Delicate Balances: Striving for Curricular and Instructional Equilibrium in a Second‐Grade, Literature/Strategy‐Based Classroom

Abstract

Curriculum balanceThe curricular program implemented in this study was within the general framework referred to as literaturebased reading instruction. Literature-based instruction involves the teaching of reading and writing abilities and the development of literature appreciation through the use of authentic reading materials written for children and young adults (Cox & Zarillo, 1993;Cullinan, 1987). Delicate balances 259Table 3 Categories and properties generated through content analysis Category 1: Becoming a Reader Property A: Students came to view reading as a natural, regular component of the school day. Property B: Students grew in overall instructional reading level. Category 2: Engagement With Literacy Property A: Students acquired an appreciation for literature and respect for books. Property B: Students developed knowledge of many books, authors, and illustrators. Property C: Students had opinions about books and literature and expressed them freely in speech and writing. Category 3: Word Identification and Reading Fluency Property A: Students became more strategic in word identification. Property B: Students became more automatic in word recognition. Category 4: Comprehending Written Texts Property A: Students understood and demonstrated that reading is a meaning-seeking process. Property B: Students used multiple strategies for comprehending text and for clarifying ambiguous or unclear understandings of materials they read. Category 5: Written Composition Property A: Students developed a sense of audience in their writing. Property B: Students wrote about personal interests and experiences.

An exhibition and analysis of verbal tapestries: Understanding how scaffolding is woven into the fabric of instructional conversations

“…Similarly, some of the components of the reciprocal teaching approach, such as a focus on student generation of questions, encouragement of students to seek clarification when confused, and teaching students to function in student-led discussion groups (Palincsar & Brown, 1984), were evident in these classrooms. This research also supports previous classroom-based research in demonstrating the viability of teacher adaptations of strategy instruction within authentic literature experiences (Brown, Pressley, Van Meter, & Schuder, 1995). In addition, the scaffolding episodes during literature discussions emphasized the importance of attention on not only what to discuss but also how to discuss, as advocated by the work on Book Clubs (Goatley, Brock, & Raphael, 1995;Goatley & Raphael, 1992).…”

“…Scaffolding for new strategies (i.e., facilitating discussion through use of good questions) segued over time to scaffolding for more complicated strategies (facilitating discussion through use of roles), but woven throughout these processes was ongoing attention to the developing conceptual understandings. Although previous research has underscored the importance of embedding strategy instruction within authentic literature experiences and rich interpretative dialogues (Baumann & Ivey, 1997;Brown et al, 1995), processes specifically related to scaffolding of conceptual understanding within classroom instruction have received less attention.…”

“…The scaffolding episodes in these classrooms not only took place through planned activities but also were embedded in spontaneous instructional conversations. In teacherstudent discussions occurring continuously throughout the day, the focus and nature of scaffolding were situation specific and were responsive to the needs of individuals (Baumann & Ivey, 1997). In these scaffolding episodes teachers took opportunities to address issues and provide support as teachable moments arose (Eeds & Wells, 1989).…”

Examining teachers' beliefs about and implementation of a balanced literacy framework

“…As teachers attend to children's developing of both constrained and unconstrained skills, as well as the interaction between such skills, they may adapt their instruction accordingly (Allington, 2006;Baumann & Ivey, 1997;Paris, 2005). In a balanced literacy framework, adapting instructional practices to meet the needs of individual students should particularly be evident and take place with regards to teachers' implementation of guided reading routines.…”

Emergent Literacy: What Research Reveals About Learning to Read

“…A qualitative case study was conducted by Baumann and Ivey (1997) to explore what second-grade students learned about reading, writing, and literature in a program of strategy instruction integrated within a literature-based classroom environment. During this year-long study, Baumann was the full-time classroom teacher and Ivey was a partici- pant-observer in the classroom.…”