Does anyone have any literacy questions or topics they want to discuss? What’s been on your mind as far as literacy and instruction and literacy policy lately? I’ve been thinking a lot about how much is on teachers’ plates lately as far as “covering” the curriculum they are required to teach and assess in a limited time frame. I tell the pre-service teachers to integrate and incorporate content area literacies into language arts. What else are burning topics these days?
Advertisement
First of all, I was wondering what a good working def. of “Balanced Literacy” is. There are too many people out there abusing the term that I think it’s become a bit muddied. Could you start with a basic outline?
Second, once that is set out, what does the research show is the most efficacious amount of time to be spent in “BL?”
Third, with the TEKS becoming so detail-driven, it’s becoming harder and harder to integrate the SS, Sci, and Math areas. I would actually opine that this is occurring LESS and LESS in the past few years, as teachers are pressured to teach TAKS objectives, even in the lower grades…
I’ll start there, thanks!