Balanced Literacy Overview

Balanced Literacy - IntelliTools

Balanced Literacy - (11:58 min)

Balanced Literacy, with content that appeals to young students, provides a balanced approach to early literacy instruction for beginning readers. Balanced Literacy is a full year's k-2 curriculum in a box that integrates guided reading, supported writing, and word study or phonics activities.

Balanced Literacy has built in accessibility options. Keyboard shortcuts or single switch scanning can be used to run all activities.

Beginning or struggling readers of any age. Balanced Literacy content will appeal to younger students.

For which grade level is Balanced Literacy appropriate?

• Balanced Literacy has been designed as a supplement to a year long literacy program at the K – Grade 2 level.  It consists of nine sequential units, each containing a number of lessons and activities built around a common unit theme.

Do you have to register Balanced Literacy?

• Balanced Literacy does not need to be registered to be used.  However, even after installation, you must have the program CD in your CD-ROM drive to use the program.

What support materials come with my Balanced Literacy program?

• The licenced copy of Balanced Literacy comes with a program CD and the hard copies of the program’s anchor books.  The program CD contains all the support documentation including the Teacher’s Guide and the User’s Guide.  The Teacher’s Guide contains descriptions of the various lessons as well as accompanying blackline masters.  Any or all of the support documents can be printed – it is suggested that these files be copied to your hard drive for easier viewing and so you don’t have to have the program CD in your CD-ROM drive to print.

Information in the User's Guide refers to Intellikeys Overlays that work with the program.  Where are those located?

• A licensed copy of Balanced Literacy does not come with the program overlays.  The "Overlays" folder on the program CD contains files that the program uses when overlays are used – they are not the actual overlays themselves and so cannot be printed and used.  If you are working with a student who will be accessing the program with an Intellikeys, please purchase the Balanced Literacy package that contains the print overlays as well.

What is the default password to access the Teacher Options of the program?

• The default password for the Balanced Literacy Teacher Options is "teacher".  This password is listed in the Teacher's Guide.

The program CD is required to run this program. If you will be using Balanced Literacy with an Intellikeys, order the bundle that contains the overlays (you cannot print your own overlays from the program CD).

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