1. Unpacking Balanced
Literacy
By Jen Sweigart, M.Ed
3rd/4th Grade Teacher
Hillside Elementary School
Fulton County Schools
Fulton County Schools Summer Summit
June 25-26 and July 25-26
www.jensweigart.blogspot.com

2. While You Wait…A Self-Assessment:
1) What new reading strategy or task have
you implemented successfully in your
classroom? Please share!
www.padlet.com/wall/balancedsuccess
2)Check out this website for resources:
www.jensweigart.blogspot.com
3)Where do I place myself on the Balanced
Literacy learning continuum?
Place a post-it note under the best
description of your Balanced Lit experience.

3. Essential Questions:
How do I create a Balanced Literacy program with
flexible and fluid instructional grouping activities for
targeted differentiation?
Where can I locate digital resources and applications to
support literacy across the curriculum?

4. TKES Standards:
Performance Standard 3: Instructional Strategies
The teacher promotes student learning by using research-based
instructional strategies relevant to the content to engage students in
active learning and to facilitate the students’ acquisition of key
knowledge and skills.
Performance Standard 4: Differentiated Instruction
The teacher challenges and supports each student’s learning by providing
appropriate content and developing skills which address individual
learning differences.
Performance Standard 8: Academically Challenging
Environment
The teacher creates a student-centered,
Academic environment in which teaching and
learning occur at high levels and students are
self-directed learners.

5. This Week’s Reading Strategy:
Questioning Author’s Purpose
Our Focused Reading Standard:
CCGPS 2.RI.8 Describe how reasons support
specific points the author makes in the text.
Our Role-Play Standard & Strategy

6. Zones of Comfort, Risk, and Danger:
Constructing Your Zone Map
Comfort
Risk
Danger

7. The Comfort Zone is usually a
place where we feel at ease, with no
tension, have a good grip on our
environment, and know how to
navigate occasional rough spots with
ease. It’s also a place to retreat to
from the Danger Zone.
The Risk Zone involves adapting to
new circumstances, and it’s the most
fertile place for learning. It’s where
most people are willing to take some
risks, to not know everything or
sometimes anything at all. It’s where
people open up to each other with
curiosity and interest, and where they
will consider options or ideas they
haven’t thought of before.
The Danger Zone is generally not a good idea to work from, whether
your own or anyone else’s. That area is generally so full of defenses, fears,
and red-lights that it requires too much energy and time to accomplish
anything from that zone. When you find yourself in this zone, use some
strategies to move yourself into “curious.”

8. Modeled Reading (aka The Read Aloud)
The teacher reads aloud to the whole class using a
purposefully selected text. The teacher chooses a
focus (in our case today it’s Author’s Purpose, and
uses think alouds to model their thinking as a reader
while students listen. The teacher would model the a
focus strategy for several lessons, and then move this
focus into the shared reading lesson.

9. Today’s Focus: Questioning Author’s
Purpose
Think Alouds:
I wonder what the author intended me to think…
I want to ask the author why…
By asking that question, I realize…
Knowing the author’s purpose, helps me see
his/her point of view…
Turn & Talk: The teacher may
choose to do a Turn and Talk after the
read aloud for evidence of learning.
You are listening for the language of
the think alouds coming from the
students.

10. A Short Story About The Future of Jobs
In the future…we are going to see a lot more things that look like science
fiction, and fewer and fewer things that look like jobs.
*McAfee, Andrew. The Future of Jobs. TED . Feb 2013.

14. The Mini-Lesson
Purpose:
To transfer the content taught to that day’s
independent/group work.
The Structure of the Mini-Lesson includes four
components:
•Connection
•Teach
•Active Engagement
•Link

15. Components of a Balanced Lit Classroom
High
Teacher
Support
Low
Teacher
Support
Word Study
Read Aloud/Modeled
Reading
Share Reading
Guided Reading
Independent Reading
Modeled Writing
Share Writing/
Interactive Writing
Guided Writing
Independent Writing
Assessments

16. Modeled Writing
Shared Writing
Assessments
Guided Writing
Balanced Literacy is more like cooking than baking…
...a pinch of this, a smidge of that, add a little zest. Amounts vary.
It is not an exact science or prescribed recipe. Lessons are built
off of a standard, driven by assessments, and individualized to
the student.
Differentiation

17. Modern Literacy Model
Common
Core
Balanced
Literacy
Teaching points grounded in
the text and directed toward
expanding students’
comprehension strategies
Readers’ workshop with
whole-group mini-lessons,
guided reading, and
independent application
Whole-class interactive read-
alouds, shared reading, and
collaborative project-based
learning
Extending understanding
of the text through
writing
Foundational Reading
Skills
Writing Across the
Curriculum
Speaking, Listening,
Research, Collaboration,
and Technology
Literature and
Informational Text
Continuous Achievement

19. It’s kind of asking a lot…don’t you think?

20. A Day in The Life of a Balanced Literacy Classroom
Reading Workshop Days (M W F)
7:50-8:00 Morning Meeting
8:00-8:15 Read Aloud that integrates Science or Social
Studies content
8:15-8:30 Mini-Lesson / Shared Reading using
Integrated Science or Social Studies text
8:30-9:30 Reading Workshop Rotations (15-20
minutes)
• Guided Reading Groups (Leveled)
• Writing & Research (Project-driven)
• Skill Review – Word Work, Fluency,
Comprehension, etc
9:30 – 11:30 Math & Lunch
11:40- 12:25 Writing Workshop
12:30-1:30 Specials / Recess
1:35- 2:15 1:1 Conferencing, RTI, Self-Selected
Reading, Book Clubs, Word Work
IntegratedScience
&SocialStudies
Integrated Technology
OR…Create 6
rotations with
smaller groups over 2
days.

21. -A Day in The Life of a Balanced Literacy Classroom:
Collaborative Lesson, Science Lab, Social Studies
Activity Adjustment
7:50-8:00 Morning Meeting
8:00-8:15 Read Aloud that integrates Science or Social
Studies content
8:15-8:35 Mini-Lesson / Shared Reading using
Integrated Science or Social Studies text
8:30-9:30 Collaborative Lesson, Lab, Event, Research or
Publishing in Computer Lab
9:30 – 11:30 Math & Lunch
11:40- 12:25 Writing Workshop
12:30-1:30 Specials / Recess
1:35- 2:15 Meet with EIP/RTI Guided Reading Group,
1:1 Conferencing, Self-Selected Reading, Book Clubs,
Word Work

22. A Day in The Life of a Balanced Literacy Classroom
Formative & Summative Assessments Schedule Adjustments
7:50-8:00 Morning Meeting
8:00-8:15 Read Aloud that integrates Science or Social
Studies content
8:15-8:30 Shared Review to prepare for Summative Assessment
8:30-9:00 Summative Assessment
9:00-9:30 Reading Workshop Rotations (15 minutes – 2 rotations
in the morning, 3rd rotation moved to the afternoon)
• Guided Reading Groups (Leveled)
• Writing & Research (Project-driven)
• Skill Review – Word Work, Fluency,
Comprehension, Formative quizzes
9:30 – 11:30 Math & Lunch
11:40- 12:25 Writing Workshop
12:30-1:30 Specials / Recess
1:35- 2:15 Meet with 3rd Rotation of Guided Reading Group,
1:1 Conferencing, Self-Selected Reading, Book Clubs,
Word Work
Groups change
frequently
based on
formative &
summative
assessments +
1:1 conference
data

23. Shared Reading/ Active Engagement
•Uses an enlarged text that all
children can see via big book,
projected text, or multiple copies
of the same text; contains text rich
language, can withstand multiple
close readings, and is appropriate
to the interest level of the class.
•This is an excellent time to use a
complex text that support the
Science and Social Studies
curriculum.
•The text should be an unleveled.
Provide scaffolding for students as
needed.

24. Shared Reading/ Active Engagement
Today’s Focus Strategy:
Questioning Author’s Purpose
Today’s Focus Standard: CCGPS
2.RI.8 Describe how reasons support
specific points the author makes in
the text.
Today’s Text: How the Smartphone Killed the
Three-Day Weekend. CNBC News.

25. Shared Reading Response:
Using Lucy Calkins’ Pushing Your Thinking Stems to
Engage in Strategy & Standard Focus
Close Reading: Read the selected passage once. Jot
down the big idea in the margin. Then re-read the
passage highlighting details that author provided to
support the main idea.
Writing in the Air to Organize Thoughts:
• Students turn to a partner and respond verbally to a
question prompt. They must say out loud what they
plan to write before writing it on paper.
Question Stems:
• What’s the big idea of the text?
• In other words…
• I realize…
• The surprising thing about this…
• So I guess what I’m really thinking is…
• For example, one day…
This is similar to…different from…
On the other hand…
The reason for this is…
I’m wondering why the author…
I’d like to ask the author…
I used to think, but now I believe…

26. What are some resources for that I
should consider for shared texts?
•Science & Social Studies textbooks
•Good Habits/ Great Readers or Journeys
•Primary Big books
•Passage from Chapter books (use a
document camera or Kindle/Nook app to
project the text)
•Articles from www.readworks.org,
www.tweentribune.com, and
http://storyworks.scholastic.com/reproducible
•www.Poemhunter.com
•Library of Congress (primary sources):
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/

27. You must have
consistent norms
about your
expectations for
the workshop
format to work!!

28. Reading Workshop Rotations
Guided Reading (Small Group)
•pencil
Choice Menus for Skill Work
(Partners) ~ Differentiation Ideas
•Computers
•Partner
•Choice Menu (Activities are in the bin)
Computers ~ Project-Based
Learning Ideas
•Access the slideshow at
www.jensweigart.blogspot.com
•Click on any active link to explore
websites

29. Book Clubs &
Small Reading
Groups
Writing
Workshop
1:1
Conferencing
& SSR
Reader’s Workshop
Format
Sci/SS Authentic Text
& Technology
Differentiation