100 Minutes

The skills, strategies, and elements that fit under the "literacy" umbrella can seem overwhelming. In today's classroom, balanced literacy encompasses higher order thinking, accountable talk, collaborative learning, digital and media literacy, as well as modelled, guided, and independent learning. How do teachers do it all in just 100 minutes?

100 Minutes: Making Every Minute Count in the Literacy Block is a comprehensive look at literacy and learning that includes reading, writing, oral communication, and digital literacy. This timely book shows teachers how to fit balanced literacy into a daily 100-minute literacy block using a framework of whole-class instruction and writing sessions, combined with independent work.

By chunking a literacy block into three distinct sections, this practical resource argues that it is possible to provide opportunities for students to engage in all aspects of literacy. It offers strategies for dealing with the important elements of literacy instruction, including

sharing and conferencing
using exemplars
creating success criteria
providing effective feedback and assessment
building in rich tasks, higher-level thinking, open-ended questions, and collaborative learning opportunities
thinking critically and analytically about all kinds of texts

100 Minutes: Making Every Minute Count in the Literacy Block shows teachers how to manage a literacy block where students have choice and voice in their learning, capitalise on their own strengths, identify areas for growth and set personal learning goals.

This remarkable book demonstrates that it is possible to create a literacy block where teachers meet with students for guided reading and writing conferences, and provide daily explicit instruction in both reading and writing.