UTILIZING 3-5 TD
RESOURCES WITH
BALANCED LITERACY
LI/TD Magnet Institute 2013
Let’s get to know each other!
 Kelly Kollar- TD Catalyst Teacher at Polo Ridge
 Amanda O’Neal- 3-5 TD Multi-Age Teacher at Tuckaseegee
and former Balanced Literacy Pilot Teacher in 5th grade LI
Today’s goals!
 Goal 1: Analyze the structure of
Balanced Literacy.
 Goal 2: Investigate unit planning
in Balanced Literacy.
 Goal 3: Assess how we currently use TD Resources.
 Goal 4: Evaluate the best ways to incorporate TD Resources
within the structure of Balanced Literacy.
 Goal 5: Share ideas and strategies for implementation.
LET’S LOOK AT THE BASIC
COMPONENTS OF BALANCED
LITERACY!
Components of Balanced Literacy
Interactive Read Aloud
Mini-Lesson
Balanced Literacy
Reader’s Workshop
• Conferring
• Guided Reading
• Strategy Work
Word Study
Where does whole-group
discussion fit in?
Example Daily Schedule
8:45-9:15 Word Study
9:15-9:35 Mini-Lesson
9:35-10:35 Reader’s Workshop
10:35-11:15 Writing
11:15-12:15 Lunch
12:15-1:45 Math
1:45-2:30 Specials
2:30-3:10 Science/SS
3:10-3:30 Interactive Read-Aloud
Goal 1: Putting the Parts Together!
 What do you currently do that would fit within the structure
of Balanced Literacy?
 What components of Balanced Literacy are especially
beneficial in the TD Literacy classroom?
UNIT PLANNING- A MONTH BY
MONTH APPROACH
Planning Units of Study
 Month By Month units in Teachers College Curriculum Guide
(by grade level)
 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
 Unit Examples
 Launching Reader’s Workshop, Characters, Biographies,
Series Books, Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction Research,
Interpretative Texts, Historical Fiction Book Clubs, Test
Prep
 Poetry?
Front-End Unit Planning
 Teaching Points
 Read-Alouds
 Student Activities-responses, sticky notes
 Assessments
Goal 2: It starts with the Units!
 How are you currently planning literacy and how will it look
with Balanced Literacy?
HOW WILL WE FIT IN THE TD
RESOURCES WE ARE ALREADY
USING?
Goal 3: Assess how we currently use TD
Resources.
 Take a look at the following resources. On your index card,
write how you already use them in your classroom.
 Great Books
 William and Mary
 Novel Study
 Jacob’s Ladder
 Touchpebbles
 Music of the Hemispheres
 Menus
 Performance Assessments
 Paiedia
 Building/Organizing Thinking Skills
Junior Great Books
Daily Schedule
Possible Units
 Interactive Read Aloud
 High quality text
 Three days or more: first read,
second read, discussion
 Characters
 Mini-Lesson support
 Test Prep
 Word Study
 rich vocabulary
 vocabulary activities in teacher
manual
 Interpretative Texts
 Book Clubs
William and Mary Units
Daily Schedule
 Teaching Points
 Research-based for gifted learners
 Apply to a variety of texts
Possible Units
 Characters
 Interpretative Text
 Mini-Lessons
 Plan units and lessons
 Non-Fiction/Research
 Reader’s Workshop
 Questions for individual work and small
group work
 Biographies
 Word Study
 Vocabulary activities/webs
 Assessment
 Questions and graphic organizers
 Book Clubs
 Poetry
Jacob’s Ladder
Daily Schedule
Possible Units
 Assessment
 Non-Fiction
 Texts for Mini-Lessons
 Biographies
 Strategy Work
 Leveled ladders
 Skill based
 Genre based
 Historical Fiction
 Interpretative Texts
 Poetry
 Test Prep
Organizing Thinking Skills
Daily Schedule
Possible Units
 Word Study
 Characters
 Strategy Groups
 Graphic organizers for a variety
of skills
 Non-Fiction/Research
 Mini-Lessons
 Modeling teaching points
 Writer’s Workshop
 Concepts in Science and Social
Studies
Novel Study
Daily Schedule
 Interactive Read Aloud
 Modeling through think-alouds
 Student copies
 Mini-lesson
 Carry over from read-aloud
Possible Units
 Characters
 Interpretative Texts
 Book Clubs
 Strategy Work
 Biographies
 Small group, leveled novel study
 Concept Unit in Social Studies or
 Word Study
Science
 Vocabulary menus
 Assessment
 Shared text, performance tasks
Music of the Hemispheres
Daily Schedule
Possible Units
 Mini- Lessons
 Poetry
 Read Alouds
 Test Prep
 Writer’s Workshop
 Word Study
Menus and Performance Assessments
 Reader’s Workshop
 Individual responses
 Unit work
 Assessment
 At individual reading levels
 Synthesizing multiple
texts/multi-media
 Management
Paideia Seminars
 Interactive Read-Alouds
 Reader’s Workshop
 Speaking and Listening
 Writing extensions
 Integrate into content areas
 Group Projects/Panel Discussions
Touchpebbles
 Interactive Read-Aloud
 Speaking and Listening Strand
 Think and discuss a text critically
 Integrate into content areas
 Writing extensions
Goal 4: Let’s Evaluate the best ways to incorporate TD
resources!
 Review how you already use these resources in your
classroom.
 On the second index card, write how you can use these
same resources and activities within the balanced literacy
framework.
Goal 5: Share ideas and strategies for
implementation!
 How will we make sure that our Balanced Literacy
classes meet the needs of gifted learners?
Our Contacts
kellyneelon@cms.k12.nc.us
amanda.oneal@cms.k12.nc.us