Balanced Literacy

Our whole school approach to Literacy is based on a comprehensive literacy framework, developed originally by Dr Patricia Cunningham and Dr Dorothy Hall and adapted by Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver, for students with disabilities. 

At Cloverdale Education Support Centre, we acknowledge that children learn in different ways and this approach provides the students with a range of experiences to support their various learning needs.

The balanced literacy model includes all the components of literacy focusing on the functions of print, phonemic and alphabet awareness, letters and sounds and language concepts.  The activities are engaging, and provide opportunities for repetition with variety. The students develop a connection with what they are learning, building on their understanding and communication skills.

The components used in a balanced literacy approach are: Shared Reading, Self-Selected Reading, Shared and Independent Writing, and Explicit and Incidental Teaching of Letters, Sounds and Print Concepts.