SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT-BALANCED LITERACY PLAN 2

Summative Assessment-Balanced Literacy Plan

Introduction
Balanced literacy is a curricular technique that aims at guiding learners towards lifelong,
proficient, and fluent reading. It integrates different modalities of literacy instruction and is
characterized by the use of authentic texts and explicit skill instruction. The delivery of balanced
literacy is facilitated by the preparation and use of a balanced literacy lesson plan, which guides
the educator to cover the curriculum. The lesson plan comprises of four main strategies that help
the teacher in skill instruction. These include read-aloud or shared reading, word study, guided
reading, and independent reading (Rasinski & Padak, 2013). it also includes activities that
students will be engaged in even as they are guided towards mastering a certain anchor standard.
This paper comprises a balanced literacy block, which shows how the four strategies will be used
in class to enhance literacy instruction, explains activities and assessments that will be
incorporated, and states the benefits of incorporating a balanced literacy approach in the
classroom.
Anchor Standard
The balanced literacy lesson plan is for third-grade students. The anchor standard that I
chose is C CSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1 : Ask and answer questions to demonstrate an understanding
of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers (College and Career
Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, 2020).
A Brief Summary of the Text

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The text that we will be studying is Bony Legs by Joanna Cole. It is a short story about a
young girl and a witch. The girl is Sasha and the witch is an old woman named bony legs. Bony
legs is a horrible witch, whose teeth were made of iron. She lived in the woods in a hut with a
dog and a cat. Sasha is sent to borrow a thread and needle. On her way, she is captured by old
Bony-legs. The bad witch threatens to eat Sasha for supper. After the witch goes out to look for
firewood, the girl manages to flee herself with the help of a comb and mirror, which she had
been given by cat and dog, which were owned by the witch. The animals help her because of her
kindheartedness. She had previously helped the animals, and they were paying her back for her
kind-hearted actions.
Balanced Literacy
Block

Your Example

Read-Aloud/Shared
Reading

 First, I will introduce the book, Bony Legs, and let the students know
that it is based on a true story about a witch who used to harass children.
At this point, I will ask students whether they have had stories about
witches and give them an opportunity to briefly explain what they know
in regard to the topic. After reading the first page, I will pause and take
students through a moment of reflection. I will tell them. “this story
talks about a witch, who has bony legs, her teeth are irony, and she likes
to eat children. It is scary that she lives in the woods, and that her hose
stands on chicken feet. Isn’t that terrifying and fascinating at the same
time? I will ask the students, “Have you ever seen iron teeth?”
I will continue reading and ensure that I put in emotions and facial
expressions so that I can draw the students in and foster their

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understanding of the story. For instance, on page 2, the author writes,
“She opened the gate. It creaked and groaned,” I will ask students to
makes sounds of a creaking and groaning gate. I will continue reading
and stop after reading this line, “She scraped the butter from her bread
and rubbed it on the hinges of the gate, it opened quietly.” I will ask
students, would you sacrifice your butter for a creaking gate? After
hearing a few responses, I will let them know that the girl is benevolent
and kind-hearted. I will then ask students to write down the words;
creak
hinges
scrapped (Cole,1983).
We will revisit the words later when doing a word study. I will continue
reading and engaging the students.
Further, after reading this line, “Well, you never fed me, and the girl did
feed me, she gave me meat.” I will ask students to describe Sasha’s
behavior based on the cat’s words. The story ends after Sasha escapes
from the hut and takes the needle and thread home to her aunt. I will ask
students to write down three sentences that show what they like about
Sasha.

Word Study  Students will be using magnetic letters and letter boards to practice

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words that we encountered during the read aloud. At specific instances
during the read aloud, students were writing down certain words on their
notebooks. During word study, they will use magnetic letters to create
those words on the board. I will have a list of the following words,
creak, hinges, scarped, mirror, bony, scared, comb, needle, thread, and
witch. I will give students forty seconds to create the words on the
board. I will mention the word loudly and set the timer, those who will
have cade the word correctly will have won. The aim of the activity is to
foster the learners’ phonemic awareness.
I will then guide them into describing their meaning based on their
usage in the text. I will ask the learners to read the sentence or phrase
containing each word as I engage them in discussing their meanings.
Lastly, I will instruct students to write three sentences on their
notebooks using any of the words that we just discussed. Students will
be checked on meaning, the correct spelling of words, and accurate
usage of the selected word.

Guided Reading  Group Level:

Below Grade Level Reading Expectations
Text: Bony Legs by Cole, Joanna. And the pictures are by Dirk Zimmer.
objectives:

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By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to:

1. Answer questions related to the text (Bony Legs)
2. Read and apply context to self-correct
   Phonic Skills
   I will engage students in taking part in matching phonetic blends. I will
   project the following blends on the board and challenge learners to come
   up with as many words that end with them as possible; ‘ed,’ ‘er’ ‘or’ and
   ‘ow.’ Students will make words from those that we encountered while
   reading. thus, they will refer to their text in making those words. They
   will make as many words as they will encounter. They will have five
   minutes to make as many words as they can. I will then go through their
   list and add more in case there will still be words from the text that they
   will not have identified.
   Pre-Reading
   I will start by asking learners whether they have ever heard about
   witches. I will then ask them, “Do you think witches exist in real life?”
   after that, I will tell them that the book we are about to read is titled
   “Bony Legs’ it is authored by Joanna Cole. I will also tell them that it is
   based on a true story in Russia, and we will read about a witch known as
   Bony legs.
   I will guide students into taking a picture walk and guide them
   accordingly by providing instructions and guidance to the learners

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through the text. I will allow them to talk about the pictures by asking
thought-provoking questions. Some of the questions include,
a) What can you see about the woman in the picture?
b) Who do you think is the hero/heroine in this story?
c) Does the woman on the picture look like a witch? Why or why
not?
Students will read the text, as I provide the necessary guidance where
necessary.
New Vocabulary
Before we begin to read the text, I will provide the students with a list of
new words they will encounter as they reading. I will write a list of
vocabularies on the whiteboard. It will include the following words:
Grinned
Hinges
Creak
Row (Cole,1983).
Also, I will write a list of sentences on the board using the above words.
The sentences include;
1) The grinning was too much for her to bear.
2) The door hinges need to be greased.

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3) The creaking sound made by the gate is irritating.
4) I have never rowed a boat.
I will let students read the sentences and make guesses of what the
underlined words mean.
After a short discussion, I will ask the learners to compile a list of the
new words in their vocabulary journals.
During Reading:
I will provide students with whisper phones to use and practice reading.
I will go round and listen to each student as they read. Learners who will
be reading silently to do it a bit louder when it is their time to read so
that I can be in a position to hear them. I will provide tailored support to
individual students, based on needs. As each student reads, I will ask
questions depending on where they are at n the text. For instance, if they
are reading about the cat, I will ask them to describe what they like
about the animal. Further, I will ask questions such as;
i. What do you hate about the witch?
ii. is it dangerous to walk alone in the woods? Why do you think
so?
iii. How can we stay safe?
after making observations, I will note down areas that individual
students need support on and then work on them during subsequent
lessons.

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I will then ask students to continue practicing, by listening to the
whisper phones, and then make corrections where necessary.
lastly, I will ask students to pen down new words that they will
encounter when reading.
After Reading
after we are done reading the text, I will several questions to check the
learner’s level of understanding. The questions include;

i. Who is the main character in the story?
ii. How would you describe the main character? Provide an
explanation and support your answer with evidence from the
text.
iii. Does the cover provide a clue to how the story will end?
iv. Where does the story take place?
v. Do you think Sasha was reckless? Explain using examples
vi. Do you think that witches still exist in our society today?
vii. Give three-character traits of the witch.

Then, I will engage the students in a discussion as they attempt to
answer above questions. One of the requirements will be that each
answer must be supported by evidence from the story. The anchor
standard requires students to “read to understand.” One of the ways to
ensure this standard is mastered is ensuring that students explain the

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correctness of their responses with evidence from the text. Further, it is
aimed at ensuring that students engage in purposeful reading (Lipp &
Helfrich, 2016).
Writing Connection
Throughout the lesson, students will engage in different activities that
will require them to write. Some of these activities include;
 During phonic instruction, students will write down words that
will have different blends such as “or’, ‘er,’ and ‘ed.’
 Students will also write new words down on their notebooks.
Vocabularies that they will write include; Grinned, hinges, creak,
and row.
 As students will be reading, they will write down the new words
that they will have encountered as they read.

Independent
Reading

 I will create and allocate specific time each day for students to engage
in independent reading. I will allocate thirty minutes each day for the
learners to read independently.
Students will be expected to read during these sessions; I will also read.
The aim is to model for them so that they understand that reading culture
is good. Every Friday, students will be required to explain briefly what
they have been reading during the week. The aim is to ensure that
students take part in purposeful reading and that they read a text to
comprehend not just as a way of passing the time.

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Lastly, the library will be organized according to subjects. And books
will also be arranged alphabetically. A list of all the books in the
classroom library will be compiled in a site that will be accessible by all
students for easy searching. It will help in saving time.

Explanation of How Reading, Writing, Listening, And Speaking Are Promoted in The
Lesson Plan
The lesson plan promotes reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. The teacher
engages students in different ways, which are aimed at enhancing their acquisition and mastery
of a certain skill. For instance, during the read-aloud, students listen as the educator reads the
story aloud to them. they respond to questions asked, such as whether they have ever hard about
witches. As they respond to questions posed to them, they speak, so their speaking skills are
sharpened. Students also engage in writing a list of words, which they will revisit later as they
learn new vocabulary.
Secondly, the word study promotes listening skills because they listen to words read to
them by the teacher, and they create the words on the board using magnetic letters. Their
speaking skills are promoted when they read sentences or phrases from the text comprising of the
new words. Students also engage in reading sentences and phrases that contain each of the words
they created. Students write three sentences each on their notebooks, and their writing skills are
fostered through their involvement in this exercise.
In the guided reading block, students are constantly involved in different activities that
foster the acquisition and mastery of different skills. For instance. They ask questions posed to

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them during pre-reading, during reading, and even after reading. During these instances, their
listening and speaking skills are enhanced. Also, they read using their whisper phones, and as
they practice, their skills are enhanced. Lastly, they engage in activities that involve writing; they
write new words and construct sentences using those words. Independent reading, on the other
hand, enhances reading and speaking. After reading for four days a week, students engage in
speaking sessions on Friday, where they share what they have been reading in the entire week.
A Description of how the Activities Support the Mastery of the Anchor Standard
The activities described in the lesson plan support the mastery of the anchor standard in
various ways. The standard requires students to ask and provide responses to questions to reveal
their comprehension of a text. They should do this while ensuring that they refer to the text to
support their answers. Students create words by matching phonetic blends. They are specifically
supposed to create words that appear in their reading text. Also, questions asked after reading,
during the guided reading instruction require students to provide answers and support them with
evidence from the text. Also, the students create words using magnetic letters and aboard. They
are supposed to create only words that they have encountered in the text while reading. all these
activities are geared towards ensuring that students understand the text. They also read the text
several times, and their fluency and comprehension of the text are enhanced. The students listen
as the teacher reads the text aloud; they also read on their own during independent reading; they
read during guided reading with support from the teacher where necessary. All these activities
enhance their reading skills and promote the mastery of the anchor standard.
A Description of How Assessments Evaluate Students’ Reading Skills And/or Progress

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Learners are assessed several times in the lesson plans. The assessments are geared
towards understanding the learner’s level of comprehension and reading abilities. First, students
are assessed by being asked to construct three sentences on their notebooks. The sentences are
checked for meaning, correct spelling, and accurate usage of the selected text. This brief
assessment is aimed at assessing learner’s diction, correct grammar use. The assessment also
checks whether learners understand the meaning of the newly learned words. Also, during
guided reading, learners are asked to read loud enough for the teacher to hear how they are
reading. as the teacher listens, student’s reading abilities are assessed. The teacher knows their
challenges, and tailors support to them to help them make progress. Also, the teacher listens to
students’ fluency, the use of expressions in their reading, as well as their reading pace or the
number of words they are able to read in a minute. A repeat of this process ensures that learner’s
progress is monitored effectively. Also, as students engage in different writing, speaking, and
reading activities, it is easy for the teacher to monitor and evaluate their progress. Progress may
not be evident during the first lesson. However, after engaging in different activities over a
certain period of time, the teacher is able to see the progress being made by learners.
Benefits of Teaching from a Balanced Literacy Approach
A balanced literacy approach provides an opportunity for the teacher to follow a model
known as the gradual release of responsibility. At times, teachers do not know whether they are
providing too much scaffolding, or their support is barely enough to fulfill the needs of different
learners. However, using a balanced approach model, the teacher and students’ model what good
readers and writers do. They use authentic texts, share authentic experiences with the learners as
they foster different skills, and lastly, the teacher releases learners to independently implement
the skills learned. Using this approach allows teachers to produce learners that are capable

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thinkers (Kaczanowski, 2008). The responsibility is eventually passed on to the learner. The
teacher models what should be done provides support to the learner through scaffolding, and
then lets the learner independently practice the acquired skill. Thus, this approach allows for a
focused lesson, guided instruction, collaborative learning, and eventually produces independent
learners.
The approach permits for flexibility, and the teacher does not have to use the “fit it all in”
technique. Within balanced literacy, a teacher incorporates any components that enhance
teaching reading and writing. The pressure to get one single technique that fits for all students is
not there. Thus, teachers have many opportunities to structure their instruction in different ways
that enhance understanding, and that help meet the learning needs of different students. in other
words, it creates room for differentiated learning. Teachers factor in students’ readiness, abilities,
interests, and even their learning styles. This is possible through differentiating instruction, and it
can be a daunting task. However, the balanced literacy approach makes it possible as it is easy to
differentiate instruction during independent reading, guided reading, word study, and even in the
literacy stations. The teacher tailor’s instruction and meets students where they are making it
possible to meet the diverse learning needs of different learners. The approach thus allows for
student success as it creates differentiation in teacher instruction. Besides, the combination of
different literacy strategies increases the learners’ success in literacy achievement.
Conclusion
Overall, the process of creating a balanced literacy lesson plan makes it possible for the
instructor to plan ahead their lesson, thus allowing for a smooth flow during the actual delivery
of the lesson. Planning ahead saves time and ensures that the teacher has all the resources
necessary to implement the lesson. The roles of students keep changing as they move from one

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activity to another during literacy. The teacher needs to take note of these activities during the
planning and allocate time for each activity, as this is the only way of ensuring that time is
accurately managed. Planning for a lesson ensures that students do not overspend time in one
activity, and leaving no ample time for other learning activities necessary for the instruction.
Evidently, a balanced literacy lesson plan allows the teacher to use this approach, which is key to
enhancing student success (Knight & Galletly, 2017). The approach allows for flexibility, and
smooth delivery of instruction as the technique allows for a focused lesson, a guided instruction,
collaborative learning, and eventually produces independent learners. The approach is very
effective for instruction.

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References
Cole, J. (1983). Bony-legs. Four Winds Press.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading. (2020). English Language Arts
Standards » Reading: Informational Text » Grade 3 | Common Core State Standards
Initiative. Retrieved 8 April 2020, from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-
Literacy/RI/3/
Kaczanowski, L. (2008). Using Balanced Literacy to Improve Literacy Instruction.
Knight, B. A., & Galletly, S. A. (2017). Effective literacy instruction for all students: A time for
change. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 3(1), 65-86.
Lipp, J. R., & Helfrich, S. R. (2016). Key reading recovery strategies to support classroom
guided reading instruction. The Reading Teacher, 69(6), 639-646.
Rasinski, T. & Padak, N.D. (2013). From phonics to fluency: Effective teaching of decoding and
reading fluency in the elementary school. NJ: Pearson.