Balanced Literacy

As part of the balanced literacy program at Angeles Mesa Elementary and D.R.E.A.M.S. Magnet, teachers use Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop to meaningfully engage with our students as readers and writers. Teachers promote independence and choice in their readers and writers. Students learn how to be better readers and writers by doing just that… reading and writing for long stretches of time every, single school day!

Readers get better at reading by reading, and reading quality texts and material.  Readers’ Workshop emphasizes the importance of student choice and quality reading time in order to increase comprehension and foster a love of reading..  Each classroom at Angeles Mesa and D.R.E.A.M.S. Magnet contains a full classroom library of fiction and non-fiction books at various reading levels and offers a range of student interests to promote these core ideas.

Explicit strategy instruction is also provided during readers’ workshop time.  Based on students’ needs, teachers gather a small group of students to explicitly teach a reading strategy lesson readers can use.  (For example, “Making inferences about characters by examining a characters actions and words.) 

During Writer’s Workshop, each student develops a consistent writing process fostering and supporting their authentic voice and independence as a writer.  Students participated in narrative, informative, and persuasive. Student share their learning using paper and pencil and digital formats.  

Students choose topics to write about  For example: “Elaborating in your narrative writing by using dialogue.

In writing workshop, students do their own revision and edit their own work, rather than teachers making those corrections for them. They also receive feedback on their writing from peers & teachers and learn the importance of writing for an audience. In addition, students learn how to work independently and make their own decisions about what they need to work on as both readers and writers.

Teachers participate in Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop professional development and collaborate in weekly grade level meetings to develop the mini-lessons and units of study that are essential to the process. Using Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop allows teachers to truly differentiate instruction, confer with students in small groups or one-on-one, thereby providing each student with individualized feedback to use to grow and improve as a learner.   

to learn how you can support your child’s reading and writing development at home.