{"id":37248,"date":"2023-04-20T08:24:46","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T13:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/?p=37248"},"modified":"2024-01-26T13:19:20","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T19:19:20","slug":"balanced-literacy-vs-structured-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/blog\/balanced-literacy-vs-structured-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Balanced Literacy vs. Structured Literacy: Understanding the Key Differences"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading development is a variety of cognitive processes that students acquire as an essential part of their academic journey. Balanced Literacy has been a widely accepted approach that educators have embraced over the past several decades. However, with a growing number of studies showing a steady decline<\/a> in reading achievement among all student demographics, educators have looked to a science-based model that provides a more systematic approach to teaching reading skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog post, we will explore Balanced and Structured Literacy, highlight the key differences between them, and examine why Structured Literacy has provided students with a better foundation for reading development. <\/span><\/p>\n

What is Balanced Literacy?<\/h2>\n

Balanced Literacy is a reading approach developed in the 1990s as a response to the “reading wars” that pitted phonics-based instruction against whole-language instruction.<\/p>\n

Balanced Literacy aims to provide students with a variety of reading strategies and skills to help them become competent and confident readers. The key features of Balanced Literacy include a combination of teacher-directed instruction and student-centered activities, a focus on phonics and whole-language approaches to reading, and a balance between reading comprehension and word recognition skills.<\/p>\n

Balanced Literacy instructional models include shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, and writing activities that help students make connections between their reading and writing.<\/p>\n

What is Structured Literacy?<\/h2>\n

Structured Literacy is a method of teaching reading based on systematic, explicit, and sequential instruction. It has its roots in the Orton-Gillingham approach<\/a> and was developed in the early 20th century to teach students with dyslexia. The goal of Structured Literacy is to teach students the foundational skills they need to become proficient readers, including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension.<\/span><\/p>\n

The key features of Structured Literacy include the following:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n