Literacy

Literacy Block

Sample Weekly Literacy Plan

Teachers need to observe students at work and know what each child knows. This way we can see what each child’s next step is and provide this “just in time” instruction.

Effective language programs demonstrate the following big ideas:

  • Students need lots of opportunities and time to practise their developing literacy skills in different contexts.

  • “We choose to begin with reading real books and writing authentic messages together. In this way, the message we send to children is that reading and writing are meaning making activities.” (Johnson and Keier)

  • Students create their reading processing system (system of strategic actions) as they read and write. Teachers teach, prompt and reinforce to support the development of specific strategic actions as teachers work with and closely observe student reading and writing.

  • Students need to spend most of their literacy learning time reading texts and writing messages, instead of doing letter and word activities that are focussing on isolated skills.

Reader's Writer's Workshop

Teacher & Student Flow



Possible questions to ask students at work...

  • What is the learning goal for this task? Is there success criteria?

  • How does what you are learning about in reading/writing connect to the real world?

  • What are your strengths and next steps as a reader and writer? How do you reflect on yourself as a reader and/or writer?

  • When reading and writing, what do you do when you are stuck?

  • How do you track what texts you have read? How do you respond to texts read?

  • What text type are you currently using in your writing? What is the text form? Is this a formal or informal writing task?


We recognize that there is no one lesson, single strategy or program that meets the needs of all learners in the classroom. Supporting adolescents in acquiring meaningful and purposeful literacy skills requires on-going work from all educators. Please note that these are examples of what teachers and students could be doing during each part of the Reader’s/Writer’s Workshop. However, many of the skills, strategies and actions transfers across each component.