The document discusses strategies for implementing balanced literacy in intermediate classrooms, focusing on reading and writing connections around themes of democracy and dictatorship. It includes examples of student activities such as quick writes and collaborative learning aimed at encouraging student voice and expression. The challenges of addressing diverse reading levels in the classroom are also highlighted, along with various interactive reading strategies.

1. Balanced Literacy in Intermediate
Classrooms, Grades 4-7
Burnaby
Nov 21, 2018
Faye Brownlie
Slideshare.net/fayebrownlie.burnaby.4-7,#2

2. • What did you try?
• How did it go?
• What response did you have from your
students?

3. Reading and Writing Connections:
writing with different purposes
with Barry Henderson, Gr 6, Maple Ridge
• Students love read alouds.
• Big Idea: Democracy/dictatorship
• Class web: dictator
• Quick write: Would you want to live in a dictatorship? Why
or why not? (who would you be?)
• Highlight words/phrases
• Share
• Choose 3 words from the shared and write a summary
sentence about a dictatorship. Write on the board as the
students are writing.
• Share sentence with those around you.
• Choose your most powerful sentence from all of your
writing. Why was this more powerful?

4. • Quadrants of a thought – The Composition -
Skarmeta
• Build quadrants and have a movement break
• Write 1 sentence: How do you know Pedro is
living in a dictatorship? Think about what you
learned in your last share and write.
• Write, as Pedro, the letter describing what
your family does at night.

7. Democracy
• With a democratic government, you can speak
your mind. You are able to express your
opinion. The government doesn’t change the
way you think. You can be yourself.
• Control – choice – vote
• Dictators are the ones in control of the choices
you make and you cannot vote for them.

9. • I would totally HATE if we had a dictator because
then everybody could not have their own voice
and would have to do everything the dictator
said. If I did live in a dictator place, I would want
to move somewhere there wasn’t one. Everyone
should have their own voice.
• Voice-vote-right
• Everyone should have a voice to speak up.
Everyone should have the right to vote for what
they want.

13. Teaching Reading in a Diverse Class
• Heather Shantz – Cedar Grove, Gr. 3/4
• Kim Stuart Hindle– McGowan Park, Kamloops, Gr. 5
• Focus on reading strategies
– Questioning from pictures
– Re-ordering sentences from the text
• Requires close reading
• Opportunity to read with partners
• Opportunity to conference with reading partners
• The Challenge: great diversity in readers!

17. Suddenly, the drumming and dancing stopped. The chief turned to him and said, “We
are glad that the storm has brought you to our village, but now you are thinking of
your own.”
He took the staff and stepped behind the chief. Closing his eyes, he pictured his father
and mother, his house, and the people of his village.
A chief’s son went fishing alone, and a terrible storm arose.
“My son,” cried his mother, “where have you been? We thought you were lost in a
storm a year ago!”
The boy and his hosts began to dance around the fire together to the steady beat of
the drums.
He soon found himself washed ashore under a strange sky he had never seen before.
That night the whole village celebrated his return and marveled at the boy as he
danced with the staff and told of the large and mysterious people under the
strange sky.
“When you wish to return,” he continued, “grip my staff tightly and stand behind me.”
After they finished eating, the chief said to the others, “Let us sing a welcome song
and invite our guest to join in the dance of our people.”
The celebration went on in this way for many long hours, the boy and his new friends
each learning from the other.

18. A chief’s son went fishing alone, and a terrible storm arose.
“My son,” cried his mother, “where have you been? We thought you were lost in a
storm a year ago!”
The boy and his hosts began to dance around the fire together to the steady beat of
the drums.
He soon found himself washed ashore under a strange sky he had never seen before.
That night the whole village celebrated his return and marveled at the boy as he
danced with the staff and told of the large and mysterious people under the
strange sky.
After they finished eating, the chief said to the others, “Let us sing a welcome song
and invite our guest to join in the dance of our people.”