goals otherwise they read by themselves around the room. 4. On the bottom is their "Status of the Class" where they write what they are reading and what page each day -that is what I look at when I conference with them along with their Reading Response. Book Shares I've seen so many post about these and I knew I wanted to incorporate them to make my class better readers after hearing recommendations and modeling them myself. I put in my plans an easy format for them that I read about a little while ago on social media (and cannot remember who!!! so help me out if you know so I can give credit) We'll start with title/author, 1 word about the book and why they chose it, then either 1 connection they had or an award they would give that book and why. I know these probably aren't suppose to be scripted but my incoming 4th graders are horrible at a SHORT summary (not every character and every event! especially not the ending) so I'm starting the year with this and we'll move into more candid discussion and recommendations for other books hopefully toward winter - at least that's the goal. My Shoestring life also mentioned that book shares are perfect for Speaking and Listening Standards!! How perfect - I'm planning to get to each student once a month (fingers crossed) and maybe assessed on this a couple times a year just with a checklist of some sort - anybody got any good ones? Whole Group This will contain mini lesson on our focus skill and I'll use our basal series for stories along with picture books to model. I don't have access to a whole lot of books so I'm semi limited. Standards I always have standards on board but need to work on referring to them more often :) Exit Slips Life in Fifth grade uses her essential questions as an exit slip and she had the genius idea to do them on Post-its then glancing over them stick the ones on your desk that are wrong or you need to meet with them! Brilliant and super easy! I put those on for every day but I'm hoping to get 1-2 in a week focusing on the skill we are working on. My one goal would be to incorporate more vocab work especially after all the Word Nerds book studies I've seen happening but this is what I'm going to commit to this year. I'm sharing because I know how helpful it was when I saw blog posts of others and how they set up their reading block, I'd love to hear any questions/comments you have or anything you do that works great in your room- I'm always open to new ideas!!
UFLI Foundations and Secret Stories are the perfect pairing for effective science of reading based phonics instruction.
Peter Bowers contributed this post. Pete is a doctoral candidate at Queen's University, Canada and the creator of the WordWorks Literacy Ce...
Learn how to implement these six best force and motion activities to help your primary students have fun while learning this content in the classroom.
Discover the essence of phonics instruction! Unravel the complexities, learn the systematic approach, and master multisensory teaching techniques. Explore the SMARTER Research-Based Instruction Framework for effective reading intervention. Dive into the science and practice of phonics with clarity a
WHAT DO WE TEACH IN STRUCTURED LITERACY? We know that phonics instruction is critical to supporting all students including those with dyslexia and other reading disabilities but the problem is R…
Structured Literacy is an approach to reading instruction that is explicit and systematic, with a focus on the structure of the English language.
Would you like to decorate your classroom with fun, hand-drawn anchor charts/posters? Do you simply not have the time to get them done? Well, you have come to the perfect place! I love making these engaging and appealing anchor charts. I also can draw/create any other topic you would like, just contact me directly and ask! My students absolutely love these posters and references them every day. Many of them are visual learners, so the colorful images really help them connect and remember what they have learned. This particular anchor chart is for readers/writers practicing homonyms. The visuals and examples really help my students both have fun with the material and understand it on a deeper level. Please let me know if you would like me to adjust it in anyway to meet your classroom's needs. I also wouldn't mind collaborating with you as well if you would like me to add anything else! I have been teaching now for over 7 years in all diverse school districts and with all different ages, so I understand the importance of being as flexible and understanding as possible! **These will be copies unless asked otherwise. Hope you love it :)
Structured Literacy is an instructional approach to teaching students to read that encompasses all of the elements of language and...
Structured Literacy is an approach to reading instruction that is explicit and systematic, with a focus on the structure of the English language.
Let’s explore morphology in structured literacy today. Be sure to follow along with our What is Structured Literacy? blog series! What is Morphology? Morphology refers to studying the morphemes {or units of meaning} in words. It’s clear as day now, right? Ha! Let’s make it a little clearer. A morpheme is the smallest unit of ... Read More about Morphology in Structured Literacy
Setting up a language arts block to ensure I cover all the needed skills for a complete literacy instruction program with 30 minutes of the allotted time.
Phonics intervention involves explicit, systematic, and mutli-sensory teaching of skills, allowing time for students to apply these skills in context.
You are probably ready to go a bit deeper with Depth and Complexity! Let's dig in.
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Any teacher who has seen words like “nice” and “good” one too many times in student writing can vouch for the importance of teaching shades of meaning. When kids have the understanding that synonyms can be closely related and differ in intensity, it helps them make stronger word choices in their writing. As if that isn't enough of a bonus already, it’s a big ticket to improvement in reading comprehension and vocabulary development too.
