4 Blocks-Guided Reading/Social Studies

The Learning Center! uses the Guided Reading portion of the Four Blocks Literacy Model to teach all of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Social Studies. This “across the curriculum” approach makes for a rich program in both areas of study. Additional class sessions allow for project-based learning and other forms of differentiated instruction.

The primary focus of the Guided Reading Block is comprehension. Reading is thinking – thinking about the text, thinking about the reader’s understanding of the text, thinking about the words, thinking about the reader’s own thinking, etc. Too often, Guided Reading instruction is focused on oral reading and presentation rather than complex thinking. Sometimes reading instruction is focused on answering literal questions rather than being thoughtful about the reader’s understanding and the author’s intent. Durkin (1978-79) and, more recently, Pressley (2000) identified that much of what was called comprehension instruction was actually comprehension assessment. Worksheets and fill-in-the-blank forms don’t teach students how to think, they only assess whether students read the text well enough to gather the information required in the blanks. Comprehension instruction requires thoughtful, focused attention on the complex process that good readers use to understand the text.

4 Blocks - Self-Selected Reading

Historically called individualized reading or personalized reading (Veatch, 1959), Self-Selected Reading is an instructional opportunity for students to select materials to read independently, choose how and what to respond to within the text, and share their reading with the teacher and/or other students. Teachers model effective reading strategies through read alouds, model comprehension strategies through mini-lessons, conference with individual students to support and guide their reading development, and provide a structured environment in which students can read and share.

In Big-Blocks classrooms, the Self-Selected Reading Block - approximately 180 minutes per

week - includes the following:

• Teacher read aloud and mini-lesson (5-15 minutes)
• Students reading from a variety of materials (20 - 30 minutes)
• Teacher conferences with students
• Weekly response to reading
• Opportunities for students to share (5 - 10 minutes)

The goals of the Self-Selected Reading Block in Big-Blocks classrooms are:

• to introduce students to all types of literature through the teacher read aloud
• to model strategies in mini-lessons that effective readers use
• to encourage students' reading interests
• to provide and encourage independent-level reading
• to provide instructional guidance and support as students apply decoding and comprehension strategies in their reading
• to engage students in conversations about their reading
• to build intrinsic motivation for reading

4 Blocks-Writing Block

With Big Blocks, the Writing Block format is still a “Writer’s Workshop” approach (Graves, 1995; Routman, 1995; Calkins, 1994; Atwell, 1987). As students get older, they continue to need writing instruction and time to write. Two of the most significant changes in Big Blocks from Four Blocks are the time allotment and the amount of focused writing.

In Big-Blocks™ classrooms, the Writing Block – approximately 180 minutes per week – includes the following:

· Mini-Lesson (5-15 minutes)

· Students writing and Teacher Conferencing (20-30 minutes)

· Sharing (5-10 minutes)

The Goals of the Writing Block in Big-Blocks classrooms are:

· To help students see writing as a way of telling about things

· To develop students’ fluency in writing

· To provide opportunities for students to learn to use grammar and mechanics in the context of their own writing

· To help students learn about specific forms of writing during focused instruction to ensure that struggling writers are supported in order to maintain their motivation and self-confidence

The Writing Block is the most multilevel of all of the Blocks. Any time students are given opportunities to write about things they have chosen because of their interests, the task is on their level. There are many other components built in to the Writing block that make it multi-level.

In Big-Blocks™ classrooms, the Guided Reading Block – approximately 180 minutes per week – includes the following:

· Before-Reading Phase

· During-Reading Phase

· After-Reading Phase

The goals of the Guided Reading Block in Big-Blocks classrooms are:

· To teach comprehension strategies

· To teach students how to read and respond to all types of literature including content texts

· To develop background knowledge and vocabulary

· To provide as much instructional-level material as possible

· To maintain the self-confidence and motivation of struggling readers

4 Blocks-Working with Words

Upper-grade students still have much to learn about words and the English language. They need instruction and practice analyzing words for patterns, particularly within big words, and developing their vocabulary (Cunningham, 2004). Upper-grade texts contain words that students have trouble decoding because the words are longer and have prefixes and suffixes. They also contain words that students can’t define, particularly in content-based materials. Students need instruction in strategies that focus on building word meanings and vocabulary, and using word parts, context, and morphological patterns to decode and spell big words.

In Big-Blocks™ classrooms, the Working with Words Block – approximately 120 minutes per week (5th-6th grades) and 60 minutes per week (7th-8th grades) includes the following each week:

· Word Wall and Nifty Thrifty Fifty Word Introduction and Practice

· Phonics/Spelling Activities

The Goals of the Working with Words Block in Big-Blocks classrooms are:

· To teach students the correct spellings for high-frequency, often irregularly spelled words

· To teach students key words containing the major prefixes, suffixes and spelling changes and how to use these to decode, spell, and build meaning for many polysyllabic words

· To teach students that spelling rhyming words is not as easy as decoding them because some rhymes; such as right/bite, claim/name and toad/code have two spelling patterns

· To teach students to use cross-checking while reading and a visual checking system while writing to apply what they are leaning in the Working with Words Block as they engage in meaningful reading and writing

The focus Word Wall activities is to get the correct spelling of words in the automatic compartment of the brain. This won’t be a quick fix. Students may need to practice the words for several years before their brains accept the required changes. Word Wall words will be added weekly to the Word Wall where students will be held accountable for spelling the posted words correctly. There will be several activities introduced with each set of words to afford students opportunities to write and spell these words correctly.

Taken from: The Teacher’s Guide to Big Blocks™ A Multimethod, Multilevel Framework

By: Amanda B. Arens, Karen L. Loman, Patricia M. Cunningham,

Dorothy P. Hall Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc., Greensboro, NC (2005).