What Should Go On The Healthy Plate?

Within the Balanced Literacy Diet metaphor a useful concept is that human dietary requirements change at different stages. For example, when children’s bones are growing, they require more foods from the dairy group because these foods contain calcium. Similarly students at different stages of literacy development have different "literacy nutritional needs."  

Every student needs to consume the right balance of the food groups in order to grow in literacy and that balance changes as students develop proficiency in reading and writing.

 

Stage 0: Foundation for Literacy

At the earliest stages of literacy development it is important to introduce young children to the wonders and power of the printed word – sharing the delights of books and showing how language can be written down with letters so that others can read what we have written. This foundational stage normally begins in the home and extends into the earliest years of school. Most children are ready to move on to Stage 1, the more serious business involved in learning to read and write, sometime in Kindergarten.

Stage 1: Beginning Literacy

Once young children understand the purpose for reading and writing they need to learn the basics of how the system works. The most useful food groups to develop their skills in these areas are shown in the "Healthy Plate" for Stage 1. Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers must provide their students with enough of these essential foods to ensure literacy growth. The details of how to teach and assess these key food groups are provided in their respective Food Groups pages. This Beginning Literacy stage offers many opportunities for students to learn about the conventions of print by seeing these modeled and applying them – reading books and writing daily. Providing engaging activities motivates students to practice their skills in meaningful contexts.

Stage 2: Consolidation / Fluency

Once they become more fluent in their skills students begin to think more deeply about how various types of texts are structured and what authors intend. They become more thoughtful and effective authors, learning to express complex ideas and attitudes through what they write.

Stage 3: Literacy for Growth

When students are confident in their abilities, they explore their own thinking and understanding of the world through literacy.  They use reading and writing as a means of acquiring new information, conducting research, reflecting on issues and communicating about deeper thoughts and feelings.