SUPPORTING BALANCED
LITERACY THROUGH THE
TEACHERS COLLEGE MODEL
August 21, 2013
TODAY’S GOALS
 Share
framework / components of
Teachers College Model for Units of
Study
 Begin with Interactive Read Alouds
(What is it? How do I plan for it?)
 Don’t freak out!
90 MINUTE READING BLOCK
Interactive Read
Aloud
Word Work /
Word Study
Readers Workshop
•Model a variety of
strategies
•Teach students how
to talk about books
(accountable
conversations)
•Develop reading
partnerships
•Vary texts and
lessons to support
unit of study
•Provide exposure to
vocabulary, concepts
and text structures
•Teach phonics,
spelling and
vocabulary
•Base instruction on
spelling inventory
(see Words Their
Way)
•Provide mini-lesson
followed by skill
based, small group
work and
independent practice
•Mini lesson
•Student Reading
time with Conferring
and Small Group
Work
•Mid-Workshop
Teaching Point
•Teaching
Share/Partner/Book
Clubs
HOW WILL WE GET WHERE WE NEED TO
GO?
Professional Development will support elements of
Teachers College Model
August / September
Interactive Read Alouds
October
Interactive Read Alouds
November / December
Mini lessons
January
Mini lessons
February
Conferring
March
Conferring
April
Word Work?
May/June
Assessments?
Book
Studies
PD
sessions
Planning
INTERACTIVE READ ALOUDS
Aim for 20-30 minutes daily.
 Use quality informational and narrative texts.
(Integrate your subject areas and promote
intertextual connections!)
 Deliberately plan which skills and strategies you
will focus on with each text.
 Incorporate think-alouds into your instruction.
 Build in a day for rereading a text and
incorporating skill extension (writing-based
retelling, compare-contrast texts…).

Goal: engage students in actively using specific reading
strategies while teacher guides and coaches.
HOW DO INTERACTIVE READ ALOUDS
WORK?
 Choose Texts that are:
 High interest & address standards
 For your target audience (gr. level, length…)
 Diverse and encourage multicultural connections
 Clear and accurate
 Created by same author or illustrator (create
connections)
 Choose Vocabulary that is:
 Functional and meaningful
 Rich, varied, interesting without compromising text’s
overall meaning
 Important to the story
INTERACTIVE READ ALOUDS
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! (K-2)
http://vimeo.com/55950927

Gorillas (3-5)
http://vimeo.com/55965891
What do you notice about
management?
Instruction? Students?
Teacher?
POSSIBLE STRUCTURE FOR AN
INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD
-
Book Intro
Think Alouds (at least 2)
Turn and Talk
Think Alouds
Turn and Talk
Grand conversation
Let’s
try it
out!
PARTNER TALK PROGRESSION
1



Partners looking 
away from each
other
Partner’s
conversations

running out of
steam quickly
One partner

speaks, then the
other, then they
are “done”
2
One partner
engaged and
dominating
conversation
One partner
nudges the
other to speak
The other
partner may be
disengaged
3



Partners only
agreeing with
one another
Partners
repeating each
other’s ideas
Partners talk
without
referring to text
4




Partners
actively listen to
one another
Partners reflect
on what the
other said
Partners talking
about and
referring to text
Partners
repeating each
other’s ideas
and using
prompts to
build new ones
5





Partners
grounding all
ideas in the text
Partners are
prepared with
questions,
ideas, favorite
parts marked
Partners
building on
what the other
says
Partners
keeping the
conversations
going longer
than required
Partners
speaking about
books with
passion
POST READ ALOUD
Writing
 Whole Group Discussion with accountable talk
(Grand Conversation)
http://vimeo.com/55950928
 Partner work
 Reference strategies again during workshop mini
lessons, conferences, small group instruction
 Create an anchor chart

GATHERING ASSESSMENT DATA
(a.k.a…
What do I do with all those darn post it notes?)

What am I assessing?



Engagement
Comprehension
Use of strategies
Collect for quick pulse and to
guide small group work
 Use as journal starter

YOUR TURN!
With your teammates, choose an engaging text
that you can use for a read aloud next week.
 What CCSS will you address?
 Create post it notes that show your teacher
modeling and opportunities for guided student
discussion.

WHAT SHOULD I DO FROM NOW THROUGH
THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF SCHOOL?
Become a reading professional!!
•
•
•
•
•
Read Unit 1 of Units of Study
Review your Yearlong map from time to time
(look ahead!!)
Continue planning for Read Alouds
Be prepared for planning
Organize your library
Do you know how to access Intranet resources?
WHAT SHOULD I DO FROM NOW THROUGH
THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF SCHOOL?
Get to know
your readers!!
•Interest inventories,
conferences, observations
•Start individual bags of books
•Reading Logs (2nd -5th)
•Reading Response journals
•Start building anchor charts to
help students visualize
strategies
WHAT SHOULD I DO FROM NOW THROUGH
THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF SCHOOL?
Create a Reading
Environment
•
•
•
•
•
•
Establish reading partnerships
Start individual bags of books
Reading Logs (2nd -5th)
Reading Response journals (all)
Start building anchor charts to
help students visualize
strategies
Interactive Read Alouds
RESOURCES
The Continuum of Literacy Learning
 Book studies
 Me! (available for modeling lessons, coplanning…)
 Any experts in the building??
 http://readingandwritingproject.com/
 Elementary Literacy Grade Level Pages

(Intranet Departments Humanities Literacy Elementary
Literacy)