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by more research needed
Jan 1, 2008
/blockquote>
A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF THE FOUR BLOCKS LITERACY
MODEL
AS A BALANCED LITERACY PROGRAM IN THE
PRINCETON SCHOOL DISTRICT
by
Traci K. Kramer
A Research Paper
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the
Master of Science Degree
With a Major in
Education
Approved: 2 Sem...See More/blockquote>
A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF THE FOUR BLOCKS LITERACY
MODEL
AS A BALANCED LITERACY PROGRAM IN THE
PRINCETON SCHOOL DISTRICT
by
Traci K. Kramer
A Research Paper
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the
Master of Science Degree
With a Major in
Education
Approved: 2 Semester Credits
____________________________________
Investigation Advisor
The Graduate College
University of Wisconsin~Stout
November, 2000
Four Blocks
II
The Graduate College
University of Wisconsin~Stout
Menomonie, WI 54751
ABSTRACT
Kramer Traci K.
___________________________________________________________
_____
(Writer) (Last Name) (First) (Initial)
A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF THE FOUR BLOCKS LITERACY
___________________________________________________________
_____
MODEL AS A BALANCED LITERACY PROGRAM IN THE
___________________________________________________________
_____
PRINCETON SCHOOL DISTRICT
___________________________________________________________
_____
(Title)
MS in Education Dr. Ed Biggerstaff November 2000 20
___________________________________________________________
________
(Graduate Major) (Research Advisor) ( Month/Year) (No. of
Pages)
American Psychological Association (APA) Format
___________________________________________________________
________
(Name of Style Manual Used in this Study)
Educators are continually searching for the best
strategies to use in their
teaching. This is evident in the discipline of reading.
Reading is commonly referred
to as one of the ‘Three R’s of Education’, and is
considered to be of the utmost
Four Blocks
III
importance. It is thus questionable as to why so many
reading strategies and
methods have come and gone throughout the years.
Balanced literacy has become the recommended method for
successful reading
instruction for educators. This balance is described as
being a combination or blend
of whole language and phonics instruction. It is extremely
crucial to create a balance
in reading instruction to increase the literacy of
students. School districts are
challenged to identify the one program that will work best
for their students. As
standards, budgets, parental and administrative
constraints are placed on educators;
the decision to select a new program can be very
stressful. Recent literature reduces
this stress by providing many helpful hints as to what
makes up a successful reading
program.
This study explored several prerequisites necessary for an
exemplary reading
program. This study also investigated the four Blocks
Literacy Model for Grades 1-3
developed by P. Cunningham and D. Hall in 1989-90 in a
first grade classroom. The
Four Blocks (Guided Reading, Self-Selected Reading,
Writing, and Working with
Words) represent four different approaches to teaching
children to read.
Cunningham and Hall developed it with the thought that to
be successful in teaching
all children to read and write, teachers need to
incorporate daily the different
approaches to beginning reading. By using all four blocks
teachers acknowledge
that students do not learn in the same way and they will
therefore plan a variety of
formats to make each block as multi-level as possible.
Four Blocks
IV
The purpose of this study was to review, analyze,
critique, and draw sets and
implications from literature on the subject of balanced
literacy models comparing and
contrasting phonics, whole language, and the Four Blocks
Literacy Model.
A review of the literature indicated several key elements
must be present to
have a successful reading program. Research also showed
positive outcomes from
the Four Block Literacy Model. Due to the results of this
study, the following
recommendations are made. Educators will need access to
several resources
recently published on the Four Blocks Literacy Model. Also
to successfully
implement this model, teachers will need to be trained.
Training can occur in
different forms. Teachers can attend specific workshops
and/or other schools using
this model. Mentor and Administration feedback would be
helpful. Grade level
meetings, personal reading of articles and books, and
mailring involvement for
discussions across the country with other teachers
implementing this literacy model.
It is also vitally important that monies normally used for
the purchase of subject area
workbooks, be spent in areas such as additional literature
sets and teacher materials
specific to the Four Blocks Literacy Model.
Four Blocks
V
Acknowledgments
A sincere thank you goes to my “Master” family for having
the ambition to
complete a tremendous undertaking together. Thanks to
Robert Brenner for
organizing this “practically free” Master’s program in
Princeton. Thanks to John
Meinke for being my father figure and encouraging me to
maintain the balance.
Thanks to Amy Brooks, Mark Lind, Mary Lind, Cathy
Hargrave, and Joe Waters for
keeping our new family motivated and not leaving anyone
behind. Thanks to Sandy
Arendt for being a super role model and friend for life.
Thank you to the Princeton School Board and Administration
for your support
and encouragement of higher education for your teaching
staff.
Thank you to Dr. Ed Biggerstaff for your never-ending
positive attitude,
motivation, encouragement, and belief that I could
accomplish this goal.
Thank you to my husband, David, for being a wonderful
father and standing
beside me 100% throughout the past three years of graduate
classes. Now it’s your
turn to become a Master!
Thank you to my daughter, Kaytlyn, and my son, Mitchell,
for allowing mom to
miss some quality family time to pursue higher education.
I hope I have
demonstrated to you that learning is a lifelong process.
Four Blocks
VI
Table of Contents
Abstract…………………………………….………………………………………………II-IV
Acknowledgements………………………………………………..…………………...……V
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………..…………….VI
Chapter I Introduction………………………………………………………….……….1-4
Statement of the Problem…………………………….………………3
Purpose of the Study………………………………………….………3
Definition of Terms…………………………………………….………3
Chapter II Review of Literature…………………………………………………..…...5-
14
Phonics………………………………………..………………….…….5
Whole Language……………………………...………………….……6
Four Blocks Literacy Model……………………….…………….……7
Balance…………………………………………………………..……11
Characteristics & Evaluation of Great Reading
Programs……....12
Chapter III Critique, Conclusion, and
Recommendations…………………………15-17
Critique & Conclusion………………………………………………..15
Recommendations…………………………………………..……….18
Bibliography…………………………………………..…………..………………………19-20
Four Blocks
1
Chapter I
Introduction
Educators are continually searching for the best
strategies to use in their
teaching. This is very evident in the discipline of
reading. For many decades reading
has been commonly referred to as one of the ‘Three R’s of
Education’, and is
considered to be of the utmost importance. So why do so
many reading strategies
and methods come and go throughout the years? One would
think by now there
would be one proven method for successful reading
instruction for educators.
Balanced literacy has become the recommended method for
successful reading
instruction for educators. This balance is described as
being a combination or blend
of whole language and phonics instruction. It is extremely
crucial to create a balance
in reading instruction to increase the literacy of
students. Educators have a strong
history of reading instruction that seems to be swinging
on a pendulum. To add to
the confusion, researchers have many different opinions as
to what balanced reading
actually is. Fitzgerald (1999) suggests that balanced
reading is also “a set of beliefs,
a perspective.” In a balanced reading perspective,
teachers tend to identify
phonological awareness, comprehension, and motivation to
read as being equally
important. These beliefs also encompass various knowledge
sources and multiple
ways of learning.
There are many effective reading programs available for
review and
implementation. School districts are challenged to
identify the one program that will
work best for their students. As standards, budgets,
parental and administrative
Four Blocks
2
constraints are placed on educators; the decision to
select a new program can be
very stressful. Findings in recent literature reduce this
stress by providing many
helpful hints as to what makes up a successful reading
program.
This study will explore several prerequisites necessary
for an exemplary
reading program. This study will also investigate the four
Blocks Literacy Model for
Grades 1-3 developed by P. Cunningham and D. Hall in 1989-
90 in a first grade
classroom. The Four Blocks (Guided Reading, Self-Selected
Reading, Writing, and
Working with Words) represent four different approaches to
teaching children to read.
Cunningham and Hall developed it with the thought that to
be successful in teaching
all children to read and write, teachers need to
incorporate daily the different
approaches to beginning reading. A decade has passed and
their framework has
been used in first, second, and third grade classrooms
where children might struggle
in reading and writing. By using all four blocks teachers
acknowledge that students
do not learn in the same way and they will therefore plan
a variety of formats to make
each block as multi-level as possible.
An important question is whether district money should be
spent on a
traditional basal reading program with its many workbooks
or whether it should be
spent on a reading approach. This reading approach,
supported by research and
practice, would require money for teacher inservicing and
literature at various reading
levels. What would the teachers involved in these
decisions perceive to be of greater
value and which program would result in higher reading
scores; the current basal and
its methods or the Four Blocks Literacy Model?
Four Blocks
3
Reading is an integral part of a child’s success in
his/her education. The core
subjects require reading in order to accomplish specific
goals. Finding a reading
approach that will produce high test scores is extremely
important to educators,
administrators, parents, and children.
Statement of the Problem
A review of the literature indicates several key elements
must be present to
have a successful reading program. Research also shows
positive outcomes from
the Four Block Literacy Model. Therefore, the problem to
be focused upon in this
study will be a comprehensive review of the literature
highlighting the Four Blocks
Literacy Model as a balanced literacy program.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to review, analyze, critique,
and draw sets and
implications from literature on the subject of balanced
literacy models comparing and
contrasting phonics, whole language, and the Four Blocks
Literacy Model.
Definition of Terms
Four Blocks Literacy Model --- Comprised of the Self-
Selected Reading Block,
Guided Reading Block, Working With Words Block, and
Writing Block. These
blocks represent four different approaches to teaching
children to read.
Self-Selected Reading Block --- Teacher read-alouds,
students select books to read
at their own reading level, teacher/student conferencing,
and book sharing are
included in this block.
Four Blocks
4
Guided Reading Block --- Children are exposed to a wide
range of literature
experiences with a focus on building comprehension.
Reading instruction
uses a variety of reading formats and before and after
reading activities.
Working With Words Block --- Children learn to read and
spell high-frequency words
and the patterns that allow them to decode and spell many
other words.
Writing Block --- Children’s writing skills are developed
through mini-lessons as well
as focused and self-selected writing in a writer’s
workshop format. Examples
include mini-lessons that model writing, conferences with
students to help
them apply skills and strategies, and ways for students to
share their writing in
the classroom.
Four Blocks
5
Chapter II
Review of Literature
Chapter two will be comprised of five sections. The first
section will focus on
Phonics instruction followed by a discussion on whole
language. The third section
will cover the main components of the Four Blocks Literacy
Model. In the fourth
section, research on creating a balanced reading program
will be presented. In the
last section of this review of literature, characteristics
and evaluation of great reading
programs will be explored. Chapter two will close with a
summary.
Phonics
Phonics is described as being a drill and practice
instruction. For many years
teachers have focused on phonics instruction using the
basal, student workbooks,
teacher’s guide, and many skill-building worksheets. Many
skills in this program are
learned in isolation for a test. Basically, phonics is
working with letter-sound
correspondences, and students practice with the use of
workbooks. There are many
phonetic rules; for example, “When two vowels go walking,
the first one does the
talking.” Wagstaff (1994) states the students either could
not remember the rules or
could not make enough sense of them to apply the rules
when reading. Students
focus on letter sounds in isolation and then they begin to
blend the sounds together.
There are positive outcomes of early phonics instruction.
In general, as children
improve in the phonetic sophistication of their spelling,
their later success in learning
to read words becomes much more likely (Cunningham &
Cunningham, 1992).
Four Blocks
6
Fractor, Woodruff, Martinez & Teale (1993) think there
should be more:
Many children are taught to read through a skill-drill,
teach and test approach. We must go beyond reading
instruction that focuses only on developing abstract,
isolated
reading skills to reading instruction that puts equal
emphasis
on developing readers who are skilled and who want to and
do read. When this shift happens the student becomes a
literate person in the broadest sense of the word --- one
who
continually reads, writes, thinks, listens, and evaluates
for
real purposes in real-life situations.
Whole Language
Whole language was a tremendous change compared to the
phonics reading
instruction. This new philosophy for literacy learning
included an emphasis on the
integration of content curriculum areas and the four
related language processes of
reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This
integration is described as real
learning with a purpose. Zucker (1993) states learning was
facilitated through the
use of a multimodality approach in which reading, writing,
listening, and speaking
were frequently presented throughout the day using visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic
channels. Varying the methods of presentation reinforced
each language area.
Reading lessons took on several different forms such as,
shared, guided,
independent, choral, silent, paired, partner, and
listening to a tape.
Whole language brought about change and excitement to
teaching reading.
Emphasis was put on flexibility in materials and
activities, on student and teacher
Four Blocks
7
choice, and on viewing each child as a unique individual
rather than just grouped as
a third grader. Sometimes groups in each grade level were
given names such as
Robins or Bluebirds. Whole language has given many
teachers freedom to use their
professional judgment, a freedom which may have been
denied them in the past
(Spiegel, 1992).
Whole language instruction took on themes that would be
carried out in every
subject area. Children were encouraged to experiment and
explore, be risk takers,
and take pride in their efforts. This type of instruction
is considered to be learner
centered because the learners’ interests and needs are the
basis for lessons.
Three facets of literacy are focused on in whole language.
They are writing,
children’s literature, and authentic forms of assessment.
Using inventive spelling
while writing is encouraged and using a variety of
children’s literature gives students
background knowledge to use in their writings. Assessment
measures include a
variety of items found in a portfolio. Portfolios track
progress and can include
quarterly samples of writing products, running records,
skills checklists, anecdotal
records, journals, tape recordings of reading and
speaking, and informal evaluations.
Four Blocks Literacy Model
The Working with Words block always begins with a review
of the word wall
words. Students will locate the five words given by the
teacher. Then they will say,
chant, use the word in a sentence, write the word and
finally check the word.
Throughout the week, word endings for the particular five
words will be practiced.
This initial review should take about 10 minutes. Rogers
(1999) states that word
walls should be chosen with care. The list should include
high-frequency words,
Four Blocks
8
words with similar patterns, and words from the students’
writing. For the remaining
20-25 minutes of this block, the students will engage in
various activities to help them
learn spelling patterns. The traditional phonics and
spelling lessons are comparable
but not as engaging as the following activities: Making
Words, Rounding up the
Rhymes, Guess the Covered Word, and Reading/Writing
Rhymes. (See
Cunningham, Hall, & Defee, 1998, for a description of
these activities.) This block is
multilevel because while some students are learning to
read the words, others are at
the level of learning their spelling pattern of the word.
Phonemic awareness,
decoding skills, and transfer of knowledge to make other
words are some of the
varied levels students are at. These activities allow for
each student to be at his own
level as well as challenge him or herself to move to a
higher level.
The Self-Selected Reading block, a 30-40 minute block,
begins with a story
read aloud by the teacher. Hoffmann, Roser, and Battle
(1993) encourage teachers
to designate a legitimate time and place in the daily
curriculum for reading aloud to
students. During this time the teacher is constantly
modeling strategies for
independent reading. It is important that children are
taught there are three kinds of
reading. People can read a book by talking about the
pictures, by pretend reading a
familiar book, or by reading all the words. As the
children settle in to read
independently, the teacher is conferencing with individual
students to encourage
each student to choose books at their own reading level.
It is important that all kinds
of books are available to the students. This block ends
with students giving a book
talk about what they were reading. Regardless of what it
is called, self-selected
reading is that part of a balanced literacy program when
children choose what they
Four Blocks
9
want to read and what parts of their reading they want to
respond to (Cunningham et
al., 1998). This block is multilevel because of the range
of reading levels of the
students and the amount of different reading level books
available.
The Guided Reading block can include the basal reader,
trade books, big
books, and other content area materials. This block is
divided up into three sections
that are tied closely together. The Pre-Reading should be
5-10 minutes in length and
includes building prior knowledge, introducing three to
five vocabulary words, setting
a purpose for reading, filling in a graphic organizer, and
teaching a mini-lesson on a
comprehension strategy. The Reading section should take
between 15-20 minutes.
Depending on the day, the teacher may read and the
students track the story, choral
read, echo read, shared read, partner read, and be in book
club groups. After
Reading will include an activity aligned with the
comprehension strategy introduced in
the Pre-Reading section. Some kind of writing connected to
the reading story will
end this 5-10 minute section of Guided Reading block. This
block is multilevel
because it allows for a story to be read several times in
several different ways; thus,
helping the students achieve fluency in their reading.
Many times high and low
readers are paired up so each partner is learning from the
other one.
The 30-40 minute Writing block begins with an 8-10 minute
mini-lesson where
the teacher models the writing lesson. The students begin
writing and the teacher
conferences with individuals on revisions. During this
time students who are ready to
publish will reread the final with the teacher before
sharing in the Author’s Chair.
This block is multilevel because the students choose their
own topics and are
encouraged to write about what they know. During the
conferences each student
Four Blocks
10
receives individualized instruction according to what
their needs are. Writing is
another authentic activity and children who write become
more fluent in reading
(Cunningham, Hall, & Defee, 1991).
By using all four blocks teachers acknowledge that
students do not learn in the
same way and they will therefore plan a variety of formats
to make each block as
multilevel as possible. According to Broaddus and
Bloodgood (1999), [The Four
Blocks] approach allowed the teachers to move toward
multilevel instruction during
class time, eliminating the need for ability grouping and
virtually abolishing ineffectual
practices such as seat work. The Four Blocks Literacy
Model also provides extra
support for struggling students. Small group instruction
by special teachers will
provide additional guidance to students.
According to Cunningham, Hall, and Sigmon (1999) research
reveals across
eight years of Four Blocks instruction, results have
remained remarkably consistent:
At the end of first grade, 58%-64% of the children
read above grade level (third grade or above), 22%-28%
read on grade level, and 10%-17% read below grade level
(pre-primer or primer). On average, one child each year is
unable to meet the instructional level criteria on the
preprimer
passage. At the end of second grade, the number at
grade level is 14%-25%. The number above grade level
(fourth grade level or above) increases to 68%-76%. The
number reading below grade level drops to 2%-9%. (p. 185)
Four Blocks
11
Balance
What is the hottest topic now? It’s balanced reading or
balanced literacy
(Reutzel, December 1998/January 1999). The term balance is
interchangeable with
the term comprehensive. A comprehensive literacy program
focuses on three major
areas: reading, writing, and study of words. Each of these
areas is taught using
approaches that have been shown to improve children’s
achievement levels. Pinnell
(2000) states when these proven techniques are used in
conjunction with one
another and a large block of uninterrupted time is set
aside for daily literacy lessons,
teachers can create truly powerful and “balanced” reading
programs.
The emphasis is on using multiple approaches to reading so
that every
student will improve no matter what their reading level
is. It is true for writing as was
with reading. Teaching writing is best supported with
multiple approaches and many
opportunities to write each day. Direct daily attention is
given to the study of words
component. This component includes phonics and spelling.
The emphasis here is
on teaching important principles so that students become
word solvers who know the
foundations of words. For example, younger students must
learn that sounds are
represented by letters and letter clusters make spelling
patterns.
When discussing the issue of balance, the teacher’s point
of view also needs
to be looked at. Many teachers believe that knowing sight
words, different strategies
to figuring out a word, comprehension skills, and
basically having a love for reading is
critical to being a successful reader. The teacher needs
to vary the types of
instruction so that the children can build their reading
knowledge. A program
intertwined with a variety of reading approaches is a
balanced program.
Four Blocks
12
Characteristics and Evaluation of Great Reading Programs
Why are educators so interested in designing and
implementing reading
programs? Elementary school classroom teachers are
increasingly expected to take
the crucial and primary role of accelerating the reading
growth of elementary school
struggling readers (Duffy-Hester, 1999). Enhancing a
literacy program is a decision
of the teacher made each day about the best way to help
each child become a better
reader and writer. Classrooms of today are filled with a
variety of students all at
different academic levels. As a constructivist profession,
it is educators’ job to create
the best learning environments for the children. Many
teachers are unsure of how to
meet the needs of readers who struggle; therefore they
need to take a look at which
programs the literature suggests as being great programs.
The literature reveals many outstanding reading programs
that all have similar
characteristics. Exemplary programs provide opportunities
for students to work both
independently and with others on literacy tasks, reading,
and writing. Reading and
writing activities need to be integrated throughout the
curriculum. Reading programs
should be balanced, have merit, and justification
supported by teacher experience
and research. The teaching of reading strategies should be
incorporated with
reading and writing tasks. Teachers should read aloud to
students as well as provide
opportunities for students to read at instructional and
independent levels. Teachers
should be decision makers and keep meaningful reading
assessments. Reading
programs should be designed to support the reading growth
of all children, including
struggling and non-struggling readers. Parents and
community members should be
involved. Students should enjoy reading and writing. These
are many of the
Four Blocks
13
characteristics of exemplary reading programs. “Setting
and Example,” (1998,
December, 1999, January) states while this year’s winning
programs [of the
Exemplary Reading Program Awards] all strive toward the
same fundamental goals,
the diversity among the programs indicates that excellent
reading programs take
many forms.
Carbo (1997) lists the four key questions to ask when
evaluating the
effectiveness of a great reading program. Are the reading
materials interesting to
students? Do the students read fluently? Is good reading
modeled sufficiently? Do
the students comprehend at high levels what they are
reading? These are to the
point questions to aid in the decision making process of
keeping or changing reading
instruction. Carbo (1997) also goes on to explain about
evaluation:
Evaluation is not an end-of-year event. It needs to be
ongoing throughout the school year so that reading
programs constantly improve. You want your students to be
interested in what they’re reading, to use the correct
reading
methods consistently, to hear good reading modeled
sufficiently for fluency to occur, to be given enough time
to
learn to read, to be placed in experiences that require
them
to think, and to be given some practice at taking tests.
If you
can manage to meet all those conditions, then your students
will become youngsters who read well, who love to read, and
who perform well on reading tests. (p.67)
Four Blocks
14
The tough task of evaluation can be simplified by using
volunteers, such as parents
or other community members. Worthy and Hoffman (1999)
state that volunteers
have good intentions and want to make a real difference in
classrooms, but that it can
take a great deal of time and effort for teachers and
schools to organize and involve
them productively…the results are well worth the effort.
In conclusion, Cunningham, Hall, and Defee (1991) sum up
their Four Blocks
research:
Watching the children move through the writing,
basal, real books, and working with words blocks each day,
it was obvious that some children were much more
successful, attentive, and turned on during one of these
blocks. Some blocks are more or less important for some
children, but for a class of diverse children, they are all
important. (p. 57)
Finding a literacy model to implement that would be
balanced, meet the needs of all
the students, and also correlate to the Wisconsin State
Academic Standards, is
indeed a big job. It is this author’s opinion that it is
our job as educators to find the
best way to teach our students, but also to keep it all in
perspective. Exemplary
classroom programs cannot always ensure that all children
will become proficient
readers, but they can dramatically reduce the number of
children who are currently
classified as reading disabled or remedial readers (Duffy-
Hester, 1999).
Four Blocks
15
Chapter III
Critique, Conclusion, and Recommendations
Critique and Conclusion
Educators have a big task ahead of them. In the history of
reading, it is
evident that reading instruction focused on the basics and
then moved to whole
language ideas. Reading instruction seems to be swinging
on a pendulum. A review
of the literature shows that a balanced approach to
teaching reading is the new
wave. Rather than this versus that [the program] offered a
comprehensive, seamless
blend of factors related to reading success, coupled with
solid…approaches: reading
aloud, language experience, shared reading, guided
reading, interactive writing,
independent writing, and independent reading (Reutzel,
December 1998/January
1999). The idea of having a balanced approach seems to be
the answer to teaching
reading strategies to the multilevel students in the
classroom today. The same
characteristics keep popping up when deciding of a
program’s balance or lack of.
Fitzgerald (1999) suggests there is an equal weighting of
something-key aspects of
curriculum, key components, key kinds of instruction.
There also is a focus on the method of instruction and the
kinds of reading
knowledge children should attain. It is educators’ job to
find a program that best
meets the needs of the children. Having a balance should
be what they are looking
for:
[The Four Blocks Literacy Model] is probably best
characterized as a balance among diverse instructional
Four Blocks
16
methods. The primary goal of the program was to “combine
the major approaches to reading instruction,” and to do so;
instructional time was “divided fairly evenly between the
four
major historical approaches to reading instruction.” The
resulting four blocks of instruction were guided reading,
selfselected
reading, writers’ workshop, and working with words.
The program also had a second goal, which was to provide
“for a wide range of literacy levels without ability
grouping,”
and to accomplish this, instruction within each block
was “as
multilevel as possible” (Fitzgerald, 1999).
Bridges can and must be built between whole language and
phonics
approaches to literacy instruction to enable teachers to
blend the best of both in
order to help every child to reach his or her full
literacy potential. Educators must
avoid either/or and all/none attitudes that are blinding
to the value of different
perspectives. Educators need to examine how different
approaches compliment
each other. Educators need to look at the possibility of
blending them together. A
balanced literacy program comes down to compromise between
the extreme
approaches to reading instruction. Consider it a challenge
to ensure that initially
struggling readers don’t fall even farther behind as they
progress through school.
Also make it a challenge to provide appropriate
instruction to keep the advanced
readers excelling.
Educators should not abandon instruction of skills or
meaning. Application of
the skills for a purpose should be the objective.
Effective teaching makes use of both
Four Blocks
17
direct and indirect instruction. The transmission of
knowledge and the provision of
opportunities to apply skills that have been taught
compliment each other very well.
Adept teachers plan for a variety of opportunities for
students to learn and apply what
they know in meaningful ways. Learning is much more than
accumulating
information. Educators cannot overemphasize content at the
expense of the
process. If this happens, students are left not knowing
how to get the information or
to even learn on their own.
Recommendations
Due to the results of this study, the following
recommendations are made.
The first through third grade teachers at Princeton Public
School will need access to
several resources recently published on the Four Blocks
Literacy Model. Also to
successfully implement this model, teachers will need to
be trained. Training can
occur in different forms. Teachers can attend specific
Four Blocks workshops and/or
visit other schools using this model. Mentor and
Administration feedback could be
helpful. Grade level meetings, personal reading of
articles and books, and mailring
involvement for discussions across the country with other
teachers implementing this
literacy model. It is also vitally important that monies
normally used for the purchase
of subject area workbooks, be spent in areas such as
additional literature sets and
teacher materials specific to the Four Blocks Literacy
Model.
Reform isn’t easy. In a time when schools are constantly
asked to do more
with less and when school bashing by presidential
candidates gets votes and sells
media, it may hardly seem worth the effort. But, education
has come too far to go
Four Blocks
18
backwards. Achieving informed literacy balance takes
knowledge, time, and
thoughtfulness. But, in the end, the students are
definitely worth the effort.
Four Blocks
19
References
Broaddus, K., & Bloodgood, J. W. (1999). ‘We’re supposed
to already know how to
teach reading”: Teacher change to support struggling
readers. Reading
Research Quarterly, 34, 426-450.
Carbo, M. (1997). 4 key questions to evaluate reading
programs. Education Digest,
62, 64-67.
Cunningham, P. M., & Cunningham, J.W. (1992). Making
Words: Enhancing the
invented spelling-decoding connection. The Reading
Teacher, 46, 106-115.
Cunningham, P. M., Hall, D. P., & Defee, M. (1991).
Nonability-grouped, multilevel
instruction: A year in a first grade classroom. The
Reading Teacher, 44, 566-
571.
Cunningham, P. M., Hall, D. P., & Defee, M. (1998).
Nonability-grouped, multilevel
instruction: Eight years later. The Reading Teacher, 51,
652-664.
Cunningham, P. M., Hall, D. P., & Sigmon, C. M. (1999).
The teacher’s guide to the
four blocks: A multimethod, multilevel framework for
grades 1-3. Greensboro,
NC: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.
Duffy-Hester, A. M. (1999). Teaching struggling readers in
elementary school
classrooms: A review of classroom reading programs and
principles for
instruction. The Reading Teacher, 52, 480-495.
Fitzgerald, J. (1999). What is this thing
called “balance?”. The Reading Teacher, 53,
100-107.
Four Blocks
20
Fractor, J. S., Woodruff, M.C., Martinez, M.G., & Teale,
W.H. (1993). Let’s not miss
opportunities to promote voluntary reading: Classroom
libraries in the
elementary school. The Reading Teacher, 46, 476-483.
Hoffman, J. V., Roser, N. L., & Battle, J. (1993). Reading
aloud in classrooms: From
the modal toward a “model”. The Reading Teacher, 46, 496-
503.
Pinnell, G. S. (2000). What’s the buzz on balanced
literacy? Creative Classroom,
May/June, 50-54.
Reutzel, D. R. (1998-1999). On balance reading. The
Reading Teacher, 52, 322-324.
Rogers, L. K. (1999). Spelling cheerleading. The Reading
Teacher, 53, 110-112.
Setting an example. (1998, December-1999, January).
Reading Today, 16, 14-15.
Spiegel, D.L. (1992). Blending whole language and
systematic direct instruction. The
Reading Teacher, 46, 38-44.
Wagstaff, J. (1994). Phonics that work! New strategies for
the reading/writing
classroom. New York: Scholastic Professional Books Inc.
Worthy, J., & Hoffman, J. V. (1999). Involving volunteers
in school reading programs.
The Reading Teacher, 53, 246-248.
Zucker, C. (1993). Using whole language with students who
have language and
learning disabilities. The Reading Teacher, 46, 660-670.
by Is there a new 4 blocks book
Jan 2, 2008
/blockquote>
I thought I saw on one website about a poetry book
published by 4 blocks of poetry for 2nd grade (not the 1st
grade book). Does anyone know if I'm imagining this and
whyere I cab go to find it again - - - and if it's worth
thr money?
/blockquote>
What do you do when you have kids at a MUCH lower level
during guided reading?
I have had kids who were at a somewhat lower level (like,
2.5 or beginning 3rd during mid third) and found the 4
blocks strategies worked well. I would let them partner
read or read with me in a small group while others read...See More/blockquote>
What do you do when you have kids at a MUCH lower level
during guided reading?
I have had kids who were at a somewhat lower level (like,
2.5 or beginning 3rd during mid third) and found the 4
blocks strategies worked well. I would let them partner
read or read with me in a small group while others read on
their own and did ERT or a T-chart, venn diagram or
something like that... However, I have a student who came
to me not recognizing all her letters yet (3rd grade) we
are in the process of getting services/eval done, but in
the meantime??
I conference with her daily during SSR and find she is
making a lot of progress and quite quickly. I don't know
what was happening at her other school, but she is new and
came to my class in November. I borrowed books from the
library and the K class for her SSR. I actually don't know
if she has an actual disability because she is picking
things up quickly and reading well with some actual
instruction and now knows all the sounds and can read early
primer books. (The cat sat on the mat, etc.)
Anyway, what would you do during guided reading? I have
been reading aloud to her, but then I can't work with the
other kids. I thought about having another child read to
her, but don't want to cause embarrassment or over-reliance
on another kid.
/blockquote>
Does anyone have some activities etc. for Stephanie's
Ponytail by Robert Munsch?
/blockquote>
Anyone out there in 4th or 5th grade who would be wiling
chat about big blocks.
If you ar
/blockquote>
Anyone out there in 4th or 5th grade who would be wiling
chat about big blocks.
If you are in primary and know someone let them know I am
looking for some communicate with.
Thanks Ruby
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Teacher Chatboards
There were 5 RF schools in my district. After the third
year, there was an extension given for one final year (last
year), but I can't remember if it was for all five, or just a
few. I'm sorry, but I don't know if teachers had a say in
the matter or not. From my understanding, though, they
didn't have a ...See More