Comprehensive Literacy Programs

• Enhancing the Components of Comprehensive Literacy Using the Internet in K-3: The companion website to an online course presented by Julie Coiro for SERC's Literacy Initiative in Connecticut. Provides several examples of online activities to explore for use with K-3 students.
• Putting It All Together: Guided Reading in a Comprehensive Literacy Classroom: The companion website to a summer institute for SERC's Literacy Initiative in Connecticut. Provides many links to resources related to each identified component of comprehensive literacy.
• Toward a More Complex View of Balance within the Literacy Curriculum is a downloadable chapter by Pearson and Raphael based on a May, 1996 IRA Presentation in Atlanta, Georgia.

Balanced Literacy Programs

• What Does a Balanced Literacy Approach Mean? SEDL Topics in Early Reading Coherence is an attempt to define balanced literacy and see how it compares with phonics and whole language approaches.
• What is Balanced Literacy?: A nice graphical overview by created by Rigby.com
• Balanced Literacy: Reading and Writing in the First and Second Grade Classroom. An Internet-based treasure hunt on Balanced Literacy
• Balanced Literacy: Teaching the Skills and Thrills of Reading: An article written by Dorothy Strickland for Scholastic's Instructor Magazine.
• Balanced Literacy Document and Handouts to download from University of Central Florida's Literacy and Reading Excellence Center
• Eduplace's Overview of Balanced Literacy Programs and links to related issues in their Literacy Development Series.
• Timely Topic - Balanced Literacy Instruction as outlined by NCREL includes an overview, review of relevant literature and links to publications and articles.
• Using Technology to Enhance a Balanced Literacy Program was created by Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. It provides good examples of how to integrate technology into K-6 literacy classrooms.

State Comprehensive Literacy Initiatives: Compare various interpretations of comprehensive and balanced literacy in the United States

• Arizona: Tucson Unified School District's very comprehensive booklets of Balanced Literacy Programs for students in elementary, middle and high school
• Connecticut's Blueprint for Reading Achievement
• California's Teaching Reading: A Balanced, Comprehensive Approach to Teaching Reading in Prekindergarten Through Grade Three; also access position papers issued by the California Reading Association
• Florida's Santa Rosa School District Comprehensive Literacy Plan
• Idaho's Comprehensive Literacy Plan
• Kansas: A Balanced Literacy Program model from McPherson Unified School District in pdf form.
• Kentucky's Standards Based Daily Balanced Literacy Framework
• Missouri: A Balanced Literacy Program model from SPEaR.
• North Carolina's Reading Strand Components of Language Arts Curriculum: Includes some helpful information about the crucial components of engagement and motivation
• Rhode Island: Balanced Literacy in the Providence Schools includes a nice overview and specific guidelines for various grade levels of students from K-6..
• Utah: Jordan School District's Balanced Literacy Page.

Comprehensive and Balanced Literacy Programs Around the World

• Australian Capital Territory: A Balanced Literacy Program provides a nice overview of balanced literacy components.
• Toronto, Canada: Balanced Literacy Implementation and Evaluation for Toronto Catholic District School Board

This page last updated March, 2005.

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