English Language Arts Instruction: Balanced Literacy Through the Workshop Model

The  Balanced Approach to Literacy provides authentic opportunities to  for all students to learn, practice, and apply the skills they need to become fully literate individuals, capable of lifelong learning.

Why a Balanced Approach to Literacy?

The Common Core Standards describe a literate graduate as someone who: 

• Demonstrates independence
• Builds strong content knowledge
• Responds to varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline
• Comprehends as well as critiques
• Values evidence
• Uses technology and digital technology strategically and capably
• Understands other perspectives and cultures

Meeting this ambitious vision requires a shift in literacy instruction and curriculum. Activity-based instruction of isolated skills from a scripted teacher’s manual is not sufficient. 

What is a Balanced Approach to Literacy?

A Balanced Approach to Literacy instruction occurs within six interdependent components taught throughout the school week: 

• Reading Workshop
• Writing Workshop
• Shared or Close Reading
• Interactive Read Aloud
• Interactive/Shared Writing
• Word Study

These six components are interwoven in order to balance learning to read with reading to learn.