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Balanced Literacy incorporates all reading approaches realizing students need to use multiple strategies to become proficient readers. It provides and cultivates the skills of reading, writing, thinking, speaking and listening for all students. A Balanced Literacy Program includes: Modeled Reading (Reading Aloud) and Modeled Writing
· Shared Reading and Shared Writing
· Guided Reading and Guided Writing
· Independent Reading and Independent Writing
Establish a routine and stick to it. Effective flexible grouping takes time, so don't get frustrated if things don't work immediately. Keep in mind, however, that careful planning, good organization, and an established routine are essential. Your day should include a regular sequence of whole-class, small-group, and one-on-one instruction. You may want to start the language arts block with whole-class instruction. After that, call a planning meeting with students to clarify who will come to you for small-group or one-on-one work, who will work at centers, and who will work independently or in pairs. Be sure to explain how they will rotate. Also, find time for small-group work with struggling readers — I recommend at least three times a week for about 20 minutes.
Strive to make activities multilevel. Multilevel instruction acknowledges that children come to the classroom with different backgrounds and abilities. Teachers typically assign one activity that invites a variety of responses, such as writing a biography of a family member. As a result, all students are engaged in the same literacy processes, yet the teacher assesses them individually in terms of past performance. The point, of course, is to maintain high but realistic standards for all children.
Assessment should be on going and both formal and informal. Teachers should use assessment to guide future instruction. Some methods could include: graphic organizers, journal entries, projects, rubrics, running records,...