Implementing Flocabulary with a Balanced Literacy Program

We recently shared eight components of a strong balanced literacy program on the Flocab blog, and some of you reached out to ask us how Flocabulary fits in with these various balanced literacy components. With over 800 units featuring reading passages, writing activities and assessments, Flocabulary is a great fit for any balanced literacy program!

As a quick recap, components of a strong balanced literacy program include:

1. Shared reading
2. Read aloud
3. Guided reading
4. Cloze reading
5. Word study
6. Interactive writing
7. Reader’s workshop
8. Writer’s workshop

Let’s run through some ideas on how to use Flocabulary in your balanced literacy instruction, with help from Lyric Lab, Read & Respond, printable activities, and more.

All Flocabulary units include song lyrics, which can be printed or projected on a white board to support the shared reading experience in a classroom. Teachers can provide guided reading comprehension support to the entire class, or in small groups while using the Flocabulary lyrics.

Here’s how to print lyrics from a Flocabulary unit:

Similar to the shared reading, a teacher could read aloud the lyrics without showing the lyrics to students, in order to model understanding main idea or another reading comprehension skill.

Additionally, a teacher could read aloud the passage from Read & Respond to model a particular reading comprehension skill and present students with the question after the skill has modeled.

We have a lot of options for supporting instruction around reading comprehension skills. As part of a teacher’s guided reading instruction, assignments can be created to support a skill taught during a guided reading group. Students can access these assignments through their accounts. 

Read our how-to guide to create your own classes and assignments with a Flocabulary school subscription.

Our fill in the blanks activity is great for cloze reading. Students can work to improve their vocabulary by using context clues. The activity can be printed or students can log in to their student accounts to complete the fill in the blanks activity (this is not an assignable activity).

Here’s a look at how the fill in the blanks activity works and how to print it:

Our award-winning Word Up vocabulary units offer a stellar Tier 2 vocabulary program! Depending on the class, a teacher may choose a WordUp color for whole class vocabulary instruction, or opt to give our diagnostic test and differentiate vocabulary instruction by the different WordUp colors. Either way, direct instruction of Tier 2 vocabulary is possible with Flocab.

While using Lyric Lab on an interactive whiteboard or while creating lyrics on chart paper, teachers can begin the process of writing an academic rhyme about the content taught and allow students to share in that writing process.

Use one of our reading comprehension units to introduce a particular skill students are expected to practice during their independent reading time. Then, during small group instruction, use one of the printable activities to reinforce the skill or strategy taught.

Printable activities are available on every Flocabulary unit, and can be access from the left-hand unit navigation:

We hope you find these tips on using Flocabulary with a balanced literacy program helpful. If you have any questions or comments, leave us a note below, or shoot us an email.

“Youth Media Project at Burbank Elementary – Spring 2012” by Media Arts Center San Diego Digital Gym on Flickr is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.