K2 Data-Driven Literacy Instruction
Facilitator’s Guide
Boston Public Schools
Structuring the Literacy Block
Location:
Date:
Time:
Overview
Effective literacy instruction involves creating instructional routines. These patterns to the literacy block
allow teachers and student to focus on learning over classroom processes. This team meeting guides
teachers through identifying evidence-based instructional practices and how they map onto the core
curriculum. Attention is paid to what types of instruction are best suited for whole-group, small-group,
and independent/center-based learning situations. Teachers are asked to synthesize this information
into creating a literacy block schedule—either daily or weekly—for their classroom.
Objective
Teachers will discuss the instructional activities included in their reading block and create a schedule
Preparation
 Invite teachers and ask them to bring their TE’s to the meeting
 Agenda written / typed
 Copy materials
 Checklist of Research-Based Instructional Strategies for K2
 Mapping Activities onto Whole-Group and Small-Groups
 Literacy Block Schedule—Weekly
 Literacy Block Schedule—Daily
Resources
Reading Street Teacher’s Edition (TE)
1
The kindergarten TE for Reading Street includes information on scheduling literacy instruction into the
day. The basic outline provided is meant to be adapted to the needs of schools and classrooms, but was
developed using research on effective instructional practice.
Created by Sky Marietta | Three to Third
K2 Data-Driven Literacy Instruction
Facilitator’s Guide
Boston Public Schools
Focusing on Special Populations:
 Like any other student, Ell’s benefit from direct instruction and
guided practice in the context of familiar classroom structures.
Developing a consistent classroom schedule will help Ell’s
understand the expectations of the classroom and join
instructional activities.
2
Created by Sky Marietta | Three to Third
K2 Data-Driven Literacy Instruction
Facilitator’s Guide
Boston Public Schools
Team Meeting Activities
Key:  = quick discussion/overview;  = discussion item;  = involved discussion
Make sure that participants have with them the Reading Street Teacher’s Edition.
1.
2.
Evidence-Based K2 Instructional Strategies 
a.
Begin the session with a discussion of the structure of the Reading Street curriculum. What
are the main components? What does a typical reading block look like in the program?
b.
Pass out copies of the “Checklist of Research-Based Instructional Activities for K2.” Ask
teachers to think of how these proven strategies align with Reading Street and fit into the
instructional day.
Whole-Group, Small-Group, and Center-Based Learning 
a.
3.
Creating a Schedule 
a.
4.
Discuss what components of Reading Street are delivered through whole-group, small-group
and centers/workstations. Pass out copies of the “Mapping Instruction to Whole- and
Small-Groups.” What daily instructional routines will take place in circle time? In small
groups? In centers/workstations?
Using the TE’s as a framework, ask teachers to create their own literacy block schedule. You
can pass out the daily or weekly version of the literacy block schedule depending on the
needs of your school.
Closing and reflection 
a.
As the session ends, ask teachers to share one thing they will do new or differently this year
in their reading block.
3
Created by Sky Marietta | Three to Third
K2 Data-Driven Literacy Instruction
Facilitator’s Guide
Boston Public Schools
Furthering the Conversation
The following optional activity is designed to involve teachers in looking more closely at instructional
practice.
Communities of Practice:
 Many teachers post a large schedule in their classroom. Often these schedules are visual and
meant to help students understand what the expectations for their current activity as well as
what comes next. Teachers can, for example, paste a red arrow to a clothespin and move the
clothespin up and down the schedule to show students the sequence of the day. Teachers may
get together to make a classroom schedule specifically to display for students.
4
Created by Sky Marietta | Three to Third
K2 Data-Driven Literacy Instruction
Teacher Handout
Checklist of Research-Based Instructional Activities for Kindergarten
The instructional activities below are from page 189 of Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children
by Catherine Snow, Susan Burns, and Peg Griffin (1998).

Instructional Activities
Oral language activities for fostering growth in
receptive and expressive language and verbal
reasoning
Reading aloud with children to foster their
appreciation and comprehension of text and
literary language
Reading and book exploration by children for
developing print concepts and basic reading
knowledge and processes
Writing activities for developing children’s
personal appreciation of the communicative
dimensions of print and for exercising print and
spelling abilities
Thematic activities (e.g., sociodramatic play) for
giving children opportunity to integrate and
extend their understanding of stories and new
knowledge spaces
Print-directed activities for establishing
children’s ability to recognize and print the
letters of the alphabet
Phonemic analysis activities for developing
children’s phonological and phonemic
awareness
Word-directed activities for helping children to
acquire a basic sight vocabulary and to
understand and appreciate the alphabetic
principle
Created by Sky Marietta
Three to Third
What this looks like with Reading Street:
K2 Data-Driven Literacy Instruction
Teacher Handout
Mapping Activities onto Whole- and Small-Groups
Ask Yourself: What types of lessons or activities will be conducted in a whole- versus a small-group
setting? How will work stations or centers reinforce instruction?
Created by Sky Marietta
Three to Third
K2 Data-Driven Literacy Instruction
Teacher Handout
Literacy Block Schedule—Weekly
Activity
Time Period
Created by Sky Marietta
Three to Third
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
K2 Data-Driven Literacy Instruction
Teacher Handout
Literacy Block Schedule—Daily
Time Period
Activity
Created by Sky Marietta
Three to Third