what does balanced literacy look like in grade one?
You've got your diagnostic assessments, you've got your literacy centres ready to go, and you've organized all your data. You're ready to tackle this Grade One literacy thing head on - now you just need to carefully consider all of the moving parts that need to be included to keep your program balanced and beneficial for all.
I suggest you make time for the following pieces either every day or at least a few times per week, depending on what your class schedule allows:
Writer’s Workshop: Take time to have students build confidence as writers. This may start with students drawing a picture and having you scribe a story for them on the computer, or they may already feel confident enough to write a story with pen to paper themselves. However it happens, encourage this writing with positive reinforcement wherever possible. Use a peer modelled writing framework where students take turns having the opportunity to share a piece of their writing with their classmates.
Literacy Centres: There are some great resources and programs available to support you in building a strong and seamlessly run literacy centre program. I'm influenced by Debbie Diller's "Literacy Work Stations", by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser's "The Daily 5", and by Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough's "A Place for Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades". Do your research, play around with different ideas, and find what works best for you and your students. Use this literacy centre time to pull small groups for specific skill building sessions, for guided reading, and for one-to-one reading conferences and assessment.
Writer’s Workshop: Take time to have students build confidence as writers. This may start with students drawing a picture and having you scribe a story for them on the computer, or they may already feel confident enough to write a story with pen to paper themselves. However it happens, encourage this writing with positive reinforcement wherever possible. Use a peer modelled writing framework where students take turns having the opportunity to share a piece of their writing with their classmates.
Literacy Centres: There are some great resources and programs available to support you in building a strong and seamlessly run literacy centre program. I'm influenced by Debbie Diller's "Literacy Work Stations", by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser's "The Daily 5", and by Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough's "A Place for Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades". Do your research, play around with different ideas, and find what works best for you and your students. Use this literacy centre time to pull small groups for specific skill building sessions, for guided reading, and for one-to-one reading conferences and assessment.
Literacy Mini-Lessons: Never underestimate the power of a strong mini-lesson. By carefully observing your students during inquiry, play, and throughout the day, you’ll start to notice common threads that need to be worked on with the whole group. For example, you might notice during inquiry time that several students are making books about the topics which interest them, but that they all seem to be blending all of their words together on their papers. This might be a good time to have a mini-lesson about putting finger spaces between your words. Consider exploring programs such as Chalk and Sock to get students excited about writing and reading early on in the school year.
Guided Language Play: Explore poems, songs, rhythms and rhymes with your students. Make up silly words, give each other silly names, write poems together and change the words to familiar and favourite songs. Ensure students have access to poems and songs that have been explored together - I like to keep poem and song charts up for students to explore during open-ended play. Extend the language play with a Song & Poetry Folder sent home every Friday.
__Inquiry Time: I suggest taking at least one period per day (or better yet, two!) to allow students to fully engage in an inquiry project of their own choosing. These projects can be collaborative, they can be independent, they can last a day or they can last for several weeks. Start each inquiry session with some kind of provocation to invoke student imagination and creativity (this could be a read-aloud, a YouTube video, a science experiment, a bucket of interesting loose parts left out on the carpet for students to explore, etc.). Students should then make a plan of what it is they want to inquire about – for example, a student might raise his hand and say “I want to do dinosaurs”, and the teacher should respond by asking what he wants to do with dinosaurs. Better yet, have students fill out an inquiry plan template where they can describe what it is they want to learn about and how they plan to go about it. With practise, students will get better at planning for their own inquiry and carrying out their own explorations. You’ll find opportunities for literacy development will flourish during this time in extremely meaningful and authentic ways. Take a clipboard around with you during inquiry time to take anecdotal notes about the learning taking place, then encourage students to share their discoveries with their classmates.
Open-Ended Play: Play time in Grade One should not simply be a time for students to reward themselves for “getting their work finished”. Give students time to play and explore in their classroom environment. Note the explorations taking place and use the information you collect to help you extend student learning with meaningful connections and extensions. Much like during inquiry time, opportunities for literacy development will flourish during these blocks set aside for free play and exploration.
Open-Ended Play: Play time in Grade One should not simply be a time for students to reward themselves for “getting their work finished”. Give students time to play and explore in their classroom environment. Note the explorations taking place and use the information you collect to help you extend student learning with meaningful connections and extensions. Much like during inquiry time, opportunities for literacy development will flourish during these blocks set aside for free play and exploration.
Reading: Read-alouds, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, read around the room, reading with a friend, reading to a class mascot (e.g. a teddy bear), one-to-one reading conferences, snuggle-up reading folders, independent child-interest reading baskets…. The list goes on. Have opportunities to read, read, READ in your Grade One classroom! Provide time for various types of reading formats to differentiate for all types of learners, and encourage child-selected reading material wherever possible. Then be sure to give ample positive encouragement and reinforcement in order to build confidence among these young readers!
_***Remember, for a truly holistic literacy experience, literacy should be imbedded in every aspect of the Grade One experience. Students should always have access to a wide variety of tools and strategies to support them in their literacy journey.***
Find more great ideas about balanced literacy here: The Balanced Literacy Diet