Balanced Reading Program
Balanced Reading Program
Structure/Time
Appropriate time allocated for
activity and student capabilities
Individual or Communal
Small Group
Whole Class
Student Materials
Rich variety of resources
Cross curricular
Variety of themes/genres
High interest
Appropriate skill level
Independent Reading
Scaffolding of different
skills/strategies
Higher order thinking
Comprehension
Basic decoding
Minimal support to
readers but not 'absent'
Build on skills taught in other
components of program
Shared Reading
Fluent Reader
How to use text features
Think pair share about text features
Early Reader
Skills review and assessment
Punctuation to understand dialogue
Model predicting
Emergent Readers
Individual understanding
Interactive Writing
Predictions
Introduction
All students must be able to see print
Safe and encouraging environment
Classroom Atmosphere
Level of activity/noise
appropriate for the activity
Comfortable and calming
Book on display and
organized
Graphic organizers
Word wall
Anchor charts
Professional Materials
Assessment tools
Digital resources/libraries
Professional development tools
Large print books/resources
Main topic
Read Aloud
'Realia' to engage students
What good reading looks/sounds like
Students learn to listen and predict to stay
engaged
Above student reading level but engages in
oral communication
Activate semantic cueing system by
providing necessary background knowledge
Guided Reading
Different strategies scaffolded for
emergent, early and fluent readers
Classroom management is crucial
Teacher support students as they talk,
think, read their way through using strategies
Text carefully selected to be within
students' instructional range but still
provides challenge
Scaffold learning of small group to apply
strategies learned in read alouds and shared
readings to unfamiliar text
Transition from teacher modelling
to student independence
