Balanced vs Structured Reading Programs
I’m back! It was such a busy fall at Roadways Literacy Studio! With several big events happening, my time and energy for writing and recording was limited. This week I have the rare opportunity to be away from the studio, away from the city, in a hotel which means away from housework and cooking!! So, I am busy catching up on reading and writing! What more could you expect from someone so involved and so passionate about literacy for our students!
My reading this week has taken me down this path – “What are the main differences between a Balanced Reading Program and a Structured Literacy Program?” As you will see from the points I make, Roadways Literacy Studio is a “Structured Literacy Program,” which we have found to be so effective for those students who struggle for a variety of reasons. Particularly, in the world of a dyslexic student, a structured literacy program can be a saving grace. Let me compare the two types of literacy instruction:
Balanced Reading Approach
Rarely systematic- encourages word analogies and pictures or context to identify words
Structured Reading Approach
Explicit and systematic instruction focussing on phonological awareness, phonics, sight word recognition, decoding, spelling
Daily instruction is dictated by a set scope and sequence where students start at the beginning and all lessons are considered important.
Daily instruction would include shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, in various environments and using various approaches
Focus first on phonemes (sounds), then systematically introducing the graphemes that match the sound, according to a scope and sequence
Daily instruction is dictated by a set scope and sequence where students start at the beginning and all lessons are considered important.
Unfamiliar words are analysed according to the phonic rules student has been taught
Unfamiliar text can lead to weaker students using compensatory skills like searching for picture cues
Early learners are presented with decodable text to provide practice of the phonemes they have been introduced to. Comprehension, and fluency are achieved through repeated readings of the text.
Believes that students should be exposed to high-quality children’s literature which is intended to expand their understanding of text and comprehension of concepts. Repeated exposure, and teacher modelling will lead to fluency and prosody.
Is diagnostic in nature, allowing teacher to identify error patterns and address them immediately.
Less diagnostic
I have just highlighted a few of the main points of each approach and believe me there are criticisms of both approaches and definite advantages of both. From the perspective of a literacy interventionist, the structured approach fits our philosophy and allows us to provide individualized instruction according to the data we collect continuously on each student.