In my classroom, I use Balanced Literacy as a model for teaching children in a child-centered classroom, providing many opportunities for real life reading and writing experiences. It is based on the research of Marie Clay, Irene Fountas, and Gay Su Pinnell. Children read and write each day independently and in group settings (both large and small). My classroom focuses on four different types of reading experiences:

• Read aloud - whole class
• Shared reading - whole class
• Guided reading - small groups
• Independent reading

As part of my Balanced Literacy program, students also participate in shared and individual writing activities each day. Examples of this can be found under "Writer's Workshop".

During Read Aloud, I will verbally interact with students before, during and after reading to help them understand and make a variety of connections with the read-aloud selection. The selection will usually be a non-fiction or fiction narrative, a poem, or picture book.

During a read-aloud I will engage the children in a series of activities, including: pre-viewing the book; asking students to make predictions and connections to prior knowledge; stopping at purposeful moments to emphasize story elements, ask guiding questions or focus questions; and using oral or written responses to bring closure to the selection.

Some of the chapter books that I will be reading aloud this year include:

• Charlotte's Web
• The Witches
• Flat Stanley
• Mr. Popper's Penguins
• Ramona the Brave
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience. An integral component of shared reading is an enlarged text that all children can see. Children join in the reading of a big book or other enlarged text such as songs, poems, and charts. During the reading I involve the children in reading together by pointing to or sliding below each word in the text. I draw attention to the print and model early reading behaviors such as moving from left to right and word-by-word matching. Shared reading models the reading process and strategies used by readers.

In the shared reading model there are multiple readings of the books over several days. Throughout, children are actively involved in the reading. During the initial reading, the teacher:

• Introduces the book (shares theme, examines title, cover, illustrations, and makes predictions)

• Relates prior experience to text

• Concentrates on enjoying the text as a whole

• Encourages students to use background knowledge to make predictions

• Encourages spontaneous participation in the reading of the story

• Discusses personal responses to the book

Texts are usually read multiple times over a period of days or weeks. The first reading emphasizes reading for enjoyment. Subsequent readings aim to increase participation, teach about book characteristics and print conventions, teach reading strategies, help develop a sight vocabulary of high frequency words, and teach phonics. During subsequent readings, the teacher:

• Directs children's attention to various aspects of the text, and reading strategies, and skills.

• Identifies vocabulary, ideas and facts,

• Discusses author's style

• Experiments with intonation and expression

• D iscusses colorful phrases or word

Guided Reading is an instructional reading strategy in which I will work with small groups of children who have similar reading processes and needs. I will select and introduce new books that are carefully chosen to match the instructional levels of students and that support whole text reading. Readers are carefully prepared when being introduced to a new text and various teaching points are made during and after reading. Guided reading fosters comprehension skills and strategies, develops background knowledge and oral language skills, and provides as much instructional-level reading as possible. During guided reading, students are given exposure to a wide variety of texts and are challenged to select from a growing repertoire of strategies that allow them to tackle new texts more independently. Ongoing observation and assessment help to inform instruction and grouping of students is flexible and may be changed often.

Independent Reading is a time when students self-select and independently read appropriate books.

Independent reading provides an opportunity to apply strategies that are introduced and taught during teacher read aloud, shared reading, and guided reading. When materials are appropriate and students can read independently, they become confident, motivated and enthusiastic about their ability to read.