Legacy Point staff is trained in the balanced literacy model and uses the best practices of Jan Richardson as a guide. Jan Richardson, Ph.D., is a former K-12 teacher, reading specialist, Reading Recovery teacher leader and staff developer. She currently is an educational consultant, providing schools across the U.S. and Canada with professional workshops and classroom demonstrations.
Five Components of Balanced Literacy Instruction
Balanced Literacy is a framework for reading instruction. It involves teaching by reading to students, having students read independently, and reading with students. This is accomplished with five basic components.
Balanced Literacy Component #1 – The read aloud
In the read aloud strategy the teacher reads out loud to the classroom.
Balanced Literacy Component #2 – Guided reading
Through guided reading teachers are able to work with students who are on the same level.
Balanced Literacy Component #3 – Shared reading
During shared reading the students and teacher read together.
Balanced Literacy Component #4 – Independent reading
During independent reading students are allowed to choose the books they want to read.
Balanced Literacy Component #5 – Word study
Students work with words through fun and engaging activities. Through word study students learn letters and the sounds they make. They then move on to root words, suffixes and prefixes, and how to derive meaning of words.
Teachers use a variety of literacy resources for the teaching of this balanced model which include, but are not limited to: leveled text; authentic literature; content-related materials; works of fiction and non-fiction; highly engaging articles; computer-based resources; and more.
Literacy Core Curricular Resource
Benchmark Workshop
Quality literacy instruction builds a student's comprehension of text, writing skills, and overall skills in communication. This serves as the foundation to build a broader education and prepare students for the 21st century. Benchmark Workshop is our core curricular resource for literacy. It is standards-aligned and informed by the latest research in the science of reading. Benchmark features vertically aligned units that empower students to engage deeply with a topic to build skills within and across grades. Topics are knowledge-based, expanding both general and academic vocabulary in support of reading, writing, and constructive conversation.
Teachers provide comprehensive literacy instruction utilizing a flexible workshop model and the curricular resource Benchmark Workshop. Reader's Workshop provides opportunities for whole-group skill-based mini-lessons and leveled texts are utilized to support small-group and individualized instruction. Writer's Workshop is used to provide mini-lessons on the writing process, the craft of writing, and responses to reading with support for small-group instruction, independent writing, and conferring. These learning opportunities support students in developing critical thinking skills. Phonics and Word Study Workshop provides sequential, systematic, and explicit direct phonics instruction and differentiated practice through authentic reading and writing experiences and multisensory activities. The instruction components of Benchmark Workshop reflect a balanced best-practice pedagogy that emphasizes differentiated instruction to support all students.
