Bonnie Burns - How to Teach Balanced Reading and Writing

Copyright 2006 by Corwin Press

All rights reserved. When forms and sample documents are included, their use is authorized only by educators, local school sites, and/or noncommercial or nonprofit entities who have purchased the book. Except for that usage, no part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Burns, Bonnie. How to teach balanced reading and writing / Bonnie Burns. 2nd ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-4129-3741-8 (cloth) ISBN 1-4129-3742-6 (pbk.)
1. English languageStudy and teaching. 2. Language arts. I. Title.

LB1576.B8935 2006

372.6dc22 2006001770

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

06 07 08 09 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To all those I love who have been so patient, and with special
thanks to Pat Braun and Dana LaRocco for research assistance.

B. B.

Preface

T he concept of balanced reading and writing has developed into a more mature philosophy over the past few years. Its roots were in the reading wars, those rancorous debates between whole language advocates and phonics supporters, but teachers have always known that the needs of their diverse learners could not be met with any single end-of-the-spectrum method.

Today, balanced reading is able to skillfully blend skill-based instruction and meaning-based instruction through a whole-part-whole philosophy. Balanced reading also includes integrating the language arts and balancing teacher- and student-centered activities. An expanded definition of balance includes adjusting levels of support and intensity of instruction, which were added in this edition to promote differentiation of instruction to meet the needs of various learners.

The second edition, written for preservice and practicing teachers, includes several new sections as well as updated resources. There is a new chapter on fluency and a new section on language acquisition. Resources for determining readability and locating children's literature, all with easy-to-use Web sites, are other additions. There are new teaching activities in every section, Web sites, and updated tests for phonemic awareness.

Chapters are generally organized in a similar manner. They start by explaining the background and developmental nature of the topics. Activities that teach a skill or strategy follow. Beginning teachers often ask for just the activities but, without knowing why the activities work and when they work, are not able to successfully adapt the procedures for their classes. Teachers need knowledge of both underlying principles and engaging activities to make the right lesson plans for their classes.

The first chapter gives a definition of balanced reading and the role that explicit instruction plays. are about primary readers and older students who still need to develop the skills of emergent reading, phonemic awareness, word recognition, and fluency.

The remainder of the book applies to all grades. Guided reading and grouping for reading are addressed in . They include strategies for teaching the whole class, small groups, and individual students. This section also includes methods for finding the readability of books and locating children's literature.

Comprehension strategies, with ideas for before, during, and after reading, and a vocabulary chapter come next. They are followed by student-centered writing. The book concludes with chapters on reading and writing in the content areas and assessment.

Choose the sections that are needed for your classroom, but read first to understand how theories and activities can be balanced successfully. Learning to read is a long and complicated process, but there are research-based strategies that can make the entire process more coordinated and effective in your classroom.

Publisher's Acknowledgments

C orwin Press gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following reviewers

Roxie R. Ahlbrecht, Second Grade Teacher
Robert Frost Elementary School, Sioux Falls, SD

Barbara Smith Chalou, Associate Professor, Teacher Education
University of Maine at Presque Isle, Presque Isle, ME

Betty Ann Collinge, Kindergarten and First Grade Teacher
Green Acres Elementary School, North Haven, CT

Linda L. Eisinger, Third Grade Teacher
West Elementary, Jefferson City, MO

Karen Heath, Literacy Coordinator
Barre Schools, Barre, VT

Sherri Strawser, Associate Professor, Special Education
University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV

Jennifer Trujillo, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education
Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO

About the Author

Bonnie Burns is currently Director of the Reading Specialist Program at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. She works with both undergraduate and graduate students who are studying to be reading specialists. She has authored or coauthored several books and articles and an online column. Her current interests are establishing school district-university partnerships and reading clinics. She has served for 30 years as an elementary teacher, reading specialist, and principal in Illinois, Florida, and Arizona, working with a wide variety of students. She was a trainer for the Illinois state assessment in writing and the New York State Effective Teaching Program. She has been a presenter of professional development workshops nationally. She received her EdD in Educational Leadership from Loyola University of Chicago.