Our school believes that children who are good readers and writers will be better, happier students and citizens. We have made a commitment to do all that we can to ensure that all of our students will be good readers and writers. Because our school recognizes that all children learn differently, we know that we must find ways to reach children no matter what their strengths and weaknesses might be. Our teachers are using a method of instruction called the Four-Blocks Model, and we want to tell you about it. We also want to ask that you play an important part in helping us with the development of your child as a reader and writer.

There are four basic ways that students have always learned to read. Usually, a school or teacher would choose one of those methods in hopes of reaching most of the students. The Four-Blocks Model, however, allows us to teach all students by teaching all four methods every day.

The Four-Blocks method has proven to be quite effective for the schools that implement it, and our teachers have worked hard to learn to use this method. We have four blocks of time devoted to language during the day. Here we have described what you might expect to see in the classroom during each block of language arts time. We invite you to come and visit to see how your child is learning and growing.

GUIDED READING BLOCK

During this block of time, we focus on reading comprehension skills-those strategies that help readers make sense out of the print on the page. We also work on our reading fluency—the smoothness with which we read text. The teacher will direct a lesson about a particular story or text with all of the students. Afterwards, our students will practice reading in pairs or small groups. Then, the teacher will again work with the whole group of students to discuss what they have learned. Students will get a great deal of support from their teacher, from their classmates, and will work toward becoming independent readers.

SELF-SELECTED READING BLOCK

During this block, students will have an opportunity to see themselves as readers and will build their fluency, the ability to read smoothly. The block will begin with the teacher reading aloud an enjoyable story or text to the students. Then, each student will select a book from the book basket nearby to read independently for an extended amount of time, usually no more than twenty minutes. During this time, the teacher will have individual conferences with designated students. Together, they will discuss the book, and the teacher will be able to evaluate the student’s growth in reading. At the end of the block, several students will share what they read and whether they liked the book, much like the way adults share information with their friends about the books they’re reading.

WRITING BLOCK

During this block, students will learn to think about and use their knowledge of phonics to write compositions. Along with applying phonics, they will have an opportunity to practice penmanship, to learn about the writing process, grammar, and the mechanics of good writing. Every day, the teacher will write her own composition for the students and will use it to teach a lesson about writing. Then, all students will write their own story or composition, using their best guesses about spelling. On certain days, the students will work individually with the teacher to learn to correct their errors, and they will publish their work as a book to be enjoyed by other classmates. At the end of the writing time each day, a few students will share their work with the class. It’s truly surprising what an impact this block has on reading! Sometimes, the first text a child learns to read is his own.

WORKING WITH WORDS BLOCK

This block allows students to explore words, word families (patterns), spelling, and phonics, and to see how they can use what they learn about words in their reading and writing. This block begins daily by studying words from the Word Wall. These words will be displayed on our wall all year for students to use as a resource. They are high-frequency words-grade-level words used frequently in reading and writing—that we expect students to spell correctly in their writing. We will use movements, such as clapping, snapping, and cheering, to learn to spell the words. We have a number of other activities to interest children during this word exploration time.

Cunningham, P., Hall, D., and Sigmon, C., The Teacher's Guide to the Four Blocks. Greensboro; Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company,1999.

Visit the Four Blocks website to learn more!