How long should a literacy block be

Once students can decode and read simple words, independent reading is crucial to building reading skill. Once basic decoding is intact, students can rapidly improve their reading skill through independent reading of text that they can read with accuracy. For proficient readers, practically all words are read from memory by sight. These readers are proficient because pronunciations and meanings come to mind automatically and instantly when written words are seen.

Orthographic mapping is the mental process that we use to store words "so that the spellings, pronunciations, and meanings of these words can be retrieved as soon as the reader's eyes alight upon the words" Pace Miles and Ehri, Orthographic mapping is what allows a proficient reader to instantly read any familiar word instead of having to decode it.

Orthographic mapping happens when a reader connects the sounds in a word to its spelling and its meaning. When a reader repeatedly encounters, decodes, reads, and understands a word, it is added to the reader's sight vocabulary. This is why reading practice accelerates reading growth, once children become somewhat proficient at decoding. This acquisition of new words fuels improved fluency, and improved fluency enables the reader to focus on comprehension. Pace Miles, K.

In Kilpatrick, D, Joshi, R. Reading Development and Difficulties. Kilpatrick, D. Center work reinforces what students have been learning. Teachers check in with and debrief to ensure that students are maximizing their time. The following guidelines are advisable and reflect the development of reading over the early grades: Advised Explicit Instruction on Foundational Skills for Grades K—2: Minute Literacy Block Schedule.

Be the first to read the latest from Shaped. Subscribe to Shaped. Infusing Multiple Narratives in History Classrooms: Native American Studies How do we reframe our pedagogy to incorporate multiple narratives within our classrooms? David J. We currently have a separate time for it like you do in your sample schedules above. Can you give me some suggestions of what you do. Thank you! Hi Michelle! I love incorporating science and social studies into read alouds and shared reading.

During that separate time, we can revisit the text — because often, during read alouds or shared reading, we are focusing on a strategy, too. The extra science and SS block is a chance to dig deeper in the content of the text.

Hi Alison! I love you post! I was wondering if you could tell me how you would handle my schedule? We start at with the pledge and announcements usually done by I have related arts from and lunch from Then from we have Power … Read more ».

Hey Emily! So sorry to hear you are having trouble with your schedule! Example: Spend more time on word study one day and more time on writing another day? This post is super helpful! Every day I have the first 90 minutes for Language Arts with my kids, but then I only have 45 minutes for math and 45 for science science is 3 days a week that are spread throughout the rest of the day. The kids have Spanish, ESL, and a special as well that are taught by other teachers.

Hi Rebekah! Are you required to use a plan book? I love using something like Google Drive to make my plans! If not, how do you manage the revolving door of kiddos that have to go to the restroom throughout lessons?

Also, we have to provide handwriting instructin correct letter formation, etc. Do you provide that daily instruction? Hey Kimberly! Correct, I usually let my kids go as they need to and encourage transition time or other times other than lessons.

I do have like a little snack break not sure if I put it in there when they are also encouraged to go. It IS hard … Read more ». This post was very helpful!! This really helped me so much!! I am still struggling though because we only get minutes of reading time. Is there any advice you have for adjusting the schedules from around 3 hours to 2?

Hello, I stumbled across your blog while I was frantically researching balanced literacy and I am thrilled! I noticed in your post that you have shared reading, read aloud, and a reading mini lesson listed separately.

Can you explain how they are different? Thank you for helping out this frazzled, first year first grade teacher!

Hey Amanda! I consider shared reading to be an opportunity for you to work with the kiddos using a text you ca both see. It might involve modeling and student participation. A minilesson typically has a focused teaching point and may use part of a text as an example, but not an entire text — i. Looking over your schedule and trying to adjust it to minutes including a 35 minute reading block.

Like your idea of a and b schedules to get everything in and the way you di read alouds. Thank you for sharing. Thanks for this post — it was very interesting and includes some great ideas and suggestions.

Including activities that build fluency is important. Comprehension requires vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, and language comprehension. These are the things you will focus on in your comprehension instruction. I know that every school has different time requirements and even specific activity requirements for reading and writing instruction.

You might be able to adapt what you are currently doing and swap some activities or change up the timing to fit with what research says actually works to improve reading. Here is a sample of what a literacy block should look like for kindergarten through second grade:. These activities DO NOT have to be scheduled in this order, nor do the activities need to stick within these recommended time frames.

Think of transition times that you can do phonemic awareness activities like while walking to lunch. You could do a read-aloud while students eat their morning or afternoon snack.

Some of these activities could be independent small group activities that your students work on while you work with another group. Break up the longer time frames if needed. For example, in Kindergarten you may do half of your small group instruction in the morning and the other half in the afternoon, so that the other students are not doing independent work for so long because you know they will get off task after about 10 minutes or so.

You can do certain activities less often, or try a schedule that alternates activities so it takes 2 days to go through all the areas. What you do want to have each day is a little bit of instruction that addresses decoding, fluency, and comprehension. But be flexible and realistic.